David Wojnarowicz “Untitled” (One day this kid)
The rhetoric properties of the art piece impact it greatly, and help get the message across. The piece is black and white, putting the focus very much on the image and the text. The child pictured in the piece seems to be happy and smiling, while the writing lists all the hardships he will someday inevitably face because of his sexuality and deviation from the norm. The juxtaposition of the image of a happy child, surrounded by heartbreaking words, to me, makes the piece very impactful. The kid, who is now oblivious to these hardships, who seems content, will grow up to face so much hate, discrimination, and violence. Although the child’s emotion is not depicted as he grows up, you can imagine how his emotion changes through the process and through the disturbing experiences he will have to go through simply because he is who he is. I found that the image of the kid in this piece is a self portrait of the artist himself, David Wojnarowicz, who had to face all these difficulties in his life, and this image represents him when he was unaware of what he would have to go through.
The text resonates with the social concerns of the present, where homophobia is still at large. Though some progress has been made, homophobia exists, even in our society, putting a lot of people through a lot of hurt. Although not mentioned in the text, David Wojnarowicz was diagnosed with AIDS and passed away two years after making this piece, which speaks even more about the societal concerns of the time. By looking at the art, we can draw the conclusion that art can be a vessel to advocate for acceptance and freedom, which is still a struggle for many. The piece gives off a lot of emotion that conveys these hardships, showing how difficult, unfair, traumatic, brutal and deadly society’s views can be on something like sexuality.
I agree with your point that the picture of David Wojnarowicz as a kid is very an extremely effective rhetoric technique since it appeals to the emotions of the readers. I also find it saddening that he had to deal with discrimination and inequality while suffering from AIDS. The people viewed him as an outcast instead of offering him assistance.
I agree with your analysis of David Wojnarowicz’s piece and I find it sad how true this piece is. He was able to send a message of the hardships people face just for being who they are. As a kid, you may view life happily, but once you grow older you come across the dark side of humanity. Then, you deal with hate and discrimination from those around you, just for being yourself.
Beautiful analysis