Atwood VS Huie (Blog Post #1)

This picture was found on Wing Young Huie's blog, under his collection titled: Homelessness. These photos come from 1982 onwards, from various locations. This picture didn't include a specific date or location.

From first glance, this image is of an African American man who looks nicely dressed, and a woman who's race you cannot quite tell, who also seems to be nicely dressed. They are on the doorstep of what could be a house, or it could also be a store. They both have grocery carts full of things that could be their belongings. The man looks happy, however the woman looks sad, or angry. The man is holding a large pan in his hands. Due to the fact that this picture is included in the collection 'homelessness', it can be inferred that one or both of these people are homeless. The picture is in black and white, which could mean that it is an older picture, or it could mean that Huie wanted to edit it this way for effect.

When you look deeper into the picture, you look at the varying emotions. The man is clearly happier, and holding the pan. This could be something he is holding out for money, but it could also be something he is using to make music. I would think that because of his emotion, he is more likely to be making music and using that as a way to collect money from people passing by. They are both sitting on a blanket, but the woman has more of the blanket under her, so maybe they are married, and the man is trying to be courteous to his wife. In addition, there is a contrast between the man and the woman and what they are wearing. The woman has the bonnet or the bandana covering her head, as well as sunglasses covering her eyes and she is looking down. The man however, just has his hat, and it isn't covering his face. I think that this shows that the lady might be somewhat ashamed to be labelled as homeless, whereas the man is not ashamed at all, and trying his best to be friendly to everyone who passes by. Maybe they aren't related at all, or maybe the woman is the homeless one, and the man is just stopping by to keep her company and visit her.

The difference between the way Atwood portrays her information about 'others' and the way Huie does it is that Huie is less obvious about it, whereas Atwood is more straightforward. It is clear from the beginning of The Handmaid's Tale that the Handmaids are the 'others', and that they are treated badly. In this picture that Huie took, it is less obvious that these people are 'others'. Unless you read that they were included in the homeless collection, you might not know that that is what they are. In addition, Huie doesn't frame the picture to make them look bad, or like they should be treated differently. If anything, he makes the man especially look like a very friendly and approachable person. There is no bias within his picture. It is just there to share a story, whereas the Handmaids are shown as 'bad' in society from the very beginning.