This image is from a news website called the Boston Globe, taken by staff member John Tlumacki. The article includes several pictures from the scene of the Boston marathon bombing. Only about two hours after the first racer finished, two bombs were exploded just yards before the finish line. Police identified the bombers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, as two brothers from Chechnya who moved to Massachusetts in 2002. The brothers were nondescript at the time of the event but were later identified after painstaking research was conducted on the security camera footage reviewed from the crime scene. Three people were killed and over 200 people were severely injured at the marathon on April 15, 2013. By looking at this image of a wounded woman being helped by two bystanders after the bombing at the Boston marathon, we see the emotions and resemblance of the people involved, the symbolism of the finish line, and the perspective of the subject. These aspects are important because they describe the atmosphere and symbolism of this event.

The photographer took this shot very close up. It creates a sense of emotion and intensity. The look on the woman’s face that is injured gives us a sense of empathy for her. You can also see the calmness of the first responders and bystanders. The man in the blue hat that is putting pressure on the wound is looking into the distance still trying to grasp the reality of the situation himself. I think he chose to take this picture from this angle to show the importance of the background as well. There appear to be several different kinds of responders in the picture. The two men surrounding the girl are dressed as normal people who were probably spectators of the marathon. These two bystanders appear to be holding pressure on the woman’s leg. We can’t tell if they know her or not, however they look very determined to help. In the back, we see first responders such as policemen and firefighters. One thing that really catches my eye is the two men dressed in military uniforms in the back of the picture. The military represents a sense of safety and strength for our country. The fact that they are working hand in hand with the first responders represents how they are always around in times of need. I also think that their presence gives the people around them a sense of safety in this scary time. They bring unity to this tragic event in America. We also see an all-encompassing sea of yellow vests attempting to help the wounded in the picture. Those yellow vests seemed to symbolize the cautious optimism of first responders at the scene providing relief in an extremely uncertain situation. We see police, race participants, security personnel, and ordinary citizens providing assistance to the injured people. The diversity of “responders” in this picture shows that you don’t have to be a professional in this situation to help. 

We do not see the finish line in this picture; however, since we know that is the area where the bombs were set off, we know it is very close. The finish line represents victory and happiness for these runners. The runners of the marathon have been training for months to be able to cross the finish line and successfully complete the race. Therefore, the bombers most likely picked this for that reason. Since there are lot of people in one place at the same time, this allowed the bombers to target a large group of people. The eyes of the world were on the finish line, creating an opportunity for the bombers to get the public attention they seeked. Most of the runners were so close to reaching it when the bomb was set off. Now, the victims of the bombing, as well as their family and friends who were there to watch, see this finish line very differently now than they did at the beginning of the race. It is very ironic that such a happy place was turned in to a site of horror in just seconds. 

The focal planes in this picture are very different for us than they are for the subject, or in this case, the victim in the picture. The injured woman sees two men kneeling over her. Since she is lying down, she doesn’t get to see what is going on around her nearly as well as we do. This is probably very frightening for her, as she may not know the two men. She also possibly does not know what is going on around her. When she got hit in the leg by the bomb she most likely went into shock and isn’t fully aware of what is going on or the extent of her injuries. Our view of this scene is very different from hers. We see mostly all of the people around her as well as the effects of the bombing. The blood on the pavement tells us there were several others injured around her. Another thing we can fully see is where she is injured. Although we may not know the severity of her injuries, we can see the spot on her leg that is injured and how much of her leg is affected. We also know what has happened in this picture. This woman, and probably most other people in this picture, probably has no idea who caused this bombing. The man in the blue hat sees a similar view that we do. He sees the background and a much clearer view of it than the viewer of the picture does. He may see what is going on around him but still has no idea how or why this is happening. These small details that we see, gives us an advantage on knowledge of the event over those in the picture. 

In this image of the Boston marathon bombing, the emotions and perspective of the subjects along with the symbolism of the finish line and the first responders describe the atmosphere and symbolism of this event. Emotion is created from the close up shot, allowing us to see the important details of the event. The difference in the views of the scene between the victim, the viewer and the other people allows us to interpret the event very differently. The placement and timing of the bomb tells us a lot about the bombers as well as their goal in bombing the Boston marathon. The symbolism in this picture represents the horror, trauma, and variety of people on the scene of the crisis. 

 