Disunity among the military is never talked about because they seem formed together and act as a single unit. The military tries to instill this unity in every soldier. However disunity does occur and it may be the collapse of a military unit. This occurs because every soldier is able to decide for himself based on his beliefs and feelings. By looking at Flower Power, a photograph by Bernie Boston, the viewer after some further investigation is able to see how unity among military units is deteriorating; although not the main message of the photograph this important minor feature many be overlooked but is depicting the strength a single individual can have over a group of others with more power.

The picture was taken in 1967 during a march on the Pentagon. People were protesting the Vietnam War. American people were frustrated with the war and were frustrated with its current path. This was the last major march on the Pentagon while protesting the war (Bernstein). The image depicts two groups of men. The group that seems to be controlling the other is roughly 15 military police. These men are standing on the left and topside of the photograph. They are all pointing guns at the second group of five men. Four of the five men are standing behind the fifth man. This fifth man seems to be the leader of the second group. He is placing flowers into the barrels of the military polices' guns. One of the military police in the top left corner is taking the flowers the man placed into the barrel out. The image directs the viewer's eye to the center of the photograph. This occurs because of the lines the guns create pointing towards the smaller group of men. After the attention is directed to the center it is turned towards the man placing flowers into the guns. This happens because he is contrasted with everyone else in the image. While the military police and the four other men are dressed in dark clothing the man is dressed in a light colored shirt. After noticing the man placing the flowers into the guns the viewer follows his arm towards the gun barrels were one of the military figures is removing flowers from one of the guns.

If the viewer were to stop inspecting the image here they would only be able to  receive a general idea of what is going on. The smaller group of men are protesting something by placing flowers into the gun barrels of the military. This is correct but after looking deeper into the picture there reads a different story. After continuing up the military figures arm the viewer notices something interesting. The face of the man seems to be confused and inquisitive. After seeing this mans face another face stands out behind his head. This face seems to be laughing. These two men's faces show the theme of deterioration of unity. The cause of these two men's departure from unity is the flowers the man is placing in the gun barrels. This is showing even the most minuscule object can cause disunity amongst the military. This raises a major concern that if flowers can cause two soldiers to break their uniformity what could a large object do? Once noticing this disunity the viewer is now noticing more signs of disunity such as in the bottom of the image one of the soldiers is not wearing his helmet. Another sign in the picture of disunity comes not only from the soldiers but also from the protestors. All the protestors are facing the man placing the flowers into the guns except one who is looking in the other direction. This disunity just as the disunity of the military may make them seem weak and possibly laughable. This might possibly be why the one soldier is laughing.

The symbolism in this image also creates a strong effect on the unity. Although there is no written text a lot stands out to the viewer. The soldiers in the image are representing oppression and uniformity in the image. However the man dressed in white is representing peace or openness and freedom through the flowers. He is doing this because nature is meant to represent that untouched peaceful freedom. This openness and the flowers are a much smaller force than the uniformity and oppression in the image yet they are still having a direct effect on these two larger forces. The breakdown of the military and their stiffness is showing the power of a smaller individual or group of individuals on a more powerful group or idea.

The main purpose of the photograph was to convey the message of anti-war. The image appeals to the viewers' emotions by creating an atmosphere of danger and anticipation. While it is terrifying seeing people being threatened with guns the power of the flowers creates a sense of tranquility. Once the picture is thoroughly inspected many different issues that were prevalent during this time arise. The disunity among the military is the least recognizable in the image but the most powerful piece.
