Jack Kerouac: An Interpretation Of Frank's Photography

Even if they are only tokens, and cannot possibly encompass most of the reality to which they refer” (2003: 102). We definitely need to see these type of photographs. The reason being that these photographs are the voice of the victims. The photograph is a trace of an event, that is a validation of what has happened. I think it is the only way these people have a chance to be recognized in the history, instead of being forgotten or quieten. I would like to point out that Sontag’s text has been written in 2003, whereas Azoulay’s book has been written in 2008. It is evident that Azoulay knows what Sontag has had left out in her argument and Azoulay doesn’t lose sight of it. Both Azoulay and Sontag share a common interest, that is the photograph as a debate in the public sphere. A motivation for political discourse and social alteration. Sontag makes an argument that, “modern life consists of a diet of horrors by which we are corrupted and to which we become gradually habituated is a founding idea of the critique of modernity” (Sontg 2003: 95) and takes notice of the drawback in this type of thinking. She makes two arguments in regards to this, the first is the assumption that “everyone is a spectator. It suggests, perversely, unseriously, that there is no real suffering in the world” (99). The second argument she makes is that this kind of reaction only pertain two groups of people, those who are tired of war and are being continuously photographed and the cynical people that haven’t experienced war first hand. Sontag considers what this kind of thinking process excludes. She discusses how the victims are, “ interested in the representation of their own sufferings.” However they want, “the suffering to be seen as unique.”(100). She talks about Paul Lowe exhibition in support of her argument, the exhibition contains photographs of Somalian

For some, a picture is just a beautiful work of art, but for Lewis Hine photography was a way to communicate a message to the world. When Hine was taught the photographic process, it was still being established. This being said, photojournalism was also just evolving as a method to visually communicate information. In an effort to better his photography skills, Hine began to photograph the immigrants of Ellis Island. He was very adamant about social reform and reflected this in his work. Lewis Hine’s captivating photos inspired social change in America for the less fortunate.

For this essay the works of Robert Draper, author of “Why Photos Matter,” and Fred Ritchen, author of “Photography Changes the Way News is Reported,” will be analyzed. Though both deal with the topic of photography, their take on the matter is very different. While Ritchen is a photographer who writes on “what professional photographers will be doing in the future,” Draper is a writer for the National Geographic writing on how the photographers of the magazine share “a hunger for the unknown.” Both writers, however, write on the topic of photographers having a deeper understanding of their subjects, Ritchen due to research and practice, and Draper because the photographers “sit [with] their subjects, just listening to them.” In both essays the need for a deeper understanding of the

The first thing I will write about is a person, Jacob Riis. A esteemed author of the book “How the other half Lives”, published in the 1890s. Riis was a pioneer in the time when photography was first starting to catch on. In Riis’s photos he took pictures of people who lived in the slums of the major cities and how they lived. He was termed a Muckraker by our late president Theodore Roosevelt, because journalists like him would, as he would say, rake through all the good things and bad on the ground and only report the bad of the world. But Riis was one of the men of his era

The interplay of dark and light motifs underlies the narrator’s most recent hardship. On his way home on the subway, the narrator comes across his brother’s name in a newspaper and “stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside” (Baldwin). Riding in the light of the subway car, the author makes the non-suspecting narrator subject to suffering, unguarded by the protective cloak of the outside darkness. Made vulnerable by the exposed light and people surrounding him, the narrator is hit harder by the unexpected news than if he had read it in the darkness of his private room. Under the “swinging lights,” the narrator is not prepared to cope with the troubling news. This emphasizes the importance of light as a symbol for one’s need of camouflage to properly cope with tragedy.

While Postman points out the literal meaning of photography is “writing with light”; the two are from completely different universes when it comes to public discourse (p. 71). Unlike typography, photography cannot offer assertions, make propositions and offers no commentary. As long as it is not an altered photograph, it has no choice but to be true (p. 73). Thus, the photograph is only able to capture a moment in time and does not have the ability to comment on that moment. Our author contends, where language presents the world as an idea, the photographs only option is to show the world as an object (p. 72). Whereas in language, the correct context requires consideration of what is said before and after, in photography there is no before and after, only the snapshot of time. Therefore, by its very nature photography is context-free (p. 73). As photography immersed itself in the American culture author, Daniel Boorstin called this “the graphic revolution.” Postman is unequivocal on the point that the traditional forms of information, news, and even reality itself received an impairment by this new focus on images. For examples, he cites billboards, posters and advertisements. He points to magazines Life, Look and several newspapers. The picture was the focal point, and the writing was forced to take a less dominate roll and sometimes done away with altogether (p.

“Facing It” by the American black poet Yusef Komunyakaa of Shreveport is written with the use of visual images. Yusef Komunyakaa writes about one of his many trips to the Vietnam's Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC. This Memorial is a long polished slab of black reflectant granite with the names of all the US soldiers who lost their lives in Vietnam. Yusef says “my black face fades, hiding inside the black granite”. Here Yusef uses his reflection in the wall to bring the reader back to the war and how he feels standing at the wall now. He makes his feeling ambiguous and give the reader the opportuntity to decide what he is feeling through his use of viual images.

Alex Kotlowitz met Lafeyette and Pharoah Rivers in 1985 while working as a journalist. He was interviewing them for a photo essay in Chicago magazine on children living in poverty. The violence that occurred every day where the brothers lived in Governor Henry Horner Homes, or Horner, disturbed Kotlowitz. Lafeyette and Pharoah are 12 and 9 years old at the start of the book but have experienced more than many kids their age. The boys did not seem sure of what life held for them. Lafeyette told Kotlowitz, “If I grow up, I’d like to be a bus driver,” Lafeyette was not sure that he would grow up at just 10 years old (x). Kotlowitz wanted to show what it is like for children growing up in urban poverty after seeing the brothers’

“Public Art,” written by Patrick Frank, is an essay that claims public art is in everyday life and it satisfies the needs of society. First, Frank discusses the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, designed by Maya Lin, and the significance of the piece of art because it gives comfort to those who visit the monument. Next, Frank presents a humorous piece of art that is found on the rooftop of the Museum of Modern Art; this camouflage rooftop design was developed for office workers who complained about the ugly structure of the previous rooftop. Readers then learn that most of the art found on public buildings is a result of a mandate, which can result in undesirable outcomes; on the other hand, effective products can develop as a result of the mandate.

Nicholas Nixon is an American born in 1947 in Detroit, Michigan and he is still alive today. He is known for his black and white

Chuck close was not always like this.He was not always paralyzed from the neck down,and not always in a wheelchair,he was born like any other average child but he was not always focused in school because he was diagnosed with dyslexia around the time he was born.

An Australian Photographer,born in 1957 from the K’ua K’ua tribe. Before her passion developed for photography deacon has strong interests in politics. With the inspiration of Indigenous Activist Charles Perkins, it led Destiny to the beginning of her artistic endevours. "I was just in awe of him 'cause he was such a spokesperson. He was always there and I really miss him and I think Australia misses him.” 7] Growing up Deacon and her family lived in various Melbourne inner suburbs, in commission houses which while often tough opened her eyes to a whole other world "My family grew up on the waterfront. Our commission home was the hub of painters and dockers, criminals, unionists,there was culture galore.”]

The name "Photography" comes from the Greek words for light and writing. Sir John Herschel, was the first to use the term photography in 1839, when he managed to fix images using hyposulphite of soda. He described photography as "The application of the chemical rays to the purpose of pictorial representation". Herschel also coined the terms "negative", "positive" and "snapshot".

Frank Kafka is considered one of the most influential writers of all time. Helmut Richter would agree with this statement. Richter agreed that Kafka was a very prominent figure in world literature and was amazed by his mechanics and word usage. I feel that his essay is supportive of Kafka’s writing, but also leaves out many important details in its brevity. Richter did not include Kafka’s flaws and tendencies in his essay.

Susan Sontag said photographs sends across the harmlessness and helplessness of the human life steering into their own ruin. Furthermore the bond connecting photography with departure from life tortures the human race. (Sontag 1977:64)