Southern Simple

     America in its current state has vast differences in cultures, race, and general ways of life. It still lives up to the old name of "The Melting Pot" due to the mixing of all of these things. This photo, taken from a collection of photos that characterize the people of America, tells a lot about the state of everyday life in a small town of Texas. However small this town may be, this rhetoric also reminds the viewer of common themes in today’s everyday southern life.

     The first thing one would notice about this picture is the way the artist chose to present the colors. The photo is left in black and white to emphasize the non-wavering expressions on the two individuals faces. Also, the colors combined with the seemingly old truck are used to embellish the feelings of nostalgia. Although this is a current picture, the author presents it so that it seems like one from the past which might cause older viewers to feel connected to it. When the emotions in the figures’ faces are analyzed, they have a content look on their face due to the peaceful serenity presented by the picture. If analyzed differently, a face with no emotion at all can be seen. This is because this is a snapshot of a piece of American life and therefore, they are posing like it is one. The photographer also wants to present a happy couple and to do this he uses a very noticeable feature of the picture, posture. The young girl is pressed against the wheel with long flowing hair while the guy looks cool and calm. The slight touch of the girl’s hand against the boys arm presents the image of comfort. The author uses the view in the picture to give the common view one might see in the south. Beautiful girls, calm and cool guys, and the old truck against a barn and tree are used to symbolize the importance of where the photo was taken and give the viewer a short glimpse of southern life.