A History of Monotony and Repetition: An Image Analysis of "I Am A Man"

The image “I Am A Man” shows two distinct lines of men who were participants in the Memphis Sanitation Strike of 1968. The contrast between the two lines portrays that 1960s America placed a large focus on maintaining monotony within the society. On the left side of the image there are military men standing in a row. Each of them has the same gun, helmet, and clothing. The military men are accepted and welcomed into American society; used as a model for all other citizens. They have a position of high rank in the society, which allows them to be representative of the values in American society from the 1960s. On the right side of the image there are sanitation workers walking in a line. They are, unlike the men on the left, distinguishable from one another because of their clothing. These men perform undesirable jobs, as sanitation workers, which implies that they cannot procure better jobs because of how they are viewed in the society. In the image, the military men are fighting against the peaceful rebellion of the unaccepted group. This is representative of mainstream American society fighting against change and difference within its society. Although the protest is asking for gradual and limited change, the Americans are unable to accept the changes for a group who clearly show off individuality. The 1960s American culture was fixated on blending in with the rest of the group, therefore shunning the groups who did not create a homogenous mixture with the rest of society. In essence, this image is representative of 1960s America’s resistance to social change.