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Michael Banerjee

Dr. Haspel

English 137 H

10/1/12

Unit 2 Rhetorical Analysis Essay

The photograph depicting four American soldiers striving to raise a large

American flag atop Mount Suribachi during the intense World War 2 battle that took

place on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima has become quite a popular image and has been

featured on everything from posters to stamps. Associated Press photographer Joel

Rosenthal took the photograph, which is appropriately titled Raising the Flag on Iwo

Jima, on February 23, 1945 (“Battle for Iwo Jima”). The photograph, which can be

found in the appendix, came to prominence and eventually became synonymous with the

American values of unity, pride, and bravery. Rosenthal won various awards for what

was to become one of the most iconic images in modern times, including the 1945

Pulitzer Prize for photography (“Battle for Iwo Jima”). Unbeknownst to many,

Rosenthal’s renowned photograph was actually the second flag-raising picture taken on

Iwo Jima on that February day in 1945. The first flag-raising picture (which can also be

found in the appendix) was a much less appealing image because the flag in the picture is

relatively small flag, the flag had already been erected, and the picture features more

armed soldiers than does the second image. This photographic piece of propaganda is

highly effective (and more effective than the first flag-raising picture) because it

Banerjee  2    promotes the American ideals of unity, pride, and bravery, by appealing to its audience

via the rhetorical proof of pathos.

To be able to fully appreciate the impact this photograph had on the people of the

world in 1945 (and beyond), one must first come to appreciate the tumultuous climate

from which it came about. The Second World War was fought largely in Europe, Eastern

Asia, and the Pacific Ocean, but the devastating war reached even Northern Africa

(Hickman). In February of 1945, what would become by far history’s deadliest

conventional war had been raging for nearly six years when the Allied forces composed

of the United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, and China prepared to close in on the

Axis forces composed of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan (Hickman).

The United States had labeled the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, which translates literally

to “sulfur island,” as a critical target for capture (“Battle for Iwo Jima”). If the island

were captured, it would be a tactically imperative location for United States forces,

serving as an Air Force base that would be supporting bombers departing for and

returning from strikes on the Japanese mainland (“Battle for Iwo Jima”). Iwo Jima was

also tactically important because it would facilitate air and sea blockades that would

further weaken the Japanese war effort (“Battle for Iwo Jima”). Japanese leadership

realized that American capture of Iwo Jima would be detrimental to their war campaign

and so were prepared to do everything in their power to defend the island. The Battle of

Iwo Jima lasted for 36 hard-fought days, from February 19, 1945 until March 26, 1945

(“Battle for Iwo Jima”). As a result of the 36-day attack on Iwo Jima, over 26,000

Americans suffered casualties, which includes the 6,800 that lost their lives. 18,917

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Japanese soldiers lost their lives as a result of the Iwo Jima campaign, leaving only 1,083

of the 20,000 Japanese defenders alive (“Battle for Iwo Jima”).

In the mist of this violent battle, on the morning of February 23, 1945, forty men

followed Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier from the bottom of Mount Suribachi, the island’s

most prominent feature, to the crest of the mountain with an objective of capturing the

crater that doubled as the mountain’s peak and hoisting an American Flag that would

undoubtedly be visible for miles (“Raising the Flag Over Iwo Jima”). About two hours

after the men began scaling the mountain, the flag was hoisted and the mission was

complete (“Raising the Flag Over Iwo Jima”). Marine Corps photographer Sergeant Lou

Lowery recorded this first flag raising just as an enemy grenade entered the proximity of

the band of soldiers positioned on the mountain’s crater, which he responded to by

flinging himself over the crater’s edge, tumbling 50 feet; he and his film came out largely

unscathed (“Battle for Iwo Jima”). The first flag was deemed to be too small so

approximately three hours later, another battalion was sent to the crest of the mountain

(“Battle for Iwo Jima”). This second battalion raised a significantly larger flag atop Mt.

Suribachi while Associate Press photographer Joel Rosenthal captured the historic

moment in what has become arguably the most recognizable image of modern times

(“Battle for Iwo Jima”).

To be clear, Sergeant Lowery’s picture was in no way a poor piece of

photography, but it did not possess the same plethora of rhetorical potential as

Rosenthal’s picture did. The roots of the second picture’s rhetorical superiority can be

traced to the circumstantial differences that become limpid when the two images are

compared. The first picture showed the American flag already erect rather than depicting

Banerjee  4    the soldiers working in unison to raise it, as was the case in the second picture. The first

picture also displays two soldiers that are clearly armed, with the foremost of the two

brandishing a large rifle as he looks on, while the second picture shows only that one of

the soldiers depicted is armed but in a much more discrete manner. Since the picture

taken by Joel Rosenthal features fewer guns than the picture taken by Sergeant Lowery

does, Rosenthal’s picture may better implicitly state that while the United States (strictly

within the confines of the Battle of Iwo Jima) were the aggressors, they were not

necessarily warmongering or eagerly belligerent—which is how most governments

would prefer their armies to be portrayed. Finally, unlike in the first picture, all soldiers

in the second picture were focused on raising the flag while soldiers in the first picture

were looking on in different directions and not working towards one common goal.

The second image utilizes the rhetorical proof of pathos to associate the image

with the American values of unity, pride, and bravery and to arouse these feelings within

all that view the image. The picture promotes the notion of unity by showing the soldiers

working in conjunction to raise their beloved American flag. All of the soldiers in the

second picture working towards a common goal promotes unity more so than do the

soldiers looking on in different directions in the first picture because they are not working

toward a common goal. The picture also promotes the notion of pride because the

soldiers are raising an American flag—the flag of the great nation they are fighting for

and the red strips of which may come to represent their own spilt blood at any time,

which offers a lead way into the notion of bravery. The picture promotes bravery

because even in the midst of intense battle, these valiant soldiers are defending and

promoting their country and the interests thereof. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, one of the

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many leaders of the United States’ war efforts on the Pacific front, attested to the bravery

of soldiers like the ones featured in Rosenthal’s image by stating that “among the

Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue” (“Battle

for Iwo Jima”).

In conclusion, Rosenthal’s image uses pathos extremely effectively to evoke the

American values of unity, pride, and bravery in people that view his famous photograph.

The soldiers depicted in the second flag-raising picture help to promote these values by

collectively working to raise the American flag during a heated battle—a battle in which

they could have easily lost their lives. When Rosenthal’s image is paired with the fact

that no less than 6,800 Americans lost their lives during the Battle of Iwo Jima, the values

mentioned hitherto become even more pellucid (“Battle for Iwo Jima”). The photograph

taken by Marine Corps photographer, Sergeant Lowery, offers a foil that helps to

highlight the superior rhetoric that can be found in Rosenthal’s image. For those who

view Rosenthal’s Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, the image serves as an effective medium

for arousing the feelings of unity, pride, and bravery.

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Appendix

Joel Rosenthal’s Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima

(Rosenthal)

Lou Lowery’s photograph of the first flag-raising on Iwo Jima

(Lowery)

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Works Cited

"Battle for Iwo Jima, 1945." Battle for Iwo Jima, 1945. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept.

2012.

Hickman, Kennedy. "World War II 101: An Overview." About.com Guide. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2012.

Lowery, Lou. 1945. Photograph. The Picture – Iwo Jima Photos. Web. 28 Sept.

2012.

"Raising the Flag Over Iwo Jima, 1945." Raising the Flag Over Iwo Jima, 1945.

N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2012.

Rosenthal, Joel. Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. 1945. Photograph. The Picture –

Iwo Jima Photos. Web. 28 Sept. 2012.