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Herrera 1 Blake Herrera College Writing 1310 Powell 2018 September 25 Cens*red Every picture taken lives to tell a story, not just for a temporary moment, but for all of time. To put this thinking into perspective, “The War Photo No One Would Publish” by Torie Rose Deghett emphasizes the phenomenon of a 1991 photo and its ability to portray the grim actualities of war. Deghett argues that the censorship of the image to the public denotes that the people will not grasp the sickening reality of the Gulf War. Deghett attempts to convey the dangers of media censorship to readers through emotional and ethical appeals that allows empathy, and the full understanding of war content to the public eye. The reader begins the article with a horrid description of the death of an Iraqi soldier belonging to Saddam Hussein’s army. The author goes into brutal detail of the lifeless scene of a “solider [that] died attempting to pull himself up over the dashboard of his truck” while several others lie dead in the scorching sand around him. Deghett does not stop there, going even more into depth about the “charred man”, “The flames engulfed his vehicle and incinerated his body, turning him to dusty ash and blackened bone” (74). Opposed to telling the reader the soldier died in a fire, she uses the gruesome specifics to strengthen and support her argument that unpleasant images like this are dire to the comprehension of empathizing with bloodshed. With pathos, the author targets the raw emotions of readers and attempts to influence the idea that wartime photos are critical to the eyes of the public. Deghett uses excerpts from credible sources such as The

Herrera 2 New York Times, and the Observer to describe the environment seen by the bodies. Surrounding the horrific site were scattered personal items like a, “’photograph of a child’s birthday party and broken crayons’” (Deghett 80). By humanizing the vicinity of the body, Deghett reveals the true horrors of the Gulf War. She vividly describes this image as a device of emotional appeals that target the empathy of readers, further strengthening her argument. As the audience starts to come to terms with Torie Deghett, she transitions from the views of the Gulf War into the awareness of censorship in the media, shifting from an empathetic standpoint to an ethical one. The reader’s view on the morality of censoring media from society has now become the catalyst of Deghett’s argument, mainly focusing on issues involving photojournalism. Rather than publishing images of destruction, “sanitized images of warfare” were published because they allowed it to be “’easier… to accept bloodless language’” (Deghett 74). The Vietnam War now comes in as a counterargument to this ideal, “The Vietnam War… was notable for its catalogue of chilling and iconic war photography…” (Deghett 75). Some images had tremendous impacts and even went on to win Pulitzer Prizes, further supporting the author’s argument of influence by a simple photograph. As the article progresses, Torie Deghett acknowledges the counterargument: “Not every gruesome photo reveals an important truth about conflict and combat” (75). By taking notice of the critical points of the opposition, the author has now established a non-bias view, making it easier for the reader to be persuaded and subject to her ideals. Although, some images of combat may not help develop an understanding of war, they should not be safeguarded and stowed away from the eyes of the people. In addition, credibility is still being acknowledged by the audience as the author recognizes another argument from the opposition, “that showing bloodshed and trauma repeatedly and sensationally can dull emotional understanding” (Deghett 82). However, is it better to understand and be dull or to not

Herrera 3 understand at all? These images of bloodshed help captivate the reality of war, as well as fathom it. Deghett’s argument, induces the reader to question their morality, which in turn results in the reader forming an opinion close to hers. Prior to reading the article, I had a general idea of what I thought about government censorship. As the reading progressed, I gained mastery on Deghett’s ideologies; however, my views have not changed. I did gain knowledge on certain aspects, that I never knew before. In the article, “The War Photo No One Would Publish”, Deghett states, “’If we’re big enough to fight a war, we should be big enough to look at it’” (82). Protesting for the rights of each American. The author proves her point by utilizing ethos and pathos to allow the reader to fully grasp an understanding about government censorship.

Herrera 4 Works Cited Barrios, Barclay. Emerging: Contemporary Readings for Writers. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2016....