In Class: Analyzing Visuals

Candy Cigarette
Q:What about this image initially draws your attention and why?
A: What initially drew my attention to the image was that such a young girl was holding a cigarette. If I had not known the title of this image I would have thought that this young girl was actually smoking a real cigarette. It is an appeal to my ethics because I do not believe that a girl of her age should be smoking.
Q:How does this initial point of vision connect to the rest of the image?
A: She looks very stern and that was the first thing that I realized after the initial part of the image that drew my attention. I noticed that the girl next to her looks far younger with her hair in a very high pony tail and innocent compared to her friend holding the cigarette. She looks old beyond her years because of the way she is standing with her arm crossed over her body and the way in which she holds the cigarette in her hand.
Q: What is this image about? What emotions and ideas are portrayed in the image?
A: I believe this image is about the young girl holding the cigarette and the stigma surrounding the image of her doing this. Most people would not expect such a young girl to be smoking and you feel sorry for her because even at such a young age she looks like she has had a hard life.
Q: What is the purpose of this image?
A: The purpose of this image, I believe, is to show the audience this girl's loss of innocence. The world around children these days induces premature growing up and this image is a perfect example of the loss of a child's youth.