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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Sontag notes that images of war most significantly influenced which of the following groups?

2. Who took the infamous image of Brigadier General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Vietcong suspect in the street?

3. The protagonist of J'Accuse, the 1938 anti-war film, cries out which of the following in German and in English?

4. Which painting does Sontag "find it difficult" to look at?

5. Sontag argues that witnessing war atrocities from afar is a unique experience characteristic of:

Short Essay Questions

1. Sontag distinguished between "image makers" and "image takers". What is the difference between these two groups of artists? How are they perceived differently?

2. According to Sontag, how are standards for journalism determined in an era of tele-controlled warfare?

3. Explain the significance of Jacques Callot's 1633 series of etchings titled "Les Miseres et les Malheurs de la Guerra" (The Miseries and Misfortunes of War). Why did Sontag discuss this work?

4. Explain the connection Sontag made between religious narratives and iconography and the Western understanding of images of suffering. Discuss at least one example from the text.

5. Discuss the significance of Eddie Adams' photograph of the execution of a suspected Vietcong agent. What did Sontag say was particularly striking about this image and the circumstances of its creation?

6. Sontag compared the photograph to a maxim or a proverb. Explain this comparison. What does it tell us about the nature or impact of photographs?

7. Sontag asserted that "cameras have always kept company with death." What did she mean by this assertion?

8. According to Sontag, how does a photograph in the news media differ from a written account? How does the audience change?

9. Sontag suggests that the same photograph might elicit "opposing responses." Discussing a specific example, explain how this might be possible.

10. Sontag stated that the photographer's intentions do not determine the message of the photograph. Discuss the contributing factors which influence the reception of photographs in the media.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although the public often reacts with disappointment or even outrage upon learning that a moving image has been staged, is there anything inherently less true about an image staged for a photograph than there is in a still life composed for a painting? Does a photograph need to capture spontaneous truth as it unfolds in order to have any validity. Provide support for your argument and discuss relevant examples.

Essay Topic 2

Sontag suggested that specific memory of atrocities may be detrimental to peace efforts. Is this necessarily true? Is there a way in which memories and memorials might contribute to establishing and maintaining peace? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 3

Sontag asserted that perceptions of pain have changed in the modern world. She cited religious narratives and iconography to support her assertion that traditionally pain was seen as a form of sacrifice or trial through which one was rewarded, then discussed the shift in modern society in which pain is perceived as punishment for or consequence of one's actions. Do you agree? Has there been a change in the way "we" perceive suffering? If you agree, what might account for this shift? If you disagree, what evidence can you cite to support your point?

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