Zulema Chavez

September 9, 2014

The photograph "Two Men are Lynched in Marion, Indiana" was taken by
photographer, Lawrence Beitler and published by Corbis Images. This photograph
shows how African Americans were indeed lynched by whites, and it is not just a
myth. This photograph is, black and white, and shows two African Americans lynched
and a crowed of white men and women surrounding them.
First, the photograph gives any person who is seeing it many mixed emotions
such as a sense of sorrow, injustice, and anger. The photographs color scheme gives the
audience a sense that it is not a happy moment for any African American during that
time. Also, the angle in which the photographer took the picture, shows not only the
lynching but also how African Americans were beat up because the audience is able to
see the blood in their clothes. There is a feeling of injustice because in the photograph
the audience is able to see some whites actually smiling, and because whites at that time
were able to make "justice" in their hands. Seeing the photograph gives the audience a
sense of anger, because it is horrifying how whites lynched African Americans
sometimes for no reason, and because in the picture the audience gets a sense that
whites actually feel relieved and with a feeling of happiness.
Secondly, this photograph is trying to show real events that happened to many
African Americans during the 1930s. This photograph was taken in a real life event. This
event happened on August 7, 1930, where two African American young men were
accused of raping a white woman, that's when 10,000 whites took matters into their
own hands. This image was an inspiration for many poems, books, and songs. This
photograph made a huge controversy when it was first shown, many lynching
photographs were used to make postcards and this image had thousands of copies.
Zulema Chavez
September 9, 2014

Lastly, a professional photographer, Lawrence Beitler has many collections of
different events where African Americans were lynched by white supremacists. He is
mostly known for this photograph because of how the image shows what really
happened in those times.
In conclusion, this image is trying to show how in that time white supremacists
not only discriminated blacks but also hated them a lot in order to commit murder.
Beitler, L. (1930, August 7). Two Men are Lynched in Marion, Indiana. Corbis
Corporation. Retrieved from
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:7LN-
WPZzz5cJ:www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/BE023717/two-men-
are-lynched-in-marion-indiana+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us







Zulema Chavez
September 9, 2014