Critique #2

Shepard Fairey’s iconic “Hope” poster of President Barack Obama is a symbol of freedom, change, and the values of the United States of America. Fairey gives his work a patriotic tone though his use of simplistic colors, identifying the president using only the three colors of the American flag. Surrounding the president in the background and on his suit are solid, bold colors, putting emphasis on Obama and his facial expression. Contrasting with the dark red to its right, the light side of Obama’s face immediately attracts the eye of the viewer. The lines which create his face are also over simplistic, using only what lines are necessary to form his recognizable facial features. The simplicity and repetition of colors contributes to the overall effect of the image, for it represents President Obama in a bold and iconic way.
By including the word “Hope” underneath President Barack Obama, Shepard Fairey in indicating that he intends for this piece to be inspirational. He shows that he believes in the president through the way in which he presents him. With his head held up confidently and a calm, reassuring gaze, president Obama is portrayed as a strong and courageous leader. The inclusion of the word “Hope” also classifies him as a bold individual, for it associates him with the emotion that most people strive to find. Shepard Fairey accurately depicted his positive personal views on President Barack Obama though the way in which he chose to show him.

The noise of my stomach grumbling filled the empty room. When was the last time I ate? One week? Two? A few days? I couldn’t remember. They all blended together now, into one seamless, endless day filled with despair and poverty. I heard the footsteps echoing down the hall from the floor below me. Five minutes.
I remained sitting silently on the edge of my mattress. Staring at the wall, I could barely make out the spots with no stains from where my furniture used to be. Before I sold everything. I have nothing left to sell, I convinced myself. I had no other options left. The keys from the room below me were jingling into the lock. My lazy gaze didn’t waver from the wall, but inside I was more alert than ever, listening intently for the cues I have spent so long deciphering. It felt like hours passed before I finally heard the footsteps enter the apartment. I was surprised to find that nervous beads of sweat were collecting on my forehead. Relax. It would all be over before long. I would be in and out before anyone even knew I was there. I closed my eyes and allowed my senses to take over. Four minutes.
I could still be saved, I argued. I could be pulled from this misery as easily as I had slipped into it. Things could go back to the way they were before, back when my life had a purpose. I could recover, create a family and settle down somewhere. This isn’t who I am and I know it. Once I enter that room, there’s no saving me. Even if I get away, my soul will be tainted. It’s in the Bible. I’ve never read it, but I know it’s in there somewhere. When it comes to this, there’s no gray area. I heard the pattering of the dog’s footsteps as he ran across the hardwood floor below me. Three minutes.
I had no other options left. If I didn’t do it they’d kill me anyways. They don’t care about the Bible. My deadlines were way passed and I had no more sources of money. It was this or nothing, they had said. All my hopeful thoughts were killed instantly. This is who I am now. I let my mind wander for the first time into the darker side of myself. I erased all worries of who the man was or if he had a family. It was him or me. My life or his. I could hear him letting his dog out for some fresh air on the balcony. The click of the lock was the loudest noise I’d heard all day. Two minutes.
Underneath me, I felt around for the envelope which had arrived at my doorstep a few days ago. Or was it only a few hours? I couldn’t remember anymore. I rose from my position and emptied the contents out onto the mattress in front of me. It was all already for me; I just had to assemble the silencer. I stood waiting for the noise of the television to turn on, as it did every other day at five o’clock exactly. Pacing the room, I fidgeted with the cool metal in my hands. I was grateful for the first time to be one in control of the trigger. I would be in and out, before anyone would even hear the dog bark. At last I heard the muffled voices of the local newscasters. The footsteps passed directly underneath me into the south corner, where my rundown, broken bathroom perfectly lines up with his. One minute.
I slowly made my way over to my door and quietly descended down one flight of stairs. With one hand on the doorknob and the other behind my back, I opened the door which I knew would be open. There’s no going back from here.