Clipped Wings: A Junior Narrative Illustration by Courtney Coffman (2012)

Following the tale of the new girl at school who is judged by her peers, I decided to go for the message of prejudice. By judging someone, you essentially take away their chance to prove their true selves to you, which is shown in my illustration by a dead crow whose wings have been clipped. The new wings, made up of text, consist of all phrases that describe how people looked at the new girl. The birds in the background all symbolize those who judge, each wearing a disapproving expression. I chose to have three birds, each symbolizing stages of judgement. Starting on the right, where a bird sits staring at the dead crow, is the first phase consisting of the earliest judgments. These include thoughts about initial appearance, such as noting someone's race or clothes. The second bird is taking off, but still glancing at the crow, which symbolizes the connecting of appearance to ''personality''. Finally, the bird of the far left is flying away, which shows how this ''person'' has no interest in changing their set judgments.