WWI Poster Analysis

1. Propaganda in my terms is the art of persuasion. It is a tool used in a visual form and very little script to communicate either a pro or con of a concept/idea.

2. Propaganda: Ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a cause, a political leader, a government, etc.

3. I used Set 6 of the images from the list.

4.

This first propaganda poster communicates its real purpose through words clearly. It is asking the people to buy more liberty bonds. A liberty bond is like a war loan that was sold to support the allied cause during WWI. It was considered a symbol of patriotic duty of the citizens to the United States and provide those going to the war with some financial support.  This picture really speaks to the emotional side of the people because it features a mother holding her baby very close to her arms. There are pots and bowls surrounding her, and judging from her clothing, she looks like a housewife who works mainly inside, while her husband is off outside fighting for the country. By painting this scene, the illustrator is able to show how in need this family is of money, much like the rest of the mothers with husbands at war. The author of this poster also poses a question, but then subsequently offers a solution to that question to help the audience formulate their answer by subscribing to a liberty bond. 

This next propaganda poster is again related to those who are able to donate money to the cause of the war. In the picture, a lady dressed in an American Flag can be seen as an attempt to show her patriotism. The script explains how people are sacrificing their lives in the war, so the least the people could do is to donate money to help aid in the war. The lady is standing over water, staring at the audience, pointing to something vast in the distance. I believe this communicates the great lengths to which the soldiers committed and sacrificed themselves to go fight far away in battle overseas. The red cross behind the lady represents the what the red cross symbol is today, which is portraying the aid/help needed to support this war.  

This last propaganda poster is about the liberty bonds once again. It pictures a dead soldier in the center, meaning he is of highest importance to the audience. In the small text underneath the picture, it appeals to the emotional side of the audience by telling a story about the boy who made the sacrifice for his country. It also explains how he will be protected along with the other boys because their liberty bonds were paid for in full. This is important and also a propaganda technique because by telling the audience a story, they will want to help any other boys they can by purchasing or subscribing to the liberty bonds. 

5. From the emotional images that the author evokes in the audience, I believe they wanted the people to be able to sympathize with the families of the people at war. The author wanted to be able to create a connection of emotions between the two types of people involved in the war: those that were fighting in it and those who were donating money to support it. 

6. Since these set of propaganda posters were dealing with the support of the war and asking for people to buy liberty bonds, I believe the author was trying to appeal to those who were not already involved in the war but had money to give and support the cause. 

7. I would not be very comfortable with the idea of the government using tax dollars to make propaganda in the attempt to persuade me. I would not like this idea because I would feel a sense of violation and an unnecessary use of money on the government's part. 

8. I think that the federal government felt that they needed to do this probably because they did not have the support they needed to proceed in the war. By creating persuasive propaganda, they would attract more of the citizens and hopefully rally their support into the war, which would ultimately help benefit the country. Also, most people did not really know whether the U.S.A should enter the war since the geography suggested it was relatively far away from the main region of war, and it was also late in the battle. However, in order to gain the confidence of the people, propaganda was essential to moving along.