Summary Of Raising The Flag On Iwo Jima By Joe Rosenthal

Joe Rosenthal is a photographer whose photo, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, has become one of the most recognizable photos in American history. It became so famous that it won a Pulitzer Prize the same year it was taken, used to create the Marine Corps War Memorial, and used as the photo for a war-bond poster in 1945 which raised $26 billion (Pulitizer). As such, I argue that this photo illustrates the brutality of the fighting that occurred on not only Iwo Jima, but throughout World War II, and also makes a strong argument for the theory of liberalism. However, first it is important to identify what exactly makes this photo so revered and why it was selected. The reason I selected this photo is because of its historical significants and its

This is explained in Kant’s theory of perpetual peace in which he explains that the coalition if strong enough can prevent others from attacking out of fear of their power and any who defect from the coalition will also be punished. Rosenthal’s photo shows the Marines cooperating and together able to overcome the heavily entrenched Japanese and eventually plant a symbol of hope. One can see this cooperation in how they all are supporting each other on the jagged landscape and each have a hand on the flag as it is planted into the ground. Also, one could argue that the whole war was a symbol of liberalism with the Allies coalition proving to be stronger than the Axis powers, and punishing those who wished to upset the peace in the world for personal gains. I believe is shown by the lighting and angle of the photo if one looks at the area to the left/behind the men and the flag it is clear and shows miles of land, whereas, on the right/front of the men and flag it is cloudy/smoky, and the area is hidden. This shows how the Allies coalition is watching over the world and begin to clean up the anarchy that the Axis powers had brought to the