Memorial Site at Warren Avenue

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Memorial Site at Warren Avenue        

In the photograph, Warren Avenue by Joel Sternfeld, a building is observed depicting a sight of tragedy, as in a memorial site paying homage to the person who lost their life. The presence of flowers, writings, and bold headings clearly assures this to the viewer from initial observations of this picture. There is an emotional undertone and a strong message is sent to the viewer. From the outlook of the picture setting, it seems that the deceased is sorely missed by the the community. It is an analysis of the subdued emotions portrayed through this picture, and the study of the inherent message that the still image manages send out to the viewer.

        The focus in this picture is a two storied building in what looks like a small neighborhood on a gloomy day. From my perspective, the building in the picture could be a residential site or some commercial building which could have been the site of the person’s death.  The heading which appears on middle section of the building and the painting at the right lower end of the building strikes out the most in this picture. There are also several notes, cards and pictures on the notice board of the building which seem to be addressed in the memory of the deceased. There is a road block sign in front of the building and in between the flower layouts. It could be depicted from the road block sign, that someone who has put up this sign at the site is urging the passerby to stop and take a moment to notice this place of significance. However, the writings depict resentment which leads us to find out more about this incident. The painting on the lower right side which strikes out, depicts a brighter side to this undertone picture and makes the painted image stand out. It could be inferred from the bright and vivid colors of the image with the sunlight and clouds in the background, that  the deceased may rest in peace in their after life in heaven. This painting is probably the most appealing feature in this picture photographed by Sternfeld, even more than the bold heading on the building. For anyone viewing this picture or for any passerby, the painting would draw attention to this site urging to know more about the significance of this place.

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         Since the picture comes across as a mourning site, it could be inferred that the person was a public figure or just somebody who lost their life in an unfortunate incident. There is an interesting bold heading on the building saying, “When you take someones life you forfeit your own”. From my understanding of this, there was someone directly responsible for the loss of this person and is or was still at large after the tragic incident. This statement is probably someone’s grief, reminding of the consequences of bad deeds to the person responsible for the loss. There are also ...

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