NOTE: We may have a snow day on Wednesday, so if we do, we'll discuss these questions on Friday. If school isn't cancelled, use your own judgement whether or not you can make it to campus (if you commute). These questions will only be due on Wednesday if school is in session (you can e-mail them to me if you can't make it), and if it isn't, they'll be due on Friday.
Answer TWO of the following:
Q1: On page 45, an expert tells Morris that the photographs have been doctored, which is the only explanation for cannon balls that are all the same size. Morris rejects this, saying that people often prefer to find a conspiracy in things that are difficult to understand. Why is this? Why would we prefer to see a 'trick' rather than the 'truth'?
Q2: How did the rocks, which Morris and others give human nicknames, ultimately unlock the mystery of the ON/OFF photos? What do they conclusively tell us about the "truth" of the photos? However, why doesn't this completely solve the mystery: or rather, why does it solve one thing and leave another unsolved?
Q3: On page 54, Morris asks an expert, "Are you saying: to interpret a picture we need more than the picture itself? We need context." Why might this idea bother Morris, particularly in pictures like these? Should the pictures themselves be enough (or just one of the pictures)? Is there a danger in insisting that we know more?
Q4: Morris also argues that every photograph is "posed because every photograph excludes something" (65). So in his mind, taking a picture is staged and makes it somewhat inauthentic. The only way to be authentic is not to take the picture. Do you agree with this? Does this idea help us appreciate the photos and their mystery?
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