WP1: Pre-Writing Assignment 3

After researching more about the historical and cultural context of the Democratic Republic of Congo, I am able to reexamine the photo labeled "Tales of Rape" in a new light. The Democratic Republic of Congo is located in central Africa, and is bordered by nine countries including Sudan, Rwanda, and Uganda. Established in 1908 as a Belgian colony and then gaining its independence in 1960 under the name Republic of the Congo, the country's history has been characterized by political and social instability. In 1997, the Mobutu regime was overthrown with the support of Rwanda and Uganda. Following this, a man by the name of Laurent Kabila took over the country as a democratic leader, renaming the country under its current title. Nevertheless, Rwanda and Uganda intervened a second time in 1998 following the switch of government, which caused further fighting to break out. Finally, in 2003, a peace agreement was reached between the many parties, but terrible acts of violence continue to mar the lives of native people in the country.

One of the most tragic themes throughout the Congo's history of conflict has been the hundreds of thousands of rapes that have occurred. With the large number of armed forces commuting throughout the country, many male soldiers have taken advantage of local women as well as girls. Particularly noted have been the thousands of victims in the eastern part of the country. In the midst of a financial crisis, many women and girls have either volunteered or been forced to join the national army. After spending years living with male soldiers, many of these females tell of how they were raped. Despite their age or desires to resist the men, soldiers would come in, one after another, and do anything they wanted with the women. A weak and exposed self-conscious was only one side effect of these actions, while pregnancies produced many more complications.

With all of this historical information in mind, my perception of the original photograph has changed slightly. Although I knew that the girl in the picture was probably raped, I now know that she was a member of the national army when she was taken advantage of several times a day. This more or less explains her gesture in the photo, and gives a reason for the photographer to frame her in the manner that she did. It also explains the dark colors of the photo, which mirror the dark emotions overflowing from her soul. The girl eventually escaped the army and was living with her family when the picture was taken, her home being the background of the photo. Furthermore, the author may have purposefully incorporated the dark room to the left as a symbol for the dark past that she is so desperately trying to forget. As far as showing the wall, its naked condition depicts just how poor this family is, which in turn explains the girl's need to join the army in the first place.

Works Cited

"BBC NEWS: Photo journal: Tales of rape in DR Congo." BBC NEWS, News Front Page. 2007. 17 Feb. 2010

"CIA - The World Factbook -- Congo, Democratic Republic of the." Welcome to the CIA Web Site Central Intelligence Agency. 15 Jan. 2010. 18 Feb. 2010 .

WP1: Pre-Writing Assignment 2

A professional photographer has many technical aspects to think about when shooting a particular subject. By varying the arrangement, framing, lighting, focus, coloration, and many other elements, the photographer can drastically change the way the audience views the photo. In the picture entitled "Tales of Rape in DR Congo," Anna Kari employs many of these technical aspects while capturing the image of a girl in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The first technical aspect that Kari may have thought about is the arrangement of the subjects within the photo. One notices that the girl takes up about a fourth of the image towards the right side of the picture, and that she is leaning against a bare wall, which extends along the right two-thirds of the photo. The left third, then, is comprised of the receding room within the structure, bathed in darkness. This arrangement and orientation of these subjects gestures toward the appeal of logos, as they give the viewer a sense of the surroundings. Since there are relatively few elements within the composition, the hue of the girl's clothing contrasts with the sameness of the background, producing a hierarchy. Logically, this girl, then becomes the focal point of the piece, which feeds the emotional side of the piece, or pathos. Also contributing to this logos, however, is the way in which the title and the picture work together to inform the reader of the background of the situation. Specifically, the title depicts what has happened to the girl: that she has been part of a rape scenario, and the picture, then, informs the reader how the girl feels about what is depicted in the title.

In going back to the vectors of attention within the photo and seeing how they pertain to the pathos, the girl's eyes attract attention, even though they are not visible. By covering up her eyes, the girl makes no eye contact with the viewer, thus establishing their position as an observer. Nonetheless, the audience is still able to relate,

to some extent, to the emotions that the girl is

projecting. This aspect of the piece thus contributes to the emotions evoked by the viewer. Furthermore, the lighting and coloration of the photo compliment the emotions of the viewer, as the shadows produce many black hues. These hues, which also have very little brightness, typically have negative connotations: gloom, depression, and sadness. Thus, since the majority of the photo contains these hues, these feelings are conveyed to the viewer. In addition, the white top that the girl has on may elicit a feeling of innocence from the reader; especially when viewed with the title.

One last important element in the piece is framing. The photographer chose to get close to the girl; exposing her gestures as well as the bare wall and the dark, mysterious room. This contributes to the emotion of the viewer, but also to the ethos, as it sheds some light on the photographer's opinion of the subject.