The connections between the Greensboro Sit-Ins and “Tank Man”

Scenarios such as these were plentiful during the Greensboro Sit-Ins of 1960.

     Pictured above is a group of students who were taking apart in the now legendary Greensboro Sit-Ins. Initiated in early 1960 by the rapidly spreading SNCC (Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committee), the idea behind such actions was to draw attention towards prominent racial segregation running rampant in the private sector. The particular location was a Woolworth’s merchandise store, a store that had a policy of barring blacks from the “whites-only” lunch counter. The protests were divided into two days, with the first day leading to police being called, though unable to act as the original four protestors had done nothing to warrant arrest. The media quickly picked up, and by the second day images such as the one pictured above circulated local newspapers. When conducting a rhetorical analysis on this captured historical moment, we find that the message conveyed is to stand tall for what you believe is right, even if the odds appear entirely stacked against you.

I will sooner than later be giving a speech about the rhetorical and civic elements behind the iconic “Tank Man” image, and as a comparison for an accompanying essay, I have chosen the Greensboro Sit-Ins as an appropriate companion. The image above is especially ripe for in-depth, rhetorical analysis and comparisons given it’s similar, though not identical nature to that of the Tank Man image. The image instantly catches one’s eye, as it is a blunt reminder of a darker side of not only U.S. History, but of our very human nature. In one observation, we may find ourselves pondering the lasting impacts of the Civil Rights movement and how such bravery lead to a societal overhaul. Yet in another, we may come to ponder how this image represents the changing of norms over time, and how we can learn from these brave men and women to “be the change” we want to see on the domestic and global stage. It is all of the aforementioned and much else (i.e. the subtle yet incredible pathos elements that it and many other Civil Rights candid shots carry) that I will be looking forward to not only analyzing, but comparing and contrasting to the “Tank Man.”

There are various elements of both images – both shared and unique – that will be subject to in-depth discussion. The most notable between the two can be divided into various sub-topics is the similar call to action through portrayals of extraordinary courage in dangerous situations. While Tank Man stood in front of an armored tank, the college students of Greensboro risked physical assault and social condemnation by the amassed mobs of white residents angered by the protests. The two images have two literally different yet socially similar contexts that together make for an interesting comparison and contrast. The two draw not only the nature of protesting as a whole under the spotlight, but humanity’s ebbs & flows through periods of evil.