In Davi Johnson’s analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birmingham Campaign, we get an argument about the power of “image events,” compelling visual form, and the importance of circulation.

In your response paper, take a bit of time to work through the main argument of Johnson’s article. Then, briefly explain your understanding of the concept of image event (we’ll be learning more about these next week as well). Then, work through the idea of reflexive circulation (18-20). Why, according to Johnson, does it matter that the images were reproduced in international papers (and that people in the U.S. were aware of this coverage)?

Finally, select your own image (or set of images) and apply either A) the concept of circulation or (if you wish) B) reflexive circulation. If discussing circulation, try to find the original form in which the image appeared and then some of the places it was reproduced (think of it as a much less intense version of what Johnson is doing). If discussing reflexive circulation, explain and make an argument about how awareness of this image’s circulation had an impact or why it mattered.