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(Powerful Influences for me: Family, Friends, Religion/Beliefs, Education, Money, Social and Printed Media)
Images that I find to move me the most emotionally are those that tend to lean towards the political issues, or images that raise awareness to unjustices and the way our society is acting. I like images that make me think about what is going on in the world (as intended).
For example:
In my opinion, if something as simple as a photograph or cartoon can make you take time out of your 'busy' day to think about what message is trying to be conveyed through that image, then it definitely holds some sort of power over you, whether it is for a fleeting moment or the rest of your life. In these specific examples, it is the context of the images that carry the power. In these images, the power is held behind the idea that words hurt and how they can leave emotional scars and bruises. The second image is basically saying that humans are living, but are lacking what is a major part of life. Similarly to the second image, the very emotional political cartoon found in the Miami Herald connotes the lack of humanity that seems to be running rampant. It is comparing the very recent Eric Garner case to times when lynching and executions of African Americans for their race was legal.
Domination Power, as defined in chapter 6 of Engaging Visual Culture , is "holding power over someone or something and implies a subject/object distinction (86)". In this way, money can most definitely possess domination power. An example of this would literally be the power money has over many people. This domination power creates greed. People let it run their lives, and control their decisions. They let the idea of luxury and wealth conrol their happiness. The more money you have, the more you are valued as a person (or so it seems).
Money also has transformative power, meaning "power that comes from within a group of people who feel equal to one another and is developed through the support, encouragement, and team effort of the group (88)". Examples of this transformative power come from associations, charities, and volunteer groups such as The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, YMCA, etc. Money donated and raised by these groups are great examples of how money holds transformative power to benefit communites, youth, and those in need. This type of power crushes the idea that someone's amount of money is positively correlated to their worth as a human being.