Overlapping Thoughts

Think Creatively!
Identify and discuss some of the creative elements of your collage.
Red paint splattered on the right side of the poster resembles the blood shed in Sudan. This ties in with the images of death and dying. The words “Get Real” were a particular target, with most of the paint directed towards this area. I chose to do this because the paint contrasts against white background and the capitalized and bolded words stand out, helping to emphasize the message that this is reality for the Lost Boys of Sudan. On the left side of the poster, there is a woman with a bucket balanced on top of her head. Here I pasted a heart with the words “Embrace Love” enclosed in a square to resemble a sealed envelope of hope which, once open reminds the people to strive for better in their lives. The bucket resembles all of the thoughts and emotions of the Sudanese people, which they hold in high esteem, careful not to let them fall and be released. Although some emotions serve as a burden, love is one that these people live on and treasure, being essential for the people living in war struck Sudan.

Reason Critically!
How did you use the images and text that you selected to highlight your understanding of the Lost Boy’s situation?
Both the images and text that I chose highlight my understanding of the Lost Boy’s situation in several ways – namely, the difficult journey that they’ve experienced all through their life and the remainder of experiences ahead of them, ones that they have yet to face. On the right side of the poster is the word, “Abstract.” I chose to incorporate this word into the left side of my poster because although color is evident in the clothing that the people wore, “abstract” represents the sort of life that the Lost Boys lived in Sudan – a very bleak, war struck life where people constantly live in fear. On the upper left hand corner of the poster are the words, “Living Color,” resembling the color brought into their life from being able to have a new perspective of life, and from finding hope. “World Views” on the left side of the poster sums up the majority of the Lost Boys’ life, from their haunting past, to their hope-filled future.

Communicate Effectively!
Explain how your collage creates awareness for the Lost Boys’ plight.
My collage shows the Lost Boy’s journey from darkness to light using both images and text. On the top right hand corner of the poster is an image of people gathering around a water tank in the Darfur region. I chose this image to display the harsh reality of the people of Sudan’s life, having to wait in the blistering heat for water – a necessity that most people take for granted without giving a second thought about others placed in situations such as the one that the people in the Darfur region are in. On the left of the collage, there is a window. I decided to use a window as it is found at the end of the maze, which is shaped as a dollar sign – resembling the American currency. A lost boy at a school is featured at the entrance of the maze. This shows the conflict occurring of having to juggle an education and work to earn money, to provide for oneself and help the people in Sudan, with peace in Sudan as a motivator. However, once you have reached the end of the maze on your own, you reach closed doors. Expecting to find hope inside, you open it and it reads – “Fitting In Or Starting New?” Contradicting the whole purpose of the journey with a question as if to say, you’ve walked every step of your life in search of answers, but the real answer to life is to persevere. While many people reason that the Lost Boy’s life in America is from their life past life in Sudan, in every aspect, this is not true as one major conflict that they’ve faced in America has been assimilation. A map is in the bottom left corner of the collage. In this instance, I was comparing the journey to America and the journey occurring in America. I did this to weigh the two journeys, and make the audience weight the two against each other. A speech bubble directs off from the window. This reads, “Social Lights.” The message that I was trying to send across here was about the Lost Boy’s assimilation – one of the conflicts that the Lost Boys faced in America.

Live Ethically!
Explain how you think your collage demonstrated empathy and might evoke an emotional response from your viewers and/or incite them to act.
The overall message that I was trying to send through my collage was that the more fortunate must take the time to look inside him or herself and find the time and seize the opportunity to help others. The short and simple sentence, “Make No Small Talk” was meant to trigger a first response and key in the others of the Lost Boy’s journey. Darkness and light contrast each other in the Lost Boy’s journey as they struggle to find their place in the world. This contrast is evident through many aspects of my collage from the gradient of the background in the top left hand corner where the dark side is predominately facing towards the Lost Boy’s journey in Sudan and where the lighter side is on the edge of the poster suggesting that light (hope) can extend into your unnamed future. Others can relate to the Lost Boy’s journey in terms of assimilating into a new culture. In order to make this journey easier for the Lost Boys, others must offer support – “The more you give to the people that will be touched by your generosity the more rewarding it will be for both parties.” This statement offers room for reason, asking others to consider being global citizens as we all walk on the same land. As individuals it is our responsibility to spread our knowledge to others to benefit them and others thus, “Share something provocative” was meant to inspire others to take what they’ve learned and spread the word.