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Section 4: Overview

Richard Drew, Falling Man, and American Photojournalistic Responses to 9/11

How do controversial photographs like Richard Drew’s Falling Man highlight the responsibilities and dilemmas faced by American photojournalists as they document painful moments in American history and influence our reactions to them? We will analyze Falling Man, a photo of a man falling from the World Trade Center by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew during the 9/11 attacks in New York City. We will grapple with two overarching questions in our study of the photograph and corresponding texts: What is the responsibility of the photojournalist in the face of momentous cultural tragedy? How do contemporary photojournalists balance the objectives of capturing truth and beauty while evoking emotional responses in their viewers?

  • Lesson 1:

    How might an iconic photograph ignite controversy in its depiction of history? To introduce an examination of contemporary photojournalism and its controversies, we will watch a Time magazine video about the photo Falling Man. We will visually analyze Falling Man and consider questions that surround the photograph.

  • Lesson 2:

    In what ways is the story of the Falling Man photograph “unforgettable”? To build understanding of the context and history of Falling Man, we will begin reading and discussing the first third of an Esquire magazine article “The Falling Man: An Unforgettable Story.”

  • Lesson 3:

    In what ways do documentary photographs tell the truth or lie? We will finish responding to and discussing the Esquire magazine article, “The Falling Man: An Unforgettable Story” in order to finish gaining context regarding the events of 9/11 and Richard Drew’s iconic photograph.

  • Lesson 4:

    How do photographic, nonfictional, and fictional representations of a historical event like 9/11 compare? We will read a fictional portrayal of the events of 9/11 and make comparisons about how those events have been depicted photographically, journalistically, and fictionally.

  • Lesson 5:

    How have other contemporary photojournalists documented significant events of history such as 9/11? We will examine the photographs and stories of other contemporary photojournalists through primary- and secondary- source research.

  • Lesson 6:

    What are the roles and responsibilities of a photojournalist in documenting events of history? We will examine other images of 9/11 in relationship to what we have learned about the photo Falling Man to develop conclusions about how photojournalists should document disturbing events of history.

  • Lesson 7:

    In light of what we have learned about the history and controversy surrounding Falling Man, write a multiparagraph expository response to the following question:

    How do controversial photographs like Richard Drew’s Falling Man highlight the responsibilities and dilemmas faced by photojournalists as they document painful moments in American history and influence our reactions to them?

  • Lesson 8:

    We will review feedback on the Section Diagnostic. We will use the feedback to make revisions to our work.

  • Lesson 9:

    We will share the analyses we have made about our independent reading texts and make connections to the unit. We will plan a final product to share our experiences from reading independently and the knowledge we have gained.