American Soldier

A. What is the most powerful image from the pictures printed in the Denver Post over the three weeks they published images from the year of coverage? Why? This is a powerful picture because this is Ian with his girlfriend Kayla, but he looks very disconnected. The fact that they were looking at engagement rings for Kayla helps to make the picture more powerful because thats something people are usually excited and animated to do. 

B. How do the images work together to tell a story? The images help to eliminate unnecessary information. It helps to bring to the front the more important points and struggles, without making the reader have to go read the entire text.

C. How do the captions enhance the photographs? The captions help to describe what is happening in the photos. Due to the information that is required to be in the caption, the reader knows the importance of the picture. They help to convey to the reader what is happening and why the picture is relevant to the text.

D. Summarize the story of Ian Fisher, based just on the captions.  When Ian had turned 17, he wanted to join the Army. He spoke with recruiting officers, and joined the delayed-entry program. Before he leaves, his parents and friends each threw him a party to celebrate him. He goes through basic training, and completes the training in September of 2007. He gets stationed near his home and he buys an engagement ring with his girlfriend Kayla. He falls into taking multiple types of pain medication, causing his dad to wonder if he has an addiction, he broke up with Kayla. Ian gets baptized before being deployed to Iraq, and he is dropped in rank due to being late to the base from the weekend off. He admitted that he had a drug problem. In September of 2008, Ian is deployed for Iraq. He gains back his rank while he is in Iraq and experiences what it is like to truly be in the army, as well as being deployed. When he returns from his deployment, he marries his girlfriend Devin.

E. For the photos in which Ian is the main subject of the photos, in what tense are the verbs usually written? They are written in present tense.

F. Break down the captions:

1. How many sentences are they on average? 3 to 4, depending on the picture.
2. Read the first sentence of a couple of them, what information do they provide? What is happening during when the photo was taken.
3. Read the second sentences of a couple of them, what information do they provide? Information that isn't able to be found out from the picture, but is relevant to the picture.
4. If there is a third sentence, what information does it provide? Information that adds to what happened after the picture was taken, information about him, the process or where he is, not able to be found out from the photo.
5. Do any captions include a quote? Yes, there is one when he is getting a tattoo with his friends and when he first gets home from being deployed, when it's cold.
6. Are there any that have four sentences? No

G. Why do you think it is possible to tell a complete story with just photos and captions? I think that between the pictures and the captions, the reader can understand the importance of the article. They are the main points, and are the most important ones, which is why they have been expanded.

H. If you can create a story with just photos and captions, why bother writing a story at all? The story helps to add details that are left out of captions. The captions are too vague to convey all the information that is 100% necessary.