Russ Steele
Prof. Roy
ENG 101. V
8 October 12
The Burning Girl Seen Round The World
Figure [ 1 ]: Nick Ut's "Accidental Napalm" Photo
Figure [ 1 ]: Nick Ut's "Accidental Napalm" Photo
The Vietnam War, unlike all wars the United States previously fought in, was the first war that the brutality of combat was openly exposed to the public through photojournalism. The viewing of iconic photos that captured the essence of warfare stimulated the emotions of the public and played a significant role in forming a universal opinion on the Vietnam War. The “Accidental Napalm” photo taken near Trang Bang in South Vietnam by photographer Nick Ut on June 8, 1972 is one of the most controversial pictures ever, forcing United States citizens to recognize the inhumanity of war and the reality of what is actually occurring overseas.
After France withdrew from the First Indochina War, President Lyndon Johnson and the United States entered Vietnam fearing the spread of communism and the fall of bordering countries (“The Vietnam War”). In August of 1964, Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution allowing President Johnson to use military force in Southeast Asia without an official declaration of war (“The Vietnam War”). What followed the decision made by Congress was nearly a decade of vicious combat between the two sides: The United States and South Vietnam against North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front. With the Vietnam War not recognized as an official American war, censorship did not limit the work of photojournalists and therefore allowed single frame still photos to represent the Vietnam War era.
Nick Ut’s “Accidental Napalm” photo seizes children fleeing in horror, with the emphasis on Phan in the center of the picture. The emotions of pain and terror radiate from her face, almost giving the viewer the same feeling of dismay and intensity. The soldiers and the children in the picture demonstrate a clear contrast of emotion as well. The soldiers are calm...