The Napalm Girl

Photo description 

The photograph shows a flat scenery where only grass and small shrubs and bushes grow. Right through this flat wasteland runs a broad street and a small house can be seen in the background. The background is filled by an enormous wall of smoke, like the ones caused by huge explosions. In the foreground you can see 5 children, of which three seem to be crying, one completely naked, one dressed in a shirt and underpants, one dressed in what seems to be pyjamas, one dressed in a shirt and what seems to be either long, airy pants or a skirt and one smaller child apparently in just a shirt. Behind them, there are five American soldiers in full Vietnam war gear, seemingly completely unfazed by the suffering children as they do not seem to have any intention of intervening or helping them. The soldiers also do not expect any attacks as three of them carry their weapons at least partly concealed.

History of photography

Peer feedback:

Overall, the idea was thought of as not bad, but also not as especially good. The big problem was that I did have neither a conflict, nor an initiation point, nor a solution. For a narrative text this is necessary, and so I had to completely revise the text and make up a completely new story. I was also told that there was no need an extensive description of the cost of the camera, but I liked this aspect so I included at least a part of it into the new text.

Slowly fading away

When I think back to the beginning of my life, I surely can remember the first time someone took a photo with my fragile parts. Well fragile may be the wrong word to describe it. I have to admit, my components are a little bit bulky and bit rusty as well, but I know that I delivered solid results and the artists and amateurs of photography loved the flair my pictures emitted.

And what now? I am sitting here in a box, not been used for several years, reminiscent of a glorious past. From my first day on as a camera obscura in the early 1830s, I served my owners loyally, and yes, I say owners, because at the time, people passed me on from generation to generation due to my value. What added to my importance was the fact that my first owner was Mr. Daguerre himself, the father of all camera obscuras. However, not only was I expensive, but also the iodized silver plates, which had to be inserted into me to, almost instantly, take pictures of sceneries. And, I do not want to repeat myself, but the results were astonishing for that time. Now we are in the year 1926 and it seems that I am no longer needed. The creation of the “Kodak” was the first sign that my reign was soon to be over. I did not want to realize that I was being replaced, but with the “Brownie” in 1900 and finally the “Leica 1” a year ago, my use has come to a halt. People stopped operating me and started to use those newly invented “Cameras” with their fancy “photographic film”. They may be much lighter and cheaper, but they will never be an icon as I was before them. But how will all of this end? Will I sit in this box for the rest of eternity and wait for my components to fall apart as I slowly drift into oblivion? I do not want to die like this! I do not want to be forgotten as if I had been a nobody!

But wait! What is this? Steps coming towards me. I am slowly being picked up and carefully placed on a glass shelf. It is so bright, I can barely see. Yet just beside me, one of my fellow camera obscuras! Oh, what joy! But where am I? An exhibition? No, this is bigger. Now I see! It is a museum! Maybe I will not be forgotten, just like tears in the rain. Maybe I will be remembered forever, as the first camera ever to be build.

Narrative article introduction

Sense of life

Marla is sitting in her living room, eyes stuck to the TV, hoping to hear something new in the news, while she expects her husband Tyler to return from his nightly strolls. She had stopped asking him where he went or why he left every night just to return with swollen, bloodstained knuckles. Marla stopped imagining what he might be up to while being out, simply because she could no longer put up a fight after hearing the news that their only son, a passenger of the missing Boeing 777 had gone missing along with the rest of the plane. 

Since the disappearance of flight “MH370”, Marla had not once left the house, neither to go to work, nor to see her friends or do the shopping. However, there was no real need to do the shopping, as Marla had ceased to eat since the message was brought to her. Many people would think of her to have died at that point, and to a certain extend this might be true, but inside of her there still lies a spark of hope that all of this might just be a nightmare, soon to be awaken of.