Authors use many literary techniques in order to convey whatever emotion, message, or story they want to their audience. Among these copious techniques lies imagery, or the ability to use descriptive language in order to provide the reader with a clear visual. While Lynsey Addario can explain her journey through the use of her writing, she ameliorates her manuscript by adding actual photos as well.

“Addario is an artist of empathy” – The Boston Globe

One photo that stood out very well and resonated with me was that of the decomposing skeleton laying on the foreground of the battlefield with soldiers walking around in the background (found on the sixth page of the third picture insert between pages 210-211). The clarity of this image is impeccably gruesome. You can see the remnants of flesh on the bone, as well as the fully exposed skull. But I think what makes this photo even more impactful is the fact that the soldiers in the back have almost a complete disregard for the body. It creates this sense of what the horrible norm at that time was- a dead body was not unusual. The gut-wrenching feeling I got when I first turned to this page was immediate.

The second picture, the one that caught my eye the most, is impossible to miss. Taking up the entirety of the sixteenth page of the third picture insert (between pages 110-11) lies a young boys face. One word comes to mind when I see this image: pain. The bandaids, the dried/splattered blood, and mostly the welled up tears in his eyes made me instantly distraught. You can’t even begin to imagine what this boy has been through at such a young age, yet this photo allows the reader to feel that agony.

In my own passion blog, I use and will continue to use photos as well as other sources of media such as videos, songs, and gifs to allow my audience a stronger connection to the topic. Quite conversely from Addario, my goal is to convey intrigued readers through pleasant and upbeat additives to in turn possibly change some people’s views on theatre. I think that being able to use multi-media is crucial in my blog which is centered around being able to watch and listen to the pieces; without it my blog may almost be rendered useless.