WP-1 Statement of Purpose

During the age of modern warfare the battlefield has evolved into a stage of mass destruction, gruesome torture, and soldiers brought back in body bags that are often unrecognizable. Our countries and leaders now live under constant fear of possible nuclear holocaust and yet America's military recruitment numbers have peaked just in the last two years due to what analysts believe is the economic downturn and the struggles in of Wall Street. The economy of the Great Depression have often times been compared to our modern crisis and surely anyone can see the correlations between the state of panic those of the times felt as we are experiencing similar emotions today.

"Sailor and the Girl at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" was taken by John Collier in order to remind us, as patriotic Americans, that the freedoms and rights that we have comes at a cost, and that these consequences should be considered and deliberated over. As we live in our democracy, our voices have the undeniable right to be heard and topics such as war are sometimes debated over by senators but everyday young men and women risk their lives on the front lines. Herbert Hoover once stated, "Older men declare war. But it's the youth that must fight and die!"

Collier was ever aware of his audience when he took the photo displayed below. He was hired by the government in order to document the culture and the times during the Great Depression and including the onset of World War II. In terms of his immediate audience, Collier had to be conscience of the down trot Americans that had very little to hold on to and the concept of country was rarely spoken towards. In this sense, Collier sought to invoke a sense of patriotism in Americans, old and young, and to remind people that whether or not they agreed with the war or the methods of the government, everyone could rally behind the soldiers risking their lives. In addition to the audience the photographer had to be aware of in his present time, the opinions of generations to come had to also be considered when the picture was taken. The government hired this select group of photographers in order to document everything for reflection later and as such, the pictures were taken as a landmark to be looked over by people that will know how all of the turmoil will work out.

The historical context of this photo, as has already been stated, includes the culture of the Great Depression and the mindset of the American public at the beginning of World War II. This encompasses the debate as to whether or not the U.S. wanted to get involved in the war across the pond and whether or not it was their fight to enter. Another aspect of the photo that proves crucial to the message is the idea of the families that are affected by, and often times torn apart, by war. The couple pictured at the base of the tomb is clearly under strain as was common for military families. Based on the soldier's body positioning, he seems upset and emotional upon seeing the monument in honor of a fallen soldier whose family will never know it's his body commemorated in the Tomb.


"Sailor and the Girl at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" was taken in order to invoke a sense of patriotism in Americans that were lost and looking for answers after the uncertainty brought on by the Great Depression. In addition, the photograph causes all of us, as a country, to reflect on the costs of war and whether it's worth it or not.

Pre-Writing Assignment 3

To open with the research completed for photograph known as "Sailor and Girl at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" in order to shed some light on the culture and historical context of the times we'll look at two different quotes from two rather different figures in society.

"The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking... the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."

- Albert Einstein

And the second,

"Sometimes I think it should be a rule of war that you have to see somebody up close and get to know him before you can shoot him."

- Colonel Potter, M*A*S*H

These quotes speak to the destruction and devastation of modern warfare and how the return of unidentifiable soldiers or even anything remnants worth sending home is becoming a common occurrence. With the development of the atomic bomb and other forms of modern weaponry such as the Javelin (shown above) a different light seems to have been cast on monuments such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. "The direct effects of a nuclear war, the killing and maiming effects of the blast, the thermal pulse, prompt nuclear radiation, and fire storms are too horrifying for the human mind to comprehend" (Birks, 1986). Such mutilation and defecation of our nation's proud and honorable men and women is rarely considered when a tourist views the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. When a soldier or sailor such as the one depicted in the photo visits Arlington Cemetery the flashbacks of the traumas of war must ensue.

Other aspects of the photograph and more specifically the tomb itself include the elements of the Tomb that were consciously created by the architect to invoke certain emotions.

"On the East face of the Tomb you will find three figures, carved into the marble. This is the face most visitors to the Tomb do not see. The three figures, from left to right, represent Peace, Victory and Valor.

Peace is holding a dove in her hand...Valor is holding a broken sword in his hands...Victory is holding the hand of Peace and extending an olive branch towards Valor. This symbolized the devotion and sacrifice that went with courage to make the cause of righteousness triumph."

The photograph itself was taken by one of the special photographers hired by the U.S. government upon the closure of WWI under the Farm Security Administration (later under the Office of War Administration during WWII). These photographers were instructed to capture the rural life and negative impact of the Great Depression and later shifted towards emphasis on WWII (The Library of Congress). The photographs taken by these photographers became famous for the aptitude to encompass the emotions associated with U.S. and global society during these times. People were experiencing poverty as well as the despair that accompanied a soldier once they returned home as is evident in the photo itself. The positioning of the sailor and the girl indicates a tear or offset in their relationship most likely due to the aforementioned traumas of war and how the soldier internalizes his struggles.

Pre-Writing Assignment 2

In order to fully appreciate the photograph we also need to analyze it's subject matter in its physical place and location in the world and all of the contexts and appeals that these traits carry along. An interesting concept about this photo in comparison to most of the others in this collection by the Farm Security Administration is that this photo is a monument that still stands today whereas many of these other photos cannot be recreated or revisited. This presents another dimension to the subject of the photo, the tomb rather than the people, because we as an audience could physically visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The photo was taken in 1919 in Washington D.C. at a time in the world when all countries and allegiances were at arms with each other with the transition from WWI into WWII, all of which we have surely learned about in the history books and can try and imagine happening in our lives today but the fact that the monument still stands offers another perspective.

The monument still carries in our present time a sense of patriotism and pride and resonates as a symbol for any family member, fiance, or friend that may have died fighting for our country. All of these reasons are surely what Congress sought to create when they agreed to have the tomb constructed but after events in recent years (i.e. September 11 or Iraq) the monument may represent things Congress could never have foreseen. Under another lens, the monument could appear as a beacon for the senseless violence war creates in scenarios like in the Middle East. In another light, it might represent all the dedication and sacrifice that young men have already given for the betterment of our freedoms and the beliefs we founded and live under in the United States and be a perfect example for why we need to continue pushing forward. People that visit the monument today may go in order to reflect on these themes in society today, or more likely than not, they may be a group of tourists that chose our nation's capital for the sheer historical value.

Architecturally, the monument was built out of a beautifully simple white marble and placed halfway down a staircase to a grassy knoll. The simple white marble is probably not as simple as it appears, it is a symbol of purity and respect. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is meant to be respected by all people and the simplicity of the white makes it possible for people to solely focus on what the tomb stands for. Although the architecture is not complex, it leads ways to a complex idea: an idea that represents all American soldiers known or unknown and the respect that the world has for them.

A memorial such as this one is one of many that represents a powerful moment in American history and could easily get lost among all of the others in Washington D.C. Yet, this photograph captures a particular moment in time which allows us to reflect on all the powerful topics that we may not get from just seeing the tomb itself.

WP-1 Pre-Writing Assignment

Upon the closure of World War I, the U.S. government hired a special group of photographers to document the events to come under the Farm Security Administration (later under the Office of War Administration during WWII). The information given on the government's photo remembrance site do not match data found on the Arlington National Cemetery's website because the date this photo was taken (1919) seems to have occurred before the monument was built (1921). Regardless, the photo was taken by John Collier and is known as "Sailor and Girl at Tomb of the Unknown Solider" and whose title barely captures the emotions this picture invokes.

To start analyzing the photo at hand, we can make assumptions as to who the people in the photo itself are in relation to each other and in society. The man is dressed in standard dress for a sailor at the time and without the title or previous knowledge of the monument can assume this to be a gravesite or burial grounds. Within the photograph, it appears as if the woman is there comforting the sailor as he kneels in front of the tomb clearly emotional. As far as the woman, she could be his sister or perhaps just a friend but more likely his wife or girlfriend who had been eagerly aware of the return of her significant other only to find him greatly impacted by the hangover of wartimes. Again with no context of the tomb itself from the title, we could conclude that due to the emotion from the sailor's vulnerable posture and the look of concern on the woman that the grave was of someone dear to perhaps both of them.

Yet upon further review, we realize that the tomb itself was constructed by the U.S. government as a memorial for the soldiers lost in the heat of WWI and contains the body of a man never identified. From this perspective, perhaps the tale is different. The sailor, upon returning home and experiencing the joy of seeing his family and friends is stricken with grief thinking about his brothers still overseas or the ones lost and who never made it home to see their families. The landscape seen in the background of the shot plays towards the guilt and odd blend of sheer joy and utter sadness and this cheerless structure overlooks Washington D.C. with the Capitol Building off in the distance. The background of the photo reminds us as viewers as to what these men laid their lives on the line for, the freedoms we take for granted on a daily basis, but also brings about questions such as "At what cost do we pay for such freedoms and peace?"

The fact that their are only two people and such few elements of attention in the piece speaks to yet another appeal to the emotions and pathos of the picture in that it feels so desolate and isolated where this grave is placed. No solider should be forgotten, yet this one was never identified, his family never notified, and his mother left with nothing more than an MIA message from a colonel and chaplain that never met the man. A monument in his honor, and for the honor of all those that never made it home, built in a field surrounded by pine trees far from the hustle and bustle of Capitol Hill.

Pre-Writing Assignment 1

My background with photography, albeit brief, was rather informative and gave me some insight into the aspects of a photograph others may look past or write off as coincidence, when in all actuality, a photographer takes all aspects of their shot into consideration. I took a class called Photography Basics my senior year of high school and it was taught by one of the most interesting teachers I’ve ever had named Mr. Reeder. My senior year was sort of a rebellious time for myself and I often skipped class and frequently just sat in on Mr. Reeder’s classes thus exposing myself to much more than my 90-minute block right before lunch. I came to learn that a great shot is much more than the content of the photo but rather how that content is presented in order to captivate the viewers.

For someone who’s just beginning to take photography seriously, it becomes obvious what elements are fairly easy to control. Some of the more basic photography skills include the framing and cropping of a photo and what the lens is capturing. The framing of a photo is how the photographer can control what they want the audience to see and as Compose Design Advocate states it, “focuses your attentions on parts of a situation”. Framing a photo comes from your placement and angle from your position as a photographer in comparison to the subject matter.

A key concept in photography that photographers utilize in order to grab their audience’s attention is the idea of vectors of attention. There’s a tool in taking photos that artists have to be aware of that is known as the Rule of Thirds in which the shot can be checkered off by thinking about six lines cutting the photo into thirds in two different directions, both vertically and horizontally. This principle can create those vectors discussed in Compose Design Advocate in that in it creates “lines of direction for our eyes to follow”. Another photography principle that connects with vectors of attention would be the idea of converging lines. The lines of a photograph naturally key on elements of a photo and as an audience we address these first when we view a photo.