Sunday, March 21, 2010

How does a new citizen view an iconic photo?

I think the most interesting thing at the Iowa Historical Building was the citizenship ceremony taking place in the main lobby. The people there were celebrating their new right to vote and can now look at the US flag and claim it as their own. I wonder if these new citizens look at iconic American photos, like the one taken at Iwo Jima, and feel the American the egalitarianism, nationalism, and civic republicanism described in the Hariman and Lucaites essay.

Egalitarianism is defined on dictionary.com as asserting, resulting from, or characterized by belief in the equality of all people, esp. in political, economic, or social life. Each man in the Iwo Jima photo is poised to show his job in raising the flag is equally important. Egalitarianism is a core value of the United States, so each new citizen was in a similar position to the men in the photo.

The nationalism exhibited in the Iwo Jima photo, as described by Hariman and Lucaites, is evident through the flag as national symbol signifying the values of our US society. The people who immigrated to the US and are becoming citizens can look upon a photo like Iwo Jima and relate to the pride the soldiers felt raising the flag.

The civic republicanism described in the Hariman and Lucaites essay is a more abstract aspect of the iconic photo. The people at the citizenship ceremony have chosen to become citizens of the US because of the republicanism throughout the country. It is difficult to look at the photo of the soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima and think of the republicanism they may represent, but it can more easily be thought that the new citizens have chosen the US because of the strong republic it is.

The historical society of Iowa was an educational trip more because of the event occurring during our visit than the exhibits. I had never seen a citizenship ceremony before and was surprised how many people were in attendance. I believe it is great that so many people can become citizens no matter how they may look upon an American Iconic photo like Iwo Jima.

-Becky

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