War is something that each and every person has seen whether they were involved in the war itself or watch the devastation from afar. We can all agree that it strikes deep inside of us when we see the pain and suffering caused by these senseless wars. One of the ongoing wars that is happening as we speak is the Syrian Civil War. This conflict that has been going on since 2011, has caused the deaths of over 300,000 people and has also displaced another 5,000,000 in the process. It is a seen that almost has no good ending at this point. An image started circulating on the internet and news media from this war of a small boy in an ambulance that was covered in dirt and blood with this blank look of despair on his face. This image strikes all of us not because of the dirt and blood that covers him but because he is this little boy no older than 5 years old. If his little boy was replaced with a large man, I don’t think this image would have the significance it does as a man can defend himself while a little boy is defense-less against the horrors around him. Through this image of this little boy with the immediate dangers that he has encountered, we as people and human being connect with this boy and feel a duty to try our best to protect him from these dangers he has faced. 

This little boy named Omran is a constant reminder of what war brings with it and how nobody is safe from it. He is so small compared to the chair and equipment in the ambulance. With his blood and dirt covered face we feel sympathetic and angry that something like this can happen to someone of his size. He has a blank stare on his face that destroys you on the inside where we always associate children with happiness and laughter. He is so familiar to all of us as we see little kids running around and with their parents almost on a daily basis without any thought of it. For me, Omran reminds me of my 4-year-old neighbor who would always be playing in his front yard when I came home from work or school each day. I cannot possibly imagine seeing my neighbor in his situation and being covered in blood with his look of nothing on his face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a look other than happiness and smiles in all my time of knowing him. We all feel responsible and guilty for Omran simply for his small size and the overall fact that he is covered in dirt and blood and how we cannot even imagine the terrible things he has seen and gone through.

When first looking at this image, I see this boy covered in blood and dirt who is way too young to be fighting or involved in any conflict. When comparing Omran to the size of the chairs and equipment in the ambulance it is evident how small he really is as he does not take up the whole chair. He is also about the same size as the first aid kit that is on the wall besides him. He has obviously seen the face of danger as he is covered in all this blood and dirt but we cannot clearly see in the image if the blood is he or if he has been injured at all. For all we know the blood could be from a random person or it could be the blood of his mother, father, or maybe a sibling. From the image we have seen, Omran is sitting in this large ambulance alone with no one around him. His body language is somewhat alarming as he is sitting there calmly with his hands in his lap and a blank stare on his face. The blood and dirt that covers him doesn’t seem to bother him as he sits there quietly with no attempt to whip off his face. Everything in the ambulance is colored very brightly in mainly orange and white while Omran has a dark green shirt on and dark shorts while being covered in dirt and blood from his head to his toes. This catches our eye and makes us focus on him because of the vast color difference between him and the rest of the ambulance. 

Omran, this little boy from Syrian, hits all of us in different ways but I feel that this picture connects all of us to him in one way or another. From his blooded and dirty body to his small size in comparison his surroundings we feel a need to protect him from these vast dangers he has faced. It can also make us feel for loved ones and how we all want them to be safe and not put in Omran’s position. I think Omran and his image is a powerful statement to the atrocities of this ongoing war and wars like it. Omran didn’t choose to be thrust into this war and there is no way of telling if he has been left an orphan from this war or what his current situation is. He along millions of other people have been greatly affected by this war and Omran is a clear sign that this war has been continuing for far too long. The picture of Omran and all these devastating images from this war serve as a calling for other countries and us as human being to put an end to this senseless violence in the country of Syria and in places of violence all around the world. It should be over duty as people to stop and prevent this violence so children and people like Omran don’t have to witness the pain and suffering that violence brings with it.

Omran, this little boy who was covered in blood and dirt while sitting in an ambulance has brought wide spread attention to a much needed topic that is the Syrian Civil War. With the blank stare on his face and calm posture he brought things to the light. He was the center of the attention as he, in dark and dirtied cloths, sat around bright colors that he just didn’t fit in with. Essentially Omran made me and countless others think of the little ones in our lives and how we would never stand for them to be in his position. The horrid things that he has lived through are such that they will stay with him forever and haunt him for the rest of his life whether he remains in Syria or is lucky enough to escape and find peace. Omran has made such a huge impact on the whole world not simply because he is another victim of war but because he is defenseless child who was thrust into the violence. When war is brought upon a greater stage, Omran and images like his are on the front page of reasons why the war and violence should be ended once in for all.