Essay 1. Draft 1

Stephanie McQuillan

Mr. Harmon

English 101

September 19, 2011

Boys Will Be Boys

An Examination of Children Playing With Roosters

            The world has come face to face with poverty and deficiency, especially in third world countries. People are starving and being forced to live off of a few dollars a day. One can only imagine how hard it must be to live in these types of conditions, like living in shacks or not having enough food and water. But to live in these situations as a child must be particularly difficult. These types of situations can be troubling for children because they do not have the resources to live like children in a wealthier culture would. As depicted in this picture, these children do not have the typical toys one might think of when they think of children’s today, so they turn to roosters as another source of entertainment. Even though these children do not have the resources to find classic toys to play with, they are making the best out of their situation by using the roosters as toys. We see in this picture that there is still light shining down on the children, showing that they are still happy with what they are doing. “Children Playing With Roosters” uses light, color and symmetry to show that even though these boys are poor and living in desperate situations, they are still children and find joy in the simple things, such as playing with a rooster.

            The most noticeable aspect of this picture is the use of light. The light appears to be coming down from the trees and onto the children. Although the children may not be in a stable economical condition, there is still beauty and light surrounding them. This shows that even though the children are in a low situation, being from a poorer part of the world, they can still make the best of their lifestyle. The children do not care about the desperate situation surrounding them; all they care about is having fun and playing with each other. In a sense, the children make their own fun by playing with the roosters. The viewer can still see the happiness in their eyes as the children are playing with the roosters. They do not care that they are not playing with the latest video game or the fastest bike; all they care about is being children and having a good time. The light shining down on the children symbolizes the purity and happiness, which is still present in the children.

            The bright colors of the picture also depict the children’s zest for life, even under the challenging circumstances that they face. This picture shows bright colors around the children contrasted to the duller colors the children are wearing. The light appears to make the leaves on the trees brighter than they normally would be, as well as the bright reds present in the roosters. This shows that the children are just trying to have fun, not caring about what conditions are surrounding them. The bright colors on the trees also symbolizes that the children are radiating their spirits into their surrounding community. It is often true that when adults are struggling to be happy or find hope, that they can look to their children because they are so innocent and pure. These children do not care that they do not have a lot of material things; all they care about is having fun and having a good time.

            The picture has a symmetrical design with the two boys on either side of the picture, each throwing a rooster into the air. The boys are in different positions, as if they are passing the chickens in a circle. This shows the unity and togetherness the children are sharing as they are playing around with their roosters. They may not have the most up to date toys to play with, but they are still working together and communicating, as any two children would while playing a game. These kids still have the same instincts, as any other kid would while playing a game with their peers.

            Had this picture depicted two wealthier children playing a game, the dynamics would be very different. The children would most likely be inside of a house playing a video game, or outside on the street playing hop scotch. No one would ever see children frolicking in a forest while playing with a rooster in a wealthier culture. But then it is realized that those children in the picture are not much different than any other child in the world. Even though they do not have the resources available to them, they still find a way to have fun. Although throwing roosters around may not be the most conventional thing to do for fun in this day in age, it is still a source of fun that every child seeks in their life.

            This picture, “Children Playing with Roosters” shows children are children, not matter what culture they are faced with. Here these children do not have much, yet the viewer can still see the joy in their faces as they are playing with roosters. The viewer can see their concentrated faces as they are throwing the roosters into the air and trying to catch them, so they can tell that the game they are playing is important to them. A lot of children could never imagine living in poverty and playing with a rooster for fun. Instead, most kids would play video games or monopoly. This draws the conclusion that children are children no matter what their financial or economical situation is. Children like to have fun, and they are going find it whether it is with a video game or a rooster.