801 Resolutions

Jennifer:

Dorothea Lange’s photographs of the Dust Bowl teach the students sides of the US history that textbooks do not normally show. The Columbia Encyclopedia (2003) described that “Lange’s photographs emphasized the laborer’s dignity and pride in an environment of starkest poverty.” Through only text in the textbook, students have no way to understand and actually experience the hardship of the migrants who lived through the Dust Bowl. For example if the text says, “the dust was everywhere,” the students would not get such a strong image in their head as if they see an image showing dust in the air and on everybody’s nostril as well. Photographs show a deeper side of the hardship the Okies were facing.

The photographs let the young generations see another side of the problems in the world, such as child labor. There is a documentary photograph collection shot by Lewis W Hine that showed how the US society used child as laborers to get the best profit. Pictures like the ones showing above showed how depressed the children were when they spend their time working for a low wage of money and not out in school or playing. People might only read in the textbook how it’s bad to have children as laborers, but none of them could see how sad and unfortunate those children really were. With these pictures, all the deeper meaning of child labor is exposed to the audience. Without words, these pictures could show the audience the same thing a textbook could, but more deeply. Like the phrase that many people believe, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” By seeing these pictures, a larger part of the society would notice the needs of the problems. When more people knowing the issue, the more help the issue get.

David Wu:

Dorothea Lange was a famous photographer during the time of the Dust Bowl of the early 1900’s. She put a series of photographs and documents together to help the Okies and many other migrant families to obtain government relief with all the great photos she took of the Okies. She helped the Okies when they migrated to California and many hardships upon them down Route 66. There are many ways to solve problems, and photographs are one of the many ways. Photographs can show more on what you want to prove, it shows more evidence in court cases, and get somebody to do something in the society for the better. Photographs show more evidence than you can see in documents with text. Next time when you are using photos, see can it prove more than just TEXT!

Gou Xin:

The problem of the Okies is not getting enough support. It didn’t work, as people would use words to express all of their ides. Well report and keep of writing didn’t help much. Photos were better because it can show a person how it was hard not just plainly telling people it is hard. Today we have much conflict with hunger people in cities often have people that are starving and that isn’t eh way to be. People wrote and did many things to try to end poverty but what catches the eye more is the TV ads, not the words of poverty people.

Vernon:

Now you know how Dorothea’s picture have told a story and how her pictures can make a difference in society which made her famous and well known. She has done deeds that help the Okies change the world around them. This deed made life much better for them. If it wasn’t for her, some of the Okies will die due to the harsh environment that they have faced. Therefore, the next time you see a picture that was taken by Dorothea Lange, please keep in mind that a picture is not just a picture, but it is to show how bad life was at that time. It help the government realize how the Okies are treated and how pictures can tell of the world today and to solve problems.

Herman:

In the world, there are many problems. Using text is one way, but it does not always work to argue something. Like for the Okies in the Dust Bowl, there are loads of documents out there about what situation of the Okies. The Government didn’t care, but the photos of Dorothea Lange made the Government do something about it. For today we can use it too, many people didn’t want the war with Iraq, so they send document of why there shouldn’t be a war. The government always has something to say about it. Still the government is deciding about having the war or not. We can use photo of how the Iraq live though their lives. When the government see that, they will learn how terrible they are, and how they are treating the Iraq people, making all the Iraq people scare that they might die. Don’t think that only text work for arguing; don’t think that text is the best answer for it. Remember photo is useful too.