War has always had a detrimental effect on both the countries and the individuals fighting in them. Even so, while a war is going on, people generally feel passionately about the side that they are on. This was not the case during the Vietnam War, however. Many American citizens were not in favor of the war, but American soldiers were passionate about it in most cases. By looking at diagonals body posture, and movement in this photograph, we can see that even though the Vietnam War was unpopular among American citizens, soldiers would find reasons to keep fighting. This is important because it shows the necessity of people to believe that they are making a meaningful impact on the world.

The first thing that the eye is drawn to in this picture is the man closest to the camera. This is because all the diagonals connect at about where he is standing. The soldiers on either side of him form two diagonals that lead straight to him, and the helicopter above his head does the same; its downward tilt seems to point the eye right to him. From there, we notice that he looks very sad and defeated for some reason. He looks that way due to his hanging head, slouched shoulders, and he doesn’t look like he wants to be there. It appears as though he is out of place. While all of the other soldiers there seem to be moving at least semi-quickly, this man appears to be strolling along with no real purpose. This could be because he knows that back home, the people who these soldiers are supposed to be fighting for do not support the war that they are in. The man’s hanging head could also show that he is looking for something. As we said before, his posture shows that he appears to be walking along with no real purpose, which leads one to think that he could be looking for just that. As humans, we all want to believe that the things we do impact the world around us. It is possible that this soldier has just gotten there, and has not found a purpose for being in Vietnam yet. There was a draft for the Vietnam war, which means that many people were chosen to fight even though they didn’t have a reason to. Therefore, it would make sense for a soldier to try and look for a purpose in something that he didn’t have a choice in being involved in. So, the soldier closest to the camera represents a new soldier who has not found his purpose in fighting in this war yet. Using that analysis, we can look at what happens to the soldiers as they get further away from the camera.

In this photograph, the soldiers that are further away from the camera seem to be more motivated than the ones that they are in front of. We have already determined that the man closest to the camera looks to be unmotivated because of the posture that he has. The person who is directly in front of and to the right of the first man seems to have a better sense of direction. His head is up and he looks to be moving with a little bit of purpose. On the other hand, he doesn’t seem to be in a huge hurry either. If you look closely, he seems to be adjusting his helmet with one hand and using the other arm to help support the weight of his rifle. While we can’t see if his legs are in a running motion, he does not appear to be leaning forward very much, which suggests that he isn’t moving too quickly. The key difference between this second man and the man behind him, is that the second man has his head up looking at something. He is no longer looking for a purpose in fighting because he has found one. That is why he seems to be more attentive than the first man, and it is also why he looks to be less unhappy. People who believe that what they are doing has a purpose, they are more likely to have higher motivation to continue doing it.

If you have not caught on yet, there is a sort of pattern with these soldiers as they get further from the camera. Looking at the group of soldiers on the left side, they are moving noticeably faster than the ones closer to the camera. We can tell that they are moving faster because of the way in which their legs are bent, the position of their arms, and because of the fact that they are leaning forward so much. Again, they also have their heads up, making them seem like they know where they are going and why they are going there. This group of soldiers looks to be more attentive, confident, and motivated. It is also worth noting that they are in the front of the whole group, leading the way. Those soldiers, because of their posture, apparent movement, and being in the front of the group makes them appear more experienced and authoritative. It is possible that they have been fighting a lot longer than the men in the back, closest to the camera. Their sense of purpose, experience, and authority that they give off may be because they have already progressed passed what the men further back are going through. They look as if they have not only found their purpose in fighting in the war that they are in, but are actually leading the whole group of soldiers towards that purpose. The soldiers that are further away from the camera, however, create diagonals that point towards the first soldier, suggesting that they all started in that same place.

Everyone wants to have a meaningful impact on the world around them, so it would make sense that someone would feel lost and even saddened if they were involuntarily sent to a foreign place. The soldiers tell a story, the soldier closest to the camera being the beginning. They were sent off to fight in this war, and they had to find a reason to fight it in order to keep on going. The photograph, even though being in the Vietnam War, is not limited to that. It relates to everyone and the lives that people live every day. Everyone needs to have a reason to do what they do, whether that is being a teacher, a parent, or a soldier. Believing that what one does has a purpose is the reason that they do it. 