The Vietnam war is one of the most iconic wars in the 20th century and one of the deadliest in American history. Although this photograph of children running away from a bombing in Vietnam is controversial due to full-frontal nudity, it is one of the most powerful photographs ever. The picture shows the horrific and realistic side of war that most people try to ignore through the fear in the faces of the children, the focal point, and the background. 

The strongest element in the image is the look on the children’s faces. They are terrified, naked, and running for their lives. The historical background of this photo is a napalm strike that took place in a small Vietnamese village and killed and wounded almost all of the villagers. The faces of these young children define what war really is; it is scary and can leave you homeless and afraid. The five children in the photo are running in front of Vietnamese soldiers, scared for their lives and in pain. The impact war has on children is rarely discussed in history or in media; innocent children who should not have been harmed were severely injured physically and emotionally, which one can see in their faces. The soldiers in the image do not seem to be that scared or intimidated from the airstrike, which is somewhat typical in society. The impact of war is different for everyone, but when innocent children are harmed, a new reality is brought to life. 

Similar to the children’s fearful faces, the focal point of the image is the naked girl in the middle, who is clearly burned and in pain. Anyone looking at the image can conclude that she is suffering from the strike, being seriously burned, and having her clothes burned off of her. The fear she shows is deeper than every other person in the image. The pain she is showing brings forth strong emotions in the viewer. It is difficult to see such a young person suffering as much as she is. Her facial expression is also a symbol for all children during war. The image has been removed from social media due to public nudity, but the reason it is not blurred from the image is to show everyone just how raw and ugly war truly is. The girl in the center was nine-years-old when it was taken. This is a wakeup call to the world saying that it needs to stop impacting young people’s lives with war. No child should be put in this much danger and left naked, burned, and homeless. This is a strong and powerful piece of the image, not one that needs to be blurred out. Blurring out these issues is what keeps them around and common. 

Contributing to the overall somber nature of the photo, the background is dark and smoky, showing contrast with the rest of the image. It shows the destruction in the background and that the children and soldiers are fleeing from it. Additionally, it represents war and destruction. Although the image is in black and white, when it was taken everything would be in color except for the background. However, the background would still be dark and desolate. What the darkness is hiding is a destroyed village that these small innocent children once called home. Why does mankind continuously make the same mistakes, destroying and forever impacting children’s lives? When will man learn from these mistakes? Mankind is so hung up on our own differences to realize that its actions have repercussions and consequences; in this case, the main consequence is the impact on children. The darkness is a symbol for what war really is: destruction and uncertainty. The uncertainty in the picture is apparent; the viewer may never know what lies behind the darkness, similar to how mankind never truly knows what will happen in the consequences of war. 

The harsh realities of war are apparent in the faces of the children, the focal point, and the background of this image. The fear in the faces of the children is an example of how war impacts all children in society. Similarly, the pain the girl is suffering brings strong emotions to the viewer. Tying the image together, the overall dark feel of the background brings the viewer to a conclusion of how serious war is and how mankind needs to learn from our mistakes. With all of this in mind, it becomes apparent that man needs to realize how we go about war is wrong and how our actions have serious consequences. 
