Purpose

Purpose: Respond

Work through the following questions to arrive at a statement that you think sums up the purpose of this collage. Then “submit” your responses.

Here is a bit of context to help inform your analysis. The creator of this piece was a photographer named Dan Eldon. He was one of the first people to document the devastation of poverty and starvation in Somalia. His photographs of skeletal children and hundreds of starving men and women made their way to newspapers and magazines and helped galvanize relief efforts. Eldon was stoned to death by an angry mob when he was 22. This collage is one of many that he kept in a private journal, documenting his experiences in Africa.

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  1. Question 1

    What are the separate elements in this collage? Write down any associations you have for each element you can identify. Remember that there are elements of this composition—Eldon's use of color and the way he's chosen to combine separate elements—that are also used to make this an effective text.

  1. Question 2

    Do certain elements within the text stand out more than others—because of size, color, placement, repetition? Does this cause you to focus more on certain elements than others? Make a list of the elements you identify in order of their relative importance, from most important to least.

  1. Question 3

    We mentioned the grouping of elements in this collage into African and American items. Note, however, that parts of the Kodak box are placed on both sides of the collage. What does this suggest about the role of photography with respect to African culture and American business interests?

  1. Question 4

    After working through all the preceding questions, what do you think the purpose of this collage is? Who is its audience? To what extent does knowing more about the context of this collage help you identify its purpose?