The photo is a portrait of a mother and three of her young children clinging to her as she stares pondering into the distance. Her mouth is slightly turned down in a frown, her children's faces are buried in her shoulders, and a baby laying in her lap. The look in her eyes is as if she does not even recognize her children are with her as she considers what will come of them. Her brow is heavily wrinkled with concern. Their clothes are torn, dirty, and tattered. The baby's face is covered in dirt as its eyes are closed. When looking closer at the baby one may ask, “Is it sleeping?” or “Has it passed away?” With the children's faces hidden one is only left to imagine if they are crying. Are they mourning the baby? Perhaps they are scared, like their mother, of what their fates will be.
The photo was taken during the Great Depression. This was a time when many people in our country were homeless, hungry, and looking for work. I believe Lange was trying to capture the urgency of the situation. We see in her photo these tired, poor, and hungry people starving as they sit waiting for opportunity. Lange spoke about the photo in an article she did in 1960, saying, “There she sat in that lean-to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. There was a sort of equality about it” (EyeWitness).
Lange wanted to emphasize how bad things really were in the region and wanted to help. After taking the photos she contacted an editor of a San Francisco news paper about what she had seen and the condition of the camp. The editor then published an article with two of the photos Lange had taken that day. The government had also been alerted and aid was rushed to the camp (EyeWitness). Lange achieved her goal of helping this woman. The aid had much to do with the photographs she took that day. The photos told their story better than words could have described. Some could argue that she explained the context of what she had seen, but this photo was able to show what the words had been failing to portray: the pain. One could see the pain in the mother’s eyes. The heavy burden she carried with her was clearly seen in her face.
This image was a vision of suffering that people of the age were all too aware of but many had not seen with their own eyes. The photo was able to bring this tragedy to life for readers not only locally but around the country. It was able to bring aid to those pictured as well as many others suffering the same fate. This image is so striking and memorable. This is for good reason: it tells a story. The photo shows true emotions and it is sure to make an impact on nearly everyone who sees it. The image overall is a very touching picture that shows the pain of a world one could only imagine. It is tragically sad and strikingly beautiful all at the same time. It is compelling and intriguing. It is life and truth. Perhaps most of all it was an argument that won.
Barnet, Sylvan, and Hugo Bedau, eds. Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument, with Readings. 8th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. Print.
EyeWitness to History, "Migrant Mother, 1936,": Web. 30 Aug. 2009. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com .
Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC), “Migrant Mother.”: Web. 30 Aug. 2009. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/pphome.html .
Great analysis Anna!! ;)
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