Analysis Paper Quarter 3: The Mirror with a Memory The Mirror with a Memory was an interesting read which analyzed Jacob Riis’ photos from the 1900s during Industrial America. The author argued that Riis’ images were influential for historians and captured what was before the lens in an unbiased way that no one ever saw before. He objectively told Riis’ journey behind exposing the extreme poverty levels in New York City, New York during his time and how he fought to spark political actions to improve conditions through his photographs and writings. The article allows its readers to understand the importance and limitations of photography while showing the significance of new inventions during this era. The author makes two central claims throughout the article relating to the camera’s effect. Firstly, they say “His images …show more content…
I was flabbergasted when Riis was talking to a police officer after taking one of his pictures and causing a fire to start in the tenement: the officer said, “Why don’t you know that’s the Dirty Spoon? It caught fire six times last winter, but it wouldn’t burn. The dirt was so thick on the walls it smothered the fire” (pg. 211). I cannot imagine the filth these poor people were living in for fire to be extinguished by only dirt from the flammable walls, especially since buildings had very few, if any, codes to be met during this time. I was also intrigued when the author mentioned that “[Riis’] stories may have been vivid, but apparently not vivid enough to shock anyone to action [before he started photographing]” (pg. 206). Up until this point in time, people relied on writing and drawing alone to get their news, often resulted in exaggerated, biased, and false information so it is strange that already at this point in history, people are starting to dismiss public writings. But Riis pioneered and found a way to bring the expression “I’ll believe it when I see it” to real
He talks of the future stating, “The day is not far distant when the greatest of all evils that now curses life in the tenements—the dearth of water in hot summer days—will have also been remedied.” Riis’s mention of the fact that many of the working class have no water when it is most needed likely provided the contemporary reader with a sense of urgency to ensure things such as the running water for all working class New Yorkers, and would be in itself “a long step taken toward the moral and physical redemption of the tenants” (Riis 660). For a comparison, this “long step” seems to have been taken by President of Pullman Palace Car Company, George M. Pullman, and his belief in the “commercial value of beauty” in the description provided by Richard T. Ely in “Pullman: A Social
Joe Rosenthal is a photographer whose photo, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, has become one of the most recognizable photos in American history. It became so famous that it won a Pulitzer Prize the same year it was taken, used to create the Marine Corps War Memorial, and used as the photo for a war-bond poster in 1945 which raised $26 billion (Pulitizer). As such, I argue that this photo illustrates the brutality of the fighting that occurred on not only Iwo Jima, but throughout World War II, and also makes a strong argument for the theory of liberalism. However, first it is important to identify what exactly makes this photo so revered and why it was selected.
Dorothea Lange’s goal as a photographer, indicated in the article ”Dorothea Lange : Photographer of Truth” was to show the public the frustration and desperation of people affected by the Great Depression. For example in paragraph 10 of the text it reads, “She wanted to capture people and their frustration, despair, strength, hope, or dignity in the face of adversity.” This proves that her goal was to capture people affected by the Great Depression and share it with the public. The author also states that “Lange’s photographs and written descriptions of the unfair conditions endured by migrant workers were utilized in hearings held by Congress, and influenced their policies concerning victims of injustice.” This example from the text supports
In the year of 1852, the industrious skill and dedication of a young twelve-year-old boy named Andrew Carnegie captivated Thomas A. Scott of the Pennsylvania Railroad. 1 Awed by his diligence, Scott immediately hired and made Carnegie his personal telegrapher.2 With a “rags to riches” background that inspired others to work hard for the American Dream, Carnegie knew exactly how the less fortunate felt when they were compared to the wealthy. Noticing how society achieved social, economic, and political equality before industrialization, Carnegie shared his intake on America’s momentous shift from an agrarian society to an industrial society in the late
Ronald Takaki a renowned pioneer in the field of ethnic studies has over the years authored numerous books on diversity in American society. As a grandson of Japanese immigrants who became the first black studies professor at UCLA, Takaki for many years has continually tried to bridge cultures and ethnic groups in the United States. In his book “A different mirror: A history of multicultural America”, Takaki addresses the idea of multiculturalism in our society, and also talks about how for many years we have been told to acknowledge the notions that the core principles of our nation uprooted only from one group rather than a contribution from other various cultures as well. The ‘master narrative’ posed by Takaki describes the growing
Name of Industrialist: Henry Ford How did he acquire his wealth? He acquire his wealth by being a self-made man, that revolutionize the car industry in the 90’s. How he (or his related industries) treated workers? Ford manage to lowered the cost of manufacturing, while providing a wage correspondent to more than double of the previous average.
If hundreds of people had lived there, there should have been many fire places to do family’s daily cooking. However, only few
The building only had one fire escape, that was one fire hazard, and it broke during the fire because so many people were trying to get away from the screaming flames. Long tables and big machines trapped many of the workers from escaping. Panicked workers were crushed as they struggled with doors that were locked by Blanck and harris to prevent theft, little did they know that they were trapping there employees from eascaping the roaring flames. “Only a few buckets of water were on hand to douse the flames. They didn't have sprinklers or anything else to put fires out.
resident Roosevelt is one of the most well known presidents. He was known for helping bring back America from the problems it faced in the industrial revolution. He really showed the big part of the progressive era. He tried to promote social welfare, expand democracy, and create economic reform. This help make all the solutions to the problems that were the issue in the U.S. After the industrial revolution the U.S. had multiple problems.
With more widespread access to magazines, news, movies, and other “luxuries”, the containment of individuality and shared opinions of those not in the upper status became increasingly hard. In short, the political leaders of this time tried too hard to control population, cultural assimilation, and force of growth of industry. He uses the historical facts about important public figures of the time such as Theodore Roosevelt, W.E.B Du Bois, and the Rockefellers while explaining and aligning the movements themes and events in relation to the rebels and the Progressives during the particular period of the era he was outlining. He uses these characters of time
As many as 13 photographers were commissioned by the FSA and produced well over 270,000 images (prints and negatives) during this time span. Not only did the FSA provide visual proof of the social and economic problems facing America, these photos are significant for they exposed the disparities of living in America and helped shape policy and social reform after the First World War. They set a precedent for a new genre of storytelling that combined visuals with words, and collectively remembered for documentation of strife and discontent in America. The FSA photos and documentaries are part of history and continue to be included in numerous photo books, magazines, newspapers, news services, museums, and exhibits as one of the most convincing examples of documentary photography. In retrospect, this form of visual advocacy served a higher purpose that elevated art as a form of social awareness and brought legitimacy to social reform and to the masses.
The physical image of poverty portrayed by the family reflects The Great Depression’s toll on their livelihood. It is clearly and plainly displayed that the mother and her children are impoverished by the techniques of black and white color choice, and intricate, detailed texture. The hardship faced by the family is highlighted by the photograph being in black and white. This allows for the simplicity of their condition to be shown without the distractions a photograph in color would provide. The image is very detailed and defined by texture, to leave no question to whether the family lacks wealth or riches.
In Charles Kernaghan’s video titled, “Triangle Shirtwaist Fire: The Race to the Bottom”, he tells of the horrific events of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire that occurred in New York in 1911. Kernaghan tells the story of the fire that resulted in the deaths of 146 people, mostly young women, because the main door was blocked by the fire and the fire exit was locked to prevent workers from sneaking out, stealing, or letting in union organizers (00:00:23-00:0:51). The outrage over the murder of these 146 workers was so great that 100,000 people marched in the funeral procession and another 400,000 lined the streets with the plea of, “Who was going to protect the working girl?” (00:01:24-00:01:41). The people of New York recognized the wrong doing
"The photographic image is the object itself, the object freed from the conditions of time and space that govern it. No matter how fuzzy, distorted, or discolored, no matter how lacking, in documentary value the image may be, it shares, by virtue of the very process of its be- coming, the being of the model of which it is the reproduction; it is the model." "Photography does not create eternity, as art does, it embalms time, rescuing it simply from its proper corruption. The aesthetic qualities of photography are to be sought in its power to lay bare the realities."
CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 Introduction: This chapter would analysis photography under conceptual review as the main concept of this study, it would look at the history of photography, types of photography, and types of cameras available till date, followed by empirical review and lastly the theoretical framework would come at the end of this chapter. 2.2.1 History of photography The concept of photography was coined out of a Greek words “photo” meaning light and “graphy” meaning writing and when merged together the word means writing with light. Although different scholars proffered different definitions of photography, the concept, however still remains the same.