Still Burning: Self-Immolation As Photographic Protest

Hopkins, A. (2012). Protest and Rock n' Roll During the Vietnam War. Student Pulse, 4(11).

He believed journalists too often focused on the problems of Vietnamization and failed to recognize its achievements. He even accused them of “hoping for U.S. failure and enemy success” and said “our worst enemy seems to be the press” (Pach 555-556).

Lawrence gives a visual of the war from all sides, from the earliest days of French colonization to the last helicopter fleeing the American embassy, but mainly focuses on the American involvement from 1965 to 1975. He clearly and precisely goes over and researches to accurately examine the motives of both the Vietnamese communists and

Despite the strong support for the war as it went on, there was an increasing resistance with the Australian public believing the war was not justified and Australia had no place in the Vietnam War. (TOPIC SENTENCE) Differing notions of Australia’s involvement in the War had divided families and communities leading them to express their opposition in mass anti-war rallies and marches. (POINT OF ARGUMENT) There were groups that opposed to Vietnam. Simon Townsend who was a well-known individual apart of Conscientious objectors took a stand against conscription and was jailed for his beliefs. An activist from the Vietnam War moratorium “I attended because I felt I had finally stand up and be counted, even though it meant so much of a personal

Because of the recentness of the Vietnam War, those who have lived through it can give testament to the time period and the emotions of the war from their first hand perspective. The Vietnam War spanned a time period of growth in fashion, music, spirituality, and human rights. But, the fear, animosity, and long term mental issues that stemmed from the war have affected all of those, in the service or otherwise, that lived from November 1st, 1955-April 30th,

Gallagher, B. (May, 2013). The Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved from http://www.americansc.org.uk/online/vietnam_civil_rights.htm

The image taken by the French photographer Marc Riboud in 1967, entitled “The Ultimate Confrontation: The Flower and the Bayonet” (1967) is among the most renowned anti-war news photos and it is selected to be analyzed in this critical essay. The title directly points out the main conflict in this picture which may arouse viewers’ interest and reflection but for further comprehension, more background information is needed. The girl in the picture with a chrysanthemum holding in her hands was a 17-year-old American high school student at that time whose name was Jane Rose Kasmir. On 21 October 1967, more than 2500 armed soldiers tried to block the way of over 100,000 anti-war activists gathered under the Pentagon for a march against U.S. involvement

The photos taken both got the worlds attention and created change in their countries government. When the world saw the photo of tank boy China's government changed to improve its cities and marital law was never put back in place. While south and north Vietnam became one and the oppressive policies. Shortly after what they protested was taken down. Also, they put their lives at steak. Tank man could have easily been shot or ran over. They have also speculated he was silenced by the security bureau. Thich Quang Duc could have been silenced by the government(because he was wearing monk garments in public) and did sacrifice his life for his cause. Lastly when anyone researches the wars these photos were from these are usually the first seen. These photos are believed to show the struggle and pain of the civilians who experienced the war. The only difference is that Thich Quang Duc's was verified. These acts of bravery match up nearly

For many years, some people would say dealing with the death of a loved one can be hard. In today’s society, many people have dealt with that pain. Even though individuals can respond differently dealing with the murder of a loved one but taking justice into your own hands can relieve the pain that it has caused on the family. Why it is that death can cause so much pain to the ones we love? Using the biographical and psychological critical strategies to analyze “Killings”. Focusing on Andre Dubus past how is it connected with the story and psychological strategy of the mind of someone who is hurt by death.

The film “Hearts and Minds” by Peter Davis was made in 1974. Peter Davis truly scrutinized the Vietnam War in this film along with the involvement of the United States. Throughout the film Davis interviews many people about their true opinions and views of the war and the United States involvement. Peter questioned commanders, civilians, soldiers even a bomber pilot (Randy Floyd) and more in the film. The experiences of these people were also mentioned during these very private interviews. As you watch the film you indeed recognize how the people that are very strongly against the war are portrayed much more favorable than those who encouraged it. It is important to emphasize that the title of Peter Davis’ film “Hearts and Minds” was inspired by how the president during this wartime, which in fact was Lyndon B. Johnson, announced that ultimately the victory in the Vietnam War was dependent on the United States military winning the “hearts and minds” of the Vietnamese people.

In the beginning of this story, Mr. Bac chooses to self-immolation himself because he is suffering for the people who live in Vietnam every day. He feel adversity about those people, and he can’t do anything except suicide to release himself. “I said: ‘Brother Bac, don’t be surprised if I follow your footsteps. We’ll show the Americans, not to mention the younger generation, what old men are capable of.'"(104) The narrator can think the pains which the people who live in Vietnam. He want to self-immolation like what his friend did. He is trying to sacrifice himself heal or escape his pain. Also, he wants to finish his friend’s hope or dream which is help the Vietnamese to escape the VC, but he can’t do anything to help them. Therefore, he want to sacrifice himself to make people around the world will concern this

War is always a word which reminds Vietnamese people of an unforgettable pain in Vietnamese history. According to a statistics, there were 800000 to more than 3.1 million people who were dead in Vietnam War. A hundred of billion dollars were poured into Vietnam War such as weapons, equipment, nourishment, etc. The War has left serious consequences for every single Vietnamese people until now. Not only had it affected men, women, the old who involved directly in the battle, but it also caused a great pain to childhood of all Vietnamese children who were innocent and should have played at their ages. A powerful illustration for the impact of the War to Vietnamese children is Napalm girl picture which was taken 1972 and considered as one of the 25 most iconic photographs. The historical values and the right moment that picture taken are two main reasons why this photo has become so special and iconic.

The three iconic photos during the Vietnam War could then be a factor as to why the course of the Vietnam War changed and how it shaped public opinion. “Powerful, contingent, and emotive, the about-to-die images of journalism push form as much as content when engaging the public. They invite the emotions, contingency, and the imagination, and they use these impulses to play to multiple public sentiments about what the breaking news of death means” (Zelizer, 2010, p. 75). The photos stayed ingrained in the memories of the public and supports the idea that “Humans are undeniably obsessed with the suffering of others” (Scott, 2006). The feelings of fear from the war depicted in the subject matters passed onto the public making them feel almost

Alex Estrada, a graduate of San Francisco State University’s Journalism Department who has a passion and interest in studying world religions, expresses in great detail my topic of Buddhist Mysticism. Her writing allows outsiders of the Buddhist religion, to easily comprehend since she frequently compares each point made to that of Christian beliefs. Her contrasts are clear and thought provoking, such as her research of scholar D.T. Suzuki’s book, who she quotes, “crucifixion that most Christians are fixated on, is more than just a bodily sacrifice and crucifixion, but also the crucifixion of egos. Buddhist philosophy rids the ego…”. As well, she enlightens readers through her strong vocabulary and creative writing, such as when comparing Buddhist to the Christian Mysticism experience, “Buddhist philosophy… allows the mystical experience to be more pleasant, joyful and allow those experiencing to be more at the moment, rather than contemplate their soul’s future”.

The quest of identity and significance of death in the film have been justified in the paper.