McDaniel 1

Ellen McDaniel
Professor Yoo
English 121 Honors
6 November 2014
Faces of the Tsunami Photo Essay Analysis
They say that with age comes experience. This could not be truer for the people spotlighted in Denis Rouvres photo essay, "Faces of the Tsunami, published on February 25th,
2012 on the New York Times website. Every photo of this essay was taken almost a year after the
devastating tsunami that hit Japan in 2011 and focuses on different survivors. Through the use of
strong visual rhetoric, direct quotes, thought-out organization and powerful emotional pull,
Rouvre creates a successful photo essay that captures more than tragedy these people faced, but
the people themselves.
While the title of this essay obviously addresses the tsunami that struck Japan, there is
much more to the story. On March 11th in 2011, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 took place
in northeastern Japan. Any earthquake that registers above 8.0 on the Richter Scale is very
destructive, with the ability to wipe out entire communities. The earthquake then caused a
tsunami with waves that reached 30 feet and that devastated the shores of Japan, as well as
damaged several nuclear reactors. This was the fourth largest earthquake recorded and the largest
to hit Japan. Between the massive natural disasters and the melt down of a nuclear reactor,
everyone in Japan was faced with a lot to overcome. Rouvres purpose for creating this photo
essay is to show the world the people who did just that, overcome. Most of the world watched
what was happening in Japan through a television screen, and while it was sad to see, it was not

McDaniel 2
hard for separate parties to let the issue fall to the side. However, these people who were actually
there, after all they'd been through, will never forget. The point of the essay was to remind
America that these are real people who experienced very real things and who are still recovering
and moving forward.
Referring to firsthand accounts can be a very efficient tool. Direct quotes from those who
experienced an event establishes credibility, or ethos, in an essay. Rouvre had an interesting yet
successful use for the quotes he collected from the survivors. Rather than write up his own
captions describing the pictures from his perspective, he put short quotes from the person
featured in each photograph as well as their name and age. This element gives a realism to the
paper and helps the audience realize that these are actual people. Of course, Rouvre edited what
quotes went into the published photo essay, but he deliberately shifts the perspective from the
photographers point of view to the victims. This was so powerful because it shows readers what
has happened rather than tells them.
The captions are more than sources of credibility but are also evidence of effective
organization that helps to evoke emotion from the audience. Rouvre decided not to put a lot of
fluff into the captions, but left them short and to the point. The point being a glimpse into
what these Japanese men or women experienced. For example, Tamiko Sato, age 86, said, I
dont want to go back there. I found a body between the first and second floor in my house. I
went back three or four times without noticing it. It was one of the two people who died in our
town. It may not be worded very poetically, but these are Tamikos real thoughts, which are
more powerful than what any author could have written. Also, including the ages of each person
creates a parallel between all of the photographs: all the people in them are elderly. The youngest
person is a man of 63 and the oldest is a woman of 87. This helps direct the audiences attention

McDaniel 3
to how old the men and women appear in the pictures, if it was not already obvious. The way the
light hits each person highlights their wrinkles and weathered skin. Another interesting
organizational choice is the four pictures of the destruction left behind by the tsunami. Every
other picture is a head shot of the survivors, except for the fourth, eighth, twelfth and sixteenth
photographs. These photos show cleared out landscapes, the skeletons of washed up homes, and
what was left of a once-flourishing community. The insertion of these photos connect with what
the survivors said, bringing their words to life and turning this tragedy that once seemed so
distant into something people across the world can finally grasp and relate to.
While the arrangement to this photo essay contributed to its successfulness, the pictures,
of course, were the most effective. The photos of the older men and women are all composed
very similarly: a black background with a light highlighting each of their emotionless faces, all
of which are looking directly at the camera. These are all very deliberate and effective choices.
Having each picture set up the same way only emphasizes how different each person looks. This,
along with their quotes, helps to identify them each as individuals with their individual
experiences. Having a light upon their faces seriously accentuates their wrinkles and grey hair.
This is a key factor to this photo essay. Most of these people are in there 70s and 80s; theyve
experienced so much during their life time, going back all the way to World War II. The idea that
they have not only survived this particular natural disaster but also wars and countless other
struggles is an amazing idea. The audience can visually see the time and stress that each person
has endured, but they can also see that they are bouncing back. By having all of them wear no
expression in these pictures, there is a sense of defiance from each person, as if they are telling
the world that their hardships may have slowed them down, but did not stop them. Even more
compelling may be how each person is looking straight at the camera. It is a very striking

McDaniel 4
position and really draws in the audience. The viewer almost feels connected to the person in the
photo, as if the survivor is looking directly at them to make them specifically understand what he
or she has experienced and felt.
A picture that especially captured all of these elements is the one of Tomoko Ujiie. Her
account of the event is short but so powerful. She said, Before all of this, I wanted to live with
my daughter in Fukushima. Twenty years ago, we made a promise that we would live together.
Its difficult to give up on everything. Those three sentences tell the audience two major things:
this is a real woman with a life, a family, and a future that she was counting on, but, she had to
give those things up. At 77, she has plenty of deep wrinkles covering her entire face, clearly
showing her older age. She looks very frail, as many elderly people do, as she looks into the
camera, which only adds to the heart break of her story.
Despite Tomokos and many other survivors sad experiences, this essay was about more
than tragedy. Kohei Itami, also 77 years old, explained, I cant rush for things to be better. I try
not to think far into the future. I take good care each day. Seventy seven year old Sachiko
Adachi had a similar attitude, for she said, I try now to find something to do every day that I can
enjoy. I am knitting, which I hadnt done for 20 or 30 years. And I started to paint. Kohei and
Sachiko are major parts to this photo essay, for they embody something very important: hope.
Its a very humble sort of hope; they are not leaping for joy and thanking God for all they have,
but they are finding something good in each day, something that makes going on to the next day
worthwhile. When you consider this, the looks on their faces may change. While originally
thought to be faces of defiance, they now begin to look less defiant and more hopeful. Masashiro
Tateyamas account is a little bit of both hope and hopelessness. He said, I enjoy the community
in the temporary housing facility. Since I have started gathering and talking with other people, I

McDaniel 5
feel much better. If nobody cared about me and I didnt have neighbors, I would think about
suicide. This combination of tragedy and faith, I believe, is the point. These people faced a lot
of hardships before, during and after the tsunami, and it can be easy for some to just give up. But
the people featured in this photo essay did not give up and they let hope prevail. Through their
old age and sad stories, it is made obvious how hard it can be to keep moving forward, but these
people who are so old and frail were able to do it.
"Faces of the Tsunami, by Denis Rouvre is a strong photo essay that successfully
captures the pain and hope of Japanese survivors. Rouvres use of powerful visual rhetoric, direct
quotes and thoughtful organization created an emotional work that lets audiences from around
the world begin to understand and relate to these people who faced Mother Natures amazing
power. More than that, however, he displays a group of strong individuals who have and are
continuing to overcome the obstacles that life has thrown their way.

McDaniel 6
Works Cited
Rouvre, Photographs Denis. "Faces of the Tsunami." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 25 Feb. 2012. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.