World War II was a war that left a large impact on America and the entire global population. The event of this specific war has forever changed the history across various nations who were involved. This war was one of the most remembered wars of all time due to its strong military forces and abundance of ammunition and armaments. World War II influenced many individuals to help in more ways than one such as joining in the draft or simply making donations and sending condolences. Clearly, World War II was successful but could not be successful without the assistance of a strong central military who could develop substantial military tactics. The men who fought in this war were considered one of the greatest generation of men due to their willingness and efforts to put in such a rough fight against their opponents. On top of all these ideas, the military and its people must be organized in order to know what they are doing. Through the photo essay, World War II by Jessica Follin, the concepts portrayed in of a majority of the images being in black in white, the expressions of the individuals, and the overall flow of images contribute to the comprehensive theme of military as an overall.

The images from the past, with the exception of the military ID, are all in black and white. Black and white is often significant of the past and is consequently the purpose in this instance.  By using black and white images, the reader can clearly get a feel for the past. They can get a feel for the past since many images from modern days are not in black and white and are often in color. Through the example of the military ID, image three, the discoloration also shows that it is old as it is not colored as an image in the present would typically be. The aging of the ID adds a unique touch to the photo essay overall as an entirety. The white light of these photos also highlights certain things that could not have been easy to depict if the image was in color. For example, in the medium shot, image six, of soldiers in the trenches, one can see the dirt and grime on their hands and faces. The black and white emphasizes this and makes it more clear to see rather than if the image was in color. Image five of the soldiers on the landing boat is a clear image and rather bold in black and white. It shows the detail of the boat and the dirt and sand of it as well as anything else that may be washed up upon the shore of the beach. 

The expressions of the individuals are of high importance when interpreting a photo essay. In World War II, one could guess that the soldiers and other personnel went through numerous emotions in several different occasions overall. Some of these emotions include depression, fear, and sadness. Soldiers may feel these emotions on the battlefield at war. Photos can depict some of the emotions and may also tell an unknown story that one may not know about. In the establishing shot, image one, one can see an individual who could possibly be skeptical about what is going on in the situation of about to be actively fighting in a war. In the navy headshot and military ID, images two and three, the individuals are smiling, or at least halfway smiling. This could either be due to the fact that they may have been unaware of what they were getting themselves into by fighting in the war, they knew they needed to spring some happy thoughts in a time of distraught and chaos or it was just their personalities of the brave, courageous men they were. The other images of men depicted look exhausted based on their facial expressions but they try to have a good time considering the situation at hand. Overall, these facial expressions contribute to the theme of military because they give the expected expressions of an individual fighting in a war.

The flow of images in a photo essay is just as important as the continuation of any other sort of essay or book for that matter. The organization chosen is beneficial to the development of this theme because it displays an establishing shot of World War II to get the readers overall attention to the topic being discussed. Then, military personnel are introduced to show their importance to the war, not just them specifically but all military personnel. Military tactics including ground troops, landing boats, and fighter planes used in this war are then presented to show the reader the importance of having different ways of attacking their opponents. By adding an image from the military today adds the effect of how war and military has changed and stayed the same. For instance, some military tactics have remained the same but may have been revised due to the ever changing needs of the military branches in order to be successful at battle. The clothing of the soldiers has changed since World War II and can be depicted through the flow of photographs in the picture essay as they used to be somewhat basic and not very protective to nowadays being protective and more detailed. This change is important because uniforms can become more effective to the soldiers and more functional to them as well. The theme of military is displayed through this flow as it progresses from past to present. This is effective as is goes in chronological order. The theme also pays tribute to one’s family members as they served their active roles and duty in the military. The personal additions add a unique touch to the paper.

The use of black and white images, facial expressions, and flow of images all contribute to the comprehensive theme of military in the interpretation of a visual text. Through the interpretation one can conclude that the war was influenced by several different sources as well as the theme of military as an overall concept. Through these ideas, the central idea that military today has been impacted and influenced by previous wars, especially World War II, is a true statement and is clear by the visual text. War has always been a controversial issue in different ways and through the visual essay and its visual aspects communicated by the author, it can be concluded that war could be a solution when trying to protect countries from invaders and other individuals who may appear as a threat. Lighting from black and white images highlights hidden meanings and unveils things that may be beneficial to the overall interpretation. Facial expressions display and depict how individuals in visuals are feeling and can give a meaning to the text and contribute the theme. Flow of a visual essay is essential and if it is not in an order that is easy to interpret and understand, it can easily confuse the reader making it hard for them to understand the theme, in this case, military. Together with these aspects, the theme of military is easily established. Military will always be a part of society and the global population.
