Analyzing my Audience

The positive value of assisting the vulnerable, especially children, plays one of the most prominent roles in the text. The negative value of educating others in moral behavior, including severely criticizing the perceived behavior, is also evident. (The author's values in writing the piece include truth and clarity.)

The text presents a scenario to illustrate the values rather than addressing the issues directly. The elements in the scenario (the photo and the circumstances surrounding it) are such that they encourage the emergence and discussion of the values stated above without directly addressing them.

The tone of the text is critical second of the two main values, but not hostile to it; as mentioned above, the text is about persuasion and supports the value of assisting others, including those that are doing the assisting. She also believes that she can modify the value by giving facts that shed sympathetic light on Mr. Carter and his own plight.

In addition to this, I find a great irony in the reaction of Mr. Carter's critics: the overwhelming (and appropriate) concern for the child in the photograph did not extend to the human being who shot the photo. No concern was shown to him for the horrific scenes he'd witnessed and for how they affected him.