English Assignment Chapter One

Patricia Allen
Eng82A
Writing Activity Chapter 1 - #3 Develop a written analysis and evaluation of the image
If Eyes Could Talk

Many of us have heard the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Even the simplest picture can sometimes send out a powerful message. The picture I chose to write about was taken from a book written by Anna Deavere Smith entitled Twilight Los Angeles, 1992. The book shared small stories of people and their experiences, written in their own words, after what some people called one of the worst riots in the history of Los Angeles. America witnessed a video of four white police officers brutally beating a black man on national television. The officers were tried and found not guilty, the city exploded with three days of burning, looting and killing. The riot scarred Los Angeles and got the attention of the entire world.

One of the pictures in the book can easily be viewed as a simple meaningless picture. It is of a Hispanic middle aged man lying down with a pillow neatly placed behind his head. The black and white illustration shows only the pillow, the solemn face of the man, and his upper chest area with a sheet nicely draped across the middle of his chest. The flowers that border the pillow and the relaxed serene expression across his face indicate it is a possibility he might be home in his familiar bed. I can also visualize his wife, kids, brothers, sisters and a host of loving family members at his bedside eagerly awaiting the right moment to bring out the Mariachi Band.

The thing that intrigues me most about this picture is the man’s eyes. His exhausted, weary eyes appear to be in deep thought, possibly thinking of the love of his family and relief that everyone has survived this tragic event. Or, are they portraying he has finally accepted the harshness of all that has happened and just lay there disgusted?

The huge gash on his forehead stretching from the top of his hairline down to the right side of his eyebrow indicates he was wounded during the riot. Are there other wounds that are not visible? Are they buried deep inside? Has he given up or is he looking at a new way to begin? Once again, his eyes shows there are many untold stories. What was the real reason for the riots? Were people just fed up? Will people such as the man in the picture ever have a chance at the American Dream or will he just continue and witness injustices simply because of the color of his skin. The man’s eyes in the picture are no different than any of ours, they function the same, therefore he should be viewed the same and treated as such.