An Image is Worth a Million Words
A picture represents a moment in history that cannot be authentically recreated. To catch an action, an image, or an emotion by film is truly a special gift and one which most people take for granted. For an image to capture a moment that simultaneously speaks for one person, a nation, and a cause is really “worth a thousand words” as Neil Postman puts it (515), even a million. It is irreplaceable by anything other than understanding, appreciation, and wonder. Three memorable photographs that embody these assets are those of five members of the British Royal Family walking behind Princess Diana’s coffin, Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon, and American soldiers raising the flag atop a mountain in Iwo Jima, Japan. These unforgettable pictures clearly show us that when photographs express something so memorable they could never be erased from our minds.
The first picture, one of the most notable moments captured by film in the latter half of the twentieth century, is that of Prince Charles, the Earl Spencer, Prince Philip, Prince William, and Prince Harry walking behind Princess Diana’s coffin during her burial ceremony. The world mourned with them as they respectfully bowed their heads, slowly walking with eyes glazed over on that poignant day. For instance, the facial expression of Prince Charles, Princess Diana’s ex- husband, was one of detached sorrow. Anyone watching his face could see that he was no longer deeply attached to Princess Diana, as he had been while they were married. Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth, was clearly saddened by Diana’s death but, just like Prince Charles, did not convey the deep feelings of remorse and pain as Diana’s brot...
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...lings of that one moment in which it was taken, whether that is sadness, wonder, or hope; it speaks to all who look at it and, in doing so, remains indelibly in our memories.
Works Cited
Landsberg, Mitchell. “Fifty Years Later, Iwo Jima Photographer Fights His Own Battle.” 05 October 2003. http://www.ap.org/pages/rosenthal.html.
Postman, Neil. “Images: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall.” The Presence of Others. 3rd ed. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin’s, 2000. 513-530.
Stephens, Mitchell. “‘By Means of the Visible’: A Picture’s Worth.” The Presence of Others. 3rd ed. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin’s, 2000. 473-486.
“Today’s Speeches: Neil A. Armstrong, U.S. Astronaut, Walks on the Moon.” History Channel.com. 9 Oct. 2003.
http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/archive/speech_9.html
Having such an image before our eyes, often we fail to recognize the message it is trying to display from a certain point of view. Through Clark’s statement, it is evident that a photograph holds a graphic message, which mirrors the representation of our way of thinking with the world sights, which therefore engages other
Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1991. Clark, Larry. A. A. "*******your essay ideas*******." E-Mail message. 10 March 1996.
I glance amusedly at the photo placed before me. The bright and smiling faces of my family stare back me, their expressions depicting complete happiness. My mind drifted back to the events of the day that the photo was taken. It was Memorial Day and so, in the spirit of tradition my large extended family had gathered at the grave of my great grandparents. The day was hot and I had begged my mother to let me join my friends at the pool. However, my mother had refused. Inconsolable, I spent most of the day moping about sulkily. The time came for a group picture and so my grandmother arranged us all just so and then turned to me saying, "You'd better smile Emma or you'll look back at this and never forgive yourself." Eager to please and knowing she would never let it go if I didn't, I plastered on a dazzling smile. One might say a picture is worth a thousand words. However, who is to say they are the accurate or right words? During the 1930s, photographers were hired by the FSA to photograph the events of the Great Depression. These photographers used their images, posed or accurate, to sway public opinion concerning the era. Their work displayed an attempt to fulfill the need to document what was taking place and the desire to influence what needed to be done.
Yugoslavia was a very diverse, ethnic, and peaceful place under communist rule ("Genocide in Bosnia--1992-1995"). For 40 years it stayed this way ("Genocide in Bosnia--1992-1995"). Provinces declared...
Thaci, H 2013, Thaci: Kosovo’s Strides Toward Freedom Are Inspired by America’s Founding, Roll Call, date retrieved 15th May 2104
The Balkan Peninsula has long been known as the “tinderbox of Europe” because it has been an area of conflict and political unrest for centuries. The countries and people that occupy the peninsula are constantly in chaos and at war with each other. This trend continues today with the problems in Bosnia and the recent international crisis in Kosovo. Throughout history, small local incidents in the Balkan Peninsula have escalated into large international crises. World War I is a perfect example of what started as a regional conflict and grew into an all-out European war. A small local European struggle between Austria-Hungary and Serbia over the territory of Bosnia erupted into a full-blown worldwide conflict after the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand.
Their action to prevent this was to dissolve the rest of Yugoslavia and created Serbia and Montenegro. This was the end of Yugoslavia.
Kleege, Georgina. "Call It Blindness." The Presence of Others. 3rd ed. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: Bedford, 2000. 389-407.
Bishop, J. Michael. "Enemies of Promise." The Presence of Others:Voices that Call for Response. 2nd ed. Ed Andrea A. Lunsford and John J.Ruszkiewics. New York:St Martin's Press, 1997. 255-263.
The impact of discovering something for the first time can often broaden our understanding and lead to new innovations. In Simon Nasht’s documentary; Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History, Hurley spent most of his life trying to capture the beauty of nature as well as capture photos of war to create emotion and illustrate the hardships that was experienced in WWI and WWII. Representations of discovery can vary one’s understanding of the physical aspects encountered in the process of discovering and this has been portrayed through the montage in the early scenes of the documentary. The combination of archival footage with non-diegetic
Seger, Linda. "Creating the Myth." Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 4th ed. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003. 316-325.
Imagine waking up one day to the thundering of blows given at the door telling you to “open up or be shot down.” It is the Serb police, and they are telling you that you and your whole family had to leave your home immediately. This is how it went for many Albanian people during what some Serb extremists called “demographic genocide.” This was the beginning of what many would call the Kosovo War, and it lasted from March to June 1999. After NATO’s intervention in Kosovo, something strange happened. Now the people being victimized were the Serbs and anyone who was “friendly” to them. In this paper, I will speak about what happened before and after the war in Kosovo.
What political factors contributed to the idea of Albanian nationalism after the breakup of Yugoslavia that contributed to the Kosovo Crisis of 1999. To determine the political factors that contributed to Albanian nationalism, this investigation will focus on the aftermath of the breakup of Yugoslavia, the social landscape of Kosovo after the breakup and the Kosovo Crisis of 1999. The views of the Albanians and Serbs will be examined to help develop a more contextual understanding of the rise of Albanian nationalism. Only the events that are relevant to the Kosovo War will be explored in this investigation.
Photojournalism plays a critical role in the way we capture and understand the reality of a particular moment in time. As a way of documenting history, the ability to create meaning through images contributes to a transparent media through exacting the truth of a moment. By capturing the surreal world and presenting it in a narrative that is relatable to its audience, allows the image to create a fair and accurate representation of reality.
Kosovo: How the Kosovar territory can get developing economically and culturally through its identity balanced between the ethnic strife and conflicts of interest between the Serbs, Albanians and the international