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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. Which of the following works does Sontag site as containing the first recognition of the human fascination with mutilated bodies?

2. For Sontag, the impression that there are more news of atrocity is probably which of the following?

3. Diorama, tableaux and wax exhibits served which of the following purposes in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?

4. "Without Sanctuary" was a book of photographs taken of which of the following atrocities?

5. Which work of literature does Sontag cite as evidence that war was once seen as part of a man's life?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Sontag say that "it is not necessarily better to be moved?" Discuss the negative aspects of sentimentality.

2. Sontag suggests that Wall's work affirms the normalcy of war. How so?

3. Sontag proposes that perhaps we place too much value on memory. What does she mean? Why does she posit this?

4. Sontag contrasts the perceived number of atrocities now with the number from years ago, and makes a specific claim about the rate of atrocity. Discuss this assertion.

5. How does Sontag refute claims that photography is somehow inherently more voyeuristic than other forms of observation?

6. Discuss the significance of the photograph's intended purpose. If a photograph is intended to convey a message, but because of the context in which it is displayed does not, is the photograph still successful?

7. Discuss Sontag's assertion that some images serve as memento mori. What does she mean? How do they serve this purpose?

8. Sontag claims that a book is still the best medium for circulating images of atrocity. Name the three reasons she provides.

9. Although there are more images broadcast, Sontag suggests that the human response to suffering is relatively unchanged. Discuss Sontag's views on our capacity for dealing with suffering.

10. How does our contemporary view of suffering differ from earlier, more traditional Western views?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

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.

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