Poem Analysis: The Perfect Picture By James Alexander Thom

In “The Perfect Picture” James Alexander Thom, a young police reporter is at a devastating scene where he faces a difficult decision. At the scene, Thom has the option to take a photograph that could change his life forever. This tragic event shook Thom to his core, even making him doubt his ability to be a good reporter. Thom knew taking the picture would be a mistake considering not even the perfect picture is worth losing his integrity, and it would haunt him for the rest of his life. It is hard to believe a prizewinning photograph could be a mistake, but Thom could look beyond his own professional gain to see what the picture would do to him and the grieving family. Even after 15 years, Thom wrote that he “can still picture that devastated …show more content…
Thom understood this and he did not want human suffering to be entertainment and the latest gossip story. Thom said, “every element of the picture was perfect.” However, that is not entirely true, as Thom would have been an element of the picture too and he did not feel morally just about taking the picture.
In spite of the way most reporters work, Thom was not a heartless monster nor did he want to become inhumane just to do his job. Thom passed on the opportunity to take a career-defining photograph, but remained true to his character and held on to his morals. Most people think of journalism as an exciting job full of adventure, and the hardest part about the job is getting the facts right. With that in mind, Thom never expected journalism to be so dark. He felt the pressure to be successful at the job before him, yet he never imagined that he would be in a situation where he would have to choose between his job and his integrity. Driving to that terrible scene, his stomach was in knots and he lacked the desire to get out of the car when he arrived. As Thom parked near the police cars and the