Jeff Widener’s photograph, Tank Man, is a picture captured during the June Fourth Incident in 1989, which displays a student’s peaceful protest against the cold-blooded Chinese government. The photograph draws a comparison between the two counterparts (composition): a line of loaded tanks symbolizing the well-armed powerful Chinese government and a helpless student protester holding a black shopping bag. The picture revives the history of 1989 at Tiananmen Square, in which the vulnerable student protesters calling for individual rights and freedom were answered with firearms and armed vehicles deployed by the government.
From the man’s point of view, the image portrays the desperation of the protestor which forces him to sacrifice himself against the government he once had faith in. Facing four gigantic tanks which can easily take his life away, the white-clothed man shows no sign of retreat or asking for help, but, instead, stands still and ready to face the machine with his vulnerable body (human body and material tank). The man’s decision shows his realization of the limited power and right of a protestor and disappointment toward the current political situations as he assumes that no one in his group will be able to help him and that the government will not show empathy to him. Furthermore, the man’s brave action displays a contrast between the ideal and the reality (further clarification), a conflict in the man’s mind between his eagerness of achieving success with his protest and the impossibility of completing this mission, which further highlights the protesters’ despair.
From the government’s point of view, the picture shows the cold-blooded quality of the government who is willing to sacrifice his people in order to gain authority. The communist party responds to the people’s demand with threats, demonstrating its power by pulling out armed vehicles. In reality, tanks often are used in war against foreign countries in order to protect a country’s homeland and people. However, the Chinese government in 1989 did the exact opposite. They turned the people into enemies and killed them without any hesitation. In the governor’s eyes, the man seems to be more like an emery instead of a citizen as the tanks show no sign of ceasing and there is no officer standing by who tries to help the man.
Last but not least, the image loomed with an atmosphere of ironies as the incident took place at Tiananmen Square (site, location, or space). The founding idea of Tiananmen Square is for embodying the notion of people, which is designed thoughtfully for large assemblies and community gatherings. Unfortunately, the picture displays a different story: Tiananmen Square is no longer built for the people but for leaders to demonstrate their power and authority. Under the changing political discourse, the people who are trying to remind the government about their identity are treated with suppression. As shown by the white-clothed man in the picture, many people’s patriotism has already faded away from the government’s upsetting regime and barbaric behaviors and now is replaced by defeatism and betrayal.
Jeff Widener took “Tank man” purely by accident while he intended to capture some pictures of Tiananmen Square. Although taken coincidentally, the photo unravelled the ruthless act of the Chinese government, raised heated discussions worldwide, and became a dark history that the Chinese government strives to erase. Having been born in China and lived in Shanghai for the past 19 years, I have never heard anyone talk about the June Fourth Incident. I feel surprised and, in some way, betrayed by the government who shapes a figure to the public that does not correspond with its past. According to a Chinese proverb, “paper can not wrap fire,” the past wrongdoings of the Chinese government will eventually be discovered by the new generations, and will the government still be able to unify the country when the truth is being unfolded? Everyone makes mistake, and “failure is the mother of success.” The Chinese government ought to openly educate its people of the past and give people the right to know in order to fully embody the notion of people.
Howard, this is a good start in terms of visual analysis. you have well organized the materials with the structure of the theme and visual (counterparts via composition, confrontation via human body-military tank, and individual and official points of view), for instance. tighten up the sentence syntax and make the writing sound concise, clear, but persuasive.
Online references and citations:
https://www.dw.com/zh/坦克人摄影师讲述照片背后的故事/a-17678678
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1031945/shooting-tank-man