http://www.flickr.com/photos/shedotcomph/1495134406/

(What is said for the picture discussion is inferred from the picture, and some may not be true. The story behind the picture is given in its original source.)

PICTURE DISCUSSION

This picture depicts a scene outside a children’s home, where the boys were taking a camera shot outside their dormitories. The curtains hanging on the windows of the room act as the background of the picture. Even though the boys were dressed fairly well and smiles painted their faces like honey on a bear’s cheeks, from the looks of the house, they were clearly not rich and were living a life where luxuries were uncommon. The walls of the building were not unscathed and needed painting, but the laughter and joy of the children brightened the picture much.

Although most of the faces were focusing on the camera, some of the boys in the middle were stuck in the middle of wrestling shoulder to shoulder during the shot. They are most probably very close friends as they were teasing each other, inferred from the tight grip of each other. From their expressions, I believe they tasted the fun in their mouths and didn’t mind the teasing. This further confirms that the bonds between the children were strong and that they braved the dangerous winters and enjoyed the comfortable summers together.

Towards the left, there is a boy wearing a blue shirt and raising his arms as if to hide. Possibly, the boy did not want to be part of the photograph but for keepsake, his friends pulled him in. The other boy who wore a striped T-shirt and was smiling at the camera is in it, as his hands were pulling the retaliating boy beside him. He was almost grinning, happy that at least his good buddy is there with them in the picture.

The boy with unkempt hair at the extreme left of the others seems to have got there just in time as he wasn’t drawn into the embrace that was as tight as the others. He was not disappointed though, seen from his smile where the corners of his mouth were almost touching his ears. It was almost a wide grin. His fingers were put into a twist, where a ‘V’ sign is obvious beside his ecstatic mates.

However, the tallest boy at the extreme right was looking a little off balance and his smile was reluctant. His balance problem probably resulted from a sudden grip, the grip of which the middle boys might have pulled the two sides when the cameraman was saying “1, 2…”, and by the time he got to “…3”, this lanky boy was standing on one foot and his arm was rested upon the guy next to him. From the looks of it, he might be unprepared for both the pull and the flash, thus his getting-ready-to-smile smile on his face.

This picture, of which happiness was shown even among poverty, tells us that nothing else matters in the innocence of a child. The children are not bothered by the rundown building where they live, nor do they mind the average Jack lifestyle they had lived. Their future may be tainted by poverty, but hope is present where they survive. As long as the flicker of hope and life exists, these children will surely build a better world for their country and the world.

Leck Choon Ling
3G (15)