You think you know what is happening in this painting? maybe, it is drowning ship and the sailors aboard are looking at the horizon hoping a ship might find and rescue them. But if you look again, you might see more in the Raft of the Medusa by Gericault.

Look at the people’s faces. Are they all looking forward to salvation? Do they all believe anything will change if they are rescued or not? Look at the man to the left of the picture holding his dead son? Does it matter to him anymore whether he lives or dies?

How much does this painting look like modern life if we think of it as this raft in the painting? Where do you find yourself on this raft? Is life a crazy journey we are all taking without knowing the consequences of anything we do? Is it as random as the painting depicts?

Sometimes, it might be better to stick only to the obvious facts we see; maybe, this is the result of some battle and these men are clinging to hope. Maybe, these are the victims of piracy and they are left to die in the sea, or they are themselves pirates. It’s up to you to decide what you can see in this painting.

Write a short story, or a poem about what you can discern from this painting and share a link to your story with us here on Danny B. You can be generous and share a link to this writing prompt on your website or your social media.