Visual Literacy: Refugee crisis. Sensitive readers are cautioned.

There has been a growing awareness around the Syrian refugee crisis. It is important to note that one of the most pivotal moments in the campaign to raise awareness around the refugee crisis took the form of a tragic photo of a child. The power of imagery often surpasses the power of words.

Consider this image and what makes it so powerfully moving besides the obvious.

Why do you think this image evoked so much emotion, while images such as the following, did not receive the same level of emotion and horror? Is their tragedy any less? Why did their deaths then not inspire action like the death of Aylan Kurdi?