Analysis Of Susan Sontag 's ' The Cave '

Photography, meaning “drawing with lights” in Greek, is an art as well as a science of capturing light and storing it on a medium with unprecedented accuracy. Yet, up until the late 18th century, history was mainly recorded through the techniques of painting and the press. These mediums unarguably contained a certain degree of a truth, though, it was not uncommon for events, such as war to be composed with glorified details, or an unfavorable bias from the artist at hand. Beginning in the 1830’s, cameras provided a revolutionary solution by combining the advancements in optics and chemistry. Consequently, the new medium of photography was established and forever changed how history would be visually captured. Unlike other methods, photography

It is said that “The true content of a photograph is invisible, for it derives from a play not with form but with time”. This makes me think that the real content of a picture, which is what the photographer tried to express, is not evident to perceive unless an explanatory text is provided. In fact, I believe that our perceptions of pictures changes over time as the historical context do. In addition, our opinions are never fixed as they are influenced by our environment. Therefore, when looking at a particular picture at a given time, it is certain that our perception of it will be different in the future based on what happen between the first time and second time we saw it.

According to Gefter, “Truth-telling is the promise of a photograph” (342), where we can witness an authentic moment with our own eyes “while not actually being there”. A photograph reflects not only the divergent issues of the prevailing society, but also serves as both documentation and verification of historic events. But is it a proof of what actually happened in reality? When we see a photograph, we try to judge its veracity by the context in which it

Photography gives you a small sample of reality, but these realities have been changed to what the photographer wants to present. However as Sontag stated, “Of course, photographs fill in the blanks in our mental pictures of the present and the past.” Pictures show proof that all of the history that we learn is true, but although it confirms that, pictures does not show us the entire picture of how people felt about the situation. For example, one might have a picture from WWII and show us the setting, but does that picture really show the feeling of the people? That is why we say that photography only goes as far as to how the photographer wants to show the

A photograph is powerful because it can be used to solve a crime because a photograph could carry enough evidence to apprehend an individual and arrest the people responsible for the illegal acts. Moreover, a photograph can also provide evidence of an amazing accomplishment or event such as someone’s graduation or wedding. In the same way, a photograph could also provide evidence that a dreadful event happened in the past. Additionally, a photograph can turn a skeptic into believer in whatever matter. For example, it can make a person believe that there is an actual monster living in Loch Ness, even though it is not highly possible. To sum it all up, Sontag expressed that “Photographs furnish evidence”; in agreement, a photograph does indeed provide evidence in a variety of ways. I cannot say this enough, but a photograph is quite powerful, it is hard to believe what this world would be like if they did not

Photos can be an illustrative material object to shape a story. But photos just reflect upon our memories and try to relate to the overall useless piece of paper. Photos may have value but they are essentially paper and just that. Photos are meaningless because each person just brings his own mental state of mind to the picture.

Percy’s essay tells us that he would say no, that they obscure the truth and Cole would agree that photos taken can be misleading. With that said, Percy calls photographs- “symbols” of the places a person went, but according to Cole those symbols are perceived differently from reality. Whenever a person takes a photograph they keep it in that perspective forever and with no context the average person can make false judgements. It’s precisely this reason why Percy urges people to not go on tours as such the example he gave, the man and his family visiting to the Grand Canyon. The man booked his tour after looking at a travel folder, presumably filled with misleading Le Pen like photos of the places to visit. The text parallel as the man sees the misleading photo of the Grand Canyon, books his trip and expects to see that exact image. Percy and Cole are in agreement that the man was coaxed into believing that stunning image could be lived and as a result lost his way of seeing the Canyon for himself.

The photograph is a very powerful medium. The French painter Paul Delaroche exclaimed upon seeing an early photograph “from now on, painting is dead!” (Sayre, 2000). Many critics did not take photography seriously as a legitimate art form until the 20th century. With the

Our memories often time embellish the memories we once had of such great people, places, times, and etc. We live these times up to standard that makes us reminisce, hurt, contemplate and so much more. The power of a photograph has been described to have worth a thousand words, metaphorically meaning of course, that what an image can capture in one instance, something that may not ever be captured through words. For too many centuries we have been without, what many of us now take for granted, the photograph. What we capture in a picture, has much more value than we often time see in our commercials, people, places, they tell a story to the ignorant, paint a picture for blind, give the deaf something to listen to, and so much more.

The violent markings of the photo album and its images, however, produce an equally powerful message that jars the memory as it disrupts and distorts the photographic chronicle of her life and that of her family and friends. The result is a complex visual experience that addresses the use of images in producing knowledge and making history.

If you had a vast and extraordinary knowledge that would bring truth and light to the rest of the world but would be violently rejected by the world for this knowledge, would you still share it? Over that past centuries, philosophers, religious leaders, scientists, teachers, and dreamers have brought their insights and enlightenment to the forefront of society knowing that they would be violently rejected. Many of these enlightened individuals have been later claimed as martyrs for their knowledge and actions when they are later proved to be the truth. So why do they do it? A great philosopher, Plato, debates such a topic and explains the reality and risks of being one who is enlightened in an ignorant society. In his work The Allegory of the Cave, Plato urges his reader to find enlightenment and face its risks through his

Sontag claims that “photography is, a social rite, but it can also be a defense against anxiety and a tool of power (page 130).” She backs her claim by stating “photographs give people an imaginary possession of a past that is unreal, they also help people to take possessions of space in which they are insecure.” (Sontag page 131). In other words, having pictures allows people to tell stories that may not be exactly true. I agree with Sontag because I have witnessed and experienced how pictures can hurt someone emotionally while empowering others.

Susan Sontag discusses the difference in viewing art in physical form versus viewing in through a lens. Throughout the essay “In Plato’s Cave”, Sontag thinks both Plato’s cave images and photographs represents, “the mere image of truth” (Sontag 3). With that, Sontag repeatedly uses the terms “truth” and “reality”, but does not define what these terms mean to her. The impression Sontag left for these terms is that “truth” or “reality” stand for nothing more than what we can see. Being said, the difference between what we can with our own eyes and what we can see with a camera is reduced to the physical/mechanical differences between the human eye and body camera/lens.

However as the authors stressed, probably more significant than the change in how images are produced, distributed and used, are the ideas to which the changes are giving rise and how digital imaging is challenging and changing traditional ways of seeing and thinking. It seems that our traditional belief that ‘the camera never lies’ has been brought into question. It also appears important to consider who

In Plato, Republic, Book VII, the core of the book revolves around justice and its implications from both an individual and collective perspective. Plato does not have Socrates argue that justice requires getting everyone out of the cave because in actuality, there are two parts to justice and the cave: the truth and the false. According to Plato, people often live in illusion. Illusions appeal to sensible people and their senses, whereas reality does not function with reason alone, it includes a combination of ideas and the truth (Plato 405). Therefore, the need to have everyone leave the cave is not present because each individual is there for a different reason which may not call for leaving the cave.