Exercise 7,( pg. 7)

The photograph presented on page 7, most vividly represents a homeless person in a big city. With the help of miscellaneous objects and symbols, this conclusion is based on many of the following observations. First, it is quite obvious this photo is taken outside, with the bench being a prime object of the setting. The bench and tree are enclosed in a fence, which leads me to the belief that it is perhaps taken within a park, overlooking the busy street. Sitting on the bench, there is a huge cardboard box, keeping closed with lots of rope and tape. Inside the box, holds several clothes. Along with the many clothes, there is a pillow sticking out. I find this a huge reference to this being somewhat of a homeless person’s surrounding.

Under the bench, another box appears to have “Handle with Care” written on the outside. While this is a common phrase on many packages, it leaves the observer somewhat thinking this person is making use of recycled boxes to hold his or her belongings. Beside this box, there are parts of this object scattered and torn off on the ground. Digging deeper, this box has most likely been used for many years, as there may have not been sufficient money to provide he or she a replacement box.

One interesting observation I found to be very intriguing, is the fact that all the activity going on outside of the park is very blurry. While you can still tell there is a busy city out there (perhaps New York?), I think the illustrator decided to have the observer focus solely on the homeless man or woman’s surrounding. From a distance, I observed a Burger King and a bicycle parked in front. There are people walking on the sidewalk, as well as two cards waiting at a busy stoplight. With the continuation of the idea that the distance is blurry, I have come to the conclusion that this scene may represent how a homeless individual feels day in and day out. Perhaps the distance to the real world is too far for such people to even fathom seeking.

The link I chose to attach to this blog entry, is an article based on homelessness in America. After reading this, the one question that really stood out to me is, “If the leaders of our country can justify and budget trillions of dollars to fund wars, than how can they possibly say we cannot afford investing in the elimination of poverty and homelessness in America?”. I found this information very relevant in today’s society as well as how it relates to the photograph on Page 7.

http://articlet.com/article3222.html