Forum Week 5
Lynsey Addario's adventures so far in this book are absolutely insane. I can't think of any other way to describe them. To think one person has had the ability to experience so many different cultures first hand just in their twenties is pretty amazing. The war, loss, and lives she has had the privilege to photograph is impeccable. I admire her love for what she does, and it is inspiring to read about such a young person doing such incredible things around the world and in what we consider dangerous atmospheres.
The main thing which has made an impact on me is when a car bomb goes off right in front of her and the guy who was standing just within arms length of her ends up dying because he wanted to capture the action. It was so close to being her and not Paul. This was her first real experience with loss, which I think is also really notable. Her reaction is so relatable and raw. When she goes out of eyesight to cry, I got pretty emotional while reading. The way she described this experience was gut-wrenching. The other experience that has really stood out to me is the fact she knows Uxval is cheating on her, but she still pays for their apartment and lets him stay because she doesn't want to come home to an empty house. I understand where she is coming from, of course. Her job is extensive, and she wants someone there. However, this really shocked me. I guess I have always associated leaving someone who is cheating with dignity; reading about her adventures, I thought she was someone with a high sense of self-worth and dignity, so this really shocked me. I definitely don't think I would do the same, but the more I think about it, the more I become unsure. She loves him, and it really broke my heart to read she was willing to put her broken heart aside to have someone there.
The way Addario is able to write, but also apply her knowledge she has gained after the instances she is replaying is really helpful to me. When she talks about her firsts and not wanting to photograph, it helps me realize it is okay and normal for me to feel that way; but it is also helpful to know where she is now and apply her wisdom to myself. Although she didn't want to take pictures at first, I can see where she is now and tell myself it's okay and I can do hard things just like she can. It gives me the strength to get behind the camera since photographing is so new to me. When it comes to techniques she uses, getting to know her subjects and making them comfortable has stuck with me from the beginning of the novel. Not just this, but using her gender to her advantage is something I really admire. It's not often you can use being a woman to your advantage in the workplace, so it's really awesome to me that Addario can use her gender to get close to the women under the Taliban.
Addario continually sacrifices her love life for her profession. This is something I really admire, but I would never be able to do. My boyfriend and I have been together for a year since my senior year, and we were also together when I was a sophomore for eight months. There is no way I would sacrifice him for my profession. Family has always been really important to me, and my biggest goal in life is to have a family. Although I may really love what I do, I would never be willing to sacrifice my love life and my family.
My favorite quote would be at the end of chapter five: "And then, suddenly, I desperately wanted to call my mother. I reached into my camera bag in search of my cell. It was gone. Someone had stolen my phone amid this death and horror" (110). To me, this really hit hard. Not only did she want to call her mom, which is really the first mention of her needing comfort from her family, but someone had stolen her phone. This was really shocking to me. I never thought in the atmosphere of war and death that someone would be stealing from someone's bag. This quote really captured the moment and how she was feeling: to the point the audience feels her disappointment as well.
My favorite photo is of a young boy swimming in an artificial lake outside Saddam Hussein's palace. This is my favorite photo relating to this part of the book because the description of people finally hanging around Saddam's palace was a little hard to grasp. It was hard for me to understand how amazing this was, so this picture really put that into context for me. This is why it is my favorite. Photography is really good when it gives context words cannot, and this photo did that for me.
The main thing which has made an impact on me is when a car bomb goes off right in front of her and the guy who was standing just within arms length of her ends up dying because he wanted to capture the action. It was so close to being her and not Paul. This was her first real experience with loss, which I think is also really notable. Her reaction is so relatable and raw. When she goes out of eyesight to cry, I got pretty emotional while reading. The way she described this experience was gut-wrenching. The other experience that has really stood out to me is the fact she knows Uxval is cheating on her, but she still pays for their apartment and lets him stay because she doesn't want to come home to an empty house. I understand where she is coming from, of course. Her job is extensive, and she wants someone there. However, this really shocked me. I guess I have always associated leaving someone who is cheating with dignity; reading about her adventures, I thought she was someone with a high sense of self-worth and dignity, so this really shocked me. I definitely don't think I would do the same, but the more I think about it, the more I become unsure. She loves him, and it really broke my heart to read she was willing to put her broken heart aside to have someone there.
The way Addario is able to write, but also apply her knowledge she has gained after the instances she is replaying is really helpful to me. When she talks about her firsts and not wanting to photograph, it helps me realize it is okay and normal for me to feel that way; but it is also helpful to know where she is now and apply her wisdom to myself. Although she didn't want to take pictures at first, I can see where she is now and tell myself it's okay and I can do hard things just like she can. It gives me the strength to get behind the camera since photographing is so new to me. When it comes to techniques she uses, getting to know her subjects and making them comfortable has stuck with me from the beginning of the novel. Not just this, but using her gender to her advantage is something I really admire. It's not often you can use being a woman to your advantage in the workplace, so it's really awesome to me that Addario can use her gender to get close to the women under the Taliban.
Addario continually sacrifices her love life for her profession. This is something I really admire, but I would never be able to do. My boyfriend and I have been together for a year since my senior year, and we were also together when I was a sophomore for eight months. There is no way I would sacrifice him for my profession. Family has always been really important to me, and my biggest goal in life is to have a family. Although I may really love what I do, I would never be willing to sacrifice my love life and my family.
My favorite quote would be at the end of chapter five: "And then, suddenly, I desperately wanted to call my mother. I reached into my camera bag in search of my cell. It was gone. Someone had stolen my phone amid this death and horror" (110). To me, this really hit hard. Not only did she want to call her mom, which is really the first mention of her needing comfort from her family, but someone had stolen her phone. This was really shocking to me. I never thought in the atmosphere of war and death that someone would be stealing from someone's bag. This quote really captured the moment and how she was feeling: to the point the audience feels her disappointment as well.
My favorite photo is of a young boy swimming in an artificial lake outside Saddam Hussein's palace. This is my favorite photo relating to this part of the book because the description of people finally hanging around Saddam's palace was a little hard to grasp. It was hard for me to understand how amazing this was, so this picture really put that into context for me. This is why it is my favorite. Photography is really good when it gives context words cannot, and this photo did that for me.
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