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  • Essay / The Kissing Sailor in Times Square

    August 14, 1945: A day of victory and celebration for the Allied nations as the Japanese declared their long-awaited unconditional surrender. After more than half a decade of conflict, the announcement that signified the end of this devastating war brought a sense of relief, happiness and triumph to America. That day, hundreds of people took to the streets to celebrate the soldiers' return home and honor the lives lost. Photographer Alfread Eisenstaedt documented moments of pure joy and comfort in Times Square through snapshots of American citizens united to celebrate VJ Day. It captures the image of a sailor kissing a woman in Times Square, "The Kissing Sailor", also known as "The Kiss", which later became a cultural artifact and iconic image of the Resolution celebration of war, having a resonant effect on modern youth. times, illustrating the effects of war and the essential character of peace and unity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay It was a victorious day for everyone in Times Square. Eisenstaedt was taking photos when he saw a white glow in the corner of his eye. He turns around and finds a man and a woman kissing passionately. The photograph shows a man dressed in a dark sailor's uniform and hat and a woman in a white dress kissing. The woman's right leg is slightly raised while her left arm hangs behind her with her hand resting on the back of her thigh. The sailor leans over the woman and holds her by the waist with his right hand. The sailor's left arm holds the woman's head and at the same time protects her face from photographers. We hasten to assume that by looking at this image, the two people kissing know each other. However, this is not the case, the two individuals presented in this photo did not know each other. It looks like the happiness people must have felt at that time. The woman being kissed was working at a nearby dental office when she learned the war was coming to an end. She went to Times Square to see if the rumors were true. Suddenly, she was grabbed by the hips and kissed on the lips by someone she had no connection with. He was so happy to not have to return to war that he took it upon himself to kiss a stranger to show his gratitude and enthusiasm. From there, Eisenstaedt took a photo of the kiss that then spiraled, becoming an iconic photo for its symbolic statement and cultural remembrance of a joyous moment in American history. During the 1960s, the photo became popular and better known for media gossip. This was only because the identity of the individuals in the photo was unknown. At the time, this photo received intense scrutiny and attention from the popular media simply because they were hungry to know who was in this photo. The photo was later published in LIFE magazine, which sparked its popularity. People loved that the photograph wasn't staged, it just showed how wholesome the event really was. The image of “The Kiss” inevitably captures the greatest joy of VJ Day in a single image. The people of Times Square reflected their immense sense of relief and elation, with enormous emotions of happiness and joy and this image captures that perfectly. The composition of this image is minimal but it has significance and meaning. The salience of this image is the two individuals kissing, they are centered in the photograph. Its.