This iconic photo
from the Vietnam War, taken by AP photographer Nick Ut, depicts the
brutal and heart-wrenching aftermath of an allied napalm strike near
a native Vietnamese village. The photo shocked the U.S. public,
sending waves of horror and discontent rushing through the already
disgusted citizens. For those opposing the war on foreign soil, Ut's
photo bolstered the already established animosities toward the U.S.
government. However, President Richard Nixon and other government
officials doubted the authenticity of the photo: “I'm wondering if
that was fixed” (Collins), expressed the president to one of his
advisers. The photo's authenticity has been confirmed; the young girl
in the photo, Phan
Thị Kim Phúc, survived the attack and has advocated her story over
the last thirty years.
- Phan Thi Kim Phúc, though situated in the mid-ground of the photo, is the obvious focal point of the black and white image. Her nudity contrasts with the various states of half and full dress of the individuals surrounding her. She stands upright and with her arms outstretched; the image is reminiscent of Christ upon the cross which lends a holy innocence to the young girl mutilated by the atrocities of war. Nick Ut's use of Kim Phúc's tortured visage as the focal point of the photo drives home the image's powerful condemnation of the Vietnamese War as a bloody conflict that endangered the lives of innocents.
- Ut's full photo, not the cropped version featured in most newspapers of the time, features several South-Vietnamese soldiers behind and to the right of Kim Phúc. These soldiers are cold and unresponsive to the screaming children around them. Their faces are set in stern masks of unfeeling determination; these men have been hardened by the war raging in their country. The men seem accustomed to such terrible scenes of destruction, which indicates to viewers that the napalming of Trang Bang was not the first time the men had witnessed such gruesome murder.
- A striking aspect of Ut's photo is the spine-chilling expressions on the faces of the fleeing children. The oldest child seems to be Kim Phúc, while the youngest child seems barely old enough to run. All children have some form of shock, terror, or pain openly displayed in both their expressions and body stances. All five children are running away from the looming black cloud left by the napalm strike; the terror and pain is so clear that viewers empathize and feel great sympathy for the afflicted children. The wide range of distress expressed by the children further condemn the over-zealous and destructive tactics employed during the Vietnam War.
- The ominous black cloud of smoke dominating the background of the photo serves as an appropriate backdrop for the terrifying scene. The cloud obscures the village and the destruction left behind by the fiery napalm explosion. The cloud forms the background of the image, which serves as a metaphor for destruction as whole; the terrors committed in Vietnam by the United States are projected upon a background of fiery destruction that consumes soldier and innocent citizen alike. Outsiders witness only the aftermath of war, not the wounds delivered behind the cloud of war.
- The use of black and white film forces viewers into a sense of contemplation towards the photo. The lack of color allows viewers to project their own images of warfare onto the photo; viewers might add fiery tinges to the smoke, darkened flesh to those burned by the napalm, and dark official greens to the uniforms of the South-Vietnamese soldiers. This strategy by Ut prevents a passive viewing of the photo by forcing viewers to imagine the realities of war. Viewers contribute their own impressions of war and destruction to the startling depiction of innocent victims.
- The image of the young Vietnamese girl is directly taken from Nick Ut's Pulitzer Prize winning photo from the Vietnamese War. Banksy is hearkening back to a time of political unrest in the United States; his goal is to get viewers to remember the tumultuous atmosphere surrounding America at the time the photo was taken. Banksy often uses iconic images to garner an immediate response from viewers; the use of such an iconic symbol of brutal warfare during the American War on Terror is not an unconscious decision. The artist is drawing parallels between the current American war and the previous overseas engagement.
- Mickey Mouse is an instantly recognizable icon of popular culture in America; the mouse has received a celebrity status and is known all across the globe. The pairing of a prominent entertainment figure with an iconic image of wartime destruction paints an unflattering image of the American superpower. Banksy is insinuating that the American entertainment industry romanticizes the brutality of war with a wide grin and open arms. The jovial stride of Mickey Mouse shows no signs of slowing down; Hollywood and the entire entertainment industry will continue to glorify and romanticize the American war machine in foreign countries.
- Similar to Mickey Mouse, Ronald McDonald is a widely known icon of American society. Ronald McDonald, however, is a symbol of America's rampant consumerism. In the context of Banksy's painting, this consumerism is cast in a drastically negative light. When coupled with the images of Mickey Mouse and Kim Phúc, the implication becomes far more condemning; American citizens unbiasedly consume the glorification of war produced by the entertainment industry. The clown representing the global fast food industry is waving, unashamedly professing his connection with and love for the terrors of war.
- Upon closer inspection, the hands of Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald provide a deeper and more sinister understanding of Banksy's message. Mickey Mouse's hand has the young victim's arm clutched in an iron grip; the burned and terribly injured girl has no hope of escaping the grip of the pop-icon's large fist. Mickey is forcing the injured girl into servitude while furthering his own agenda through exploitation of the weak. Ronald McDonald places an open hand behind the young girl's other arm. McDonald is guiding the girl forward, aiding Mickey in the girl's forced servitude. The two work together to enslave the weak and utilize her chilling message to their own benefit.
- The lack of color in Banksy's image is a conscious decision by the artist to both simulate the original image's color scheme and add his own meaning into the painting. By imitating the original gray scale color scheme of the original photo, Banksy maintains the same messages found in Nick Ut's image. However, his addition of the black and white Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald injects his own message to the mix; the colorless popular icons drain all lightheartedness from the image. The two figures become sinister and drained of positive personalities. Their sinister personalities are amplified by removing all iconic colors from their original designs. This furthers Banksy'scondemnation of the American triumvirate of war, entertainment, and consumerism.
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