Lombardo 1 Anna Lombardo Professor Bedell CAS 137H 12 Oct 2012 The Power of an Image

Photographs have long been important resources that help to support movements for and against controversial social issues. Many photographers have used their cameras specifically to capture images of war and conflict and consequently use those images to arouse public awareness for the atrocities caused by events like these. This concept is effectively executed by the above photo, which shows a young Vietnamese girl and her cousins fleeing desperately from an explosion during the war in Vietnam. Its effectiveness stems from not only the historical context of the photograph, but also from various intrinsic and extrinsic properties of the image. Intrinsically, the delivery of the photograph- specifically its black and white color scheme- lends itself to a bleak portrayal of the content of the picture. Also, the image itself, depicting several children screaming and one young child clearly in pain, draws sympathy from the worldwide audience in an appeal to pathos. Extrinsically, the original publication of this image in the New York Times and the credibility of the photographer, Nick Ut, put to work the concept of ethos.

Lombardo 2 Employing all of these facets of the photograph, Ut essentially takes the stance that if the war in Vietnam does not reach an end, more innocent civilians- especially children- will be put in harms way. One of the most important aspects of this photo to take into consideration when analyzing its effectiveness is the context in which it was presented. Special attention must be paid to the year that this photo was published and what was happening during that time in history in order to fully understand the mechanisms behind this images success in opposing conflict. The war in Vietnam began in 1954 and, as a major world power and an ally of the country, troops from the United States were sent there to fight. According to the History Channel, U.S. involvement hit its peak in Vietnam in 1969. The presence of troops in the country was a controversial issue within the United States; many worried that American soldiers were actually hurting the Vietnamese people more than they were helping. This notion was reinforced with the publication of this image: seeing small children sent running for their lives from a bomb accidentally dropped by the United States led Americans to believe even more strongly that troops would be better off leaving the country. In doing so, the wars end would be hastened. All of these feelings toward the war were spurred by this single photograph. However, the historical context of the image accounts for only a share of its effectiveness; the intrinsic elements of this photo are just as important. One of the features of this image that quickly stands out to viewers is the dreary, depressing look that it possesses due to its black and white nature. Immediately upon inspection, the audience can detect a sense of horror enveloping the photo which is partly the result of the images colorlessness. The children and soldiers all appear to be wearing dark, tattered clothing and, because there is no color in the picture, many of them also seem to be covered in dirt or ashes. The background, too, has a

Lombardo 3 gloomy look: all we see is a fuming cloud of black and grey and a run-down shack standing alone on a long road. Overall, the tone of this picture is clearly not one of happiness; rather, the audience observes a salient depressing, dark nature about the image. Taking a more in-depth look at the photo, there are other important intrinsic elements aside from the simple lack of color. Viewers also take note of the actual subjects of the photograph, specifically the young girl and her cousins. All of the young children in the picture appear to be screaming; we can clearly see that they are screaming from terror because of an explosion occurring in the background. Viewers pay particular attention to the girl in the center of the photograph, who wears no clothing and seems to be yelling not only from fear but also from pain. When the picture was originally printed in 1972, the caption informed readers that the clothes had literally been burned from her skin. The integration of these terrified, injured, and innocent children into the desolate and dangerous setting of war tugged on the heartstrings of viewers and thus constitutes an appeal to pathos. Sharon Crowley and Debra Hawhee, authors of Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, recognize an appeal to pathos as a method of argumentation for a stance on an issue and, specifically, an arousal or expression of emotions (170). The publics emotions are aroused in this way by the photo: the sight of young children in such a state of fear and injury is heartbreaking to many viewers who believe that children should be protected from danger. Seeing their valuesreinforced or threatened brings about emotional arousal by causing people to feel sad, angry, and upset about what is taking place in the image (171). The ability of such an image to make people feel this way is also an indication of the stance that this photo takes on the war: if it can draw emotions like sadness or anger, then it follows that the image is likely against the war.

Lombardo 4 The intrinsic properties of this photograph are not the only pieces of evidence that demonstrate the stance that the image takes towards the war. Various extrinsic properties help to achieve this, as well. One of the most important extrinsic aspects of this photo is the location of the original publication of the image. This picture was first printed in The New York Times, one of the most well-renowned and famous daily newspapers printed in the United States and possibly the world. The presence of Uts picture in such a prominent publication lends to the credibility of the photo, thereby establishing an appeal to ethos. One definition Crowley and Hawhee give to the idea of ethos is the pattern of behavior or personality found in an individual or group (146). In this case, the pattern of behavior that has helped to build credibility is The New York Timess reputation for printing truthful, reliable information about events going on in the world. Logically, then, the placement of such a photo in a typically trustworthy publication lends itself to the fact that the content of the picture is likely true; audiences consequently began to believe that the awful truth this picture depicted what was actually occurring. Going hand in hand with this concept of credibility is the photographers own personal reputation- or, rather, what his reputation was before he took this picture. Prior to June of 1972, when this picture was taken, Nick Ut had worked as a photographer for the Associated Press (AP) for six years. Members of his family also worked with the AP, including Uts brother, who was killed while photographing in 1965. Aside from familial experience, Uts six years on the job had allowed him to familiarize himself with the country where his most famous photograph would be taken during the Vietnamese War. He was well aware of the dangers that surrounded both the inhabitants of the country and himself; he was injured several times during his period spent in Asia. His familiarity with the territory and the social injustices that plagued this territory allowed him to enhance his credibility when this picture was published in 1972. Owing

Lombardo 5 to the reputation he had built for himself- one of an individual who is well-accustomed to the condition of the area about which he reports- he, like The New York Times, was trusted enough to allow readers to know that the pictures that he took were indicative of what was truly happening. The dependability that his readers and viewers had in what he chose to print alerted those same individuals to the horrors of what was taking place in Vietnam. The historical circumstances surrounding this image, in combination with various intrinsic and extrinsic elements of the photo, facilitated the construction of a platform against the war in Vietnam by not only the United States, but also the world. The dreary mood created by the photos color scheme and the content of the image both draw on the viewers emotions, while the integrity of both the photographer and the medium by which the photo was originally distributed forced the world to face the dark truth of Vietnams then-current state. Citizens of all countries learned that the war was not only negatively affecting soldiers who fought there, but it had also begun to hurt innocent civilians like children who had no means of protecting themselves. Essentially, this image begs one important question: If an image this frightening, this disturbing, this haunting, cannot make us reconsider the plight of war, what will?

Lombardo 6 Works Cited Crowley, Sharon and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print. Nick Ut. Indochina Media Memorial Foundation. 2007. Web. 4 Oct 2012. Ut, Nick. Vietnam 1972. NWA Online. NWA Media. 7 June 2012. Web. 4 Oct 2012. Vietnam War. History.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC. 2012. Web. 10 Oct 2012.