Analyze the photographs in Matt Black's website "The Geography of Poverty." Describe how the images tell the stories of the California drought and the plight of the migrant farm worker. Respond to at least two other students.
When citing evidence, use specific images following this example: The Geography of Poverty - Weedpatch, CA At the end of your post make sure you cite your source. Use the following example: Credits: Black, Matt (Photographer). (2011-2015). The Geography of Poverty- Weedpatch, CA [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.geographyofpoverty.com
72 Comments
Arlon
3/24/2015 07:31:57 am
The pictures represent CA drought because in the picture Drought in the Central Valley,it shows a couple of cow bones on something that looks like completely dry ground sort of like as if there hasn't been any water there for a long time.Also a picture that represents migrant farmers is the picture The Geography of Poverty-Homeless camp,Mercede,Ca.,it shows a picture of a homeless farm worker sleeping under a blanket on the streets.
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Ashley
3/24/2015 07:51:24 am
I agree with you Arlon because the pictures look like its really really dry. And the soil are really dry looking. Its really like there hasn't been water in the Central Valley for a long time.
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YUMMMMMYYY (Julian) and also MAMA :0 #AWESOME# 100% awesome
3/24/2015 07:53:31 am
I agree, Arlon. Both picture show what it's trying to tell you.
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Ryan
3/24/2015 07:53:47 am
I agree Arlon. In one of the pictures there are cow bones and the cow bones are on the soil which seems to be dry.
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Jay
3/24/2015 07:58:14 am
I agree with you Arlon because there is a picture of cow bones and it probably means that there is no water.
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Natasha
3/24/2015 08:50:52 am
I agree with you, Arlon. I like how you gave evidence from the pictures.
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nola
3/24/2015 01:00:34 pm
Great response Arlon it was similar to Ryan`s, you both used the same picture although you two had very different thinking.
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Julian ;-.)
3/24/2015 07:40:46 am
I think the images describe the California drought and the plight of the migrant farmworkers because the colors are black and white so it makes the photographs look like it's dry and in a dark era. For example, "the geography of proverty-bistrom, CA.", looks dark and dry because of the colors and the dead plants and trees.
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Julian :-(
3/24/2015 07:48:05 am
2015). The geography of proverty-bistrom CA [digital image].retrived from http://www.geography of proverty.com
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Ashley
3/24/2015 07:55:38 am
I agree with you Julian because Matt Black really shows some feeling of something. Like a drought, or there is no more water to water the plants so that's why the soil is so dry or something.
Ryan
3/24/2015 07:51:49 am
I think that the pictures describe the California drought because one of the pictures shows bones on the ground. The ground seemed to be very dry. Also it had no plants. Meaning that they might not have any water to be able to have grass. Also the photographs are black and white. This makes people have that gloomy feeling when they see the photographs. If the photograph was colorful then you would not have the same reaction that you would have if it is black and white.
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ryan
3/24/2015 08:04:14 am
I forgot the credits
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nola
3/24/2015 12:58:44 pm
I agree with you Ryan the ground did look dry and bare but it also looked a little dry. GREAT RESPONSE!!!!!!! I also agreed with the way you described the picture.
Cara
3/24/2015 08:19:18 am
I agree with you, Ryan. The ground looked REALLY dry.
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Minerva
3/24/2015 09:27:30 am
I actually didn''t notice that there weren't any plants besides that picture of a tree. I agree that if the photograph was bright and colorful, then you would not have the same reaction that you would have if it were black and white.
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Mrs. Chenu
3/25/2015 10:52:48 am
I agree the black and white photography creates a certain mood in these images.
Elena
3/24/2015 09:57:20 am
I agree. The place had no plants and the grond was very dry. You would need a moist not dry ground to grow plants so the farmers must be having a very hard time watering every single piece of land. That must have been one of the spot where at the end of the day the farmers did not have to energy to do.
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Wolfvoelker6789
3/24/2015 07:53:26 am
I think some of the photos in Matt Blacks gallery represent the drought and migrant farm workers because many are dark and not exactly what you'd call a ''happy painting'' Also like the ones Mrs. Chenu showed us in class it looked like there had been a absence of water in the paintings and some had a landscape of what could of been a farm.
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jay the blue ninja
3/24/2015 07:56:18 am
The pictures can represent the C.A. drought.I think that because in one of the pictures their is a man getting water from hi s place.Most of the time water comes out very strong but in that case the water was very weak.Also in the picture of the bones the ground is so dry.The cow or whatever animal it was probably died because of thirst.Most of the pictures represent the Geography of Poverty-Homeless like what Arlon said.Credits:Matt Black(Photographer)October 12 2014
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Ryan
3/24/2015 08:07:24 am
Jay I agree. The cow might have died of thirst and that must be the reason why the bones were there.
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Gato (Lesly)
3/24/2015 03:05:36 pm
I agree with you jay because like you said in your response about the bones on the dry ground the animal actually could of died of thirst ( that image explains a lot about the drought)
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Leil@h
3/24/2015 08:03:42 am
The pictures tell a story about the ca drought because there are no plants in the photos that Matt Black took.It shows a little bit of depression and the sadness that there was during the Rancho period.There was not much water available to use to water the crops back then so it showed how the plants could have suffered and the farm worker suffered as much as the plants desperate to live during the drought.
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Sasha
3/24/2015 12:51:45 pm
I agree with you leilah because of what you said about how thres not enough water to harvest! And we need to harvest crops
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Gato (Lesly)
3/24/2015 03:08:47 pm
I agree with you Leilah because you are right about all of the pictures having no plants in them. ( That also explains a lot about the california drought.)
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Ashley
3/24/2015 08:11:48 am
I think that the photographer, Matt Black, is describing something about a drought. I describe it like that because the photographer shows a lot of feeling. Some of the picture shows a person really hot because I think I see he/she with his/her shirt off. The soil also looks so dry. It looks like it hasn't been watered for months or days.
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jacob
3/24/2015 01:50:04 pm
i agree with you Ashley the photographer is talking about the drought and he or she show a lot of feelings.
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Cara
3/24/2015 08:17:52 am
One of the pictures have bones. It looks like there hasn't been any water there for a very long time. Another photo shows a tree that has fallen down and looks very dry. That might be because of the drought. I found the evidence on The Geography of Poverty at Weedpatch, CA. There was also this last photo where there were 2 farmworkers hard at work out in the sun. There was also anther photo right beneath it which had another 2 farmworkers looking very tired. There was no evidence on that photo.
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Jay
3/24/2015 02:03:02 pm
I agree with you Cara because there was no water for a long time so the cow probably died there!
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Tommy
3/24/2015 08:46:39 am
The bystorm picture of the houses reminded me of the poor houses some farm owners gave to their workers. Like in the Newsla articles we read said they gave their workers poor houses or some would sleep on the ground. I can relate to the drought because the colors and shapes I have seen some places full of water but after the drought they are empty. The houses look empty and dry also deadly. Credits: Black, Matt (Photographer). (2001-2015). The Geography of Poverty-Bystorm CA [digital image]. Retrieved from http//www.geographyofpoverty.com
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Natasha
3/24/2015 08:52:12 am
I agree with you, Tommy. I like how you related to the Newswla articles that we have been reading.
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jacob
3/24/2015 01:51:54 pm
i agree because it really looks like to me that they are poor and they picture actually show a poor house and famillys. And i think that they look empty too tommy.
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Natasha
3/24/2015 08:48:06 am
The images tell at the same time the story of our drought and the poor conditions of farm workers because there is a photo of a man rubbing shampoo all over his face on the grass near a shabby, run down hut, and the grass is dying and here is barely any left. Another image shows a man looking forlornly out to the horizon. The man has very dry lips. I believe that this is because of the drought. One picture shows a field in Ducor, CA. There is also an ocean in the picture. I feel that Matt Black is trying to make us feel as if the picture is taunting us. " Look, there' so much water over there. Why don't you get it? Oh yeah, you can' t drink any salty water." This is what the picture seems to say. <br/> Black, Matt ( Photographer). ( 2011-2015). The Geography of Poverty- Weedpatch, CA [digital image]. Retrieved from http:// www.geographyofpoverty.com
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Benicio Curiel
3/24/2015 09:18:33 am
I agree with you Natasha because your evidence is very helpful to someone reading your blog.
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Minerva
3/24/2015 09:24:39 am
I like your imitation of the picture taunting us. Very good response, Natashi.
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Sarah
3/24/2015 12:35:46 pm
I agree when you said "the grass is dying and here is barely any left." By the way, I love how you made like I was actually taking that photo, right there.
Mrs. Chenu
3/25/2015 10:54:53 am
Interesting insight Natasha- the ocean represents something they cannot have. The ocean is water, but it won't quench thirst or grow plants.
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ballislife(Gavin)
3/24/2015 08:57:23 am
We saw a picture of a pile of bones in some dirt and it looked like it was a well that had no water for a long time and a dry tree that looked burned because it was dry and the thing that could of caused that was the drought maybe.I know because I went on the Geography of Poverty @ Weedpatch,CA.There was a picture of a farm worker that looked very tired and hot because of the drought happening here.<br/>Black,Matt(Photographer).2011-
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Gael
3/24/2015 11:34:23 am
Gavin I agree when you say that the farmworker was hot because of the drought I totally agree maybe because he couldnt afford it or maybe the water was so bare it couldnt get there
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Minerva
3/24/2015 09:17:49 am
I think that in the image that shows the Frosty the Snowman graffiti and the one that shows the shoes on the power line are really important. Areas with a lot of vandalism and tagging like that one are probably poor because it shows that they didn't have the money to paint over all that. The image that shows the homeless people who may be migrant workers is also very important and shows the plight of the migrant farm workers. This is because it shows that these people work with low pay and live in.. no, they don't even live on the sidewalk, they stay there, anyway, they have low pay and many are homeless. The image that shows graffiti of many food groups was probably done by someone hoping for a healthy, balanced meal.
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Minerva
3/24/2015 09:18:35 am
I meant to add http://www.geographyofpoverty.com to the credits.
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Benicio
3/24/2015 09:22:41 am
I totally agree Minerva, and I barely even noticed the graffiti and the shoes on the power line, so good addition.
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Minerva
3/24/2015 09:22:58 am
I meant to add [digital image].
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alex
3/24/2015 09:29:00 am
The picture I chose to write about is called store window. I have two major topics that I want to talk about. The first major topic is how the photo looks all cracked. it almost looks like paint falling off a painting. When you just look at the picture you feal sad. I can make a connection. The connection isthat the photo looking cracked and the sad colors Matt Black uses almost have the same affect on you. From a certain point of view you could say that the cracked photos remind you of the cracked bones of the cracked bones of the farm workers and and the hard labor they are put through with very difficult conditions to stay hidrated in. The second major topic I wanted to talk about is How in the landscape you can kinda see a nice fancy house. I think Matt Black did this on purpose because it shows the homeless place the farmers have and the nice big fancy place the farm owners have. He shows the bad conditions the farmers have and the terribly good conditions the farm owners have. It is kinda like a compare and contrast map in one whole photo. IF this is the actuall thing Matt Black intended to show he is quite creative.Black, Matt (Photographer). (2011-2015). The Geography of Poverty- store window, CA [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.geographyofpoverty.com
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Mrs. Chenu
3/25/2015 10:58:08 am
Alex- I thought it was interesting how you compared the cracked images to the hard and weary labor of the migrant workers.
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Benicio
3/24/2015 09:35:39 am
I think that all of the images were very gloomy considering that the drought and farm workers sent a sad feeling to most people. One image I wanted to point out was the "Homeless Camp,Merced,CA. It showed the situation that the farm workers had to face. Also I think that another image that really stood out was the "Drought in the Central Valley." It showed the parts of land that was dry and needed water during the drought. I also thought that all of the images had dark colors because of the mood of the people because these things are terrible.
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Gael
3/24/2015 11:28:31 am
I agree Ben when you said that the drought and the farmworkers sent a bad message and sad one because without water our life would be sadder and harder and the cost of our fruits and vegetables are so little and thats how much they get
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Sarah:)
3/24/2015 12:30:18 pm
I agree when you said all of the images were very gloomy. They were all very sad in some way. :(
AIDAN AVENA
4/10/2015 01:20:35 pm
I agree with you Ben because you said that the drought and farm workers sent a sad feeling to most people. I was really sad when I was looking at all of the images. They were under sad conditions no water no fruits and vegetables how will they survive.
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Celeste
3/24/2015 09:43:53 am
I think that "memorial" is kind of representing poverty, someone might have died because they were so poor they couldn't aford food.
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Elena
3/24/2015 09:52:59 am
The image "Fence post. Allensworth, CA" shows that the drought and the plight of the migrant farm worker shows for the people who farm work and, the people who dont have jugs of water delivered to thier front door. But these people might not even have front door. They have shady places under trees ( but they barely have any shade ). His hand does not look like he was going to the spa to get it massaged. It looks all blistered and scabbed from doing farm work. And if the picture continued to the right the person who the hand was attached to would not look any better. And the back round I see fields going on forever. The person in the picture and the other farmers have to water that nonstop. I would need water, but they did not have any because of the drought and they do not have any money. From the plight of the migrant farm worker. This picture shows the 2 big problems they are having.
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Sarah :)
3/24/2015 10:18:13 am
The photograph "Drought in the Central Valley" tells a story. The picture of a man pointing in one direction, and farm animals in the background, tells us that the man is pointing in one direction telling other farm workers that there are more farm animals. The big picture of the bones in the dirt below is the next part of the story. What happened is that there were too many animals with very little water, because of the drought. Not all of the animals got enough water, so most of them died. Another photograph that I think tells a story is "The Central Valley". I think the picture of the two men, one pouring something into the other man's bigger pot/basket, tells the story. The men are working so hard, but are so dirty. This tells me that these men do not get paid enough. Black, Matt (Photographer). (2011-2015). The Drought in the Central Valley- Weedpatch, CA [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.geographyofpoverty.com.
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Justine
3/24/2015 01:35:00 pm
I agree with you when you say that the people are so dirty because they don't have the opportunity to bathe. I think that the part where they show the live cows and then under it the picture of cow bones is actually saying that there used to be lot of animals, but the workers had to kill them in order to make money.
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Gael
3/24/2015 11:13:45 am
I think the pictures show both because in one picture it shows dry grass with bones on it which means that there is not that many water left in California and it also shows a homeless man in the streets and he was a poor farmworker
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Gael is continuing...
3/24/2015 11:24:09 am
And there is a picture of rusty old shacks that refers to the poorness with farmworkers. They is another picture that shows forks and if you look in the description it says that people were hungry. Black Matt, (Photographer) 2011-2015 Central Valley-Weedpatch, CA digital image received from http:/www.geographyofpoverty.com
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Jaya
3/24/2015 12:12:34 pm
I think that the picture "Bystrom," it tells a story about the farmworkers and their conditions. The farmworkers do not have it easy, sometimes they even have to sleep in the farm. In the picture "Bystrom" its shows how runt down the area is. Just like the farmworkers have it.It is very dirty and old and in very bad shape, like sadly the farmworkers have it. In the photo "Drought in the Central Valley" it tells us about the drought. In the photo it is very dry. The drought is taking us to that level. In the three pictures there is absolutely no water at all.
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Justine
3/24/2015 01:27:59 pm
I agree with you because all of the pictures show dry areas that have no water sources.
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nola
3/24/2015 12:49:03 pm
The picture I chose did not have a name but it was the picture with all the spoons and forks. I think that the colors change your mood. The pictures colors were grey, black, and a little white, these colors make me feel depressed/melancholy, and a bit dizzy. The colors set the mood. Since the picture had forks and spoons it seems to be representing that the farmworkers makes the food on your plate, every single day. I think that Matt Black`s photo meant that before you eat you should think about who and how your food got onto your plate. Think about what other people have to do to get you food. Think about what other people are doing or have. Some people have nothing, their homeless. Another picture I wanted to talk about was Corner Store. It reminds me of all the food that I have and get each day, and then I think about how the farmworkers don`t have either a lot of food or during the day.
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Sasha
3/24/2015 12:54:38 pm
I agree with you Nola because of how you said the color changes your mood
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Mrs. Chenu
3/25/2015 11:01:11 am
Great connection Nola- I was thinking about a barren landscape scattered with litter and you were relating the spoons and forks to the empty stomachs of the farm workers. Wonderful!
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saSHa
3/24/2015 12:50:03 pm
Many of the images sort of tell a story because everyone picture represents something that was used or something that happened during early time farm workers. My favorite peice of art was the utensils and how the color of them represented maybe they were using that to dig dirt or to eat! What ever what was to eat if you were very poor?
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Justine
3/24/2015 01:19:27 pm
I think the photos tell the story about the drought because it shows all of the dry land where the migrant farmworkers live. Yesterday I heard on the radio in the car that the people that own the farms are taking all of the water away from other places so they can grow their crops and make a lot of money. The farm owners are a big part in the drought because they use more water then people do every day just to grow a few crops. I also think that the pictures of the artwork that was drawn by the farmworkers is showing things that they don't have, but that they wished they had. For example, Corner store shows milk, cheese, bread, eggs, and soda. The farmworkers can't afford any of those things, so they draw it to make them feel like they do have them and that they have the money to buy it. Also, Drought in the Central Valley for @newyorkerphoto shows a poor man washing his hands and face with some sort of soap. I think this photo is showing that they don't have bathrooms with sinks and toilets and showers, so they have to do all of the things that they would do inside, outside where they have to live.
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Connie
3/25/2015 09:27:52 am
I agree with you. I also liked how you made a connection from the article to your own life. Anyway, the farm workers are so poor. I think it is very unfair that the workers work so hard all day but receive very little money. They should of received a lot more. After all, they hardly have enough money to afford much food and most of what we use every day. (including the computer)
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jacob
3/24/2015 01:40:20 pm
I think the photo is telling us about the drought. And a picture that i saw looks like they are poor there house is wrecked. And it looks like the farmers are very poor. It looks like they have to look for there own food to survive. It look like they are dying and they are very sad in this picture a man looked like a skull that was white.
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Violet
3/24/2015 02:07:08 pm
The picture Bystrom, CA shows that some people live below the poverty level. It also shows and I think it has something to do with farmers. So farmworkers have to live in rickety old houses or none at all, being bitten by mosquitos, while sleeping on a hide that is crumpled up and laying on the floor, when we sleep comfortably in our tidied up beds with a cat sleeping at your feet , and your house made of sturdy,silky, colored, wooden planks. For the way everything is grey it also reminds me of the missions . It reminds me of the missions because I remember that if a native doesn't convert to Christianity then they got hung up upon the cross . The grey reminded me that when someone you knew and probably loved has died . The natives probably felt grey and had a dark mood when one of them don't convert. Charlotte was right when she said these pictures must be dark to show the darker side of what is really going on in the picture.
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charlotte
3/24/2015 02:18:56 pm
I think that these photos can connect to the plight of migrant farm workers because all of the images bring up a very sad mood, and when you think of all of the farm workers that go through rows and rows of fields for the food that we pay very little for, it can also make people feel sad. I can also connect them because all of the photos are somehow connected to farming. Matt Black made this whole album of photos based on agriculture. The Modesto picture, with one man in the front working, with a very miserable look on his face, and another man behind, not working, and looking much less miserable made me think deeper into the thought about how these farmers are doing all of this painful work not because they want to but because they have to. If they did have a choice, then these farmers would surely go and live an easy life without having to work all day. The man in the front looked like that, whereas the man behind, doing nothing that included work looked a lot less sad and angry. Maybe he wasn't a farmer. Maybe he was someone coming to see what farming life was like. Or he could have been a farmer, but he was so tired that he gave himself a break. What ever these photos mean, they all bring up the same mood. A sad and dark mood. It makes everyone feel bad for those hard working farmers.
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Connie
3/25/2015 09:22:44 am
I agree, Charlotte. Some images did bring out a very melancholy mood. After all, it had this dark, sad color in the photos.
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Gato (Lesly)
3/24/2015 03:01:18 pm
The photographs in Matt Black's website "The Geography of Poverty" explain that farm workers are poor an those little towns are very poor. For example, there is a picture of a man living in a tent on the desert and needs to use a port-a-potty. There is another picture of two farm workers working in the hot sun. They do not look happy. The images also show the California drought. For example, one image shows a cross in the middle of a desert. The ground looks dry and cracked and there are barely any plants. It looks like in the distance that the dryness never stops. It keeps on going. Instead of farmland full of plants, the images show that these farmlands are dry and have trash nails, and no plants. The last thing that I can see is those little towns look like they do not have materials to fix those homes. They are in bad shape, they are graffitied on and it looks like the houses are very small.
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Connie
3/25/2015 09:20:41 am
I agree. Some of the images did show hardworking farmers in the sun. I bet they were really hot and stressful in the heat and they probably want a lot of water to drink.
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jacob
4/7/2015 09:44:21 am
i agree lesly because it is really explaining how they are porr and thwy have littler town and they are very poor. Ans I agree with you because they wouldn't be happy when they are working in the farm.
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AIDAN AVENA
4/10/2015 01:15:28 pm
I agree with you Lesly because farm workers are in the hot sun with little houses and no water. They do look very poor and unhappy their were some pictures with farm workers in the hot sun.
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Connie
3/25/2015 09:18:02 am
I think the images describe the California drought because I saw a picture of just one cow standing on land in the hot sunshine. I didn't see any water. I saw so much land yet not any water in the image. Another image I saw was very sad. It showed two graves with words and numbers. I'm guessing that the people who were dead probably died of too much heat and not enough water to drink. Without water, the living organisms(including people) won't be able to stay alive.
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AIDAN AVENA
4/10/2015 01:11:56 pm
I think that the images in Matt's website shows the horrible drought happening in California because in the photo's all the tree were pretty much all dead so was the grass. Everything looked dead and had no water what so ever. These poor people in the photos looked dry and dehydrated. I saw a pic where it said '' Drought in California''. Everything look parched and horrid.I think in that town if they don't get water everything will die including the people.
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AuthorHello! My name is Mrs. Chenu and I'm a 4th grade teacher at Eagle Rock Elementary Gifted and High Ability Magnet. Archives
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