“A picture worth a thousand words.” (Brisbane, Arthur). This quote is a common phrase that almost everybody has heard or used. The more details and elements that are in these pictures tells an even greater story. The picture that instills the most emotion is a picture with a faceless army man and a little boy holding a teddy bear and the tip of the army man’s gun. In this picture, the artist uses color, objects in the picture, expressions, and placement to show that violence corrupts childlike innocence.

Color is creates feeling and is one of the biggestsources of emotion in pictures. Each color represents or stands for something important. The entire left side of the picture is darker than the right side of the picture. It is the man’s dark, camouflage army uniform (___Citation___?). The darkness and wanting to blend in shows that he is blending in with the darkness. This means that he doesn’t see how the violence he partakes in is robbing people of innocence. The worn out glove on the man’s hand is black. It represents all the bad things he has done. The fact that he’s still wearing the glove means that he will continue to do it despite how long he has been doing it. The black gun in his other hand represents the violence that is engaged in in war. It has seen many deaths and other violent acts. The color black represents death, evil, power, and control. It generally has a negative connotation. The things the color represents can be associated with violence and loss of innocence. The person with the gun normally has the power. They control what is going on in the situation because the opposing person is normally too afraid to get hurt to try and take control. It shows death and evil because that is darkness. The color white, however is the opposite of black. White shows purity, innocence, and goodness. The contrast between the two colors is very significant to the visual text. White is represented in the picture through the teddy bear. It is such a pristine and vibrant white in a picture of dark or bland colors. It is one of the first thing to attract one’s eyes. It stands out and seems to glow in the picture. This represents the child’s innocence and youth. It shows the goodness in him for not having done anything bad. The purity of the boy stands out through his teddy bear, but is the only pure thing in the picture.

The objects in the picture are there for a reason. Everything in a visual text serves a vital purpose to get a point across. The gun that the man is holding and his camo outfit shows that he is part of the war. His gun is so causally hanging from his hand, as it must be a norm for him now. This is what he has gotten used to for his every day routine. The gun has just become a part of him. It shows the violence he partakes in and how it has just become natural for him. It doesn’t faze him as much as it used to. The tip of the gun where the child is holding, however, has a very different meaning. The child has a concerned look on his face and is curiously looking at it. He is most likely coming into contact with a gun for the first time and is afraid. He has probably heard them being fired throughout his area and has seen the violence that is associated with it. The gun creates a violent and scary image when we think of its purpose. The worn out glove placed over his hand shows that he has done this for a long time. It protects him from the full violence going on. He doesn’t actually touch the gun, but his glove does. Unlike the gun and the man, the teddy bear is in direct contact with the child. He is grasping the bear very tightly, and clutching it closely to him. This can represent him holding onto his innocence. He is just a young child, and doesn’t know anything besides innocence. He hasn’t been exposed to many bad things. Besides the white color of the bear representing good and purity, the physical actual bear itself is also a significant part of this. A teddy bear is typically associated with young children that they use hold for comfort and security. The presence of war in his area, though, and all the violence and hard times that come with it will surely rob him of his innocence.

Expressions are transparent to how one is feeling. Even if they insist that they are okay and everything is good, their expression can say otherwise and won’t lie about it. The boy looks concerned. He seems afraid of the gun and almost sad it’s there. He looks like he is about to cry. The concerned look he is giving the gun depicts that he has not seen this type of violence before and it has just arrived at his area and it is getting less safe. The reality that he might have to start fighting in a few years is a real concern, now, that he might force him to grow up faster. The fact that the soldier’s face is not visible represents that he is dehumanized in war. He has seen many bad things and acts of violence and this leads to him having most likely a stone expression, without much emotion. Not being able to see his face makes him less relatable to the reader because that lack of expression makes him seem less real. However, the way his hand with the glove on is resting is almost in a fist, with his pointer finger slightly extended. It looks like he is holding an invisible gun. This body language depicts that he has become accustomed to this lifestyle and is always prepared to fight, and never really being relaxed or at peace, things associated with purity. The expression, or lack of visibility to see expressions, and body language represent a lot of emotion and describe true feelings of those involved.

The positioning of objects in an image are an important part of a visual text. They draw attention to certain areas and aspects of a picture and take away from others. For example, in the visual text, the child is holding the tip of the gun and looking down at it (___citation___). The viewer’s eyes will naturally be drawn to what the boy’s eyes are looking at. It is also placed almost in the direct center of the photograph; it is just a little bit to the right. The emphasis on the gun tip creates an understanding to the boy’s expression. This initial reaction one has to the little boy holding a gun tip and his expression creates the mood or feeling overall for the picture. It is the first impression someone will get of this picture. Another thing that catches attention when looking at the picture is the teddy bear. The white is strikingly vibrant compared to the rest of the picture, which has dull or dark colors. The bear stands out showing innocence and seeming childish, in contrast to the gun standing out representing violence and war. The positioning of the picture and the emphasis on certain areas help to describe the picture well and bring out certain areas. 

Innocence is a beautiful thing all children are born with. As they get exposed to more and more of the world, their innocence slowly becomes corrupted. This corruption can impact their lives and change the way that they look at everything in the world and how they act. Children deserve to be nurtured and grow in a healthy environment, but as seen in the picture, that isn’t always the case. The visual text describes this loss of childlike innocence through color, objects in the picture, expressions, and placement of objects. This loss of innocence will impact a child’s life forever.
