Essay on Suffering in Photographs

Everyone has natural desires: for wealth, for love, for power, and for some, violence. To those that desire violence, it might be only a curiosity. But depending on how they choose to fulfill this curiosity, is what determines whether it can be harmful or helpful. While some satisfy their curiosities by watching horror films which provide images of violence, others are more extreme, and commit murders and other harsh crimes in order to do so. Stephen King says, “keep the gators the fed”, but what is the limit to this idea? Yes, it is important to keep control of our desires so that they do not over run us, but we should not fully succumb to them. Due to the human condition, emotion is the fuel to our engines, so it is crucial to watch how

An artist's job is to interpret, and express the aspects of life in a creative fashion. War has played a big part in shaping our human history, and many artists have portrayed their feelings about art through paintings, and even monuments. Whether it be to show; the joy of victory, the sorrow of defeat, or to educate the public on the gory realities of war. Art about war can also show us a great amount of history of the kinds of weapons that were used at the time. It is necessary for artists to interpret, and criticize all aspects of life; even ones as tragic as war, It can make the public more aware of what goes on in times of war.

“It’s not pretty exactly. It’s astonishing. It fills the eye. It commands you,” (81) is a quote from Tim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried. This quote shows how war can affect an individual through taking over one’s body and mind. War affects everyone in different ways, but it is impossible to understand how war affects each and every single person. The texts and forms of art communicate different ideas to the viewer. It is through interpreting these texts that humans get a better idea of the overall impact of war. When individuals experience war, they lose their innocence and morality. This will be evident through “How to Tell a True War Story,” “The Wound,” and “Machine Gun.”

‘A picture says a thousand words’ this analogy often refers to photographs with immense amount of detail and meaning that it doesn’t need words or any description to exemplify its context. A photograph in particular engages an indicative role into promoting an issue that’s typical of the time. A photograph that highlights copious meaning is evident in Lawrence Beitler’s ‘Lynching of young blacks’. A role of a photograph is to provoke emotions and empathise within the subject of the picture. To do so, famous photographs often accommodate numerous conventions including the historical context, symbolic codes and technical codes. These codes and conventions operate simultaneously to epitomise the significance behind a

We consider the readers and their effect on the debate that, essentially, is of them. He makes the point that, “a grieving mother in Gaza deserves the whole world’s attention” (Ritchen, 3), but the consequences of showing everything that deserves to be shown outweigh the benefits. Showing all of the horrors that the world has to offer can cause a desensitivity to them as “the reader tries to disconnect” (Ritchen, 3). He gives a personal example of how hearing about these travesties causes already such a large scar on his psyche, that a picture serves to do nothing but cause more pain. He contrasts the ideas made earlier in the essay of owing the victims of horrors to have their stories told by making an argument that it is just as important to ensure that those stories have their full effect. The reader of the essay considers their own experiences and most likely comes to the same conclusion that when confronted with all of the horrors, they are overwhelmed, but a small taste of each can strike the perfect balance. The sharing of a story in words gives a sense of wrong that exists in the world and refraining from shocking the reader can give them a sense of ability to change. It has a better chance of sparking an idea in a reader to call their representative and

Today, it is difficult to image a world without photography. Technology has made it easy to take an excellent quality photograph with just a cellphone. However, during the time of World War II through the Vietnam War, a lot of this technology was not nearly as advanced as it is today. The equipment that war photographers used was very primitive by today’s standards, yet there were many significant photographs that were taken, many of which are famous or infamous today. Many war photographers took their photographs in life-threatening situations. However, these photographs serve as a documentation of history and a source of influence. War photography from World War II to the Vietnam War influenced the world through its history, famous war photographers,

The produced not only informed, but it also helped hinder the war. Many photographs arrested the eye because within the photo lay an untold story. Therefore, these images captivated

The “Image of War” written by Antony Lee reflects on the works of Gardner's “Photographic Sketch Book” as a way to give people a reality checks on politics. During the Civil War the North fought the South over the freedom of slavery to create a society where everyone has equal opportunities. Gardner uses landscape photos to expose the evil of politics and how it affects people throughout the causalities of war. For example “The Home of A Rebel Sharpshooter Gettysburg” shows the result of bad politics by turning fellow Americans against each other. The photo has a grayish coloring off to the distance which gives the photo a sinister appearance. However, the body lying on the ground looking up at the heavens implements viewers with the idea

Goya made a series of etchings and paintings depicting the atrocities of both sides involved with the war. The most famous of these paintings are the two depicting the scenes from the second and third of May. The work focuses on the victims of the situation, which in this case are the Spanish citizens being executed. The work is not meant to be beautiful, but is instead supposed to be horrible in order to shock the viewer. Goya's purpose within the painting is less to blame the French, but instead to point out to people the "faceless and mechanical forces of war itself, blindly killing a representative of humanity"(Stokstad). He used the incident as an example of how horrible war is and what can happen when violence is instituted.

war. He conveys war in its most brutal form giving the soldiers a machine like quality.

Many artists through time have used art to express emotion or a standpoint, and Francisco de Goya can surely be classified under this category of artist. Famously known for his controversial relationship with the Spanish government the audience may conclude that many of his painting will have a connection to the dispute. For example, in “Still Life with Golden Breams” most people may see it as a well made still life of lifeless fish but in reality, it holds a deeper meaning. For instance, when someone gets the opportunity to observe this composition they could say that the inability for the Golden Breams to close their eyes reminds the viewer of how the fish were ones alive. That is to say Goya probably made this still life to symbolize

In a compassionate project, the painful imagery is the furthest imagery from what I am aiming for. James Elkins wrote Lingqi the last chapter of his book What Photography is? as an attempt to understand the meaning of this unbearable type of imagery. He looks at four pairs of the most painful intolerable images he can find of Lingqi and asks the reader to try and look at them slowly and carefully and as if they are looking at any other photograph included in the book. Although I was advised not to look at them carefully as asked by the writer, I had to flip over the pages and read the text. I had a quick glance at the images and soon I realised that they are very disturbing that I’ve felt emotionally attacked.

“War Photographer” by Carol Ann Duffy, is a powerful thought-provoking poem, describing the experiences of someone whose job is to capture terrible crimes against humanity in a photograph. The poem deals with themes such as isolation, war and suffering. With the clever use of effective language and poetic techniques Duffy encourages the reader to explore more deeply the life they live and to feel grateful for all they have. Throughout the course of “War Photographer” the reader is lead to sympathise with the photographer, it is written from his perspective and the trauma he puts himself through daily is evident.

War is described as a state of armed conflict between, groups, nations, and states that fight over land, money, and a conflict. A photo like no other form of art can emphasize emotions of people in a image and even bring many to tears, anger, and joy that view that image. The snapshots captured in the heat of battle show how far mankind will go for greed, and power, and land, and rule. As these portrayals of the world makes society think and ponder about the rough lives of people in war torn countries that cannot get out of the destruction and horror that they go through everyday of their lives. These snapshots continue to freeze time like no other device has ever done before and those images turn war into great moments of triumph of a nation

Images, such as paintings and photographs, are intensely visually striking and evoke strong emotions in those who view them.“Into the Jaws of Death” provides a perfect example of that intensity, having been taken by Robert F. Sargent during the early morning hours of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Even today the famous photograph evokes strong emotional reactions in many people who view it. This photograph served a purpose more significant than was realized at the time, to the point of becoming a pivotal point in support for the war effort. How was this accomplished? By conveying personal themes of heroism, patriotism, and mortality through devices such as angles, colors, uniforms, and proxemics.