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Pictures can deliver immediate impact to the audience. However, the context and purpose of the picture should be illustrated by words to effectively draw out this impact.

One strong picture which transmits an uproarious message would be the photograph of a starving Sudanese child on her way to a feeding centre being haunted by a vulture during a Sudan famine.

Taken by Kevin Carter, this photograph won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography and was published in the New York Times, eliciting a tumultous debate that made the world scream. Hundreds of people called the newspaper organisation to inquire whether the child survived. This one simple photograph was able to capture public attention and even spark off a contentious debate; Kevin was besieged by the public when he did not " take off his photographer's hat and rescue the child from a dangerous situation". The fact that this series of events took place because of a picture underscores the impact it brings and substantiates its power.

However, we should not be overlook the fact that pictures, similar to words, do not entail rigidly specific information. The specific context in the photograph taken by Kevin Carter and its purpose cannot be explicitly shown to the audience merely by pictures. With the words explaining the poverty situation in Sudan and highlighting the purpose of the photograph, the picture was able to evoke a heavy impact more effectively.

Therefore, pictures can deliver a heavy impact, often when its context and purpose are accentuated by the essential usage of words.



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