Assignment 4: Liz Graves

In 1989, the morning after the Chinese military suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests through excessive force, this man walked in front of four tanks and just stood. The tanks stopped. Most people know him as "Tank Man," or the "Unknown Protestor." The footage that accompanies this photograph, aired on CNN, shows the tanks trying to go around the man in the road. He hesitates for a second, and then jumps in front of the head tank again. The tanks stopped. Again.
This iconic moment captivated the world. Some hollered in triumph. Some scoffed at the ridiculousness of the situation. Others, similarly, were absolutely dumb-struck at the fact that this one man could stop a line of heavily armed, huge tanks. Repeatedly. Tank man became the embodiment of the "man vs. society" struggle, where one individual is pitted against seemingly insurmountable odds and refuses to back down. This man is literally facing an army all by himself! No one can know what he was feeling as he stood in front of the tank. Maybe he was fed-up, overwhelmed, scared, desperate, or just crazy, but so many identify with him because the kind of struggle he is facing is universal. Most people, at one time or another, have felt as though the world was pitted against them and there was no way to overcome their obstacles, but this man proves it can be done. And not only that is can be done but individuals have more power than they think they do. Realistically, this man couldn't have expected the tanks to stop, but he still summoned the bravery, gumption--whatever you want to call it-- to face impossible odds and he came out on top.
The attention this picture initially got eventually died down, but no one has forgotten this man. The picture wasn't just a passing news story. This picture, more specifically, the man in it, rocked the world. He changed the way people view their own trials and tribulations. He changed the idea that governments have absolute power that can't be challenged. He proved the power of an individual. Tank man is a hero for the entire human race.