Bald Eagle vs. The Ghettos

This is an iconic image due to the reason the bald eagle was chosen to be America's emblem which is it's long life and strength not to mention the almost 'pure' beauty of the bird. Often the Bald Eagle and the Stars and Stripes are combined to form an emotive illustration of freedom and power, the eagle also gives a sense of domination that it seems America believes it has over other countries and cultures. This belief gives the American people a sense of liberty which is powered by the Government and they believe almost anyone is therefore able to achieve greatness.

When I look at this picture I don't think 'that must be what liberty is' I ask myself 'how could a government allow someone to live like that?' The idea of liberty is freedom from oppression mainly from a place of authority, that authority could be the bus driver who picks you up, to your employer or predominantly the government. This image is iconic because when you think of an American ghetto you don't think of a middle aged white male, you think of a young black male as seen in this picture, ask yourself why that is and for me it's because you know there is still oppression and racism in America no matter how much they try to deny it which completely negates the idea of liberty.


Sources;
Image 1: http://www.akphotograph.com/Alaska%20Blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/cefdbec.jpeg
Image 2: http://muhammadhakeem.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/sept2katrinapaytonldf.jpg