1. Jessica Miedel
Spring 2012
COM 378
“Falling Man” Take-Home Essay Exam
**I wrote this essay for a special topics communication visual rhetoric course focusing on the War
on Terror in reference to the photograph, "Falling Man" by Richard Drew.
In the following essay, I would like to examine the functional difference between “the
obscene” and “the pornographic” in photojournalism regarding the War on Terror and further, use

2. this contrast to explain the overwhelming impulse of Americans to see only photographs of
“heroes” after the September 11, 2001 attacks, as opposed to those photographs which depict the
suffering and somberness of the attacks. In particular, I will explore these concepts as they are
exemplified and applied in the infamous “Falling Man” photograph.
Let us attempt to make a distinction between something that is “obscene” as opposed to
something that is “pornographic”. Words closely related to “obscene” range from repulsive,
offensive, to disgusting. Many of the definitions I located would classify something as “obscene” if
it exceeded the accepted standards or normalcies of society; in other words, something that is
obscene would be offensive to our accepted ideology of how the world should look/work.
Similarly, the American Heritage Dictionary defines pornography as “Books, photographs,
magazines, art, or music designed to excite sexual impulses and considered by public authorities or
public opinion as in violation of accepted standards of sexual morality”. Other definitions describe
pornography as any material (photographs, writings, drawings, film, etc.) that is created and
distributed with the intent to stimulate sexual desire. Some words that might be associated with
pornography are “indecent” and not coincidently, “obscene”. Due to their striking resemblance's to
each other, one can see why many people use “pornographic” and “obscene” interchangeably, often
to describe the same thing. In the context of this particular course; however, it is important to
separate these concepts so we may better understand the ideologies being projected from the many
War on Terror photojournalism examples. There are aspects of both of these words that imply a
certain social taboo; something that surpasses what society deems as “acceptable”. Regardless of
the acceptability of obscene and pornographic images, they are still existing images nonetheless. In
our society there seems to be an unofficial standard or line in which defines our comfort levels.
Anything that goes beyond this line and puts us in an uncomfortable position is something we as
Americans reject, as seen in the initial and only publication of the “Falling Man” photograph.
Perhaps this is the reason why so many war photographs seem to project a pornographic quality
about them--People can deal with seeing the porn; however, they can’t deal with the obscene. To

3. explain this thought further, let’s consider a few images. For instance, “Accidental Napalm” is
often described as obscene; however, probably never associated with any pornographic
characteristics. If we compare this image to other dominant war imagery, we find considerable
differences. For example, the photographs we see in the American Heroes calendar can easily be
confused with pornography, because of the obvious sexual undertone. So what makes these
photographs different? In the most basic sense, I think it is the reaction of the photographs that set
them apart--“Accidental Napalm” creates a feeling of disgust and shame regarding war and
American soldiers. This image shows the harsh reality of war, the effects, the cost of freedom, etc.
The images in the American Heroes calendar portray war and American soldiers the way we like to
think of them as--muscular, physically superior, good-looking, etc. These characteristics provoke
feelings of pride, security, superiority, strength, and power. This contrast shows an ideology at
work (American Heroes calendar), and the same ideology being shattered (“Accidental Napalm”).
Another important distinction between the pornographic and the obscene is the fantasy
element about them. While viewing photographs with pornographic qualities, the audience can
remain in their comfort zone, viewing something that represents the sugar-coated popular view of
the American soldier/war. While this keeps the audience within their accepted level of tolerance, it
does not provide the audience with the full reality of war. Viewing the American Heroes calendar,
it is as if we can satisfy our curiosity enough; however, not so much that we are offended by the
images. In class we discussed that what makes porn so alluring is the idea that it projects a certain
ideology without the harsh consequences or reality that comes with it. This is what distinguishes
the American Heroes calendar from the photograph of the soldier saluting without his hand shown
only on its back cover. The true heroes are not those men posing with their shirts off, leaning
against military trucks and tanks; the true heroes are the ones we may have a hard time looking at or
hearing their story. When we see the soldier without his hand saluting, we are shown the harsh
reality and sacrifice of war (the consequences, the aftermath, and the cost of maintaining our
American ideologies). I propose that although there is a difference between the obscene and the

4. pornographic, the images that we have been studying are somewhere in between, and this creative
tension between the two is what creates a powerful and iconic photograph.
Now that we have differentiated between something with obscene qualities and something
with pornographic qualities, let us call our attention to how these concepts are exemplified in the
“Falling Man” photograph. When simply looking at the “Falling Man” photograph without
knowing any of its context or history, we see an image that captures a serene and calm moment in
time. Contextually, we know that this man is actually falling to his death; however, in this exact
moment that the photographer captured within this image, this moment does not seem so obscene
anymore. “Falling Man”, in my opinion, is one of the best examples of the creative tension between
what is pornographic and what is obscene. Although the photograph is not quite pornographic, it is
fair to say that there is some sort of allure to it. We are able to see this man in one calm and serene
instance in his life; his gracefulness against the towering building might seem like something
beautiful if we separate the text of this photograph and its actual context. Knowing its context;
however, is what to most Americans classifies this photograph as obscene. The context and reality
of the “Falling Man” is a man who is desperate to escape from the unbearable smoke and fire from
the Twin Tower attacks, and the moment of his life that was captured was one of this man’s last
moments--He is falling to his death. I think the reason that Americans rejected the “Falling Man”
photograph so quickly is because of its unique balance between something pornographic (alluring)
and something that is obscene (repulsive). Another reason this photograph was discarded almost
instantly is that I do not think Americans allowed themselves to look at the photograph and see
something serene and almost beautiful. Perhaps for a second they were tempted to view it that way;
however, the context and background information regarding the image instantly floods the viewers’
thoughts and then just looking at this photograph seems wrong altogether, let alone finding some
redeeming qualities about it. Initially, I felt a sense of guilt the more and more I looked and
examined the photograph--like I was peering into a very private moment in this man’s life and there
was something not right about it. The more I examined the photograph; however, my initial

5. reaction to discard it was replaced by the reaction to readily display it. I do not think we are prying
into this man’s personal moment in time, I think we are sharing it with him. This photograph forces
the viewer to put themselves in the shoes of this man and ask ourselves what we would have done it
that situation. This provides a sense of unity that is a common theme than can be taken from the
aftermath of 9/11; regardless of who this man is, where he was working that day, etc., he represents
the thousands of people that were forced to make that same unfathomable decision and in general,
exemplifies all the general feelings of panic and desperateness felt by all Americans that day.
Whether we are related to this man or even know his name, it does not change our empathy and
understanding of the photograph. While this photograph proves difficult for many to look at, it is
something that everyone should look at, especially as Americans. We must all put ourselves in the
Falling Man’s position to understand his decision and better fully grasp the unthinkable
consequences of that day to discover how we fit in this newly-defined world that happened as soon
as the first plane hit one of the towers. It forces us to delve deeper than just the facts of that day,
and consciously figure out what the greater meaning of all this is and will be in the future.
Finally, due to this somewhat abstract difference between the obscene and the pornographic,
how can we explain the overwhelming impulse of Americans to choose war photos of “heroes”
rather than those depicting the somberness and suffering of the 9/11 terrorist attacks? This concept
can relate back to basic human psychology. No one likes to see images that produce feelings of
disgust and repulsiveness; however, these photographs are so important to understanding the full
reality of what it means to be at war and the sacrifices that come with it. Within the article,
“Terror Dream”, the author describes the general American reaction to the 9/11
attacks--“Americans seemed to slip into a somnambulistic state.” There was this inability of
Americans to fully comprehend and take in the events that took place on 9/11 and thus, there was an
inability as well to express what this meant to our culture and country as a whole (most often seen
in photojournalism). Prior to the 9/11 events, the United States stood as this un-penetrable nation,
in which nothing like this has ever happened before. I do not think we could have been any more

6. blindsided by the events that took place that day. Until this point, the popular ideology of the
American way was an image of strength, pride, superiority, security, etc. Just as the image of the
“Accidental Napalm” shattered this same exact American ideology, the events that took place on
9/11 did as well. This shattered ideology put Americans in a very uncomfortable, unprotected, and
unfamiliar position. Our innate sense to reject things that would provoke these emotions
immediately kicked in, which is why Americans seem to choose only to look at images portraying
the “pretty” side of war. The American Heroes calendar is as far as many of us want to look when
we begin to ponder the greater significance and meaning of 9/11. Viewing something as
contextually disturbing as “Falling Man” was too much for Americans to grasp, especially the day
after the attacks occurred. The images Americans could handle were those that seem to dress up the
war and sexualize it, for example Pat Tillman and all of the men photographed in the American
Heroes calendar. We could accept the photographs with pornographic qualities because they shield
us from the other side of war, which is the harsh consequences and sacrifices of it. We prefer
photographs of the later quality than ones that might be obscene or tough to look at because it is our
normal human reaction to want to turn away from images of disgust and repulsion. Additionally, I
do not think any of this was done coincidently by the media or government; in fact, I believe they
took advantage of this and were able to promote the War on Terror in an often unrealistic positive
and sexual undertone, which allowed Americans to be allured and perhaps more agreeable with the
war and the sacrifices that were made because of it. If the government and media only released
photographs to the liking of “Accidental Napalm” and the Abu Ghraib photographs, there would be
far less supporters of this war. While we can shield our eyes from these images all we want, they
still exist in reality and until we force ourselves to look at these images straightforward without
fear, perhaps we will never understand the significance of that fateful September day.
By exploring the differences between the obscene and the pornographic, we can find a
unique tension somewhere in the middle that accounts for many powerful and iconic war images.
As Americans we must be brave and courageous, and force ourselves to face the harsh reality that

7. 9/11 has brought on and delve into its greater meaning to our society and humanity as a whole.
Perhaps then we will be able to understand this abstract concept of the War on Terror and fully
comprehend our place in the world because of it. The “Falling Man” photograph successfully
illustrates the abjection between the obscene and the pornographic and is a start to understanding
our functioning ideologies of the United States and to separating the fantasy of war and the realism
of it.