Cliché introduction and Iwo Jima flag raising

A cliché in popular media is an image or idea that gets used to the point where it is dumbed down or it’s original point doesn’t apply anymore clichés can include stereotypes and phrases and imagery that are used extensively, typically in comics or works of fiction.

The raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima during WWII is an iconic image of the time it was the only photograph to win the Pulitzer prize for Photography in the same year as its publication, it has also been used as reference to sculpt the 1954 marine corps war memorial, there is no doubt that it is one of the most famous war photos in history, however over the years many artists in popular media have used the image in there own crafted scenarios and with there own characters. It has been used with Lego figures, on etch a sketches, in corn mazes, even in butter, in innumerable newspaper cartoon illustrations and in at least six Simpson’s episodes. The image is popularly used by “organizations or movements wishing to convey victory, teamwork, or patriotism. The use of the image has ranged from respectful homage to what some consider offensive misappropriation”(7). The general reaction to parodies of the image vary, with veterans and soldiers generally being displeased or angry with it’s use in media, one such case was when Times magazine used the famous image but replaced the flag with a tree for an issue about global warming. The image has also inspired a book and then also the film by the same name “flags of our fathers” which was directed by Clint Eastwood. The image has also been used by many people to convey thoughts of patriotism or joint views of a cause, however it can also be used to show the opposite if used in the correct terms for example anti war activists in the 1960’s altered the flag to bear a peace symbol as well as several anti establishment artworks.

(7) “Raising the flag on Iwo Jima”: the most reproduced and parodied photo in history?