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Student Name Professor Name Subject ___ September 2012 Descriptive essay The object of study for this paper is a picture of an unknown author that depicts one of the beaches of Varadero, a resort town in Cuba. The first things catches the eye on this picture are inscriptions that say Varadero Cuba in big letters and Year Round Paradise in smaller letters. These inscriptions allow assuming that this picture was made for advertisement purposes. The main participants of this picture are four people who are depicted at the forefront of it, and therefore, draw great attention to themselves. To the right, there are two people a man and a woman dressed in Spanish-style clothing. They are dancing and smiling to each other and the woman is holding maracas in her hands. Maracas are a native musical instrument of Latin American and Caribbean countries that also are called rumba shakers. It is hard to say whether these two people are Cubans or tourists, however, it is obvious that they enjoy their staying in Varadero. The third person of the forefront of this picture is showed only partially there are only his hands, but they are quite enough to show that this man is playing the bongo drum. I think it was a special authors idea to show only this mans hands and the drum. Maybe, the author did not want people to pay special attention at his clothes or his face, because his main role here is playing the drum and this playing creates a special atmosphere and rhythm for dancing of the abovementioned two people. On the left of the picture, there is a man. He is standing and watching the dancers. He is dressed in a light brown suit and a hat and he is holding his hands in his pockets. Another bright detail of the forefront is the macaras with a picture of the Cuban flag on. In the background, there are other people spending their time on the beach. Some of them are just lying on the beach or hiding from the sun under the beach canopies, some other people are swimming, others are

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playing some ball game and the rest are depicted talking or walking on the beach. The nature on this picture is represented with a sandy beach and palm trees growing all along the beach. As it was already mentioned, it can be assumed that this picture was made as advertising or maybe, as a post card. In both cases, one of the main authors ideas was not only to show how Varadero looks like to people who have never been there yet but also to convey a special atmosphere of this place only with this picture. All the people on this picture relax in their own ways and all these ways are supposed to show that Varadero is a place where everyone can find something just for himself. For example, the two dancing people prefer to spend their time in an active way dancing, singing or something else, while the man in a light brown suit is just standing enjoying their dance and the unique character Cuban music. Also, all the other people on the background convey a special comfy atmosphere that provides everyone who has decided to visit Varadero an opportunity to find his own form of recreation and pastime. Also, by contrasting the two dancers to the man in a suit, the author was trying to show that quite different people visit Cuba even though they have different jobs, lifestyles and outlooks on life, they come to Varadero to take a break of the traditional way of life and all of them find everything they wanted. Since there is no adequate information about the author of this picture and its purpose, this paper was guided only by assumptions. However, all the information obtained through visual analysis leads to the conclusion that the most probable assumption is that it was made as an advertising tool. On this basis, it can be concluded the author has really achieved the goals, because this beach seems to be like a paradise place with its relaxed atmosphere and unique culture. Looking at the picture for some time, there is a strong desire to put aside all the work and other things even though all they should be done, then to catch a plane and found yourself on this beach swimming, sunbathing, dancing or just observe and think of how much this city with its beautiful beaches looks like a real paradise.