Chapter 10 Summary and Analysis

Sontag argues that while images of suffering can be thought provoking, modern society is ill-suited to provide the quiet, meditative space necessary for their thoughtful consideration. She argues that viewing harrowing images in an art gallery seems exploitative, changing the context of what is viewed by virtue of how and where it is viewed. Sontag also reasons that, since media has become more sophisticated across the board, shocking imagery now competes for our attention.

Photographers of conscience are concerned that important photographs will not be regarded under the reverential conditions which they are due. In the modern era, the viewer can dictate the circumstances of viewing. Even in a gallery, where such works arguably become art, the experience of the images becomes part of a gallery stroll, punctuated by the interruptions common to a public space. Even a book of such...