The “The Raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima" was captured by Joseph John Rosenthal, a 20th Century war photographer, born on October 9, 1911 in Washington, D.C. As an Associated Press photographer, he had the task of taking images of World War II and on February 23, 1945, the iconic black and white image of the 6 men raising the flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima was taken of the second raising of a larger American flag. This photo grabbed instant fame as the best known combat photo of World War II and is frequently mentioned as the most famous photo ever taken. Rosenthal received the Pulitzer Prize for this image in the same year it was taken in 1945 but the success of this image was only the beginning. This picture, years later, is still used as a patriotic art being put on stamps, calendars, newspaper, magazines, posters, and even commemorated as a bronze statue called the Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, VA. What makes this work of art so controversial was the fact that the idea of propaganda and the staged manipulation that was going on during the American war effort in World War II (WWII). Susan Sontag makes various connections in her work “Regarding the Pain of Others” to cement her claims for a brainwashed distanced society away from the battlefield. She makes mention of Rosenthal’s image to by stating the photograph was a “‘reconstruction’ by Rosenthal of the morning flag-raising ceremony that followed the capture of Mount Suribachi, done later in the day and with a larger flag” (Sontag 56). With no other access to war information alternative to the secondary sources that the bias media outlets provide us, we fail to realize the consideration of what great pain others thousands of miles away from us. Through the lens of ...
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... bring a bad reputation to a nation like the United States it tends to be forgotten or condense to a simplified version of the event in history. We need to be able to look at things critically and not based our opinions from secondary sources such as the media because secondary sources have bias ideas attached to it. Sontag states that certain history, “is a memory judged too dangerous to social stability to activate and to create” (Sontag 88). She emphasizes how American is reluctant to enhance the minds of their citizens in the cruel actions that this country has done, trying to gloss over the period with information that is suitable to not damage the reputation of American from the prospective of its own citizens. Staged events and manipulations helps keep the American public unaware of situations from afar due to a lack of consideration of the possible outcomes.
“The war correspondent is responsible for most of the ideas of battle which the public possesses … I can’t write that it occurred if I know that it did not, even if by painting it that way I can rouse the blood and make the pulse beat faster – and undoubtedly these men here deserve that people’s pulses shall beat for them. But War Correspondents have so habitually exaggerated the heroism of battles that people don’t realise that real actions are heroic.”
Is it true Americans are rightfully notorious for creating inaccurate paradigms of what really happened in historical events Americans are tied to? Has America ever censored historical events in order to protect Americans innocent democratic reputation? After reading, “The Best War Ever” by Michael C.C Adams, I have found the answers to these questions to be yes. Some of the myths that Adams addresses in his book include: 1. America was innocent in world war two and was an ever acting protagonist in the war; 2. World war two or any war for that matter can be, or is a “good war” and bring prosperity to America; 3. War world two brought unity to Americans.
The Vietnam War has become a focal point of the Sixties. Known as the first televised war, American citizens quickly became consumed with every aspect of the war. In a sense, they could not simply “turn off” the war. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo is a firsthand account of this horrific war that tore our nation apart. Throughout this autobiography, there were several sections that grabbed my attention. I found Caputo’s use of stark comparisons and vivid imagery, particularly captivating in that, those scenes forced me to reflect on my own feelings about the war. These scenes also caused me to look at the Vietnam War from the perspective of a soldier, which is not a perspective I had previously considered. In particular, Caputo’s account of
An image has the explicit power of telling a story without saying any words, that’s the power behind a photo. A photo tends to comes with many sides to a story, it has the ability to manipulate and tell something differently. There is a tendency in America, where explicit photos of war or anything gruesome occurring in the world are censored for the public view. This censorship hides the reality of our world. In “The War Photo No One Would Publish” Torie DeGhett centers her argument on censorship, detailing the account of graphic Gulf War photo the American press refused to publish. (73) DeGhett argues that the American public shouldn’t be restrained from viewing graphic content of the war occurring around the world. She believes that incomplete
The Battle of Iwo Jima In the early morning of 19 February 1945, United States Marines assigned to the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Division led the initial assault on the Japanese controlled island of Iwo Jima, with the objective of capturing and securing the island. This was the beginning of one of the fiercest and bloodiest and, more decisively, the most strategically important battles fought during World War II. After the dust had settled, and the smoke had cleared, the casualties and losses were astounding. 6,821 U.S. Marines along with 18,844 members of the Imperial Japanese Army had paid the ultimate sacrifice.
The figures of the Marines in the Iwo Jima Memorial statue erect a 60-foot bronze flagpole from which a cloth flag flies 24 hours a day. The base of the memorial is made of rough Swedish granite which is inscribed with the names and dates of every principal member of the U. S. Marine Corps. Also engraved are the words "In honor and in memory of the men of the United States Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775."
In “How to Tell a True War Story” by Tim O’Brien, Orwell’s ideas are questioned and the competition between the truth and the underlying meaning of a story is discussed. O’Brien’s story depicts that the truth isn’t always a simple concept; and that not every piece of literature or story told can follow Orwell’s list of rules (Orwell 285). The story is told through an unnamed narrator as he re-encounters memories from his past as a soldier in the Vietnam War. With his recollection of past encounters, the narrator also offers us segments of didactic explanation about what a “true war story” is and the power it has on the human body (O’Brien 65). O’Brien uses fictional literature and the narration of past experiences to raise a question; to what extent should the lack of precision, under all circumstances, be allowed? In reality, no story is ever really truthful, and even if it is, we have no proof of it. The reader never feels secure in what they are being told. The reliability of the source, the author, and the narrator are always being questioned, but the importance of a story isn’t about the truth or the accuracy in which it is told, but about the “sunlight” it carries (O’Brien 81).
This photograph depicts the Vietnam War Protests and the counter culture movement in America. The emphasis of this photograph is the young man placing flowers in the gun barrels; however, the National Guardsmen that holds the carnations also draws attention. It seems that the guardsman is taking the flowers out of the gun barrel, which adds an element of tension and intrigue to the photograph. This photograph is titled ‘Flower Pow...
The media plays a key role in The American President. Throughout the movie the president struggles to keep high approval ratings during primary season. The media has tremendous control of this because they are a major source of information for voters, and they can choose what kind of light to shine on a situation. Although, in this situation it was not exactly the media that attacked the president, it actually was the person running against the president, Donald Rumsfeld. Donald Rumsfeld denounced the president, and Sydney ...
John MacArthur is a well-known and sometimes controversial pastor that holds a strong conservative viewpoint of the Scriptures. As a graduate of Talbot Theological Seminary, MacArthur’s ministry has covered a wide spectrum of Christian fields including pastor, author and radio host. MacArthur currently serves as the Pastor of Grace Community Church in Sunny Valley, California. For over 45 years his pastoral ministry at Grace Community Church has given evidence of a deep abiding love for the exposition of the Scriptures. Beyond his role as pastor, MacArthur serves as the president of the Master’s College and Seminary, which functions to train men to work in various areas of Christian ministry. As a successful author, MacArthur continues to write many books ranging from culturally and theological relevant issues to New Testament expositional commentaries and study guides. Macarthur also serves as the lead teacher of Grace to You, an everyday radio and television ministry, which centers on verse by verse exposition of Scripture. MacArthur is not known for shying away from controversial topics that Christianity struggles with. He seeks to use scripture to help modern Christians think through these topics.
...ay from other matters with more promise of making the country a better place” (Chapman & Harris, para. 9). Both seem to believe that we, as the American people, make ourselves look like the victims because of how the media portrays the incidents that are related to terrorism. There are many other incidents across the globe that are killing more and more people every day. There are more people who die from car crashes then there are people who have died due to some sort of terrorism related death. We, as Americans should not make this mistake of letting a tragic incident scare us and divert our attention elsewhere. As Chapman and Harris states, “we seem to have all begun to think of ourselves as terrorist targets, but, in fact, reason tells us we are in much greater danger from our friends and neighbors behind the wheels of their cars.” (Chapman & Harris, para. 9).
The everyday bystander would not perceive the work of art the same as a veteran or loved ones of a veteran would. In a particular instance a woman, Kathleen Cronan Wyosnick, wrote a very heartfelt letter to Abigail VanBuren [Abby] who was the first honorary member elected to the Korean War Veterans Association and previously a newspaper columnist. On November 11th, 1988 Wyosnick wrote to VanBuren pleading to consider a special group of men and women who fought in the Korean War, which is better known as the “forgotten war”. Wyosnick described in her letter how she was a former Air Force nurse who had lost her husband in the Korean War, she wrote about how the war is described in nothing more than a few paragraphs in text books. She said the only media reminder to the public of the war is a television show “M*A*S*H”. Just eight months after they got married her husband was shot down in North Korea on his first combat mission, and she never had him returned to her. She asked where the reminder of those who gave their lives in Korea was. She also asked what the Korean War Veterans Association will do to ensure that the people who lost their lives are not forgotten. The response by Abby to the letter was a sending of the check and the publishing of Wyosnick’s letter. The American Battle Monuments Commission received more than 27,000 donations totaling
War. One of the most Terrifying things a Country has to go through. Though it is true that it can sometimes bring freedom most soldiers who survive never return home the same as when they had left. Many of the Soldiers who fought at the battle of Iwo Jima lost their lives on the island. In fact, one soldier said that out of the Seven of the Easy Company soldiers that went in only he, Captain Dave Severance, made it out alive. What was the purpose of this battle?
Its black sand beaches are known worldwide by courageous fighting men and is home to one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Today it is still an icon of courage and sacrifice, a source of national pride. It is Iwo Jima.
American society, like that of Germany, was tainted with racial bigotry and prejudice. The Japanese were thought of as especially treacherous people for the attack on Pearl Harbor. The treachery was obviously thought to reside in ...