Analysis on Wing Young Huie's Photograph

Author: Walter

Date: 2 years ago

Place of Publication: 38th & Chicago Bus Stop, South Minneapolis, MN

On first examination, we see a young man sitting on a bench possibly at a bus stop. He looks sad or depressed while holding a sign that says "Equality for the Undocumented," leading the reader to believe that he may be an undocumented immigrant who wishes for equality.

Under a psychoanalytic lense with a connotative examination, we see that the boy is tapping his foot, as if he is waiting for a "bus to freedom." We can assume that the young man is undocumented by his sign and because of the lack of equality for undocumented immigrants, he is upset because of that reason. The area behind him seems to be an urban area based on all the cars, and we can assume that he is either lower or at middle class because of the way he is dressed.

Othering is represented in this photograph in that this young man is being seen as unequal solely because he is undocumented. In The Handmaid's Tale and in this photograph, othering is portrayed through forcing groups of people into social classes. This concept of being forced into a class of which a person did not choose to go to willfully is something that is touched on in both mediums; Offred is forced to be a Handmaid and this young man is forced under the title of "undocumented."Othering is a means of alienation of a group of people; pushing people into categories is a common human attribute, but most people don’t see the negative effects of othering. Stereotyping is an obtrude form of othering in a way that puts people into categories so that a person is immediately able to judge the personality and characteristics of another. This photo and Margaret Attwood's The Handmaid's Tale are perfect examples of how othering can have a negative effect on the people that are othered.