In class: analyzing visual objects

candy cigarette:
My attention is immediately drawn to the young girl holding the cigarette. I believe that my attention is draw to it because of the shock factor pathos argument that it makes. It also makes an pathos argument because most believe than eight year old should not be already smoking and it is not a practice that i and many others would advocate.
As i pan outward, i notice the other little girl. She makes it clear the the girl holding the cigarette is in fact not very old, yet she also makes the girl look much older. I think the picture is trying to portray that smoking ages you and take away the innocence. It is also integrating to seethe way the girls are dressed. it seems like it could have come right out of a country music video and that it was taken at night time on a farm in Alabama.
I think this picture tries to portray two things. First, like i said before, that smoking takes away innocence and that too many young people are now smoking. And second, that poverty and ruralness inspires smoking in young children. The young girl that has seemed to have to grow up too fast seems very mad at the world around her instead of seeming scared.
I think the photographer wants to preach against the young people smoking and that he/she want to increase awareness of children growing up too fast around us.