Exploration 4 - Haley ClevelandBull

Part One:

  One of the things that stood out to me when researching the Tiananmen Square Massacre is the tremendous strength of the people.  When reading more about the students and the massacre I discovered that both students and other demonstrators were able to occupy the Tiananmen Square for seven weeks before the government decided to shut down the protests.  Also, as I looked through the photographs taken of the Tiananmen Square Massacre I noticed that in some of the photos you see the devastation, fear, distress and sadness, but in others you see the strength, love, hope, and incredible courage of the people of Beijing.  To me, the demonstration of the students and protestors was like a lawyer in a courtroom.  Though the lawyer may not have won in court that particular day, the influential statement that was made within the courtroom will be remembered forever.  In the case of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, though the students and other protestors were shut down and in a sense ‘lost that initial fight’, their actions speak words.  The message of these incredibly strong people, who banded together for a common cause, was so impactful that it was understood across the entire world.  It was so incredibly powerful that its message will live on, just as it has lived on throughout history, and will certainly continue to be reverberated in future generations to come.

 

Part Two:

This image depicts the devastation and loss of those who courageously demonstrated protests; and whose bodies are lost and tangled among the broken and abandoned bikes.

 

 

This is an image showing a student receiving medical attention during the fourth day of the hunger strike at Tiananmen Square.  His face shows pain, but yet within this picture you also see courage and strength.