The Terror Of War Summary

The photo The Terrors of War by Nick Ut demonstrates his experience as a Vietnamese-American photographer by showing children screaming in pain from napalm followed by undisturbed soldiers in the face of a bombing. Ut is a photojournalist for the Associated Press whose projects include extensive documentation of the the Vietnam war in South Vietnam. This photo emotionally appeals to the viewer by depicting a naked girl screaming in pain from the war. The girl is surrounded by other screaming children and nonchalant soldiers walking over a desolate, smokey wasteland, showing the destruction caused by war. Ut’s photo serves as anti-war propaganda by showing how war affects the powerless Vietnamese that are killed by the horrors of war every single day.
Ut’s photo shows powerless children being escorted by faceless soldiers after a napalm strike in Southern Vietnam, which emotionally affects the viewer because it graphically demonstrates how war affects everyone involved.
The children scream in horror as their previous lives are destroyed by a war that they have no control over and are left helpless from its consequences. They are left to flee to the closest glimpse of hope, an unknown photographer. The soldiers provide no hope to these children, and remain as faceless power figures that show no remorse about the situation around them. They show the viewer how scarcely soldiers are affected by the situation, and what little they do to help those who cannot help themselves. The photo gives Americans a view into the destruction caused by war, it shows the viewer the sense of hopeless, grief, and anguish felt by the children and the indifference of the soldiers. The emotional impact of the photo is only heightened by the bombed wasteland that was once possibly a rich Vietnam
jungle. The setting of the photo is a semi-deserted moor cut by an unkept road covered by smoke and dust. It shows the effects of bombs and napalm on the southeast Asian country that was once covered jungle wildlife. Not only does the background act as proof of a conflict, it also elicits an emotional response. The wasteland shows the sense of anguish that is felt by the children who have lost their homes, families, and country. It serves as proof of the effectiveness on napalm fire bombs, flamethrowers, and other explosives on the country’s once rich landscape. The Terrors of War by Nick Ut shows how the powerless and the poor are affected by America’s involvement in the Vietnam War by showing children screaming in pain from the heat of napalm strikes. Credibility for the piece comes from Ut’s extensive documentation of the Vietnam War for the Associated Press and in subsequent publishing in the newspaper. The photo emotionally appeals to the viewer by showing a naked girl screaming in pain, while walking over a bleak wasteland while being escorted by faceless, unemotional soldiers. A smoke filled moor serves as the setting of the photo and is proof of the effects of bombs and napalm on the country. Nick Ut’s photo serves as a window into the the horrors of the Vietnam War in an attempt to provoke Americans into taking a closer look at an already scrutinized conflict.