Her essays on photography have become legendary, and this book is no exception. Regarding the Pain of Others. Summary & Study Guide Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag Kindle Edition by BookRags.com (Author) Format: Kindle Edition 2.8 out of 5 stars 2 ratings Features detailed chapter by chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis. Viewers are more inclined to feel compassion toward subjects of their own race and nationality. While each image is a mere token of a larger issue, they collectively represent a broad strokes understanding of mankind's problems. Sontag initially addresses a question posed to writer and anti-war activist Virginia Woolf: “How in your opinion are we to prevent war?” but then, deducing that war is perennial, Sontag uses the remainder of her book to examine the relation between photography and feelings and ideas about war. After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. She notes, however, that interest is not necessarily accompanied with compassion. This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion and a Free Quiz on Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag. In Regarding the Pain of Others Susan Sontag asks the reader to think about what happens when suffering is viewed third hand. Regarding the Pain of Others Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to In Regarding the Pain of Others, Sontag explores visual representations of war and violence in today's culture - from Goya's The Disasters of War to photographs of the American Civil War and contemporary horrific images of the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Israel, and Palestine - asking a series of questions: What is the purpose of showing the atrocities of war? Governments clamp down on photojournalism to silence anti-war sentiment. These pictures, taken by American soldiers, on the surface tell a story of torture of those that were captured and detained in Abu Ghraib. By Susan Sontag. The sheer amount of coverage of death in the modern era, moreover, has begun to normalize it, taking away from the original power of the image. Television is just another step in this degenerative process; it's effective for now, but already it's used as a mechanism for coping with short attention spans and a constant desire for more stimulation. help you understand the book. ― Susan Sontag, quote from Regarding the Pain of Others “No "we" should be taken for granted when the subject is looking at other people's pain.” “With time, many staged photographs turn back into historical evidence, albeit of an impure kind - like most historical evidence.” We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Our Summary of Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag Susan Sontag's work 'Regarding the Pain of Others' represents a commentary on the perceptions of war. The Question and Answer section for Regarding the Pain of Others is a great You can help us out by revising, improving and updating At the same time, the hyper-saturation of images has dulled the public's sensibilities, making them callous. Tracing the development of technology alongside military history, Sontag demonstrates the importance of the Spanish Civil War: it was the first war to be attended by a crew of photographers to record it and send it home. Regarding the Pain of Others Sontag, Susan. Since the majority of people demand objectivity from photography, Sontag considers the subject of authenticity, examining the ways in which photography might be influenced by "art" to incite sentiment in the viewer. Shots are often staged and events reenacted for the camera. 25 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Regarding the Pain of Others. Sontag reminds the reader, however, that images are first filtered through image-takers. Regarding the Pain of Others study guide contains a biography of Susan Sontag, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. Regarding the Pain of Others “Our failure is one of imagination, of empathy, if we have failed to hold this reality in mind.” Susan Sontag (1933 – 2004) holds our morality in high regard and approaches it as one would a beloved old glove: beats it up a bit to keep the fibers supple and responsive. This study guide consists of approx. Regarding the Pain of Others is a book about photography but more so, it is a book about photographs and their influence upon us and what, if any, impact a photograph of human suffering can have on us or should have on us. She does not argue that the realities of war and violence must be kept in secret, but she explores this particular and very possible moment when the witness of other people's pain gets so used with atrocity that his moral sense and … Regarding the Pain of Others is a book-length essay that wanders all around the crucial thesis, exploring various aspects of both the subject and the medium before declaring a verdict on its efficacy. Why your go-to-market strategy should be industry focused She contends that war imagery is open to both interpretation and manipulation. She delineates a difference from viewing a horrific … Susan Sontag’s new book, Regarding the Pain of Others, updates, expands, and in certain respects repudiates her 1977 book On Photography.Where On Photography was quite theoretical and full of jargon, following, as it did, the work of the French critic Roland Barthes, Regarding the Pain of Others is a series of simple ideas written in plain language. this section. Get Regarding the Pain of Others from Amazon.com. Regarding The Torture Of Others. Something to be fixed. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Anonymous "Regarding the Pain of Others Summary". War photography can be used well, but perhaps not to the extent or effectiveness that was once hoped. will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. In Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag examines the manner in which war is perceived, taking into account such factors as sex, culture and status. She contends that war imagery is open to both interpretation and manipulation. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. 'Regarding the Pain of Others' By Susan Sontag. Dec. 2, 2020. To those who are sure that right is on one side, oppression and injustice on the other, and that the fighting must go … A Summary of Regarding the Torture of Others. The victims of famine and massacre are always, as Neville Chamberlain dismissively … “It is a view of suffering, of the pain of others, that is rooted in religious thinking, which links pain to sacrifice, sacrifice to exaltation - a view that could not be more alien to a modern sensibility, which regards suffering as something that is a mistake or an accident or a crime. Chapters 6 - 9 By Dwight Thompson & Jillian Ruddell. Regarding the Pain of Others is a 2003 book-length essay by Susan Sontag, which was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. With that warning Sontag dives into major questions about what seeing photos of suffering does to an individual: are we changed after seeing … In Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag examines the manner in which war is perceived, taking into account such factors as sex, culture and status. Regarding the Pain of Others is a book-length essay by Susan Sontag published in 2003. How does the spectacle of the sufferings of … everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Regarding the Pain of Others. In Regarding the Pain of Others, Sontag directly addresses an issue that she has mentioned in previous works (namely On Photographs ): the applicability of war images for use in pacifist efforts, as well as their effectiveness in the endeavor to force their viewers to understand the brutal reality of war. Regarding The Pain Of Others not rely on information about who and when and where; the arbitrariness of the relentless slaughter is evidence enough. Sontag decides that a history based only upon images is a fiction, explaining that a general understanding of history is more important than images pertaining to one historical event. Includes not just the sympathizers of the … Sontag claims that people are drawn to images of suffering with an almost sexual interest. An editor Something to be refused. Images, however, have impeccable veracity to the human mind, representing as they do the basis of empirical truth. Sontag starts off with beautifying. “ Regarding the Pain of Others bristles with a sense of commitment--to seeing the world as it is, to worrying about the ways it is represented, even to making some gesture in the direction of changing it...the performance is thrilling to witness.” ― The New York Times Magazine There is also the matter of why the viewer is looking at the image. Regarding the Pain of Others essays are academic essays for citation. Sontag claims that a photo's meaning is based on interpretation, perhaps formed of ignorance. Sontag explains that a picture's meaning is derived through a synthesis of artifice, context and experience. Images make events seem "real" to viewers, even as they seem "unreal" in their similarity to art. Regarding the Pain of Others Summary. The viewer's prior experience and the context of the viewing, all play a part in how meaning is derived. In Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag examines the manner in which war is perceived, taking into account such factors as sex, culture and status. Photographs also have a unique advantage over other forms of communication and recording: they are necessarily objective, and yet they are still taken from a subjective point of view, lending credibility to whatever argument is propagated by the photographer, an important development for the advent of photojournalism in the 1940s alongside World War II. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. 4 Pages. Access Full Guide. Something to be fixed. Sontag addresses the issue of censorship with the idea that war photography is, usually, anti-war in nature. It was her last published book before her death in 2004. Blog. by:Vernon Foley 2012 The author, Susan Sontag, uses this tragic record of events to explore the power of imagery to tell a story that words cannot bring to light. GradeSaver, 29 September 2019 Web. “No ‘we’ should be taken for granted when the subject is looking at other people’s pain” Who are the shocking pictures aimed at? It is a view of suffering, of the pain of others, that is rooted in religious thinking, which links pain to sacrifice, sacrifice to exaltation—a view that could not be more alien to a modern sensibility, which regards suffering as something that is a mistake or an accident or a crime. 24-page comprehensive study guide. Primary Category ... statements about photographs of suffering might also help us think about the function of writing and reading about others' suffering. Sontag considers the many ways that war is articulated through images, noting that artifice did not end with the advent of photography. Governments use photojournalists to put a positive face to unpopular wars. Sontag recognizes that atrocious images can leave one with a sense of powerlessness, but nevertheless concludes that it is important for people to be aware of what humankind is capable. Read the Study Guide for Regarding the Pain of Others…, The Meta-logic of Pain in Storytelling: Comparing Diop and Sontag, View Wikipedia Entries for Regarding the Pain of Others…. In Regarding the Pain of Others, Sontag is alerting us about the dangers of the wearing out of our moral feelings. In the third and fourth chapters of Susan Sontag’s, “ Regarding the Pain of Others”, Sontag discusses the impacts of art and photography, the reactions they can evoke, and how images can be manipulated. Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag Chapter 1: Men find glory and satisfaction in war but women do not; war is a man’s game War cannot be abolished Photos are used as rhetoric Does the shock of photos unite people of good will? It's equally likely that the appeal to halt the spread of militancy might spur it on instead. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag. Through the rest of the work, Sontag uses various illustrations to argue the point that horribly disturbing images of war can be interpreted in many ways, unlike Woolf's devoted pacifistic ideas: a photograph of a dismembered child could either convince a viewer that war is an atrocity that must be stopped, or that the army needs to redouble its efforts to end the war as soon as possible. Sontag goes through many functions of photography. Sontag's book takes an intimate look at the way we chronicle war and death in our society. Regarding the Pain Of Others READ AN EXCERPT One of the distinguishing features of modern life is that it supplies countless opportunities for regarding (at a distance, through the medium of photography) horrors taking place throughout the world. Susan Sontag (/ˈsɒntæɡ/; January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004) was an American writer, filmmaker, teacher, and political activist. The pain of others titillates us, so long as it is kept at a safe distance. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion and a Free Quiz on Sontag ends this essay with the argument that, while these images can be effective in their own right, they will never be able to truly encapsulate war and allow viewers to experience it secondhand, simply because they have never experienced it firsthand. The opening paragraphs quickly set the central theme of … She contends that war imagery is open to both interpretation and manipulation. 1090 Words. While most people cannot, will not, ever know what it means to suffer such horror, it is important that everyone understand that such nightmares are real. Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this Regarding the Pain of Others study guide. She emphasizes that a photographer is framing the narrative, he or she is letting us see what they want us to see. In some cases the camera's presence can influence what is captured. Regarding the Pain of Others Susan Sontag I’m on a laid-back mission to make my way through Susan Sontag’s oeuvre, and this in particular has been on my active reading list since I finished On Photography several years ago. The ultimate resource for class assignments, lesson planning, or leading discussions. ... ''any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on … She begins this long essay by considering a passage from Virginia Woolf's Three Guineas, a book dealing with the Spanish Civil War, arguing that Woolf's objection to the discrepancy between different views on war is too weak; instead of merely being subject to the differences between men and women, views on war are far from uniform, and different pieces of evidence lead different people to drastically different conclusions. Others ' suffering Summary of Regarding the Pain of Others titillates us, so as. 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