Lessons From Death Row Inmates

At first glance, this photograph doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. In fact, it doesn’t even seem to be excessively staged, seeming more like “first day of school” photo taken by your parents. We see two black boys, both of them holding chalkboards with writing on them. The boy on the left is holding a simple statement (“People judge other people before they get to know them”), while the one on the right has a few words (among the legible are ‘woof’, ‘sub’, and ‘men’) scribbled alongside a picture of what seems to be a car. This is the surface level observation; what we see before clicking the right arrow on the computer keyboard. However, if we take a closer look, we can gather a more in-depth analysis of what exactly is going on.

The first thing I notice upon closer examination is the fact that writing and picture of the boy on the right are confined to the right side of his chalkboard. The cutting-off point is so distinct, it is almost as if there was a line down the middle, and the boy had been given strict instructions not to write on the left side. His handwriting is also extraordinarily childish, as though he has just recently learned to write. In addition to these details, his smile rests uncomfortably on his face, as though the sheer weight of his facial expression is too much for his face to handle. Through examination of this evidence, I have come to the conclusion that the boy most likely has autism (although I could be completely wrong). However, it is entirely possible that this photo is staged to look like this, and this is an incredibly normal boy. Perhaps the portrayal of this boy is meant to prove the point that the other boy has on his board- that we judge others before we get to know them. This other boy has signed his name on the chalkboard underneath his writing, and is looking oddly at his companion. This look seems a bit judgmental, possibly enforcing the point of judgement based on first impressions. The final piece of the photograph I notice (while there are many more, I want to stay somewhat within the suggested word count) is the location of this photo. They are standing in front of a corner, near the bottom of a set of steps. The plain colour of this interior, along with the general texture of the walls that surround them, suggests that the boys are in a school.


Huie, Wing Young. Untitled. 2012.

Much like literary genius Margaret Atwood, Wing Young Huie (the photographer) creates the idea of “others” throughout his work. In her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood uses language to establish this separate group of people. A term used a lot throughout the novel is “unwomen”, which is meant to refer to sterile women. In the society of Gilead, women are only considered to be truly valuable if they have viable reproductive organs. While some may not (such as Marthas and Wives), they are not considered to be as useful as Handmaids- this society technically only needs the latter to function, Marthas and Wives are a sort of luxury. The term unwoman is literally stripping a woman of her femininity, making it clear that without the ‘valuable’ parts, a woman is truly not a woman at all. Those who do not have ‘viable ovaries’ (as Offred so lovingly puts it), are others. Huie employs language in this fashion as well, by placing two incredibly different chalkboards next to each other. While one board contains a standard sentence (as well as a misspelling, but we’ll get to that later), the other contains a jumble of words among a simple picture. The apparent inability of the boy on the right to write in standard English causes the viewer to immediately categorize him as “other”. The fact that the board of the boy on the left contains a misspelling also causes the viewer to place him into a certain category (likely uneducated, in this case).

Huie also has an ability that Atwood does not, simply due to the fact that he has chosen to present his work in the form of photography; through the image itself, he is able to convey the idea of “other”. One of the surface level details of the photo is the fact that the boys are black. There is already a negative (and incredibly untrue) stereotype surrounding those of colour, which is that they are less educated than the average person. These boys are also wearing baggy sweatshirts, which has become somewhat synonymous with the idea of a ‘gangster’(though typically only with people of colour, which is interesting). All of these subtle visual clues, along with those of language, cause people to make judgement about the boys in the photograph. They cause people to place them into the “others” category. And, as can be inferred from the sign of the boy on the left, this snap decision to place the boys into this category without really knowing them, is exactly what’s wrong with our society today.