The Boston Photograph’s By Nora Ephron’s Photos of Abu Ghraib
The first amendment to the constitution of the United States had enforced in the year 1791. The amendment imposes certain limitations on congressional legislators' terms of making laws about the established religion and people's right to a free exercise of religion. It, further, asserts prohibition of any laws that condense the freedom of speech or violate the press freedom, hinder a peaceful assembly or prohibit US citizens entering into litigation for a governmental redress of grievances. The first amendment took effect in December 15, 1791 is one of the ten amendments formulating the Bill of rights.
The law reference to the Supreme Court of United States for interpretation of the terms. The Supreme Court interpreted the First amendment's jurisdiction is applicable to entire federal government, and not to the United States congress only. Besides protecting the right of liberty to exercise religion, the first amendment categorically exudes freedom of speech and press. The right to freedom of speech permits US citizens to express without fearing an interference or restraint by the government. The right does not remain restricted to the press as it equally allows every citizen to express thorough publication and dissemination.
The government is answerable to the Supreme Court with justifications if it imposes a regulation upon the contents of the speech. However, as per interpretation, the freedom of speech isn't about a source of civil unrest or a breach of peace. The Supreme Court authorized the government to impose restrictions on any injurious to peace speech or expression in a community. The high court of the United Sates enunciated five major areas where the government can legitimately impose ban on expression or speech. These five areas include speech inciting illegal doings, subversion, obscenity or pornography, commercial speech and symbolic expression.
During 2003 to early 2004, United States security forces, including the military police and Central intelligence agency committed gross violations of human rights in Abu Ghraib prison. It had unearthed in 2004 revealing that the prisoners at Abu Ghraib jail been physically and sexually abused, tortured, raped and killed. Joe Darby, a US reserve soldier, who had access to these inhuman photographs, decided to report the violations to authorities. These photos are a telltale of the atrocities committed in all their manifestations. One's picture shows a soldier with a leash in hand, attached to the neck of a lying down naked prisoner on the floor. Another reveals a prisoner depicting a scarecrow with his arms stretched sideways. The prisoner is standing on a box, spacious to accommodate feet only, is wearing rags, with his head and face covered by a sack.
The prisoner is standing with electric wire attached to both hands. Another image reveals sexual exploitation where four prisoners are standing naked, with heads covered, in front of a soldier, who forces them to masturbate. The greatest heinous of all is a photograph where two soldiers stand together with their thumbs up for the photographer. The scene in front shows five naked soldiers sitting or lying over each other to make a human pyramid, in obedience to the command of their masters. An indisputable word is a reference to the power of images. War and peace are two different subjects of iconic images. The moments of the prisoner's pyramid at Abu Ghraib had captured in the images. A collective memory of these images has stored the moments of a Vietnamese prisoner of war as it has burned in our mind. These images portray the single cultural point of view before an execution the Vietnam prisoner has taken place. Moreover, it refers to massive cultural meaning. In fact, it has shared as tips for cultural consciousness. By studying article with Gaye Greens "Reading Violent Images" summarizes the power of images with the types of images. These images left influence and illuminate for a longer period as a reminder of events. This description underlines an important to the traditional images.
Further, an argument by Green and Ephron give an explanation to reinforce the need of shocking imagery. As these shocking events occur and portray cultural milestones or structures of reference. A sign of division has created between the deeming of free shocking imagery and cultural significance of shocking imagery. Although it is usually assumed that this is a broadly particular distinction analyze constantly. As this symbolizes the bigger cultural context that has shown in shocking images.
There are many questions arising in the viewer's mind about death photos, publishing or censoring in newspapers. As Ephron's argument is in context with three points. The need of publishing life main events photos in newspapers. The main events of life is death. Hereby need of death photos, publishing in the newspapers is necessary.
Whereas another opposed view of this argument says that the privacy of the death isn't invaded in the newspapers. As such published death photos show the privacy of the death. Thereby, those newspapers get banned by a government that publish death photos.
If analyze the point of view given by Ephron has three sub point. First is strong reporting must use in the newspapers. Second is the strongest tool in newspapers is photojournalism as compare with written words. The third is more and more use of photojournalism must show in the newspapers. However, the opposing sub point that is also three in number explains that the complete and correct reports have to publish in newspapers. As argument further, opposes that written journalism is way too powerful, correct and complete as compare with the photojournalism that is inaccurate and incomplete. The opposing point of view strongly believe that importance of written journalism is too strong. Therefore, use of photojournalism in newspapers needs to cut the photo usage as it distracts readers from reality as portraits in the written journalism.
The photos of Abu Ghraib are referring to the sexual abuse that is way too bad as compare with reality that anyone may ever imagine in his or her life. Moreover, many of the pictures depict the sexual assaults that have taken place with the Iraqi prisoners. As well as many pictures of the prisoners have portrayed the abusing treatment with the female prisoners and forcing to show their body to expose them and sexually harass them. Ban such cruel images with the abusing behavior that has published in the newspapers. As every human has a right to live with freedom of privacy. No matter what newspapers should avoid such photojournalism that portrays bad and insulting behavior of the law enforcement officers doing with the prisoners.
