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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 describes the way people experienced televised images of war in their own homes as which of the following?

2. According to Sontag, "to photograph is to frame, and to frame is to _______".

3. How many images did the "Here Is New York" exhibit originally receive?

4. According to Sontag, war journalism first developed during which of the following two wars?

5. The media may inform the public of war crimes and atrocities, but often fails to capture the:

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Sontag, how are photographs of victims a form of rhetoric? What is their purpose or message? How do they function to convey this message?

2. How do captions sway interpretations of images? Discuss one of the examples Sontag provides in Chapter 1.

3. Discuss the significance of "Here is New York," the exhibit of photographs taken on September 11th during the collapse of the World Trade Center.

4. Sontag identified two types of censorship which affect war photography. Describe both types of censorship. Which is most influential?

5. According to Sontag, how do mass Hollywood productions influence the public's perception of catastrophic or horrific events?

6. Discuss the reaction of the British public to the image of trenches of unburied bodies taken 10 days after a British defeat during the Boer War. What does this reaction say about the sensibility of the public?

7. Discuss one way in which the development of technology during and after the Vietnam War has affected the veracity of photographs.

8. 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?

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

10. Using the example of genocides and AIDS in Africa, Sontag argued that images of suffering in far-off places carry a double meaning. What is this double meaning?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

On witnessing suffering in a photograph, are we morally or ethically obligated to be emotionally moved? Sontag suggested that perhaps the viewer should not feel ashamed for not feeling a reaction. Do you agree or disagree? Support your position with a discussion of the ethics of witnessing suffering from such a distance.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout Sontag's argument, gender norms and expectations emerge as contributing factors in the way individuals receive images. How does Sontag treat these gendered expectations? Do you agree with Sontag's assertions on this issue? Why or why not? Discuss the differences in the ways men and women receive photographs of war and atrocity as well as the way publishing companies think about their audiences in terms of gender.

Essay Topic 3

In her analysis of Woolf's views of war and the business of making war, Sontag elaborated on her contemporary views on gender and its significance to an individual's understanding of war. Do you agree with her gendered assumptions or arguments? Are you more inclined to support Woolf's statement? Why or why not? Be sure to support your argument with contemporary examples and evidence from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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