A Comparison between Two Pictures of Humans of New York
Olivia Jendrzejewski
Professor Clark
English 111 Section 04
18 October 2013
Out of The Shadows Tragic events always come to us by surprise. Tragedy is something no one wants to encounter, yet we all do at one point in our lives. Some experience this in much more diverse ways than others. The young woman sitting in front of the café faced unspeakable horror by being sexually abused by a family member between the ages of eight and twelve. The other woman sits on the curbstone with her canine companion in sadness. Her sorrow comes from two appalling events in which both of her best friends committed suicide within a four-month span. These sickening tragedies will always be with them, but it is how they pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and move forward that will help them to define their future. Personal tragedy affects us all, but we react to it individually in many different ways. In Brandon Stanton’s photograph, the woman who has lost two of her best friends seems to be alone in quiet solitude enjoying the company of her dog, while trying to forget the past. It is later in the evening with darkness all-around. There are no people walking the sidewalks and no traffic in the streets. It is painting a sorrowful and lonely picture because it is gloomy and she is by herself with the exception of her dog. The dull photograph is caused by her inability to come face to face with reality and conquer her personal depression brought on by these tragic events. It is portraying that she is having a difficult and rough time getting over her these experiences. Her bowed posture way of sitting shows she has not essentially seen the “light” after this dark night of her personal depression. She is waiting for the evening to end so that in the morning, her memory of these incidents will hopefully have somewhat faded away. Her thoughtful expression implies that time is standing still for her. An individual’s mind will constantly dwell on the events that they have
Professor Clark
English 111 Section 04
18 October 2013
Out of The Shadows Tragic events always come to us by surprise. Tragedy is something no one wants to encounter, yet we all do at one point in our lives. Some experience this in much more diverse ways than others. The young woman sitting in front of the café faced unspeakable horror by being sexually abused by a family member between the ages of eight and twelve. The other woman sits on the curbstone with her canine companion in sadness. Her sorrow comes from two appalling events in which both of her best friends committed suicide within a four-month span. These sickening tragedies will always be with them, but it is how they pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and move forward that will help them to define their future. Personal tragedy affects us all, but we react to it individually in many different ways. In Brandon Stanton’s photograph, the woman who has lost two of her best friends seems to be alone in quiet solitude enjoying the company of her dog, while trying to forget the past. It is later in the evening with darkness all-around. There are no people walking the sidewalks and no traffic in the streets. It is painting a sorrowful and lonely picture because it is gloomy and she is by herself with the exception of her dog. The dull photograph is caused by her inability to come face to face with reality and conquer her personal depression brought on by these tragic events. It is portraying that she is having a difficult and rough time getting over her these experiences. Her bowed posture way of sitting shows she has not essentially seen the “light” after this dark night of her personal depression. She is waiting for the evening to end so that in the morning, her memory of these incidents will hopefully have somewhat faded away. Her thoughtful expression implies that time is standing still for her. An individual’s mind will constantly dwell on the events that they have