Changing the Colors of the Pictures

Posted by Beth on October 30, 2009 in Uncategorized

The reality behind this whole project really hit me when I received the picture drawn by the Iraqi school boy that was send by Cedric. From the start of this project I have been slowly coming to terms with the reality of what life is really like in Iraq. Through this project I am realizing how the war is affecting every single person in Iraq, not just the military men and women. The innocent families, teachers, and especially the innocent children are experiencing major hardships from the war-conflicts. To start with, I am someone who loves children. I have a soft spot in my heart that melts every time I see a happy, carefree child playing at the park, riding in the shopping cart at the grocery store, or riding their bike around the block. So, when I opened the drawing from the Iraqi school boy my heart sank. I saw so much chaos and confusion going on in that boy’s life. There were bombs, helicopters shooting, people shooting guns, and many other images of war. This is when I realized that we really need to make a difference in the lives of these innocent children who are experiencing things, not even adults should go through. By doing the project, we can help the children live an untroubled life.

Children should not be drawing pictures of war scenes; instead they should be drawing pictures of toys, flowers, candy, and rainbows. With our knowledge of creating a great experiment, we should be able to help create a stable school environment that will focus on the well-being of the children. Now I realize how important it is to train the teachers to deal with the psychology needs of the children. This little boy’s drawing has really showed me that the children in Iraqi really need our help. Every child should have the opportunity to have a happy-go-lucky life, worry free!

5 Comments on Changing the Colors of the Pictures

By KRSchwartz on October 30, 2009 at 2:40 pm

I completely agree with your interpretation of this drawing. Any form of Art Therapy where drawings are used to assess the potential for any hindrances in the psychological and cognitive development of people who experience traumas, is actually quite a powerful tool. What really stands out to me in this drawing is the the color-pattern that was chosen. All of the war-related parts with the guns and the helicopters are done in red, while the pictures of flowers and sunshines are all done in a much softer green. An obvious and probably intentional distinction is clearly made within the colors used. The hectic and graphic nature of this picture would also be enough to make any therapist cringe. By no means should any school-aged child draw such a horrific and disturbingly detailed picture. This picture alone is enough to make a person fear for the developmental future of this child, and every other child living and growing up in such horrible conditions.

By Anna VH on October 30, 2009 at 3:24 pm

Great thought! It is hard for us to put the project that seems so far away from our own lives into perspective. No person, especially children, should have to bear witness to violence on a daily basis; however, this drawing is a perfect example of the way that violence and conflict are a continuous part of the children in Iraq’s lives. Another reason why HAs project is so imperative!

By Alexandra on October 30, 2009 at 4:01 pm

Anna, I couldn’t agree with you more. Once I saw that pictured, that is when it hit me that these children truly live a completely different life than we do although both nations are involved in this war. They really in the front row, while we are simply in those special boxes way above the stage watching the war on television. Thinking back to drawings that I drew when I was younger, I realized that not once would I have even thought of drawing one scene that boy did to describe the world around me. In fact, it was quite the opposite. My drawings were full of smiling people, animals, nature and friends. Both this project, and especially that drawing has opened my eyes to so much going on across seas that I truly did not know about.

By Emma B. on October 30, 2009 at 5:31 pm

Beth, I had the same thoughts as you when I saw this picture. It’s sobering to see that these children are so exposed to violence in their everyday lives. Their childhoods are so different than ours, and this drawing is a perfect example of that. That violence is so common it is showing up in children’s artwork, something I always think of as expressing happiness, really makes this project seem so crucial to helping the children of Iraq. It’s easy to see how the conflict affects their day to day lives, and ultimately their culture and society. I believe that implementing the program throughout the country can help stop these effects.

By Katelin on November 2, 2009 at 9:58 am

I love this post. I had these very same reactions when I saw pictures drawn by children in Africa from the Invisible Children video. Children are open books when it comes to expressing their view on the world through art. Things that we only expect to see in the movies are happening in their backyards and I think that we tend to overlook just how psychologically damaging that can be. I believe that media has a large role in this tendency. There have been so many movies portraying violence and murder in such gruesome ways that we have become numb to a certain extent. Now, when we are shown the kind of violence that is actually going on in some countries, we think “how sad” but we don’t actually experience the kind of feelings that ought to come as a reaction to such violence. We can’t comprehend the reality and try to place ourselves in their shoes. Anyway, great post Emma, I too would like to see the colors of these pictures change!