This week saw the passing of Joe Rosenthal, the man who took the famous photo of six U.S. servicemen raising the U.S. flag over Iwo Jima in World War II -- an event marked in this short piece (8/21/06 - 0:55) by Renée Montagne. The NPR page also has the AP story on Rosenthal's death. On 2/19/05, Scott Simon (1:01) marked the 60th anniversary of the U.S. landing on the island.NPR's Ken Rudin has this blog on the event, noting the controversy surrounding the photograph, namely whether or not the scene was staged. Rosenthal's photo seems to have taken on new life with Thomas E. Franklin's iconic image of the fire-fighters raising the flag over the ruins of the World Trade Center.
Other U.S. wars, like Vietnam, seem to be associated with much different images, such as Nick Ut's photo of girl being burned by napalm.
Classroom thoughts
- Patriotism is a difficult topic to bring into the classroom as it arouses fierce emotions in many. Perhaps one entry point might be in a discussion of the role images play in thatg intense experience -- Rosenthal's photo, for one, or other images as well, including the flag.
- Look at other famous historical photographs (here are some Pulitizer Prize winners at the NewsMuseum.org) and see if you can find a common feature in them.
- During the recent war between Israel and Lebanon, there was a dust-up over a doctored wire-service showing smoke over Beruit. Can you explain the issues there?
