Analyzing Visuals

Look at the picture on p. 409 of your text. Describe the picture, and then discuss whether and how it affects the emotional impact of the text. Does it contribute to your understanding of the event? Consider perspective, color, the use of light and dark, and any other elements you can think of.

• My first impressions of the illustration on page 409 in our textbook can be described by the words "dark", "dramatic", "ironic", "ocean", "sea", "lights", "blue", "ice", "cold", "stars", and finally, "shine". These words are impressions that I have concerning the illustration, which are closely related with the story R.M.S. Titanic. When I see this illustration with the story R.M.S. Titanic, it is able to amplify the dramatic effect of the tragedy. We can see the use of light and dark clearly - the Titanic is still shining its lights as it sinks, while its surroundings are pitch black, only illuminated by the stars. The color of the illustration is mainly blue and black. I believe that the the picture does contribute to my understanding of the event. It shows me one example of why so many people died. In the picture, there are only 2 lifeboats with people, even though there are still a large amount of passengers on the Titanic. More people could have been saved if the lifeboats were more filled. Also, I discovered something weird about the picture. The people on the lifeboats wore life jackets. However, because they were to confident about the Titanic, they didn't wear life jackets, did they?