More handpicked essays just for you.
Essays on world war ii propaganda
The influence propaganda had during World War 2
Essays on world war ii propaganda
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Collective memory is commonly defined as “shared individual memories” but in the source Collective Memory from a Psychological Perspective, it is better defined as “publicly available symbols maintained by society” (Coman et al.). The article went on to explain how collective memory differs from an individual memory in the sense that “an individual restructures the world” so that one can better remember, whereas in collective memory, the memory is restructured by society. In this case, the photograph from atop Mount Suribachi is most definitely a symbol that has been passed on from person to person, family to family, newspaper to newspaper since the day it was taken. It was printed in papers all over country, used as a means of gathering funds …show more content…
for the war, and even rallying support and is still used in other forms of media today. It was and has been restructured so that when someone sees that photograph they feel a sense of pride and nationalism, and furthermore their mind has been restructured by society in the instance that when they hear the words “Iwo Jima”, they think of the infamous photograph.
So why not Lowery’s photo? It was patriotic, “perfectly serviceable… a Marine in the foreground holding a rifle… the first flag, snapping in the breeze” (Patterson) as Buell put it in his interview on CNN. But as it was well put in Coman’s article, “collective memories must have a function for society”. Rosenthal’s photo is an “complex… and unstable articulation… open to successive reconstruction by and on behalf of varied political interests, including a public interest” (Hariman, Public Identity); it was “deeply reassuring… in its display of strength and teamwork” and it communicated a push towards victory (Ben-Ghiat). Meaning that, while Lowery’s photo did capture an iconic moment in time, it did not posses the qualities that allowed it to be reconstructed on societies behalf. Simply put, it was not as powerful as the one that people are so familiar with today. Another important aspect of collective memory to consider is the fact that it is not always rainbows and sunshine, there are negatives that also come from these “available …show more content…
symbols”. When the photo of the flag being hoisted atop Mount Suribachi was first displayed, there was speculation that the photo was staged.
Collective memory plays a huge role in this story because as it was looked at earlier, this public, complex, unstable symbol is just a photograph. The story passed on from mouth to mouth is what can be complex and maintained by society. Most people have heard the idiom “bad news travels fast”, well some like to say so does collective memory (not really but for the purpose of this paper let’s go with it). Think about how much more interesting it is to talk about how Joe Rosenthal’s photograph was really staged, and not authentic at all. It’s so much more interesting to gossip about the latest wartime photograph than what is going on in the lives of celebrities anyway. In the journal article on collective memory, it is pointed out that “conversations may promote the formation of a collective memory as much as, if not more than, a textbook, a memorial, a commemoration” (Coman et al.). In the instance of the raising of the flag of Iwo Jima, social contagion, “the spread of a memory – true or false – from person to person through social interaction” (Coman et al.), was just as popular as the printing of the picture. Rumors were circulating all around and in his book “Flag of Our Fathers” John Bradley explains how this myth began to enter the mouths of Americans to begin
with: So he asked a lieutenant after the flag was up, 'Could you pose some guys underneath that?' So 18 guys posed in a photo that I call a 'gung ho' photo and they're waving to the camera. And Joe thinks he has got this great shot for the hometown folks. Well, a couple of days later the AP wires him — and remember this is 1945. It isn't like the Internet where Joe is going to see his shot. They say, 'Congratulations on the great photo Joe. Joe, did you pose it?' And Joe said, 'Yes, of course' — thinking of the 'gung ho' photo. But there begins the myth, the myth that the flag-raising was posed (132)
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
Images can manipulate many scenarios but it’s tactic used to show the realities of our world. Despite what we see, picture taken of the war and events occurring in the war doesn’t mean they aren’t real. We all live in a messy world and history is constantly repeating itself. Pictures are taken to spread awareness and empathy. It is a reason DeGhett argued that the Iraq brunt solider photograph taken by Kenneth Jarecke should have been posted in order for the public to get a sense that the war occurring at the moment is nothing like in the movies. Images are powerful and we must learn to always look closely and
The Vietnam War was the most publicized war during its era; moreover this was the most unpopular war to hit the United States. All over the country riots began to raise, anti-war movement spread all over the states begging to stop the war and chaos overseas. This truly was a failure in the political side of things. For the public, all they saw was a failed attempt in a far away country. Events such as the Tet Offensive where the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong established an all out attack on key locations around Vietnam, and although the Viet Cong was virtually wiped out, this still had a large affect psychologically on the troops as well as the populist back in the United States. Another atrocity that occurred during this war was the My Lai Massacre. This was the mass murder on unarmed civilians in South Vietnam during March 16,1968. Around November 1969, the world saw this and was outraged with the killings of innocent civilians prompting and giving the public more reasons to stop the war. Although the war was very unpopular, men and women were still fighting and dying for America. Heroes such as Captain John W, Ripley of Dong Ha, Medal of Honor recipients, and overall troops that gave the ultimate sacrifice were forgotten for a brief period. As unpopular as the war was, the American people should still know the stories and good that some of these troops had done for the United States.
...of the struggle over how the war would be remembered. Blanketed by the discourse of disability, the struggle over the memory of veterans and the country alike would be waged with such obliquity as to surpass even the most veiled operations of Nixon’s minions. While Nixon’s plumbers were wrenching together the Gainesville case against VVAW in the spring of 1972, mental health and news-media professionals were cobbling together the figure of the mentally incapacitated Vietnam veteran. More than any other, this image is the one that would stick in the minds of the American people. The psychologically damaged veteran raised a question that demanded an answer: what happened to our boys that was so traumatic that they were never the same again? As it came to be told, the story of what happened to them had less to do with the war itself than with the war against the war.
In conclusion, while books, photos, movies and other historical documentation can portray information or a message about wartime events, they will never be able to produce the feelings of those that were personally involved in wars have experienced. Yet, it is incorrect to criticize these writers. The information they reveal is still very important historical information. Even if a reader or viewer of this media cannot feel exactly the same emotions as those involved, they still often experience an emotional connection to the events being depicted. This is important, not only for the historical knowledge gained about wars, but also to understand the nature and futility of their occurrence.
...ositive as well as its negative accomplishments. But how is this to be done, how do we deal with history personally and politically? Ths author Tim O'Brian gives us one answer in "How to Tell a True War Story" on page 69: "You can tell a true war story if it embarrasses you. It you don't care for obscenity, you don't care for the truth; if you don't care for the truth, watch how you vote. Send guys to war, they come home talking dirty". In other words if you don't want war watch how you vote. The connotation of this statement is far reaching, it naturally places responsibility on the American government for having participated in the war, but it foremost appeals to the american public to take responsibility and to use this history, this story to create a better future.
There are countless depictions of The Battle of Iwo Jima from the standpoint of Veterans and military historians. All of which are vivid interpretations of how monumental this battle was for the Marine Corp and 1944 American moral. The Battle of Iwo Jima was the single most contested piece of land that the Marine Corp had ever fought. In fact, the Marines lost more soldiers in this battle than any other battle they had fought, in their 238-year history. It was tough terrain with an enemy instructed to, “Kill 10 Americans before you will be killed”. (Smith, Iwo Jima, 2008) Paying respect to the veterans, I will attempt to tell the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima. “We built strength among us. We strengthened each other. That’s how we survived”. (Smith, Iwo Jima, 2008)
Instead of telling readers what to think through words, readers can form their own point of view from a photo. A photograph that showed different interpretations was taken during WWII after the destruction of Iwo Jima in Japan of Americans soldiers raising an American flag in the ruins. Some viewers may perceive this act as patriotic, and others may have thought it was an act of terrorism and revenge. Either opinion could be argued and the photograph is the evidence. Since photographs can be unbiased, they can also hold truthful detail. For example, one photograph from the Vietnam war depicted a Vietnamese police officer shooting a Viet Cong in the streets. There are a lot of emotion in that photograph that words cannot describe all; which included the fear and hostility that was upheld during the time. Newspapers need to print more of these kinds of photographs to educate people the ugliness of war and death. Ephron pointed out, “throughout the Vietnam War, editors were reluctant to print atrocity pictures. . . That 's what that war was about.” War and its deaths are a part of history too, and history needs to be kept true and unbiased. As long as the photos are not altered nor used for propaganda, they can be
Prosise, Theodore O.. "The collective memory of the atomic bombings misrecognized as objective history: The case of the public opposition to the national air and space museum's atom bomb exhibit" Western Journal of Communication 62.3 (1998): 316-47. 05 Aug. 2010< http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/10570319809374613 >
The students and I took several pictures of the Marine Corps Memorial Sculpture to share with family and friends. In conclusion, I have The Marine Corps War Memorial sculpture known as the Iwo Jima Memorial is a vital part of American History. Furthermore, as the tourist from across the world visits the Marine Corps War Memorial daily, they are reminded of the sacrifices of the men, and women during World War II. And how they lost their lives to protect the United States of
In the early days of World War II the everyday people of this country already sensed the great change to come. Interviews taken from the Library of Congress, in the collection labeled “After the Day of Infamy,” offer a window into the past. Into the America that existed in the early days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entrance into the war. Inside the collection, the pulse of the nation is revealed. Ordinary people, some of whom do not reveal their names, are given a chance to record their opinion of the war, the Japanese people, and the race relations within the union. In these open letters to the president and the “Man on the Street” interviews, the American public reveals their prejudices and their concerns in the most candid of fashion.
The mammalian brain contains several different memory systems, which can be divided into declarative and non-declarative memory systems. Declarative memory can be further divided into episodic and semantic memory, and non-declarative memory can be divided into priming, associative learning, and procedural memory.
However, some believe the decision to not release Jarecke’s photo was less about protecting the readers than preserving the “dominant narrative” of a good, clean war. According to Stella Kramer, freelance photo editor for Life, “As far as Americans are concerned, nobody ever died” (DeGhett 81). Photographs tell stories and Jarecke’s told a story about the effects of combat, and allied air strikes. I believe that photos such as these should be published, if we are fighting in a war we should be able to face the effects of it. War is something that should not be taken lightly, therefore we need to face the devastating effects. These photographs serve as a reminder to those who may not understand the severity of war that people die fighting each day so that we can live in a world of
We use pictures to develop our own views on specific events that have gone on in the world past and present. In the photograph “Napalm Girl”, Associated press Nick Ut captured a story that only him and the people in the photo would know. The picture was captured of a group of children and soldiers getting away from an accidental napalm bomb that was dropped during the Vietnam War. I am going to establish the history of the event. The issue that this photograph was editors from different media companies and all built stories to show the public that the Vietnam war was not under control. All of the newscasting and journalist headlines that were created from the photos were different. This image has drawn many people in society to believing different
The film, The Flags of our Fathers, recreates the American perspective in the Battle of Iwo Jima. The storyline was focused on the three of the six men who raised the flag in the famous and iconic photo taken by Joe Rosenthal. To discover more about the events and if Clint Eastwood portrayed the battle in a historically accurate manner, I decided to base my research on this topic. I came to the decision to make my hypothesis, “Clint Eastwood accurately presented the experiences of the Battle of Iwo Jima.” I formed and developed questions regarding the accuracy of the film in regards to the American and Japanese perspectives of the films the director, Clint Eastwood presented. My primary questions are, “Does the film accurately represent the