 The photograph shot by Jeff Roberts, which captures a sullen tone represented by dull shades of grey and brown and symbolic strength shown through raw emotion shared between a mother and son while being surrounded by severe damage, encompass the detrimental and heartbreaking aftermaths tornados have on communities, especially to Concord, Alabama on April 27, 2011. In April 2011, a total of 292 tornados hit the United States, 62 of which struck the state of Alabama (Israel, 2011). The residents of Alabama were left forlorn as a result of the record-breaking, widespread damage caused by the worst series of tornados to hit the state. Roberts’s sharp focus on the comforting embrace embody the strength and helplessness the mother and son feel alongside the surrounding communities and residents of Alabama, causing this photograph to become viral in April 2011. 

Jeff Roberts’s inclusion of the dismal shades of grey and brown, almost an absence of color, depict a sullen and gloomy tone after the tornado aftermath in Concord, Alabama. The dull shades encompass the background of broken tree limbs, wrecked homes, and the unnavigable road to the mother and son’s nonexistent house. Before looking closely at the photograph, the brown and green hues exhibit the sullen tone through the lack of bright colors and lack of sunlight shining in the photograph. The most vivid color that stands out the most, as Roberts intentionally focused on and placed in the center of the photograph, is on the son’s shirt emphasizing the theme of hope in the midst of darkness and strength in heartbreak. 

Jeff Roberts took this photograph the morning after the tornado struck on April 27, 2011.  In the background of the photograph, he cleverly captures the road’s severe surrounding damage around the mother and son’s embrace to display the impact tornados have on the homes in Alabama.  Including the devastation tornados have on this neighborhood, Roberts’s ultimate goal is to expose the damage and impact tornados do to communities across the nation. The destruction in the photo reveals the loss of power from fallen electricity poles, broken tree limbs, flipped cars, and debris, all acting as a sign of brokenness to the exterior of the neighborhood and the lives of those living in the homes.

Jeff Robert’s purpose to portray a sympathetic emotional response to the viewer is clearly captured through the hug shared between a mother and son, a symbol of strength and the focal point of the photograph. The angle of the photograph is cleverly placed with the lens appearing as eyes of a neighbor overlooking the demolished neighborhood they once called home. The two are shown close enough to see the devastation in the mom’s facial expression accompanied by her tight grip on her son. While the son is sobbing, revealing his weakness and brokenness to his mother, she holds a tight grip on him offering reassurance that their lives will be back to normal, strength to get their family through the hard time, and love for her son. Looking closely at the photograph, the mother’s eyes scream of sadness and brokenness with a gaze towards the destruction around her neighborhood. The expression on her face shows that she is contemplating how to start her life over and unite the shattered community and doing everything she can to stay resilient to the brokenness around her while keeping a good head on her shoulders. This photograph brings out emotion from the most broken parts of our hearts causing viewers to feel empathetic towards the mother and son.

Jeff Roberts’s photograph tells the story of a heartbroken family caused by tornado destruction and is relatable to those who have experienced a tragedy that affected the homes and lives. This photograph accurately documents the brokenness and agony tornados have on the lives of families, but also that strength and hope to persevere through tragedies is possible. Jeff Roberts revealed the world to devastation, opening the eyes of the public to the tragedies that are tornados but also the hope and strength that is possible to survive the disaster.
