Visual imagery of a text is often the main component when describing the theme and meaning of a piece of work. Malcolm Browne is the famous photographer of the historical moment of the Buddhist Monk, Thich Quang Duc (AP). It was the perfect example of being in the right place at the right time. The majority of the South Vietnamese population was aware of the protest that was to be held in the square, scaring most people away. That left Malcolm as the only photographer to capture this moment.

 By looking at the aspects of Burning Monk that show purpose, such as the position of the tank of gasoline, the crowd of monks surrounding Thich Quang Duc, and the serene look on Duc's face as he goes up in flames, we notice that Thich's act of burning himself was fully intentional, which most people would not typically see. This is important because the viewer begins to realize that the Buddhists felt that sacrificing a man of their own, as opposed to a non-living, materialistic item was the only thing that would help the Buddhist community to gain respect in South Vietnam. 

In the foreground of the photo is a tank of gasoline, sitting less than two yards from the burning man, Thich Quang Duc. The man is bright compared to the background of the picture and stands out. The viewer's eyes are drawn straight to the man and the gas tank, making it the main focus of the photograph. It becomes very obvious to the viewer that this was an act of self-immolation for the Buddhist Monk community. The gasoline is in such close proximity to the man, and no other people are around to blame for the drenching of his body. The intentionality of the act caught in this photograph increases the severity and proves the desperation within the monk community. The torture towards the Buddhists had gotten so bad that they felt the need to sacrifice one of their own men, as opposed to an object or material thing, in order to gain respect and recognition in the South Vietnamese community. 

After analyzing the man, we begin to explore the other parts of the image. The flames point us toward the crowd of monks gathered around the man, keeping a good distance between him and themselves. They all look unphased by the sight of their fellow Buddhist member burning himself to death. This proves that the entire community was aware of the fatal occurrence that was being held in the town's square that day. They all supported him and knew that self-immolation would be the only way to gain respect as a religion. 

The brightness of the man on fire keeps grabs the attention of the viewer once again, causing us to analyze his expression moreover. As he is sitting on the ground burning to death, the expression on his face is completely serene. The majority of viewers would not recognize this at first, but once it becomes apparent, they realize that the entire event was intentional and had a serious purpose. He is trying to prove a point to the South Vietnamese government and gain respect from them on behalf of the entire Buddhist monk community. An act of self-immolation is more destructive and traumatizing for the community to experience than sacrificing a materialistic, replaceable object. Humans are not replaceable; therefore burning himself was extremely memorable for the community and effective in his protest. 

An image so powerful can often times be looked at quickly and then forgotten about so easily. Viewers assume the pain in the eyes of the burning man and look away to spare themselves that horrific feeling of experience that pain with him. However, this image holds a much greater meaning than can be noticed as first glance. A gas can is situated close by, a crowd of expressionless monks are surrounding the man as he burns to death, and the man has a look of serenity across his face. These aspects are all subtle, unnoticeable, until you begin to truly analyze the photograph and find the purpose or meaning.
