Though a photograph is the basis for Tori Rose DeGhett’s essay, “The War Photo No One Would Publish” gives way to a broader argument on censorship and shielding citizens from potentially unpleasant and even gory information even if it involves deceit. Though many media outlets refused to publish the photo from the Gulf War, which is what this essay is about, many controversial images have been brought to the public eye and had a significant impact as a result – Emmett Till, Tiananmen Square Tank Man,Vietnam War Execution, George Floyd are just a few that come to mind. For this assignment, you are to locate a source in the Gale Opposing Viewpoints database, a database that collects from various academic and periodical publications and organizes them according to their main issue or topic. Locate a “Viewpoint” source in the Censorship cluster that takes a position or makes an argument that connects to DeGhett’s essay in some way.
Assignment:
Apply DeGhett’s essay as a lens in order to analyze an example of an image whose publication, circulation, or censorship has had a significant impact on society. Create an argument of your own about the impact of censorship and/or controversial images on society.
Possible questions to consider include:
(When) is censorship ever justified?
Under what circumstances, if any, should public access to information be restricted? What does DeGhett believe?
What is gained (or lost) by bringing controversial images and topics to the national or even world stage? Identify a specific example, connect it to DeGhett and locate a connected source in the Gale database.
What impact do uncomfortable images and the resulting conversations have on our families, communities and society at large?
What does it mean to apply a reading as a “lens”?
When we look through a lens it shapes how we see things- think about tinted lenses or sunglasses, or even prescription lenses that bring things into focus for you.
To apply a reading or text as a lens means to identify central ideas or concepts in the first (“lens”) text, and then applying them to another (“target”) text in order to look at this text through the perspective of the first.
To do this, you must first really understand the lens text: What is the author’s main concern? What are the central ideas?
Next, you must understand the target text: What is its purpose and main concern? What are the central ideas or claims?
Where do you see general points of agreement or disagreement between the two texts? Which of the lens text’s main arguments could be applied to the target text? What does the lens text illuminate/help you understand in the target text?
What are the limits to this application? Are there places in the target text where the lens text doesn’t apply? How does the target text help you understand how an argument or concept from the lens text applies (or doesn’t apply) to other circumstances?
Note: this is not the same as compare/contrast. The goal is not to simply figure out what’s similar and different between the two texts; rather, your goal is to understand the argument and core concepts of the lens text better by applying them to the target text, including the affordances and limitations of these ideas.
Your thesis statement will make an argument about an idea or concept from the assigned reading (DeGhett) based on your application of it to your selected outside source. (For example, the viewing of and publication of photos of Emmett Till’s maimed body set off a national conversation on civil rights and ushered in the American Civil Rights Movement). In the body of your essay, you will develop your argument with supporting claims and evidence from the assigned reading and your outside source.
Note: applying a reading as a lens does not mean you have to fully agree with the reading; in fact, you will have more luck in creating your own nuanced argument if you find wiggle room or disagreement within a position you mostly agree with (or, alternatively, find wiggle room or agreement with a position you mostly oppose). The goal is to find core concepts from the reading and apply them to another text in order to discover something further about this topic and make your own argument.
Formatting and Requirements
Copy and paste your essay directly in Achieve. I strongly encourage you to write your essay in another platform (Microsoft Word or Google Docs)
Your essay should be approximately 4-5 pages in length (around 1200-1500 words)
Include your name, my name, class and date in the upper left corner of the 1st page
Format your essay according to MLA guidelines (see Documenting Sources: MLA Style in Achieve)
Include a Works Cited page listing all sources you used or consulted
full prompt is also shown in the attachments but there needs to be 2 citations one from Tori Rose DeGhetts essay “the war photo no one would publish” and one from the gale opposing view points article “A Few Loud Voices shoukd not decide the fate of challenged books in classrooms” if you have any questions dont hesitate to ask.