Memories of the Past

In her story In Plato’s Cave, Susan Sontag explains that a camera is like a “predatory weapon.” She discusses that, “like guns and cars, cameras are fantasy- machines whose use is addictive.” She also adds that, “there is something predatory in the act if taking a picture. To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them they can never have; it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed. Just as the camera is a sublimation of the gun, to photograph someone is a sublimated murder- a soft murder, appropriate to a sad, frightened time.”
Sontag is basically saying that cameras are like guns. That they cannot physically hurt someone, but it’s the concept of a camera that relates it to a gun. She is saying that they are “predatory” because a person with a camera is capable of knowing something about someone that they themselves are not capable of knowing. She also states that photographing people turns them “into objects”. My interpretation of what she means by this is that is that people are really their mind and personalities, not their bodies. And when a picture is taken of them, all you really see is what’s on the outside, not the inside. So judgment could be made on them based on their outfit, hairstyle, ect. But what’s really important is who they are as a person, and photographs take that away.

Sontag makes a good point; however she fails to see the true meaning in picture taking, memories. Pictures help a person remember and event or time that they may not remember otherwise. It also helps one remember more vividly. If you can capture the moment as it is, it is easier to recall what happened. Also, emotions experienced during that event can also be remembered by looking at pictures. Photographs also allow people to share their experiences with others. It allows for not just telling someone about a trip or event, but showing them. Instead of trying to picture what you are describing in their mind, they can see and actual picture while you explain it. Pictures also act as a sort of souvenir because it is a memory of the trip or experience. Our lives are made up of our memories of the past. If we forget the past, we forget who we are. Photographs can help us remember our past, especially the best moments.