Group blog post - Rate the instructions of camera lucida by Tim Hunkin

Tim Hunkin’s instructions about how to make a camera lucida are not very helpful due to various reasons. It does not seem like the author was very familiar with the steps of process. First of all, only by looking at the instructions as a whole, the paper does not look very professional, perceptible from the format, layout and style. The instructions seem to be scribbled down by hand and rather resemble a comic than a clear set of instructions. What is more, the steps are neither written in logical order nor numbered, thus making it hard to know for sure what should be done first, what second and so on. It also might have been more helpful to use keywords instead of writing one, often too long, sentence followed by another. His instructions also often contain multiple actions which need to be done at the same time which inevitably creates confusion. Normally, each step should only be a baby step in the whole process. Secondly, his instructions require previous knowledge which, however, should not be the case when creating well-written instructions. Thirdly, Tim Hunkin did not include a list of items required to build a camera lucida. Fourthly, no warnings as pre-steps are included to indicate that something is critical to be done before something else. In the end the author gives some advice regarding the drawing, as the camera lucida is supposed to be an optical device used as a drawing aid by artists. However, expressing personal opinions, preferences or choices should be avoided, and instructional texts should be strictly factual statements that tell the reader to perform an action. On the plus side, he did begin writing the instructions with a verb, asking the reader to do something, which is essential when giving instructions. All in all, Tim Hunkin’s instructions might mislead the reader and make him end up with different results. 

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Description of the 'Napalm Girl'

The photo ‘Napalm Girl’ was taken by Huynh Cong Ut during the Vietnamese War in 1972 in Trang Bang. The black-and-white photograph shows five children running along a road followed by five soldiers. They are hurrying along a deserted road, as though driven by shuddering fear. Behind them there is a thick cloud of black smoke. In the foreground, on the left side of the road, there is a boy who is wearing a plain white shirt and black shorts and has his mouth opened, crying in utter despair. His eyes stare in disbelief. Behind him there is an about four-year-old boy wearing nothing but a long-sleeved, white button-down shirt. He is turning his head back to the soldiers and to the huge cloud of smoke in the background that seems to be coming closer and closer. In the middle of the road is a nine-year-old naked girl, the ‘Napalm Girl’, who is screaming and running toward the camera in what seems to be agony. Her outstretched arms and her wailing face set the tone of the picture. She cries as if her heart has been wrenched out of her little body. Like the cold breath of a grave, her face seems to cut every person’s soul. On the right hand side of the road a small boy who seems to be bewildered, not knowing what is happening, and a desperate girl - possibly brother and sister - run hand in hand. They are the only fully clothed children in the picture, missing nothing but their shoes. Whereas the scared and desperate children all seem to run for their lives, the four soldiers leisurely walk behind them. They are dressed in their uniforms, helmets and carrying firearms. Their facial expressions are not really discernible, as they are situated too far back in the picture. Another person is visible in the very back of the picture, right in front of the thick, massive cloud of smoke which makes it impossible to see what could be behind it. Both sides of the road are surrounded by grass and some bushes.