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VOA慢速英语2014 The Iwo Jima Memorial and the Famous Photograph that Inspired It

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The Iwo Jima Memorial and the Famous Photograph that Inspired It 

From VOA Learning English, welcome to This Is America. I'm Steve Ember.

Visitors to Washington, DC know about such tourist attractions as the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials…the World War II Memorial…the Washington Monument. But we’d like to tell you today about a very special monument, just across the Potomac River from Washington, in Arlington Virginia. The Marine1 Corps2 War Memorial, also called the Iwo Jima Memorial, is one of the largest free-standing statues in the world. Today we tell you about this memorial and the story behind it.

Visitor from Arlington, Virginia: “It’s very overpowering. You can’t help but think about all the lives that have been lost for our country.”

Our program today is about one moment in time.

A Moment in Time

?Really, 1/400th of a second! That is the amount of time it took Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal to capture an historic4 image on film.

The photograph shows six men and an American flag during a battle in World War II. Joe Rosenthal took the picture on February 23, 1945, on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima. Japanese forces held the island. American Marines were attempting to capture it.

On the fourth day of battle, Marines fought to the top of Mount3 Suribachi, the tallest mountain on Iwo Jima. A small American flag was sent to the top. The Marines placed the flagpole in the ground, and raised the flag into the air.

But the flag could not be seen clearly far below. Commanding officers ordered the Marines to replace it with a much larger one.

Joe Rosenthal was among Marines when they heard there would be a flag ceremony. He wanted to capture the event on film. So he took his camera and climbed slowly up the mountain, avoiding marked landmines5. But when he got to the top, it was too late. The ceremony had ended.

He then saw other Marines carrying another flag. Joe Rosenthal backed away from the group. He hoped to get a picture of both flags, one being removed and the other being placed on a pole. But he began talking to another photographer and missed the moment he was waiting for.

A minute later, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. “There it goes!” he said. He swung his camera up, following the movement of the flag, and took his famous photograph.

Four men are clearly seen in the photo. They are Harlon Block, a Marine from Texas; John Bradley, a Navy corpsman from Wisconsin; Franklin Sousley, a Marine from Kentucky; and Ira Hayes, a Marine and American Indian from Arizona.

Behind these men are two other Marines. They are Rene Gagnon of New Hampshire, and Mike Strank. Mr. Strank lived in Pennsylvania, but was born in what was then Czechoslovakia.

The next day, Joe Rosenthal’s film went by airplane to the island of Guam, where it was developed and printed. The photographs were given to an Associated Press photo editor. It was the editor’s job to decide which ones to send to the United States. They would go on a machine that sent images by radio.

The Iwo Jima Memorial and the Famous Photograph that Inspired ItAs histories tell it, the editor looked and looked at the first photograph and said, “This is one for all time.” Within minutes he sent the picture of the six men raising the flag to the Associated Press headquarters in New York. From there, the photo went to newspapers across the United States. Most decided6 to print a huge copy on their front page.

Many photo experts will tell you that the picture Joe Rosenthal made is almost perfect. The camera catches the flag as it rises. The flagpole cuts across the photograph. Wind blows against the flag.

The experts also say you must look at the picture as the American public saw it in 1945. The world had been at war for years. Victory was not yet certain. Many people worried about family members. Many had a deep fear of the enemy.

The picture shows strength and courage. It suggests that six young men are working together to defeat the enemy. Joe Rosenthal’s photograph seemed to say: the battle may not be over, but we are winning.

It was the very image of a future American victory.

A Sculpture Inspired

In Washington, D.C., Felix de Weldon saw the photograph in the newspapers. At the time, he was working at an air force base. Born in Austria, he came to the United States and was an artist in the Navy.

Many years later he would say, “When I first saw it I recognized the power of this photograph. I could not take my eyes from it. I looked at the photograph for some hours and then began working.”

Felix de Weldon made a small statue of Joe Rosenthal’s picture in 72 hours. Within days, members of Congress had seen the small statue. Many began to call for a huge statue. President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the Marine Corps to send home the men who had raised the flag.

By then, however, it was too late. Mike Strank, Harlon Block and Franklin Sousley were dead. They were among the more than 6,000 Marines killed on Iwo Jima. Navy Corpsman John Bradley had been severely7 wounded. But he, Rene Gagnon and Ira Hayes returned to the United States.

People said they were heroes. The three men said they had done nothing but help put up a flag. But Joe Rosenthal’s photograph was so powerful, nothing would change people's minds.

Felix de Weldon soon made a life-size copy of the statue. He carefully copied the faces of the three survivors8. He used all the photographs he could find for the three who had been killed.

Joe Rosenthal’s photograph became more and more famous. His work earned the Pulitzer Prize.

There was public demand to put the image on a postage stamp. In July of 1945, the government agreed. More than 137 million stamps were produced.

People also demanded a huge statue of the six Marines. So, in 1946 Felix de Weldon started all over again. First he made a statue out of plaster9. Then he used the plaster form as a guide to make the final statue out of bronze metal.

It took him nine years to complete the statue. The memorial honors all members of the United States Marine Corps who died in battle since the American Revolution. Each of those battles is mentioned at the base of the statue.

On November 10, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower led dedication10 ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery11 in Virginia. The burial grounds are across the Potomac River from Washington.

The three surviving marines, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon and John Bradley, and photographer Joseph Rosenthal attended the ceremonies. It was their last time together. Ira Hayes died three months later.

In 1994, John Bradley died. He was the last to die of the six men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. Felix de Weldon died in 2003. And Joe Rosenthal, in 2006.

Over the years, millions of people have come to see the huge statue that Felix de Weldon made.

Visitor from Madagascar: “It’s very impressive. It’s a great piece of history.”

It stands in a grassy12 area at the edge of Arlington National Cemetery. 

Man from Great Britain: “Fantastic – It’s very emotive. It’s something that you see on many images from around the world. And, to actually come and see it, it’s even more immense than what you imagine it is.”

The statue weighs more than 20 tons. Each man is almost 10 meters tall. The men seem about to move. Their bodies push forward as they struggle to raise the flag. Their clothes show the bones and muscles underneath13. Their faces show the hard work.

Woman from British Columbia, Canada: “And you saw what a bitter battle it was – a terrible battle. And the bravery of the men. And we’d heard that, even artistically14, this was an absolutely beautiful, beautiful monument, and it is. It’s very moving. And to see the actual flag moving, that adds a lot, doesn’t it, the fact that it’s not a sculptured flag, that it’s an actual flag.”

?Many visitors say seeing the statue is an emotional experience. People stand and look up at the six men. And, they take pictures, just as Joe Rosenthal did on Mount Suribachi.

Woman from Great Britain: “It’s interesting reading the history of the six men as well, how three of them lived…two of them had quite a good life afterwards, but three of them died on the island. And it makes you wonder what life would have been like, actually, (A) without the Second World War ever happening, and (B) without the success of people like that. It’s quite emotional.”

Man from Great Britain: “It is, when you look at the photograph that was taken by the photographer. That was a one in a lifetime picture. He could take another million pictures and never get one which would stand out and represent, not humanity15, but the success of making people free…Heroism…because you read lots about what people do in war, and some things just go on and above what you would expect, so it’s very good to come and see it.”

Soon after the photograph from Mount Suribachi was published, some people began to dispute it. They suggested that Joe Rosenthal had placed everyone where he wanted them, and then took the picture. Joe Rosenthal always said that was not true. Many other photographers with him also agreed it was not staged, or posed16.

Experts in photography say it is easy to tell that the photo was not posed. They say no photographer would make a picture that hides almost all of the people’s faces. And they say no photographer would have two of the people nearly hidden.

Our program was written by Paul Thompson. We had assistance by Kim Varzi and Kelly Jean Kelly.

 

I’m Steve Ember inviting17 you to join us again next week for This Is America.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 marine 77Izo     
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵
参考例句:
  • Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
2 corps pzzxv     
n.(通信等兵种的)部队;(同类作的)一组
参考例句:
  • The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
3 mount 6Fixv     
n.山峰,乘用马,框,衬纸;vi.增长,骑上(马);vt.提升,爬上,装备
参考例句:
  • Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
  • She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。
4 historic AcNxw     
adj.历史上著名的,具有历史意义的
参考例句:
  • This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
  • We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。
5 landmines 2c28fd83ea31641be43b9b7fb10c8f48     
潜在的冲突; 地雷,投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定,禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
  • One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。
6 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
7 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
8 survivors 02ddbdca4c6dba0b46d9d823ed2b4b62     
幸存者,残存者,生还者( survivor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
  • survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者
9 plaster LO7xz     
n.石膏,灰泥,膏药;v.涂以灰泥,敷以膏药,使...平
参考例句:
  • He mixed up some plaster to repair the wall.他和了一些灰泥去补墙。
  • She applied the plaster on his shoulder.她将膏药贴在他的膀子上。
10 dedication pxMx9     
n.奉献,献身,致力,题献,献辞
参考例句:
  • We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
  • Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。
11 cemetery ur9z7     
n.坟墓,墓地,坟场
参考例句:
  • He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
  • His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。
12 grassy DfBxH     
adj.盖满草的;长满草的
参考例句:
  • They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
  • Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。
13 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
14 artistically UNdyJ     
adv.艺术性地
参考例句:
  • The book is beautifully printed and artistically bound. 这本书印刷精美,装帧高雅。
  • The room is artistically decorated. 房间布置得很美观。
15 humanity Nc4xR     
n.人类,[总称]人(性),人道[pl.]人文学科
参考例句:
  • Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
  • We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。
16 posed 3b043f45050cbd036ed46d15a4d75291     
使摆姿势( pose的过去式和过去分词 ); 以…身份出现; 招摇; 炫耀
参考例句:
  • The players strutted and posed for the cameras. 运动员昂首阔步,摆好姿势让记者拍照。
  • After the wedding we all posed for a photograph. 婚礼之后,我们全体排好拍了一张照片。
17 inviting CqIzNp     
adj.诱人的,引人注目的
参考例句:
  • An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
  • The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人,使人感到亲切温馨。

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