Introduction
Photography opened the world’s view. “Until 1839 the world was blind. Vision was limited to the immediate spectator or the art of the artist, but the rest of the world and history could not see” (Horan 3). People imagine things and do not believe it until they see it. Unless someone has really seen it they believe what they want. Mathew Brady showed people what war was really like. Before Mathew Brady’s pictures people thought that war was an adventure and fighting was honorable but they never knew what it was like. War was extremely violent and people did not realize this except the ones who had experienced it. When they saw the pictures of the war most people were appalled. “Mr. Brady has done something to bring home to us the terrible reality and earnestness of war. If he has not brought bodies and laid them in our door-yards and along the streets, he has done something very like it…” (New York Times 1862). Most people did not make it out of war alive to tell their story, so Mathew Brady told it for them. How did Mathew Brady’s photography of the Civil War change the Americans view on war? He showed people not only the reality but the brutality of war.
Mathew Brady was an amazing photographer. He is considered the father of photojournalism and the greatest photographer of the 19th century. He is most well-known for his photography of the Civil War. His photographs had a great impact on the people during the time of war. Many photographers today look to him for inspiration. His pictures tell powerful stories about the soldiers. These soldiers had families that they would never get to see again. Mathew Brady’s pictures are of images most people never want to see. He is forever remembered for the...
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...ed war. War was not something you glorified.
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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
For Emerson, the reticent beauty of nature was the motivator. To him, photography should be recognized because its still-life beauty was able to persuade the public’s appreciation of the life and nourishment
The Civil War had a very large affect on all of the States. It changed men from gentlemen that went to church every Sunday and never cussed to people who rarely went to church and cussed all the time. Some of the people in the war were also very corrupt and did not do things as they should be done. The way that the enemy was looked at was even changed. All of these things were talked about in "The Civil War Diary of Cyrus F. Boyd".
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There are many different ways in which the war was represented to the public, including drawings, newspaper articles, and detailed stereographs. Stereographs such as John Reekie’s “The Burial Party” invoked mixed feelings from all of those who viewed it. It confronts the deaths caused by the Civil War as well as touches upon the controversial issue over what would happen to the slaves once they had been emancipated. This picture represents the Civil War as a trade-off of lives- fallen soldiers gave their lives so that enslaved black men and women could be given back their own, even if that life wasn’t that different from slavery. In his carefully constructed stereograph “The Burial Party,” John Reekie confronts the uncertainty behind the newly
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His family connection to the Civil War gave him a sense of pride. Modern Americans should remember and memorialize the Civil War by knowing that the event determined what kind of nation the United States would be. The Civil War is the most significant conflict in American history; it had a revolutionary, social, and political impact that continues to be felt today. We were taught the civil war was primarily fought because of slavery but in truth “there were many causes of the civil war, including differences between northern and southern states on the idea of slavery, as well as trade, tariffs, and states rights.”
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 camera is the eye of history” quoted by Mathew Brady. Mathew Brady was one of the most famous photographer during the time period of the Civil War. The American Civil War was a war fought in the United State during the time period of 1861 to 1865. The war was fought against the South (the Confederates) and North (the Union). The war started because of the issue of slavery and how equal divide it, when the new west territory came. The Civil War was the first war to be photographed. Many type of skill were formed during that time period. It shape way we take our pictures now and it got the public opinion to start forming about the media.
The inevitably of conflicts occurring between us is something we’ve come to the realization, is going to be a forever struggle. There are so many people on this planet that to maintain peace, isn’t always going to work. Unfortunately for many that means being involved in conflicts rising as great as wars. The photo Burst of Joy taken by photographer Slava “Sal” Veder captures the joy an American soldier experiences after returning home from the war in Vietnam. The war in Vietnam was fought between the north Vietnam and the south, (as well as its principal ally, the United States) between 1954-1975. This meant that many Americans had to uproot and head out to a country they’d never been to, leaving their families behind. The photograph taken
"Battles of the Civil War". Civil War. 2013. Civil War Trust. Web. 9 Dec 2013.
"A picture is worth a thousand words," we say. From the eyes and mind of the archivist studying the pictures of Robert Ross' experience with war, they are worth a lot more. The photographs in the epilogue of Timothy Findley's "The Wars" play an important role in Findley establishing both a trust with the reader, and a sense of realism to his war story. This satisfies the need for realism in his tale. The result of this image that is brought forth through the medium of the photograph, is that we are forced to see the "before" and "after" of Roberts "experience" and figure out our way through what is deposited in between: the cause and effect.