Children have a different, unadulterated view of the world. They walk around and do things with complete wonder because they do not know what is around the corner. This is seen in their expressions and the lack of caution with every step they take. James, the subject in the pictures from the photo essay “James: A Child’s World” by Monica Damon, is a perfect example of the curious nature of children and their want to experience everything they can, especially when something is unknown to them, like the empty school on a rainy day shown in the visual essay. This essay also exhibits how children must be guided because the world is unknown and without a guiding force, they could be left in the dark, trying to figure things out on their own. “James: A Child’s World” uses a variety of different visual elements, like setting, light, and color, to convey curiosity and the need for guidance through the most impressionable time of life called childhood.

In the first photo of the essay, the viewer sees James running down an empty hallway lined with different pictures towards a bright yellow light at the end of the hall. The bright yellow light symbolizes his future. He is quickly moving towards this future without any guidance on where to go and how to go about his journey. The fact that he is moving by himself shows that he has free will, but since he is such a small child, a few questions enter the reader’s mind: “Should this child be making this journey on his own? Is there someone there to look out for this child?” As the reader moves through the visual essay, they discover that he is in fact not alone, but he is with a guardian, who is also taking the pictures. Even though free will is important for human development and discovering what people are capable of doing, it is usually more important for children to be looked over when they are young.

In the second picture, James is smiling and holding someone’s hand, and the picture is blurry and bright. The blur and bright quality of the photo represents his excitement and happiness because he has been jumping around at the sight of his guardian; he now has someone to lead him through his journey and help him make decisions. The jovial expression on his face shows that the person whose hand he is holding is someone that he knows, and it is someone who is important to him. He is smiling from ear to ear without his teeth showing, which can lead the reader to believe that he is making some sort of shrieking sound or laughing. This excitement also creates meaning through showing that James is excited to move forward with his guardian by his side. The clues in this photo can show the reader that the person has James’s best interest in mind and will help him make decisions that will positively impact his future.

In the next photo, James is shown standing next to a pencil sharpener and two cups marked dull and sharp for pencils. The reader can assume that he has just finished sharpening a pencil from the movement of his hand and the pencil sticking into the pencil sharpener. He is looking back with a huge grin on his face, looking for approval from his guardian. There is wonder in his eyes, shown by how open they are and the bright specks of light in them. This is used to show his interest in the machine and how it works. Also, since he is looking back, the presence of the guardian is made obvious. The importance of this image is that he is doing a task that could possibly be seen as dangerous and his guardian is watching over him while he does said task. This shows that James has freewill in the situation, but it is essential that the guardian is there if he needs help or if something goes wrong. This overlooking guardian is important because James is learning how to do things for himself, like he will eventually have to do in the future.

The fourth picture has the same concept as the third, but James has even more freewill in this picture. He is haphazardly coloring with markers on a sheet on blank paper, concentrating on the task at hand. He is not looking back in this picture because he is being creative and his guardian’s approval is not necessary. The picture is taken from behind and over the shoulder to show the presence of the guardian. The shot is also slightly above James, which implies that the guardian is over James, in size and age. The shot has somewhat of a loving aspect to it because the reader can assume that James is sitting in the guardian’s lap from the proximity of where the picture is taken. The closeness is also a representation of how his guardian does not want to let him go. This photo being in the middle of the photo essay is important because in the first few shots, James is far away. Then, he gradually gets closer as the essay goes on until he is so close the reader can distinguish a difference of skin tone in his cheeks.  This photo is taken while he is coloring lines in a myriad of different shapes, sizes, and colors. The reader can assume that the page was blank before James’ started coloring. This reinforces the idea of freewill because if he was coloring a page from a coloring book, he would be confined to what was already on the page. Most of the colors he uses to draw the lines are bright which reinforces the joyful nature of childhood. 

In the fifth picture, the mood dramatically changes. James is pictured in a large, dark room alone, facing away from the only light source and looking at differing lines on the ground. This change in mood and setting can be used to show where James could end up if he is not guided at this point in his life. He is looking at lines that are different in color, shape, and direction. This symbolizes all of the different paths he could possibly take. The darkness of the room could show how he is “in the dark” and not sure which path he should follow because he is extremely young. 

In the final image, James is looking out of a window with his arms propped up on the ledge of the window. His arms are up in the air and he is shrugging his shoulders in a questioning motion. This means that he is wondering where he will go next and if we will have any help. He is looking out onto his future, and he is scared, unlike in the first picture where he was running towards his bright future and unafraid of what is to come. This photo in the essay also acts as foreshadowing because in adulthood, no one will be there to guide James. He will have to make his own decisions. The mood in the picture is also dark, like the last picture, which helps show the viewer how daunting adulthood is.

The future is scary, but for children, it is less so. Everything is new and amazing and waiting to be discovered. But, this does not mean that they do not have difficulties to face in their near future. Soon, they will be left alone to face what is ahead of them, and only receive a little help, which is why it’s important for them to have a baseline of guidance under their belts. “James: A Child’s World” exhibits this theme perfectly through the use of several visual elements, some of which being setting, light, and color.
