On Photography Literary Elements

Collection of Essays

Written in 1970s, in the context of Sontag's views on photography.

First-person narrative

The tone is suspicious, and the mood is depressing.

Susan Sontag is the protagonist of the story.

The major conflict was when the Farm Security Administration spread propaganda about fruitful harvests using photographs that showed that farmers were expecting high yields. On the contrary, farmers and millions of Americans were in deep poverty.

The climax comes when Sontag exposes the false impression of Andy Warhol's artistic work, which contained false impressions that America was doing great economically.

The Farm Security Administration’s propaganda foreshadowed a fruitful harvest in later days.

The power of photography is understated. For instance, the Farm Security Administration misuses photography when it showcases a pamper harvest, but that was far from the truth in reality.

The story alludes to the power of photography when used appropriately to help society.

The main imagery in the book is photography which depicts sight. The photos of a pamper harvest shows readers how the authority blinds citizens to keep their hopes alive.

Andy Warhol's artistic work is satirical because he intentionally creates the false well-being of Americans while they are languishing in poverty.

Farm Security Administration’s act of circulating fake photos parallels Warhol’s artistic work.

N/A

Photography is personified as a beautiful and powerful influencer.