american history 20 century

The expression , A picture is worth a thousand words , is well proven when the is historical accounts . It is clear that photographic and artistic imagery can convey more understanding of historical events than can mere text . The elements that imagery can convey are emotional and photographs can covey contextual elements that are lacking in text alone

Jacob Lawrence 's collection illustrates the power of artist 's rendition of historical events to convey emotional elements . While a text can convey the facts of an historical event , such as the migration of African-Americans

from the South to the North , Lawrence 's art captures the emotional elements that are important in understanding the reactions and subsequent behaviors of the group . Lawrence 's work entitled Education ' illustrates the esteem in which the Migrants held education . The use of a bright color scheme represents hope , and the posture of the students shows an attitude of striving , or reaching for goals

Photographic displays can convey events in a context that is difficult to replicate in text . An example of this can be found in the collections of photographs related to the Great Depression . One such photograph illustrates a temporary dwelling that a family of eight people is using to live in . While a text can convey that the dwelling is small and makeshift , the photograph shows the exact dimensions of the dwelling (in this case , about 10 ' by 6 ) the ramshackle condition of the dwelling the lack of utilities available , and numerous other details that...