ANALYSIS: MARC RIBOUD

This photo is called, 'The ultimate confrontation: The flower and the bayonet'. The girl in the picture is a woman named Jan Rose Kasmir, who at the time was an American high school student. Riboud was taking part with other anti-war activists while he took this picture of Kasmir. For me, this photo symbolises peace and innocence as all that the girl is holding up is a flower which is something very delicate and non violent. She has a look of forgiveness in her eyes. Kasmir is not shown to be aggressive or using force even though she is stood up to many men who are portrayed as having more power than her. The army men all have the same expression on their face, looking straight through her and all dressed in the same uniform which in a way makes them almost robot-like. Moreover, the uniform that they are in is all black which is very plain and sinister with a hard helmet on too. This contrast completely to how the woman is shown as she is unique and on her own, dressed in light cloths carrying a symbol of peace. On a denotative level, this photo only offers us a young girl holding up a flower to a group of men holding weapons. However, on a connotative level the flower shows delicacy, forgiveness and the girl symbolisis hope.