As we look first in this photograph we do not see fully what the meaning of it may be. We see the physical nature of the photograph of the two men posing with blackboards that have chalk writing on them. On the left, the black male holds a chalkboard with the words, "People judge other people befour they get to know them." This message can be seen in a perspective that could be negative toward the individual. This is because he misspells the word "before" as "befour". However, this might actually be intentional based on his message that is expressed. The audience may judge this male to be un-educated based on his misspelling, though his message states that we should not judge somebody before we meet them. This is re-iterated with the male on the right, this guy is also holding a blackboard with chalk writing. However, the writing does not make sense and has a drawing of what seems to be a very juvenile car. This blackboard may cause the audience to infer that this man is not educated and possibly be mentally challenged. However, the message right next to him states that we should not judge before we meet somebody, forcing us to respond and reflect with an open mind.
The concept of "othering" is relevant in both texts. "Othering" can be defined as the treatment of other people in a way that alienates and differentiates themselves from oneself. In the photograph I selected, it represents a message that differentiates from the message that is presented in The Handmaid's Tale. In The Handmaid's Tale "othering" is presented clearly through the message of segregated classes and women groups. Margaret Atwood does this to create a society that has classes alienated from the rest of society. For example, the Unwomen are a selected group of people that are not even apart of society. They are the "othering" example of Gilead and The Handmaid's Tale. With contrast to this text, the photograph by Wing Young Huie presents a concept of "othering" that is more complicated. In this photgraph, the men represent the idea of "othering" as people rejected by society. Since the men are judged by only physical appearances and actions, it's difficult for them to interact in society. These men are the examples of "othering" within this picture. This reflects on the difficult nature of modern society and seperations of social classes within the world.
In all, both the photograph and The Handmaid's Tale reflect on the concept of "othering". The photograph represents "othering" through modern day society and The Handmaid's Tale represents "othering" through a false society. Each do this in an effective way to their particular audience. In analyzing the two different ways of expressing "othering" I have developed the opinion that the two men in the photograph present an image that it more valuable to me. The reasoning for this is because of the message I recieve from it. That alienating people from society by judgement, should be removed from the world. Thus, inspiring me to not judge people based on physical looks or what I have heard. People can surprise you.
Harambe died for this,
Connor Finnegan
