Raising Iwo Jima

The article by Hariman and Lucaites tries to interpret the symbolism within the photograph of marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima. They not only discussed the symbolism within the photograph, but also the implications that it had among the exposed society. The ideology behind the image runs a lot deeper than we may not foresee. Hariman and Lucaites appears to be stating that “Iconic photographs … reflect social knowledge and dominant ideologies; … shape understanding of specific events and periods; … influence political action by modeling relationships between civic actors; and they provide figural resources for subsequent communicative action” (366). Then in class, we talked about the quote, “’publics do not exist apart from the discourse that addresses them.’ The norms, interests, political effectivity, self-awareness, and substantive claims characterizing public culture are defined by the composition and circulation of text (including words and images) through mass media or similar practices of dissemination” (364). In a way, the iconic photograph of Iwo Jima may never die due to the circulation of the image. However, it also has impacted our society by being circulated so much.  

One fact that made me surprised was the image of Iwo Jima was “reproduced more than any other photograph-ever” (364). This image has been commercialized into “inspirational posters, commemorative plates, silk screens, gold etchings, woodcuttings, key chains, cigarette lighters, matchbook covers, beer steins” and much more. My little brother bought a fan art poster that represented the gist of the Iwo Jima image but replacing the marines with soldiers from the video game Halo and instead of the American flag, it has the logo of the game.

Here is my shame. I did not know my brother’s poster was modeled after the Iwo Jima photograph, nor was it from World War II until this article assigned in class. In my mind, I recognized it from somewhere, yet unable to pinpoint the source. That image has been so commercialized that despite my lack of knowledge behind the background of the iconic image, I could still feel a familiarity with the context.

Even though the connection did not click until the article, I found the World Trade Center image of the firefighters raising the flag at Ground Zero with the same sense of vague familiarity and of course the feeling of patriotism hit me (still unknown about the Iwo Jima photograph). What I found in common, and so did Hariman and Lucaites saw too, was the presence of the American flag. The flag itself contains such strong connotation that within these two photographs, they stir similar yet different feelings. Patriotism obviously, but also hope. At Iwo Jima, it was hope that the war was over and that USA came out on top. At 9/11, it was hope that we could rise among the ashes and be a stronger nation. This sense of patriotism is what helps USA be a hegemony, in my personal opinion.