War kills, but stories revive. Stories have the power to commemorate what one has lost. Stories are the legacy of war; they keep memories alive forever. One’s involvement in war is an experience waiting to be shared. The surface of war is publicized everyday by deaths and bombings. But what is waiting to be shared is below the surface. It is one’s first hand experience of murder, starvation, and silence. Stories allow soldiers to express themselves; a way to recount feelings and emotions experienced during harsh and brutal times. War is an experience most people do not suffer through. Stories create connections between people because while war is unimaginable to someone who has not experienced it first hand, telling stories invokes empathy. Hearing about the brutal truth of war from someone who has experienced it first hand creates a direct emotional response for the listener and storyteller.
Through stories, soldiers are able to commemorate lives lost.They allow for recognition of suffrage and pain, but also glory and happiness. Stories serve as therapeutic “healing” for soldiers and allow one to express and face any pain experienced in, or because of, war. In David Jay’s “The Unknown Soldier” we acknowledge his exclusive photographs of soldiers post-war as a method of storytelling. His photographs are used as a method to pass and relay information about soldiers experiences. So often war is told from the viewpoint of one side. However, Jay’s project aims to humanize the war veterans. Jay states, "You can imagine how many times each of these men and women have heard a parent tell their child, 'Don't look. Don't stare at him. That's rude.' I take these pictures so that we can look; we can see what we're not supposed to see. And we need to see them because we created them." His images are a way to revive and humanize the soldiers. They allow the war veteran to show that they have not been damaged by war, and will only gain strength from sharing their experiences. War stories create exposure, giving the storyteller a method to cope.
IMAGE:
"It's Not Rude: These Portraits Of Wounded Vets Are Meant To Be Stared At." NCPR. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
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