Collection Of Photographs Many Different Things example essay topic

Thailand is a country enveloped in much mystery and cultural tradition. This fact is reflected very clearly in a series of pictures taken from the article, "The Many Faces of Thailand" in the February 1996 issue of the National Geographic magazine, titled, "Into the Heart of Glaciers" I will attempt to analyze the way in which the pictures portray the richness of Thailand's culture and people and prove this statement about the National Geographic's photography, "They originated in a search for ways of teaching about the third world that did not objectify and were not paternalistic but that fostered both a sense of how lives around the globe are interconnected and a capacity for empathetic understanding". (Collins, Lutz 3) "A good portion of its text and photographs is devoted to images of the peoples and cultures of the third world". (Collins, Lutz 1) This quote taken out of, Reading National Geographic, is proven very true by my use of this article about Thailand.

National Geographic magazine has always tried to create interest in third world countries through its photographic spreads and "draw people into contact with a much wider set of cultural ideas" (Collins, Lutz 1) The first photograph found in this series is one of a Buddhist ceremony. It includes much artistry and focus and teaches the reader many things about Thailand's culture. The first thing that I noticed about the picture was that it is dominated by males. There are no females in this photograph and the ages of the males vary greatly showing a male dominance being present in the cultural hierarchy. The photo is very dark, causing the reader to focus on the subjects rather than the background. Jodi Cobb, the photographer, portrays the harmony and continuity which is traditionally the spirit found amongst the Thai people by showing the men donning monks' robes and holding candles, incense and lotus blossoms.

Capturing a photograph of a cultural ceremony is very effective in educating an audience about a country. An omniscient, unbiased stance is being achieved by the photographer in this shot because there is no indication of good or bad throughout this photograph, it is simply the reflection of a ceremony in order to more appreciate Thai culture. "The magazine attempts to articulate a national vision, addressing the concern and curiosity of all U.S. citizens". (Collins, Lutz 6) In another photograph of the collection, a concern of AIDS is addressed. According the picture description, prostitution serves intercontinental clientele and some 800,000 citizens are HIV-positive and one-in three prostitutes may be infected with the virus. This photograph shows a less-harmonized side of Thai life than the first yet still maintains the theme of religion seen in the lives of many Thai people.

It shows a Thai woman pausing to respect a "spirit house" while being stared at by what looks like two American men. There are many things that come to mind when seeing this photo but one major thing is the way the men are staring at the woman. The way in which the men are "checking out" the Thai woman while she is pausing to pay respects to her religion is extremely distasteful. In my opinion National Geographic may have been trying to say something about the way tourists treat natives when visiting Thailand with this photograph. As for the mention of AIDS, I believe it was brought up within this photograph because the nonchalance of sexuality is shown here. It is very doubtful that the men are considering HIV when hiring prostitutes while vacationing in Thailand.

Culturally the photographs tell completely different stories but are tied into the same theme of showing Thai people to be religious and traditional. In the next photograph the Royal Guards are shown riding in a truck that looks like a greenhouse. The soldiers are protected from Bangkok's dirty air, but why they don't just ride in cars is difficult for me to understand. Personally I believe that this photograph was included in the collection to show the reader another side of Thai culture which is that of the government. The difference between the treatment of these soldiers who are so elegantly uniformed and the pictures of common citizens are very contrasting and show the social hierarchy which exists amongst the people.

A very generic thought about Bangkok is that it is one of the most congested cities in the world. In following with National Geographic's need to "articulate a national vision" (Collins, Lutz 6), there is both a photo of the congested streets of Bangkok and the city skyline including quite a few skyscrapers. The city skyline looking modernized is something American city people can connect with and the photograph can also provide answers to questions about the developmental stages of the country. The photograph of the congested street full of cars and traffic simply creates proof of the six million person population of the capital city of Thailand.

In contrast with city life, there is another photograph in the collection which portrays "a simpler life" of Thai people. It is a photograph of a pretty barren land and a very natural environment full of kids and animals. There are kids just sitting around, talking and in the background you can tell the differences in ages according to the varying sizes of children. There is a man walking through the picture pulling what looks like a pig and holding a pineapple. Perhaps that will be his dinner, but not many things can be deduced from this photograph. It is a very objective piece that is simply a scene out of life in Thailand.

What I don't really understand about this picture is the child in the foreground who is holding a gun. Nothing is mentioned about this in the picture's description so I will have to just assume things. Perhaps the child found it and thought it was a toy and its presence in the photograph shows a lack of supervision. Regardless of the reasons for things being in the photograph, the photographer does achieve a major contrast between all of the photos in the collection and this one. In continuing with a very traditional and religious theme, the next picture I will discuss is of a feast for monkeys. The animal has been very lucky for a hotelier's family and so this feast is prepared to thank them.

I found this photograph the most interesting of the collection because the artistry is unbelievable. Starting with the contrast between background and foreground, the photographer achieves such a wonderful affect because the background is dull colored buildings while the foreground is this brightly colored table with colorful food and monkeys sitting on it. Another thing I find so interesting about this photograph is the contrast between human and animal. The people are standing around the table while the monkeys eat the wonderfully laid out food at the table. This is interesting because in American culture this sort of thing would never be seen. The monkey is always in a zoo or being watched playing on trees, never in a humane environment eating a three-course meal.

I believe this is a very culturally rich photograph and it is important for readers to see and understand the respect that Thai people have for animals and nature. Throughout this collection of photographs many different things have been learned about Thailand. Even without reading the article, I have seen a lot of cultural differences between America and Thailand and even between the Thai people themselves. "Some readings reinforce American illusions of cultural superiority and paternalism, while others entail an engagement with the subject photographed, identification across cultural boundaries, the awakening of a curiosity that may be politically invigorating".

(Collins, Lutz 11) In this issue of National Geographic the article, "The Many Faces of Thailand", really did show the many faces of this country. Each photograph of the collection portrayed a different piece of Thailand's cultural puzzle and than fit together to illustrate the harmony, celebration, vivaciousness and even depression of the nation's people.

Bibliography

Collins, Jane L. and Lutz, Catherine A. Reading National Geographic. University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 1993.
National Geographic Volume 189 No. 2, "Into the Heart of Glaciers" February 1996.