Analysis Of From Realism To Virtual Reality By H. Bruce Franklin

In his writing, “From Realism to Virtual Reality,” H. Bruce Franklin describes the different methods people used to promote and capture the elements of war by comparing how art, literature, and technology describe the emotions associated with it. He also expresses his views on how these different methods of expression alter the way a nation would cogitate on the purpose and meaning of their war when he states, “Prior to the civil war, visual images of America’s wars were almost without exception expressions of romanticism and nationalism. Paintings, lithographs, woodcuts, and statues displayed a glorious saga of thrilling American heroism from the Revolution and Mexican War. … Using words as a medium, writers had few limitations on how they
The industry processes and scientific knowledge that created techno war had also brought forth a new means of perceiving its devastation. ...Thus the Civil War was the first truly modern war- both in how it was fought and in how it was imaged. The romantic images of warfare projected by earlier visual arts were now radically threatened by images of warfare introduced by photography” (Franklin 493). In his writing, Franklin’s use of words such as “romanticism,” “nationalism,” “glorious,” and “triumph” show how wars before the Civil War were often considered necessary and an essential benefactor to the people because of the way it was portrayed through art and literature. In my own experience of being influenced through art and political cartoons, I have discovered that they can be very heavily impacting on my views on a subject. For example, when I encounter a caricature of President Trump that portrays him with a negative connotation, it becomes very difficult for me to stay neutral with my point of view about decisions he makes for our country and to see past his poorly said or written