The Oliver Street School
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Title
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The Oliver Street School
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Description
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Image five is a picture of one of the Newark public schools that hosts kindergarten through eighth grade, the Oliver Street School. Construction for the school began in 1868 and was completed soon after. Obviously a historic building and school, attention was drawn to the school when a first grader died after experiencing flu-like symptoms. The image is a view of outside the building of the school. Upon looking at the image, the audience will evoke a sense of fear. The image appears as if it would be in a horror film, like Nightmare on Elm Street, and almost frightens the viewer. The angle of the camera is slightly facing up, making the building and playground cage attached to it seem massive and overpowering. The colors are all dull stimulating a feeling of loss and depression. The camera distance allows the audience to real the “Playground” letters, etched into the cage. The cage, closed off by chains and a lock, is rusted over and appears unsanitary and dirty. There is a little light shining on the sign and entrance of the school, but inside the playground it is pitch black. The photographer may have chose to take the camera in this way to show that although historic, the establishment is unsafe and therefore unfit for children to properly learn in and even survive in, as an innocent first grader found out.
