On September 11, 2001, America was forever changed when two planes struck the World Trade Center in New York. Terrorist associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and targeted them against the United States. Two of the planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, one crashed into the Pentagon, and another crashed into a field. About 3,000 people were killed that day (9/11 Attacks). Photographers across the world were overcome with a deluge of devastating images, faced with the haunting task of taking photos that would define the catastrophe like no other. Photos flooded media capturing the events of the morning. One photo by Richard Drew captured a photo of a man falling from one of the towers.
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The photo “Falling Man” by Richard Drew caught a man falling from one of the World Trade Center towers. The photograph itself is very quiet. Unlike many other photos that were taken that day, it’s not violent. Other photos that are captured in a disaster capture the destruction and violence. There is no blood, guts, guns, fire, destruction, rather it just captures a man against the background of one of the towers. The framing of the photograph only captures the man, all the focus is on him. The audience tends to relate better to the photo when they see someone like them. It tends to make the audience question if they were in that situation would they have made the same decision. The “Falling Man” is one of the only photos that capture someone dying that tragic day. With that kind of disaster, the conclusion that …show more content…
Richard Drew focused more on the impacts of the people affected, while Robert Clark chose to document the attacks in action. Richard Drew’s “Falling Man” better portrays the tragic attack that day. The photograph of the man falling from one of the towers appeals better to the audiences because they feel as if they can relate to the photo. 9-11 affected many people that day, and many different decisions had to be made. The man in the photograph was faced with a decision of staying in the tower or taking the jump. For the man and many others that day “leaping from the towers, falling to their deaths, to escape the incinerating heat of the flames” (200 People Jumped from the Twin Towers on 9/11. This Is What It Felt like to Watch from the Street Below) seemed like the better option. As for the photograph itself, it isn’t necessarily about the man in the photograph, but “more about what he became: a makeshift Unknown Soldier in an often unknown and uncertain war, suspended forever in history” (“September 11th Attacks: The Story of the Falling Man Photo”). The identity of the man is still unknown to this day, but he stands for the idea of being a victim in a war that is unknown to Americans. The photograph of the man is more visually appealing and leaves room for interpretation from the audience. As for Robert Clark’s photograph, the photo brings emotions of violence and threat. The photo captures the
The photo “Falling Man” by Richard Drew caught a man falling from one of the World Trade Center towers. The photograph itself is very quiet. Unlike many other photos that were taken that day, it’s not violent. Other photos that are captured in a disaster capture the destruction and violence. There is no blood, guts, guns, fire, destruction, rather it just captures a man against the background of one of the towers. The framing of the photograph only captures the man, all the focus is on him. The audience tends to relate better to the photo when they see someone like them. It tends to make the audience question if they were in that situation would they have made the same decision. The “Falling Man” is one of the only photos that capture someone dying that tragic day. With that kind of disaster, the conclusion that …show more content…
Richard Drew focused more on the impacts of the people affected, while Robert Clark chose to document the attacks in action. Richard Drew’s “Falling Man” better portrays the tragic attack that day. The photograph of the man falling from one of the towers appeals better to the audiences because they feel as if they can relate to the photo. 9-11 affected many people that day, and many different decisions had to be made. The man in the photograph was faced with a decision of staying in the tower or taking the jump. For the man and many others that day “leaping from the towers, falling to their deaths, to escape the incinerating heat of the flames” (200 People Jumped from the Twin Towers on 9/11. This Is What It Felt like to Watch from the Street Below) seemed like the better option. As for the photograph itself, it isn’t necessarily about the man in the photograph, but “more about what he became: a makeshift Unknown Soldier in an often unknown and uncertain war, suspended forever in history” (“September 11th Attacks: The Story of the Falling Man Photo”). The identity of the man is still unknown to this day, but he stands for the idea of being a victim in a war that is unknown to Americans. The photograph of the man is more visually appealing and leaves room for interpretation from the audience. As for Robert Clark’s photograph, the photo brings emotions of violence and threat. The photo captures the