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A woman's beauty susan sontag
The impact of photography on society
A woman's beauty susan sontag
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Photography provides us with an easy way of capturing the world around us. In our today’s society photographs are taken by almost anyone with access to a cellphone, and are able to turn any moment into a physical object. These still images of our world are passed along almost instantly though the help of social media, messaging, and in person sharing. Our whole culture is in some way or another is affected by the photos we take and what they convey. Susan Sontag has a very strong and interesting take on modern photography. In her essay, “In Plato’s Cave”, she talks about the power of photographs and what they convey about reality. Sontag states that “Strictly speaking, one never understands anything from a photograph.”(23). Sontag argues
Plato’s logical strategy in the allegory of the cave is of deductive reasoning. Plato uses a cave containing people bound by chains which constrict their neck and legs in such a way that they are unable to turn around and there is a fire roaring behind them casting shadows on the wall. Since the prisoners cannot turn their heads to see what is casting the shadow the only thing they can perceive are the shadows and the sounds that seem to becoming from them. This is what Plato argues in the allegory of the cave “To them, I said, the truth would literally be nothing but the shadows of the images.”(The Allegory of the Cave Plato). Since these prisoners know nothing outside of the cave they are ignorant of the “light” and are content on seeing the shadows before them. Plato describes what it would be like for a prisoner to be released and forced to go out of the cave into the light Plato describes it as being “blinding”. Once the freed prisoner became accustomed to the light outside the cave it is believed by Socrates and Glaucon, inside Plato’s allegory that the prisoner would not want to return to the darkness from which he had “ascended”. Once the prisoner has become accustomed to the light Socrates said “I mean that they remain in the upper world: but this must not be allowed, they must be made to descend again among the prisoners in the den, and partake of their labors and honors, whether they are worth having or not”. (The Allegory of the Cave Plato) This is where Plato begins to start on the topic of leadership. Although Plato uses some cause and effect elements in his allegory, such as “Where as if they go to the administration of public affairs, poor and hungering after their own private advantage, thinking that henc...
Gregory Crewdson once said “I love the experience of cinema- being enveloped in a complete world of another’s imagination. I love the quality of film- how it can capture so richly the color and light of a scene. And I love photography - for what it leaves unsaid for it is from this that we can start to spin our own imagination.” Crewdson accomplishes the both the most intriguing and frustrating aspect of art; he poses a question yet refuses to reveal the answer. It is the unanswerable question that leads the viewer to study the work and spend hours contemplating its meaning.
Sontag says that photography relates to morality and to awakening consciences. By this meaning, that photography can help back up its morality of one person rather than building one from scratch. By awakening consciences, Sontag relates photography as being in an abstract manner. Yet still are able to provide a situation that was considered as being historical. It was like the photographs were less powerful when they were much simpler. In a way, it resembled to be thought as children losing lives, suffering or being harmed by what the children can not control. This of which the photograph was able to catch the attention, while making an
"The Allegory of the Cave," by Plato, explains that people experience emotional and intellectual revelations throughout different stages in their lives. This excerpt, from his dialogue The Republic, is a conversation between a philosopher and his pupil. The argument made by this philosopher has been interpreted thousands of times across the world. My own interpretation of this allegory is simple enough as Plato expresses his thoughts as separate stages. The stages, very much like life, are represented by growing realizations and newfound "pains." Therefore, each stage in "The Allegory of the Cave" reveals the relation between the growth of the mind and age.
First, In the book, On Photography, the excerpt “In Plato’s Cave”, renowned novelist Susan Sontag asserts that photographs have falseness too. According to Sontag, “Photographs, which fiddle with the scale of the world, themselves get reduced, blown up, cropped, retouched, doctored, tricked out” (4). People might actually think that the girl with the laptop is actually studying really hard because she has a midterm exam tomorrow. But what others might think is that she’s just checking out her facebook and twitter because she’s bored and has nothing else to do. Even if people believe that the photo is true based on its appearance, it could still be completely wrong. Photographs can manipulate our minds and make us think in another perspective. Just because the girl looks busy with her laptop at GCC, it doesn’t certainly mean that she is studying hard for her test. Second, in “In Plato’s Cave”, Sontag argues that photography can be used in a harmful way to others. According to Sontag, people should be warned about photography because it is “predatory” since a captured image can be photoshopped or altered in a desired way while the victims remain unaware of these, in which they are “violated” and “possessed” by others (14). It is really disturbing for people who want to make fun of others, destroy their reputation or just
With all of the technology advancements taking place, many find hiring someone to take their picture a waste of money. The Chicago Sun-Times found it so unuseful they cut all twenty eight of their on staff photojournalist, replacing them with iPhone wielding reporters in 2013 (para 13). As technology continues to advance, the demand for professional photographers may dwindle, but the significance behind photography will never
The use of photography is an issue when one considers it as a task instead of a supplement to an experience because there is the cost of not being able to truly engage in the subject. Engaging in a subject is confronting and being part of the subject, using all five senses to make oneself immersed in the setting. When one takes a photo, it does not replace the knowledge that is gained from engaging in the subject. Rather, it is only a representation of the object or event. This is the argument that Percy is making when he writes: “instead of looking at [the Grand Canyon], he photographs it... there is no confrontation at all… at the end of forty years of preformulation and with the Grand Canyon yawning at his feet, [He] waives his right of seeing and knowing and records symbols for the next forty years.” Percy argues that when the sightseer simply photographs the Grand Canyon instead of facing and engaging with it, he or she loses the true experience of being at the Grand Canyon. Consequently, The sightseer has a record of being there, but did not gain the growth or knowledge from truly engaging with it. Percy’s argument applies more broadly to contemporary society because photography hinders one’s ability to experience when used as a task. For example, in my visit to Yellowstone National Park, I spent more time taking photos of different geysers and mountains than looking at and admiring their beauty. By giving more importance to taking photos of those natural wonders instead of admiring them, I now have a record of being there, but do not have the knowledge on what the shading of the rocks indicate, or what taking a relaxing walk in the long trails feels like. While using photography properly can provide many benefits, misusing it can limit one’s growth and knowledge gained from engaging with a
Sontag, Susan. "Essay | Photography Enhances Our Understanding of the World." BookRags. BookRags. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Photography allows us to maintain memories and relish them whenever we desire. Although some advocates might argue that people are no longer enjoying experiences instead taking more pictures, in the essay, “Why We Take Pictures”, by Susan Sontag, she conflates that photography can be used as a defense against anxiety and a tool of empowerment. I agree with Sontag on the significance of photographs and how it allows us to store a part of our extended relatives so we are able to hold on the memories of family. Therefore, we must appreciate how photography allows us to manage anxiety, express feelings and remember our loved ones.
A picture is more than just a piece of time captured within a light-sensitive emulsion, it is an experience one has whose story is told through an enchanting image. I photograph the world in the ways I see it. Every curious angle, vibrant color, and abnormal subject makes me think, and want to spark someone else’s thought process. The photographs in this work were not chosen by me, but by the reactions each image received when looked at. If a photo was merely glanced at or given a casual compliment, then I didn’t feel it was strong enough a work, but if one was to stop somebody, and be studied in curiosity, or question, then the picture was right to be chosen.
The allegory of the Cave, written by Plato in his magnum opus Republic, explores the relationship of the philosopher to the political order and the way in which we view the world. By trying to explain how the appearance of things, and the “true” reality that stands behind them, Plato addresses the human condition “for our education or lack of it" (514a). Within the cave, a community of prisoners are chained and unable to turn their heads; and, as a result they see only what is directly presented in front of them. The prisoners see shadows cast by objects behind them, which are illuminated by light from a fire.
The question of how society will function when all checks that a few thousand years of civilization have imposed have disappeared has yet to be answered. Society has been trained to view photographs as representations of Reality, but digital imaging has quickly tossed that mindset aside. The underlying Problem results in questioning of everyday events such as, the ability to look at a Photo and trust that the images we see are truly representative of the situation.
In Sontag’s On Photography, she claims photography limits our understanding of the world. Though Sontag acknowledges “photographs fill in blanks in our mental pictures”, she believes “the camera’s rendering of reality must always hide more than it discloses.” She argues photographs offer merely “a semblance of knowledge” on the real world.
Photography has created an outlet for the masses to story tell. It has a way of speaking without words like most art forms and is a manner of expression in itself. To eradicate photography from humans would be equivalent to taking away a limb from humankind. Our society has grown an immense amount of dependency on it. Photography has become almost a daily menial task such as brushing your teeth; where we must take pictures of the things we deem important or equally unimportant, even more so with the invention of social media outlets such as Instagram and Snapchat, where photography is the main source of communication between people who use them. Susan Sontag offers the basis of what taking pictures can undertake in both our daily lives and moments that are not part of our daily lives, such as travel. Traveling to places where one is not accustomed can flare pent up anxiety. A way to subdue that anxiety could be through taking pictures, since it’s the only factor that we have total control over in a space where we don’t have much, or, any control of our surrounding environment. On the other hand, taking photos can also be a tool of power in the same sense as it allows for it to be a defense against anxiety. With the camera in our hands, we have the power to decide who, what, where, when, and why we take a picture. This in turn also gives the person who took the picture power over those who later analyze the photos, letting them decide the meaning of the photo individually, despite the intended or true meaning.
In today’s world, photography has become a part of our daily lives. People take photographs of food, c...