RIHLA #14

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The first image that i came across in the article 45 most powerful images of 2011 that I had the strongest reaction to was the before and after shot of Joplin, Missouri after a massive tornado on May 22. The neighborhood showed is beyond recognition. It actually brings tears to my eyes seeing the devestation created by a natural disaster. There is literally nothing but rummage where houses once stood and people once lived. I ask myself how this city and state will rise from this disaster? how will the people move on and leave everything they had behind?

The next image that I chose to write about is of the Firefighters of Ladder Company 4 — which lost seven men on 9/11 — perched together on their aerial ladder, watching a news bulletin in Times Square declaring that Osama bin Laden was dead on May 2. This photo gives a sort of joyous and prideful feeling. These fiirefighters risked their lives to save people during the 9/11 attacks, and even some of their fellow men had died courageously, so when Osama bin Laden's death was announced, it was a time of rejoice because he was the one who caused all those pains and deaths.

The image of Australian Scott Jones kissing his Canadian girlfriend Alex Thomas after she was knocked to the ground by a police officer's riot shield in Vancouver, British Columbia. Canadians rioted after the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins. Although it seems absolutely absurd to riot over a hockey game, the picture of the two love birds kissing in the midst of chaos is beautiful, and gives hope to peace and love. At first i asked why they were even kissing on the ground during a riot? i found out that Alex was knocked to the ground by rioters, so Scott kissed her to comfort her.

The photograph of a woman crying while sitting on a road amid the destroyed city of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan after the massive earthquake and tsunami is another photo that provoked strong emotions. It reminded me a lot of the photo of Joplin, Missouri after the tornado. Natural Disasters occur everywhere and all the time, but this past year (2011), they've all occured worse than usual, which I found somewhat strange. Why are all these natural disasters happening at once?

Lastly, the photo of a U.S. Army soldier giving a high five to an Afghan boy during a patrol in Pul-e Alam, a town in Logar province, eastern Afghanistan gave me a sort of warm feeling. Although we're fighting a war in Afghanistan, there is still some peace, innocence amongst all the violence and terror, and this photo demonstrates it. I know not all Afganis feel the same way as this little boy may feel about US soldier, but it's good to know some Afghanis feel safe with US troops protecting them and fighting to eliminate terrorism.

The Photo on the right describes 2011 for me personally. Everything was upside down and all around. i felt like i was falling sometimes. It was a complicated year, but it's a new year. I can re-start.

Photos and images are valuable to historians who are trying to understand the past because they show emotions provoked in certain situations, traditions, values, etc. They give a clear picture of everything.

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