The Face of Bravery - Essay Example

Client The Face of Bravery Bravery can be defined as doing what is right while knowing that the consequences will be painful. When a person faces a seemingly immovable foe in order to fight an injustice, the experience can be life-altering. As well, it can change society. However, in that moment, if a photographer captures the moment for history, more than the memory of the act and the changes that resulted will be forever documented. A good photographer will capture the emotional content of that moment and the historical viewpoint is forever influenced by the ability to take a glimpse into the past. The protests in 1989 by students who assembled in Tiananmen Square in Beijing China were followed by a tragic massacre that left many civilians dead - a figure that is disputed by the Chinese government to be 200-300 in comparison to those of aide organizations that number the dead in the thousands. It is reported that “the Peoples Liberation Front claimed 2600 people died. The government said 240.” (Oliver) As one looks at the photograph called ’Tank Man’ that symbolically sums up the battle faced by the protesters in Tiananmen Square, the emotional quality of the photograph is created by the vulnerability of the lone man facing a pack of tanks. He symbolized for an entire world the great foe these students were up against in trying to defy the corruption of the 1 Client Last Name government and demand a more democratic voice in their country. Jeff Widener, 1989 It was a significant piece of journalism when the video of this man was viewed by citizens of the West. The image of the one man in the white shirt attempting to stop the advancing tanks touches the essence of freedom. As citizens of democratic nations take their freedoms for granted, to see this powerful act by a citizen who does not enjoy that type of freedom, and who puts his own life at risk by his actions, evokes a sense of powerful compassion and gratitude. Looking at this image, one is overwhelmed by the power of one. As well, the power of corruption is overwhelming. A man without armor and without weaponry confronts armored tanks and leaves the world in awe of the bravery in his vulnerable act. In the photograph, the man stands sideways toward the tank 2 Client Last Name and is taking no other defensive stance. There is no evidence that he will take a violent approach. By the effort of his will, he is attempting to stop a corrupt authority. There are conflicting reports as to the fate of this man. It is said that he was executed fourteen days after the event, but it is also reported that he is alive and in hiding. His name is under dispute. The lack of knowledge about his identity and his fate gives him an even greater power. His act was done anonymously, for the purpose of his goal and not for the purpose of fame. His image stands for the fight for individual freedoms. The image of Elizabeth Eckford attempting to enter the Little Rock School in 1957 is also a powerful image of bravery. This young girl attempts to walk into a school in order to enforce orders of desegregation against a city that does not wish to have its schools integrated with African American students together with Caucasian students. As history reveals, this child faced bayonets held by the National Guard at each entrance of the school. “On September 2, the night before school was to start, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus called out the states National Guard to surround Little Rock Central High School and prevent any black students from entering in order to protect citizens and property from possible violence by protesters he claimed were headed in caravans toward Little Rock.” (Elizabeth Eckford). Facing a militarized force in front of her, with a crowd of cruel and hateful people behind her, she exhibited a bravery that is seldom seen in adults, let alone adolescents. Of her ordeal she says: The crowd moved in closer and then began to follow me, calling me names. I still wasn’t afraid. Just a little bit nervous. Then my knees started to shake all of a sudden and I wondered whether I could make it to the center entrance 3 Client Last Name a block away. It was the longest block I ever walked in my whole life. (Elizabeth Eckford) Elizabeth was one of nine children who tried to enter school on that day. She was photographed and immortalized by Will Counts. Will Counts, 1957 In viewing the photograph, one sees a young girl who is not reacting to an aggressive crowd. She walks with her books held in her hands, stoic and with purpose. Behind her left shoulder, we see the open mouth of a woman yelling in her direction. All the faces are stern at best, or exhibiting a rage at worst. On the very far left of the photo 4 Client Last Name is the image of a man in a helmet, presumably a member of the National Guard. This presence shadows the rest of the image, evoking a sense of fear. The authoritarian symbol of the helmet balances against the mob mentality of the crowd and the cool, non-violent determination of Eckford that is similar to the non-violent stance of the ‘Tank Man‘. This triangle of emotion evokes the importance of the moment. As with the helmeted man to the left, the photo of ‘Tank Man’ has a looming shadow to the left that appears to be creeping toward the event, foreshadowing the darkness that will come. The woman off her left shoulder who is obviously shouting at Elizabeth is Hazel Bryan. She is immortalized in this photograph in a moment of rage and hostility. She is seen as an emissary of the corrupt, a member of the mob who is without compassion. She was later to regret this immortalization. “Hazel, she apologized in 1963 on the phone,” Eckford said. “And in 1997, a photographer brought us together. She absolutely needed forgiveness.”(Elizabeth Eckford). Hazel’s experience is a warning against the danger of taking up an unjust cause and how the image of that act can be forever in the records of history. While those in the tanks were anonymous, the people are identified in this photo. The most interesting image in the photograph is that of the woman to the far right. She can be interpreted in one of two ways. The look on her face is stern, and has a purposeful intent. However, it can also be interpreted as protective. History would suggest that she was most likely a member of the jeering mob, however, her manner presents a strange emotional impact. Her protective stance is most likely to be interpreted as protecting the ’white’ children from the influence of desegregation, however, strictly 5 Client Last Name from the standpoint of the photo, she gives an emotional balance to the madness of those behind her. Whatever she is protecting, she is doing it without regret at this point in time. Both of these images depict the bravery of one against the corruption of the many. They show the vulnerability of bravery and the will that is required to act. The photograph of ’Tank Man’ shows him standing against faceless enemies, thus representing the dehumanized nature that a government can adapt. Elizabeth Eckford stands before an aggressive crowd, vulnerable to anything they may choose to do to her. The photograph is personal as the representations of darkness in the image have faces. While the photograph of ’Tank Man’ is symbolic with a lack of personal identity, which gives rise to a definition in symbolic representation between the government and the people, the photo of Elizabeth Eckford is very personal as it tells a story of this young girl which is then symbolic of the event. Both of these photographs have the power to promote change. The view of the west of the problems in China was changed by the lone image of this man taking on such a formidable enemy. The photo of Elizabeth Eckford, a young girl being harassed and threatened for the simple right to a good education, free of a racially segregated student body, and equal in opportunity, moved the emotional current in this issue. A good photograph can reveal the depths of corruption and the heights of bravery to future generations so that they will never forget these amazing acts. 6 Client Last Name Works Cited Counts, Will. Little Rock Desegregation 1957. 4 September, 1957. Arkansas Democrat Newspaper. 27 November 2008. Elizabeth Eckford. 30 August 2007. American.gov: Telling America’s Story. 30 November 2008. Rains, Craig. 2000. September, 1997 - The 40th Anniversary of One of Americas Most Important Civil Rights Events. Little Rock Central High School 40th Anniversary. 29, November 2008. Oliver, Robin. 7 November 2006. Tiananmen Square: The Tank Man. The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 November 2008. Widener, Jeffery. ‘Tank Man’. 5 June 1989. The Associated Press. 27 November 2008. 7 Read More