Tawny N post 2

Tawny Najjar

Raising the American flag

Years ago, after the disaster of September 11^th 2001, a picture was developed that displayed the true nature of the United States of America, Labeled “New York Firefighters Raising the American Flag,” this picture, taken by Thomas E. Franklin, depicts three firefighters raising the American flag on the debris from the fallen World Trade Tower. Since that time, this picture has been used in numerous magazines and newspapers. While this image may evoke many different emotions and interpretations, it was a symbol that was used to help Americans keep going and become stronger and more unified as a country. While September 11^th was a tragic event, the weeks that followed showed the strongest sense of unity and collaboration that the United States has seen in many years. People came together to help and support one another, focusing on their neighbor, rather than themselves. Those firefighters in that picture put their lives on the line to help others. That very idea, that concept, is what our country was first founded on. Many men put their lives on the line to fight for an idea: freedom, unity. Our country was built on the backs of common people, not on the rich and powerful. The firefighters in this picture were not of noble decent or of powerful stature, but had humble jobs. The fact that firefighters, average people, were raising the flag, the symbol of our country, states that our country depends on those average people. By raising the flag on the ruins of the fallen building, a building that had previously exuded an aura of power, shows that greatness can only last so long, and many great things must someday come to an end. However, it is what we do with those ruins that determines the future. The flag in the ruble states that even though this tragedy struck hard, this country, this unified group of people, will keep moving on, hoping for the future to bring rewards that will outlast the pain and suffering. This picture, though taken at a time of weakness and sorrow, still shows the power of unity and hope. This piece of art is a photograph, and even though photographs may be doctored and twisted into false realities, they are still initially capturing a real event. The focus of the camera is not on the debris and destruction, but rather on the three firefighters, the true heroes of that day. The flag is fairly small, but the act of raising it in that setting speaks for itself. These firefighters knew what they were fighting for, the ideas that they valued. I believe that Plato would have approved of this photograph as a means of leading our country forward. He spoke very thoroughly of the immortality of the soul, that it is “able to endure every sort of good and every sort of evil.” This picture displays that concept quite clearly. Though the soul can be injured and maimed, no evil deed can totally destroy it. It is like that with the soul of this country. It will be injured, and its strength will be questioned, but whilst the people remain loyal to each other and to the ideal on which this country was built upon, the soul of the country cannot be broken.

We’re Building a New Iraq

This image, a political cartoon, depicts a darker nature of American society. In the cartoon, a man and a woman, both in army gear, are driving a bulldozer, scraping away the debris to clear a path for development and growth. They both have huge, fake smiles of their faces, as they plow on, crushing the debris, which actually turns out to be human corpses. The message that this is sending contradicts the nature of America. The United States has always advocated moving forward and developing new contacts and means of advancement. However, this cartoon shows America progressing, yet not progressing in the way that Americans would want it to be portrayed. In this image, America is moving forward, but it is moving forward by crushing others and demolishing innocent lives, with no regard to the welfare of others. This image leads the viewer to doubt the sincerity and caring nature of this country, as well as to highlight the fact that the development of America may be having an adverse effect on others. However, the man and woman in this cartoon are smiling brightly, as if they do not have a concern or a care in the world. They are not bothered by the fact that they are rolling over dead bodies, for their eyes are only on the benefits to come. They are creating a false sense of security and well-being. However, the viewer may be able to look at this cartoon and decipher it in different ways. Some one who is very much in favor of progress may just focus on the faces of the man and woman, noting how happy they are that they are moving forward. Another may look only at the corpses being pushed away, commenting on how progress can be detrimental to others. Plato spoke of this when he gave the example of the bed. He said, “You may look at a bed from different points of view, obliquely or directly or from any other point of view, and the bed will appear different, but there is no difference in reality” (The Republic Book X). By this, he states that people can try to twist forms of art in ways to support their ideas or statements, but in the end, there is a basic truth, whether people want to see it or not. By creating this political cartoon, the artist was trying to make a statement and display his/her ideas to others. However, Plato spoke about artists and their ability to imitate what they see, yet they lack the knowledge of what it actually is. An artist, he says, “is like a painter who…will make a likeliness of a cobbler though he understands nothing of cobbling; and his picture is good enough to those who know no more than he does, and judge only by colors and figures” (The Republic Book X). The artist of this cartoon created an image that shows America’s progress in a negative light, yet his knowledge of the war in Iraq or the intentions of the American government is probably very limited. The audience to which he is trying to reach, the general public, also has a limited knowledge of what is really going on, so they are easily swayed and manipulated to agree with the artist’s point. I believe that Plato would view this piece of art to have a negative effect on the forward motion of America, because while it shows the progress of America, it highlights the negative results.