The color images in addition to these on the blog really seem to capture the British attitude during and after the bombing or the "Blitz." Even during the destruction and suffering that occurred to the towns and the people, they would not show a weakness in sadness, or a rebuttal. Instead, the people of London stood up to the bombings and sadness that surrounded them and went about life, trying to fix their community, without showing their anger. I think the third picture in this blog really represents the mindset in London at the time, with dust clearing from (I'm assuming) a recently dropped bomb, and townspeople strolling by going about their business. Are they angry? Probably! Are they upset? Duh! But they are not letting it show and therefore are winning that particular fight against Germany.
The first picture in this series is particularly striking to me for a number of reasons. First, it perfectly captures a moment of great destruction and really puts into perspective how critical and damaging the Blitz bombings were. Like Kathryn said though, it also sheds light on the strength and fight within the civilians of London as they still persevered after the attacks. Secondly, I cant help but think of the 9/11 attacks when I look at this picture. Upon viewing images from that day, there is one remarkably similar to the one here. With this, there were also pictures thereafter that captured the strength of America despite the unquestionable and undoubtable feelings of anger and outrage.
What was truly unique about Britain during this time was their ability to mobilize their entire population when the fighting actually started. After the Germans declared war on Britain, it was months before the first attacks even happened. What I think is unique about these images are that while they may look like complete destruction to us, the British people were united in spirit and refused to let it define them. When the air raid sirens went off they would duck underground or into their bunkers/homes and when the siren sounded again signaling that morning had come, they would get up and go to work as normal. They helped on another and for just a moment classism and sexism dissipated and they were able to find strength as a nation in a time of chaos. Their whole population, even children, contributed to the war and the aftermath. This time period is so rich with images such as these and stories of heroism, as well as tragedy.
I wasn’t really aware of the Blitz until I saw these pictures. The first pictures really capture the destruction of the bombings. However, I couldn’t help but notice people still walking around in the last picture like nothing was wrong. Although their backs are turned towards the camera, I couldn’t help but think that they didn’t care what was going on around them. There is destruction and clutter everywhere with a huge gust of smoke coming from the ruins. The people just seem to be walking by like they would on any street. This made me think that maybe the people did not want to show fear so they took these pictures. I could be reading into the picture more than others would. These people could just be walking by to look at all the chaos. However, no matter which way I look at this I know that those people were probably mad, sad, etc. These pictures are depressing, but a reminder of what the Germans did to them.
I'd also recommend the incredibly moving images on Life:
ReplyDeletehttp://life.time.com/history/world-war-ii-london-in-color/
The color images in addition to these on the blog really seem to capture the British attitude during and after the bombing or the "Blitz." Even during the destruction and suffering that occurred to the towns and the people, they would not show a weakness in sadness, or a rebuttal. Instead, the people of London stood up to the bombings and sadness that surrounded them and went about life, trying to fix their community, without showing their anger. I think the third picture in this blog really represents the mindset in London at the time, with dust clearing from (I'm assuming) a recently dropped bomb, and townspeople strolling by going about their business. Are they angry? Probably! Are they upset? Duh! But they are not letting it show and therefore are winning that particular fight against Germany.
ReplyDeleteThe first picture in this series is particularly striking to me for a number of reasons. First, it perfectly captures a moment of great destruction and really puts into perspective how critical and damaging the Blitz bombings were. Like Kathryn said though, it also sheds light on the strength and fight within the civilians of London as they still persevered after the attacks. Secondly, I cant help but think of the 9/11 attacks when I look at this picture. Upon viewing images from that day, there is one remarkably similar to the one here. With this, there were also pictures thereafter that captured the strength of America despite the unquestionable and undoubtable feelings of anger and outrage.
ReplyDeleteIt's the classic British spirit. Keep calm and carry on!
ReplyDeleteWhat was truly unique about Britain during this time was their ability to mobilize their entire population when the fighting actually started. After the Germans declared war on Britain, it was months before the first attacks even happened. What I think is unique about these images are that while they may look like complete destruction to us, the British people were united in spirit and refused to let it define them. When the air raid sirens went off they would duck underground or into their bunkers/homes and when the siren sounded again signaling that morning had come, they would get up and go to work as normal. They helped on another and for just a moment classism and sexism dissipated and they were able to find strength as a nation in a time of chaos. Their whole population, even children, contributed to the war and the aftermath. This time period is so rich with images such as these and stories of heroism, as well as tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI wasn’t really aware of the Blitz until I saw these pictures. The first pictures really capture the destruction of the bombings. However, I couldn’t help but notice people still walking around in the last picture like nothing was wrong. Although their backs are turned towards the camera, I couldn’t help but think that they didn’t care what was going on around them. There is destruction and clutter everywhere with a huge gust of smoke coming from the ruins. The people just seem to be walking by like they would on any street. This made me think that maybe the people did not want to show fear so they took these pictures. I could be reading into the picture more than others would. These people could just be walking by to look at all the chaos. However, no matter which way I look at this I know that those people were probably mad, sad, etc. These pictures are depressing, but a reminder of what the Germans did to them.
ReplyDelete