Representing Reality Analysis

The reading of Ch. 14 exposes the influences that pictures, both personal and famous, have on an individual. It states how photos can persuade a viewer to act and think a certain, due to the utilization of the context that is portrayed. It shows pictures taken of the Haitians after the earthquake, revealing the desperation and tragedy that filled their lives. However, it also mentions personal photos of families, taken at the high points in a family's history to represent that family. Although these two types of photos seem like complete opposites, they both have a similar result. They each are a form of rhetoric in their own way, providing their own arguments towards their cause. In the case of the Haitian photos, they target viewers to sympathize with the Haitian people, while the family photos are meant to act as a representative for their family's history, even if isn't indicative of all of the family's history. Added to this, the reading also talks about how these family photos are what symbolize America. The pictures taken help define the character of the picture's owner. Each photograph has its own message, its own life force, that speaks to the viewer, giving them the interpretation that they see, ignoring the space in between. These interpretations given to them are what helps show the wanted history of American families, which represents America. This analysis of what a photo represents in life is dependent on the moments in life that need to be and have to be paused, no matter how honest they really are.