Anthropomorphism
Gilad Benari, an Israeli photographer, recently gave me permission to display some of his work in my blog. He does so much nice work it's hard to pick one image to start with. I settled on this one.
This image resonates with a lot of people. The most immediate response is, "That poor monkey! Look how he yearns to be free!" I don't think that's the power of this image though. For all we know, the monkey likes not having to hunt for fruit or scrape beetles out of the bark of a tree or likes not having to worry about jaguars or other predators.
I think the power in this image comes from what we bring to it. Each and every one of us can relate to feeling trapped. Whether or not our freedom has ever been physically restricted, we know what it's like to be caught in a situation from which we see no escape. Whether its a relationship gone sour or a dead end job or the confines of a culture we don't fit, we have all been there. Therein lies the power. Our little monkey has become a symbol for powerful experiences and emotions shared by all of us.