The readings mainly focus on how photography is used to capture important moments. In every generation there seems to be an iconic moment that all in that generation share together because of the gravity of a situation. The situation that my generation will always identify with is September 11th. I love how this is reflective in looking back at other generations. I know my grandfather would tell me about the pictures he saw take place. My grandfather fought on Iwa Jima and he saw the famous flag raising. He told us how it was actually the second flag raising, yet because of the composition of the shot it was replicated and used as an image to represent patriotism and overcoming of obstacles. Having an eyewitness to such an amazing time in history has been meaningful to me.
I am largely drawn to visual images. What I see and hear that is meaningful to me are stories in texts (both written and visually captured) where I can learn a true principle of life that I can apply. In Amy Tan’s Fish Cheeks the author reflects upon her family’s devotion to her only realizing this after she has been humiliated by the cultural difference between the Chinese and the Americans.
The poems I identified with where the Ghetto Haiku and Dear God. Both have emotionally powerful word usage that stayed with me after I read them.
One of the most haunting photographs from the reading was Frank Fournier’s Omayra Sanchez photo. This was an example of a challenging photo for me. When I encounter a challenging photo I try to figure out what about the photo makes me uncomfortable. I was not sure if I was looking at a picture of dead child or if she was still alive. I think that picture will stand with me for a long time because of how it represented how the Columbian government did not prepare the people for the inevitable volcano explosion. The government simply called the whole area a cemetery and washed their hands clean of trying to rescue many people who were trapped.
One thing I liked from the radio program was the frozen iguana story. Airlines become the babysitters are a hard statement against our society. The story about the kids having a fake family really created this family as a way to escape their own family. The children were actually babysitter their mother. This is a unique role reversal.
-Jeremy Ashworth
Wow, I didn't read you post before writing mine and yet we agree on so many things. 9/11 is definitely the event that defined our generation.
ReplyDeleteJust think, one day, we'll be telling our kids that we watched the Towers fall on TV and how it reignited American patriotism.
I think that if the war in Afghanistan is going to succeed, we need an iconic image like the Iwo Jima photo, like is suggested in the beginning of "Flags of Our Fathers."
I had the same reaction to the Omayra Sanchez photo. Just like how Fournier said people would react I found myself thinking "why is he just standing there taking a picture of her? she must be in agony!"
ReplyDeleteThat is a very powerful image and something that will stick in my memory. And you're right about September 11th as a common thread our generation will have with each other. As terrible as it was it has been and will continue to be a defining moment.