What's_Important

Newsweek magazine cover dated January 25th 2010. Centered on the top of the cover page is a 16 ½ cm x 4 cm block of red within which are white words in 80 point bookman old style font which read - Newsweek. Immediately above the magazine’s name and also centered within the same red box, are two featured stories printed in all capitalized, black, 12 point calibri bold font. The feature stories read “BILL CLINTON: THE WORK AHEAD. LISA MILLER: DOES GOD HATE HAITI'” Inserted directly above the double “e” in Newsweek is the magazine publication date: January 25th 2010 in white 10 point font bookman old style. Hanging just over 1 ½ cm to the left bottom edge of the red box are three words which reflects the main story. These words are printed in white; all capitalized and contain two different font sizes. The words read “WHY HAITI MATTERS. The words that flank either side of the word Haiti are in a font size about 1 ½ points smaller than that of one of the world’s poorest nations. Instantly our eyes recognize the familiar name of the article author, Barack Obama, the incumbent President of the United States of America. The President’s name is written in 18 point white calibri font which is twice as small as the word Haiti. It is at this point one is made to stop and consider why would of the world’s largest weekly and bi-weekly publication magazine choose to use such varying sizes of not so typical fonts on the cover of its magazine' Is there significance in the varying font sizes' At first the fonts appear haphazardly chosen, but as one is drawn towards the word Haiti, one can begin to glean the purpose behind such a decision. Haiti is the focus of the current affairs magazine, and the focus significant enough to warrant it bold compelling font. The unfamiliarity of the font style is like that of the republic of Haiti for many Americans, a nation somewhere in the Caribbean which is lost amongst the hundreds of other more recognizable islands within the same region. Who better to raise awareness of this unknown nation than Barack Obama; a name each American can easily identify. Also well-known to many Americans is the name Bill Clinton, former President of the United States of America and to Newsweek enthusiasts, Lisa Miller, Society and Region Editor for Newsweek. The words “Why Haiti Matters” contain no punctuation leaving one to guess whether this is a question or a prelude to an answer. Either way, the words cause us to lean in, whether it is because we are seeking the answer or whether it is because we ourselves have asked the question; “Why does Haiti Matter'” The title of Bill Clinton’s article gives some sentiment as to what we can expect to read if we were to open the pages of the magazine, as it tellingly supports the “Why Haiti Matters” title with the work ahead; that is the work to be done in Haiti. As both titles begin to relate they combined seem to subliminally suggest -Yes Haiti matters and here is the plan. Lisa Miller in her article title does ask the question; “Does God Hate Haiti'” The combination of the words “hate” and “Haiti” create a minor tongue twister, and this is no coincidence as the words depict the very complexity of a tongue challenge like that of a country with little voice and undergoing a crisis of faith brought about by an almost ungodly number of natural disasters. On the center of the cover is a photograph of a black woman. Her hair is smoothly braided and pulled away from her face. The paths in the hair style are neat and symmetrical. Her left hand obscures her face; completely obliterating the right eye and offering the lens only the barely visual image of her closed left eye. Her hands appear to be those of a young woman as her hands are void of wrinkles. And though her neatly parted hair would suggest that she spends much time maintaining her appearance, her bushy and unkempt eyebrows and her dirty nails of varying lengths would suggest she is accustomed to hard work and personal appearance if of minimal consequence to her. She holds her head with such a great tension that it causes the skin beneath her thumb and right temple to crease. Tears are smeared on the exposed right cheek. These tears travel along her cheek and onto her neck. Along the jaw line the tears reflect the flash of the photographer’s camera. Her lips contain no dyes and her mouth is slightly ajar. There is a noticeable scar on the left of her chin just below her lip. She is wearing a white top. The picture is sharp; which contrast very noticeably with the blurred background in which one can discern the likeness of people. Why would an image of a woman, unknown to the onlooker, cause one to develop an almost immediate emotional connection' Is it because the photograph coerces one to stare at an all too familiar expression; conceivably the human expression of despair, frustration and grief. Immediately like the suggested and stated questions within the feature titles the images tease out additionally questions from our minds. Who is this woman' Is she a mother, a sister, a wife' Is she someone’s child or someone’s best friend' The more we look the more we begin to empathize. As it is for all Americans as it is for Haitian; we all smile when we are happy and we all hold our heads when times are hard and our hearts are heavy. We all bow our heads and shed water from our eyes when turmoil plagues our lives. The woman’s clear and crisp image contrasts heavily with the blurred background. The faded images of people seem to suggest death that surrounds our focus, the faded lives of a great number of people gone to soon. Why does the artist choose to make the woman’s ace the center of attention and keep the other human forms blurred' Perhaps like the use of the varying fonts upon the cover the artist is ranking the importance of the issue. The foggy background gives the impression that those images not as important as the woman. It is our focal point that matters. Or; is the cover suggesting that like the hazy background, which is difficult to decipher, so to would the disaster in Haiti fade into the background of our minds. Would the reader, the casual browser allow this catastrophe to become a fleeting thought and image less noticed by others' If sharpness of image does indicate ranking of importance then our eyes return to the distinct image of the woman in apparently in great distress. Unlike the distorted images in the background reminiscent of death; her image is well –defined, suggestive of life. And although her face bears the expression of pain and is heartbreaking she is Haitian and she is why Haiti matters. She is the embodiment of all surviving Haitians, a living demonstration of the tenacity of her people. She is the center of our attention and the manifestation of the human spirit to triumph over misfortune and adversity. Her nails are dirty because she too like everyone in Haiti has rummaged through the rubble for loved ones. Her eyebrow unkempt because there are more important matters at hand. And at hand is a young woman, a symbol of life in the matriarchal Haitian society. She is a symbol of hope that Haiti can emerge from the turmoil stronger. She is a woman alive, she can carry great burdens and she would find comfort in the knowledge that “men anpil chay pau lou”- many hands lighten the load. For now she mourns and we empathize and mourn with her yet all the while recognizing that there is truism in the statement that “wherever there is life there is hope.” On the bottom left of the cover page printed in black 8 point bold font are the almost missed name of the capital city of Haiti and a date. It reads Port-au-Prince, Jan.13. Like Job of the bible, the nation of Haiti has suffered cataclysmic misfortune. In 2008, four storms in a in a few weeks left over a million Haitians homeless. The infant mortality rate in Haiti is as bas as some African nations and on the 12th day of January 2010, one of the poorest nations in the world was devastated by an earthquake of catastrophic proportions resulting in the death of over 100,000 persons. Entire parts of the capital city of Port- au Prince lie in ruins. The media broadcasted images of the horrific scene of persons stricken with tragedy. On the proverbial 13th day of January, the horrific despair was photographed upon the face of a survivor. Gail Boker Washington University in St Louis