Monk on Fire

Thich Quang Duc, taken by Malcolm Browne, 1963

"Monk on Fire," taken by Mike Stimpson, 2010

The first image is a photograph of Thich Quang Duc performing self-immolation. This photograph was taken by Malcolm Browne in 1963. This Buddhist monk burned himself alive in protest of religious persecution in South Vietnam. The first image is a description of the scene on this busy street in South Vietnam. The entire image is in focus: the burning monk, the gasoline can, the car, the building, and the numerous monks and passerby in the background watching this event. All of these pieces of the photograph create a narrative which tells a story of a Buddhist monk protesting via self-immolation. The photographer seems to have the same point of view as the rest of the observers. He is not facing the monk head-on, but his positioning captures the movement of the flames being carried by the wind.

The second image is a recreation of the first image with LEGO pieces, taken by Mike Stimpson in 2010. This image, titled “Monk on Fire,” places strong emphasis on the monk; the rest of the image is out of focus. I think Mike Stimpson purposely emphasized the burning monk and the gas can in order to eliminate the distracting components of the image, like the car, the building, and the crowd. Both images are conventional, but they incorporate different photographic composition.

Courageous Smile

I’ve altered the LEGO recreation image with text to facilitate the viewer’s understanding of the narrative composition within this image. Clearly the viewer knows a man is burning alive in the street with many people watching him, but they may not understand why if nobody told them the story about Thich Quang Duc. I put former South Vietnamese President Diem’s name on the gas can because Diem’s administration persecuted Buddhists. This makes Diem appear as the “bad guy” because Diem’s actions led to Thich Quang Duc’s suicide. I also used the monk’s last words, which he wrote in a letter prior to this event to display his peaceful protest against Diem in which he “respectfully pleaded” for religious equality.

In Mitchell Stephens’s essay, By Means of the Visible, he said “images can wield great power – religious, tribal, romantic, pedagogic… Aquinas suggested that images can be used to ‘excite the emotions, which are more effectively aroused by things seen than by things heard.’” I agree with this statement because this image makes me realize how lucky I am to live in a country where I can practice any religion freely. I remember the first time the original photograph (not the LEGO version) was shown to me. I was taking a Turbulent 1960’s class in high school. If my teacher had just told me the story rather than show me the photograph, the story would not have been as shocking. Self-immolation is a powerful means of protest because it requires an extraordinary amount of courage to burn oneself alive without a flinch. I think it’s ironic that the LEGO character is smiling because Thich Quang Duc must’ve been in so much pain. However, he was able to meditate and stay perfectly calm as his flesh burned. That is why I made the caption “Courageous Smile.”