Bryan Haines

Professor Padgett
ENGL 101
14 October 2015
Hope in the Eyes of Youth
For millennia war has drastically impacted countless amounts of innocent people
forced to deal violent confrontations occurring on their homeland. Combat is nothing new
to humanity, as wars have been raged since the dawn of civilization and unfortunately
will continue to rage until human beings learn that violence is not always the correct
answer to solving important problems. Instances of war can leave areas known once for
housing thriving communities and beautiful scenery as burning piles of rubble, ridden of
life and all aesthetics they had once enjoyed. This type of destruction can be extremely
traumatic for even the most mentally and emotionally stable of individuals. Children are
especially vulnerable to the immense trauma caused by war because their feeble brains
are still very much developing and trying to understand just what the world is. Children
in war-stricken areas bear the brunt of physical damage caused to their homes or loved
ones and the emotional trauma that follows this violence even though they took no part in
causing the conflict themselves. Times of war strip young people of valuable parts of
their precious childhood that most people take for granted. Childhood is supposed to be a
time of learning, loving and experiencing the world for the first time in an environment
where one can feel safe and secure at all times of the day. This however, is not the case
for children living in times and places of war. That being said, war cannot however take
away the entirety of ones childhood. Children will always want to play with each other

and have a good time whenever they can. War provokes both tragic and inspiring
emotions in human beings and Huffington Posts article proves that there will always be
hope in children even in times of violence and war. The photograph of three children
playing on a broken carousel in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo illustrates that even in
the bleakest of situations, hope can always be found in the youth of our species.
The image portrays three young children, each no more than four years old,
mounting a carousel that is surrounded by wartime rubble. This image took place in the
largest city in Syria, Aleppo. Syria has been struggling with major conflicts within itself
for years now. The government is corrupt and their president Bashar Al-Assad even
began to use chemical weapons on his own civilians when rebel groups began to emerge
and challenge his cruel leadership. This Syrian civil war has left the major city of Aleppo
destroyed and thousands left wondering what they did to deserve to live in such a violent
place. With the city in such miserable condition after the numerous attacks by the Syrian
government and rebels alike, it would almost be a certainty there would no longer be
happiness or laughter in the streets of Aleppo like days of old. The image of these
children playing, however, proves that there can be hope in even the worst of scenarios.
This visual image uses many concepts of design to capture and retain its
audiences attention. The color of this piece accurately portrays the wreckage in the
streets of Aleppo because it is indeed an actual photograph, not a drawing or a painting.
The carousel is not necessarily where it was originally intended to be placed and is most
likely in the middle of the street due to the utter carnage of the violent Civil War. The
street itself is littered with debris like the remains of concrete structures, garbage, metal
piping, metal framework and much more. All of the color in the debris is lacking signs of

life and vitality that the city once possessed. This debris encircles the children, creating
an arena-like area for them to play in. Even though the photograph was not taken in black
and white, the colors of the street that surround the playing children can be described as
bleak and uninviting. Much how one would expect a Civil War-torn city in the Middle
East to appear. This scene alone would evoke feelings of sadness, oppression, and grief
for the dying city that has seen much better days in its past. However, hope emerges in
this visual composition despite all the negativity trying to suffocate it. The sun is shining
in the photograph, which helps add to the positive message of the piece. The background
of the piece is illuminated by the sunshine and adds a feeling of warmth to the cold
rubble and silence that is echoing through the rest of the city. Most of the emphasis in the
color of this piece falls on the carousel itself. The eight or so horses on the carousel are
glaringly white with vibrant scarlet/red saddles. The carousels vibrancy draws attention
onto itself and makes it the centerpiece of the visual composition. The appearance of
these horses gives a playful attitude to an area that most likely has not seen much fun in
quite a bit of time. The vibrant horses effectively contrast the bleak darkness that gently
surrounds them. The children in the image are wearing western clothing like sweaters that
impose neither a sense of poverty or wealth. These children in all likelihood are average
Syrians trying to live a normal life in a time and place where normal unfortunately means
conflict. Their faces seem innocent and full of life, expressing an eagerness to explore
and play with the world around them. The faces of the children playing can warm the
heart of even the coldest human, as they too know you cannot simply extinguish a childs
innocent playfulness. Some of colors in the forefront of this piece arent necessarily ones

that inspire hope, but the faces of the children playing and the vibrant carousel theyre
playing on illustrate the point that hope will always survive in the souls of the young.
Texture and space are other key components of this photograph. The streets of
Aleppo seem bruised and battled compared to streets most people in the modern world
are accustomed to seeing on a daily basis. The street in this photograph is disgustingly
littered and gives a sense of grime and filth most people can relate to. Concrete rubble
and other jagged pieces of metal protrude from the piles of dirt and trash that surround
the children, creating a sense of danger most would not want their young ones playing
near. The children find themselves playing on this carousel because it is the only thing in
sight that isnt completely destroyed and filthy. Proving that the innocence of children
will always find a way to shine through the darkest of situations. The carousel is placed
directly in the center of the photograph making it the focal point of the visual
composition. The destruction around the carousel delicately enforces the fact that the
children should be in the forefront of the audiences minds. There isnt much empty space
in the photograph because the artist wanted to capture the dire scene of war-plagued
Aleppo and the destruction the Civil War had caused to the once beautiful city. The empty
space also brings attention to the lack of activity in the once bustling city street. The
contrast between the destruction of Aleppo and the glimmering hope in the eyes of the
three children is made blatantly obvious by simply skimming over the photograph once
or twice. This once again shows that even in the worst of times, there is a constant hope
in children that never dies.
The intended audience of this photograph is anyone in the westernized world who
is unaware of or simply interested in conditions in modern-day Syria. Many westerners

do not take the time to think about the countless amounts of innocent people whose daily
lives are affected by the tragedy that is warfare. Individuals today are more connected
than ever before via the Internet and cellular devices, but many are unaware of the
suffering felt by large portions of the world, including these unfortunate Syrian children.
This unknown artist does a tremendous job of showcasing both the tragic and inspiring
emotions war can provoke in society. Many of the visual elements in this photograph like
texture and space provoke the negative emotions brought about by war, but at the same
time, this piece ultimately reflects how even in times of violent conflict one thing can
always be found in the innocent eyes of the children of any nation; hope.

Works Cited
Robins-Early, Nick. "17 Haunting Historical Photos Of Children At Play During
Wartime." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.