Sontag's "On Photography"

In the first section of Susan Sontag's "On Photography," she explains how photographs are all around the us. Our culture uses photographs with most of the things that we do. Sontag states "newspapers and magazines feature them; cops alphabetize them; and publishers compile them." She also explains that photographs aren't always maintained exactly how they were taken, but they can be retouched, made smaller, blown up, or be cropped among other things. According to Sontag, which our culture knows well, that some photographs can become valuable. For example, in the recent news, magazines, and even Dr.Phil have addressed the "octuplets scandal." The mother of these eight newborns sold the first pictures to People Magazine for an astounding amount of money, which she is able to buy a million dollar mansion with. This simply proves Sontag's point even further. Sontag explains how writings and art work are basically interpretations of the world, while photographs "miniatures of reality that anyone can make or acquire."

In the second section of "On Photography" Sontag's explains that "photographs furnish evidence." Over time, photographs have really helped in police work, because Sontag believe that photographs incriminate, and although the photo could be distorted, it still leaves a presumption that "something happened." I agree with this, our society knows that pictures can be deceiving but after looking at a picture, it is easier to make assumptions about the photograph you have seen. During the third section of the text Sontag explains how photographs are a part of tourism and to show history. When you open any history book, you will see photographs of the past, whether it be the ruins in Greece, or the pyramids in Egypt, it is something amazing that we ourselves cannot easily go and see, so photographs help us view these in book, where according to Sontag, photographs can maintain longevity, if not immortality. Sontag also tells of how photographs are a way to keep your past. In America and Japan it is hard to let go of the past, and photographs allow the memories to be kept around, for people to remember the happy, sad, and confusing times of their life.

Sontag also explains of films (moving picture) to be less memorable than simple pictures. Perhaps that is because it is one simple slice of time and not a flow of time, according to Sontag. This may wear old though, as Sontag has explained, when you first see a photograph of horror like the Vietnam war, the twin towers falling to the ground, a murder. These are all things that would shock you, initially, but after viewing them so many times it wears off eventually. This is the the same for "the sense of taboo" with pornography. After seeing the same porn over and over again, it no longer feels taboo, or shocking. Basically, in my opinion Americans are espically more prone to become this way because of the media and the over exposure. It seems we can be flipping through a magazine and see the starving kids in Africa, and go home, and see the starving kids of Africa on the TV, and go through our lives without truely caring or thinking about things further than the face value.