WP1: Rough Draft 2

I don't know the girl in the photograph. And I probably never will.

But she and I share a connection. Both of our lives have been affected by cancer.

My Grandpa died of lung cancer before I was born. I never had a chance to meet him. To play sports, celebrate holidays or enjoy his hand picked Christmas presents. He was taken from me by a terrible disease, and left me in this world without a grandparent.

And like me, it's possible that this mother could also lose someone that she loves. Her beautiful little girl could die from cancer.

Cancer contributes to 23.1% of all human deaths in the United States. To put that number in comparison, that's more than the number of people who die from diabetes, influenza, alzheimers and all other unintentional accidents combined.

And unfortunately, thousands die every year from cancer that could have been prevented. Movements like the pink ribbon campaign to raise awareness for breast cancer are working to change that, but it's just a start. Too many people don't know or underestimate the danger of cancer. Instead of getting into the doctor's office for simple tests that could save their lives, many only get it when symptoms begin to appear, and by than it is too late. They are lost to those around them, just like my grandpa. And that is a tragedy.

But let's be honest. It's hard to connect with raw information and statistics. Sometimes you need something more to get through to people. That is why this photograph of a young girl fighting cancer, with her mother by her side is so important. Unlike a number, this image puts a face on cancer and it's effect on the world.

At first glance, you probably notice that this girl has no hair and that she has IV's coming out of her arms. This is a common side effict of chemotherapy, a costly treatment used to fight cancer. But when you look beyond her initial apperance and gaze into her eyes, you begin feel a human connection. It's like she is looking back at you. They say the eyes are a window into a person's soul. And when you look inside the soul of this little girl, you begin to feel like she could be your daughter or younger sister. A member of your family. All of a sudden, you begin to care.

This is classic pathos, appealing to our emotions and making us feeling something. We feel compassion and even pity for the girl and her mother. Many of us probably are probably reminded of our own families when we see such genuine affection in a picture. And when we can relate to the characters in an image, half of the argument is already won.

This photograph also argues it’s point through logos and it’s arrangement of the photograph. The daughter laying her head on the mom's shoulder, with her mother's hand pressed against her back is a classic demonstration of love. They look happy in this picture. Happy simply to be together. Happy just because they are alive. They don't have to say this with words, because we can see it in their body language.

Body language often communicates our deepest feelings. Anyone can form the vocalize the words "I love you." But the affection shown in this picture can't be replicated or faked. The human smile is a universal symbol for happiness, and in this case a picture is worth a thousand words.

Instead of focusing on the bad, this photograph focuses on what little good there is in a situation like this. There is a contrast the two brave people we in the foreground, somehow making it through another day with a positive attitude; and the dark, blurry and uncertain world around them. It’s classic good versus evil, hope over despair. By refusing to be defined by the difficult circumstances around them, they are an inspiration to anyone looking at the picture.

This picture is a reminder not to take life for granted. And the world certainly needs a reminder. Statistics show that millions of people young and old will have cancer in their lifetime. Yet the warning often goes unheard or boldly ignored, especially by young people. To understand this, we have to look at the context at which the average college student is coming from. Because students are generally pretty healthy, care free and disinterested in the future, it’s hard to really think about something like cancer. For us, it's all about today and what's happening over the weekend.

But a picture like this can bring us back down to Earth. Connecting with this girl and feeling compassion to her situation makes us think. What if this happened to me? What if cancer took away someone that I care about?

So many of us take our lives for granted. We waste precious moments that we will never get back. I mean think about it, when was the last time you genuinely stopped and thought about someone else’s needs? When was the last time you genuinely helped a stranger or even a friend?

Do we need some sort of award or incentive stop being selfish for a few minutes? Why is it that in a country where we have so much, we have so much trouble giving even just a little back? Look at how lucky we are to be living in a country like America with the opportunities that we have. Why don’t we do something with it?

This picture really puts things in perspective. For this mother and her daughter, life isn’t about the next vacation or what hot new toy you want to buy next. It’s about surviving, and keeping close to you the only thing that matters.

Compare that with your own life, and what do you see? Are you living your life to it’s fullest potential? Do you appreciate all of the people around you? In short, could you be doing better?

Life is short. So make the most of it. And if you get lost along the way, maybe this girl can help you find the light.

WP1: Rough Draft 1

I don't know the girl in the photograph. And I probably never will.

But she and I share a connection. Both of our lives have been affected by cancer.

My Grandpa died of lung cancer before I was born. I never had a chance to meet him. To play sports, celebrate holidays or enjoy his hand picked Christmas presents. He was taken from me by a terrible disease and left me in this world without a grandparent.

Then again when I was 8 years old, brain cancer took the life of my grandmother. I never had a chance to say goodbye because we were living overseas. It just wasn't right.

Unfortunately, I am not alone. Cancer contributes to 23.1% of all human deaths in the United States. To put that number in comparison, that's more than the number of people who died from diabetes, influenza, alzheimers and all other unintentional accidents combined. But that's just a statistic. And it's hard to connect with a statistic. Which is why this photograph of a young girl fighting cancer, with her mother by her side is so important.

From what we can see, it appears that this girl is being treated for cancer and fighting for her life. Unlike a number, this image puts a face on cancer and it's effect on America. When you look into the girls eyes, you feel a human connection. That's the argument I feel the photographer was trying to make when he took the picture.

The first thing I noticed when looking at this photograph is that there is no color. And I believe this was done to show the seriousness of the picture. But despite the technical aspects of the photograph, the moment it captures is filled with color. You can see and feel the love shared between a sick daughter and her mom. They care about each other. They trust each other. They would do anything for each other.

I also thought it was interesting how the photographer arranged the mom and her daughter in this picture. The daughter laying on her shoulder, with her mother's hand pressed against her back is a classic demonstration of love. They look happy in this picture. Happy simply to be together. Happy just because they are alive.

There is a contrast between the daughter and mother in the foreground, and the world behind them. Rather than include a hospital scene with nurses and medications, we instead see a dark out of focus background. I believe this represents all of the negative stuff this family is probably going through. There is no mention of costly chemotherapy, no hospital bed for the little girl to be confined to or nurse waiting with her next dose of pills.

Instead of focusing on the bad, this photograph focuses on what little good there is in this picture. And that's a smile, a smile that shows hope. The focus of the picture is on two brave people, somehow making it through another day with a positive attitude. They are refusing to be defined by the difficult circumstances around them. In just a simple frame, they are sending a deep and lasting message.

Despite statistics that show millions of young people will die from cancer in our lifetime, somehow the message often goes ignored. And to understand why this is, we must look at context. As college students, we are generally pretty healthy, care free and disinterested in the future. It's all about today and what's happening on Friday. It's not really our fault. It's just the care free world a lot of us live in.

But a picture like this can bring us crashing back down to Earth. Seeing the pain on this girl's face and knowing what she has been through, it makes us think. What if this happened to me? What if cancer attacked someone that I care about?

Perhaps this photograph is not only a call to be aware of cancer in the world. Maybe it is also a warning, that bad things can happen to anyone. Even you. If an innocent little girl can be chosen as the victim of such a terrible disease, who is to say it couldn't happen to you? And as much as we would love to look at the positives in a picture like this and hope that the girl will be ok, we also have to look at the facts. People die from cancer. She might die from cancer. Thousands do every single year.

So many people out there take their lives for granted. They waste precious moments that they will never get back. How often do we stop and think about someone else? How often do we do something for another person just because we can. It seems like that most of us, we need some sort of award or incentive to really get involved in the community. Why is it that in a country where we have so much, we have so much trouble giving even just a little back?

But I think this story can change that. This picture can you make reconsider the course that you are on. When we look at our lives, and compare them side by side with the face we see in this picture, maybe it will make us think. Our we living our lives to their full potential? Are we appreciating all of the people around us? In short, could we be doing even better?

Life is short. And the best things about life often get overlooked. Maybe this girl will send you a message. Maybe this girl will show you the light