War is beautiful

Beautiful is everywhere we go, but most people would not associate the word with ‘war’. This is because war is usually portrayed as a battle full of mass killings and dangerous weapons. Although most elements of war are painful to witness, there are moments where the beauty really shines through. In this photo, there are three men that are firing deadly weapons at an unknown target. Behind one of the men, there is what appears to be a large mass of fire. It seems to not be affecting the men in the photo, which could mean they knew the mass of fire was going to be there. I believe this because they are standing very sturdy in the photo. This could also be because they are trained men in a powerful military. In the photo, you can see that the man farthest to the right is completely darkened by the powerful light in the background. The silhouette that the light creates is beautiful because it outlines every curve and edge of the soldier. Although the photo seemed to be taken from a close distance, it still seems to be far enough where you might not be able to see certain details of the soldiers. The light created by the fire, however, shows intricate details. For example, you can see the outline of his fingers and the brim of his hat. Without such powerful lighting behind him, you may not be able to see those particular elements. This can be considered beauty because of its ability to bring out components that could not be noticed otherwise. Another way this photo represents beauty is because of the fire’s resemblance to fireworks. Fireworks are most often used as a symbol of celebration for events like Fourth of July or New Years. Fireworks represent beautiful because they exude a sense of freedom. It’s interesting to me that a symbol for freedom would be in a war photo because some people can argue that they are opposites of each other. Usually, lightness in a photo represents something positive, which could be difficult to spot in a war photo. Finding a positive aspect in a war image is what makes war beautiful.

Shields, David. "War Is Beautiful." NY Books. N.p., 23 Sept. 2010. Web.