The chosen photo is entitled March on Washington, DC, 1963. The photo was taken by a volunteer photographer Bob Adelman. It presents Martin Luther King during his most well-known I Have a Dream speech. The photo reflects on a moment that happened on August 28, 1963, and soon became a true legend. During the speech, Martin stands on the Lincoln Memorial and strives to convey his message to the audience. There were more than 250,000 people presented during the speech, and the majority of them were African Americans. King states his most important convictions about getting rid of racial discrimination and provide all people with the equal treatment.
Of course, the background of the speech is not illustrated in the photo. It depicts King at the center of photo’s composition. There are several people around him that seem to be the main supporters of the event. Martin is on the small tribune and speaks into several microphones. His pose reveals extremely passionate character of the speech. King raises his right hand high and speaks loudly that can be seen by his widely opened mouth. Martin is dressed in strict black suit with a tie. The people around him are also dressed in suits. The suits highlight the seriousness and importance of the speech. The photo illustrates that Martin wanted to make the emphasis on legality and credibility of his speech and the march on Washington as well.
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"March on Washington 1963 – Rhetorical Arts Analysis".
The photographer makes his work as effective as he could. The photo is black-and-white, which can be explained by the photo technologies of that time. However, black-and-white style highlights the effect of the event, its serious and tragic outcomes. I Have a Dream speech was aimed at the most important problem the USA had in the XX century. The speech was the key step within the Civil Rights movement. King is presented as a true leader on the photo, passionate, faithful, sand sincere. The photographer managed to reflect on King’s authority and his unique ability to motivate others. The people around King demonstrate a complete acceptance of the ideas provided by the leader and agreement to support their common fight against inequality and harsh segregation.
Aside from the brilliant depiction of King at the center of the photo, Adelman managed to highlight other people as well. The photographer makes the emphasis on facial expression of everybody presented on the photo. Two individuals in the right corner were smiling, and it becomes apparent they felt hopeful about the future. Faces of other people express the intention to help King. All of them realized they did in a correct and justified way. The expressive photo does not make the viewer feel anxious or aggressive, as the main message of the photo is equality through peaceful opposition.
In order to make the photo even more effective, the photographer could expand his composition and show the audience of the speech. This approach would make King even more significant and dominant. Besides, it is possible to choose slightly different angle, taking an image of King closer to his front. This angle would provide the viewer with a more distinct representation of King’s figure and posture. Perhaps, it would be effective to zoom the photo to make Martin’s mimics and gestures more vivid and accurate. The photographer may use another angle, if he cut the people behind King and add the audience in front of the scene. However, in case of any transformations, the photo will gain another effects and may lack its original sense designed by the photographer.
- “Martin Luther King, Jr.” Bible Odyssey. Web. https://www.bibleodyssey.org/tools/image-gallery/p/prophets-temple-mlk
