WWI Poster Analysis

1. I know that propaganda is a type of advertising in regard to the government.

2. Definition: "Information or ideas that are spread by an organized group or government to influence people's opinions" Propaganda

Set 2 

Poster 1:
The first thing I notice on this is the person on the horse. I notice how the are wearing all yellow, but I'm not really sure why. The man is also waving a yellow and red flag with the letter M and the number 3. I also notice that the writing on the poster is all capitalized and "Your duty" is in a different color. I also saw that the poster is targeting boys specifically. It doesn't even say men.

I think the author is trying to get men to enlist in the army with the message. The poster doesn't have many words and is very colorful, making the poster stand out to the eye. I think the author was trying to make the poster personal by emphasizing "Your duty" to make the reader feel like it is their own duty.

The particular audience for this poster is older boys and younger men. This can be told by reading the writing that says "come on boys".

Poster 2:
The first thing I notice in this poster is Uncle Sam pointing. I also notice how big the capitalized letters are. I also notice the colors of the poster: red white and blue.

I think the author used Uncle Sam to make the poster more patriotic. The words in the poster make it personal by using "I's" to make it seem like Uncle Sam is talking to one person. The colors also make it very patriotic, which is very appealing to many people.

The audience for this seems to be men, because of the time period and the man as the focal point.

Poster 3:
The first thing I notice in this poster is that the image is of a woman. The woman is obviously in a man's jacket by the size of it and the fact that the navy only consisted of men. I also noticed how the words "I want you" stand alone on the poster. The colors are also red white and blue with an illuminating background.

The author is trying to get men to enlist in the navy by saying that you will get girls if you do. This is obvious from the message at the top that says "I want you" separate from "for the navy". This poster is obviously supposed to be a sexual message in the fact that the woman is wearing the man, or her boyfriends, jacket. The words are large to grab the person's attention.

The audience for this is men, because the message is very sexual towards a man.

7. I think the its fine for the government to spend money on propaganda for certain things, such as war, but not any others. I think it was wrong for how much they spent on it, considering there was a draft anyways, and obviously not many men volunteered.

8. I think the government felt it was necessary to do this, because they knew it was a big war and many men were needed. They also didn't want a draft.

19th Century Imperialism: Hawaiian

This documentary, Hawaiian, demonstrates imperialism from the Hawaiian's perspective at the time. According to this film, surfing started out in Hawaii before it moved across the globe. As one of the main events of the documentary, there is a very famous surfing contest. People from across the world came to Hawaii to surf on a famous surfer's (Eddie Aikau) beach, Waimea Bay. Eddie tried to win the contest many times, but kept failing. This symbolizes imperialism in that people from across the world came in and took Hawaiian culture. It was frustrating for the viewer, because all we wanted was for the people from Australia and the states to leave, because they weren't getting the deeper meaning of surfing that the Hawaiians had. Most Hawaiians have a special connection with the ocean that others didn't have, and many people took that for granted. This shows how the Hawaiians could've felt when the US came in and took their crops, land, and culture away from them.

                                                                        Eddie Aikau

How do you analyze a political cartoon?

1. What I know about analyzing a cartoon:
First you look at the whole picture and find the biggest subject in it and analyze. Look for a symbol or picture that you know. If you aren't informed on the issue it will be difficult, but if you do understand, then read each of the messages on the cartoon. They will all be about a current issue in politics.

2. The guide I read on wikihow was a lot more in-depth. They mentioned to recognize exaggeration, symbolism, analogies, and irony. They also said to look for stereotypes and minor details. It also says to get informed on the topic before trying to understand. I knew all of this, but it was difficult to put into words.

3. Before going to read a political cartoon I will start out by looking at the large things, then move to small details. Political cartoons use a lot of irony and symbolism, so if the picture doesn't out right say what I'm looking at, I will look at it in a different way. I will then be able to determine the overall message.Political Cartoons

Spanish American War

When looking at this picture, I first noticed the biggest drawing, Uncle Sam. His starred hat, striped pants, and white beard gave it away to me. I then noticed the man under him carrying him, which looks like a foreign solider. I also noticed the line of men behind him with the same foreigners under them. I then decided to look at the small details, such as the placement of Uncle Sam's hand and the land around him. He looks as though he's observing something new and the land doesn't have civilization behind him. Because I know about imperialism at this time I am able to make a guess that it symbolizes the US being imperialistic during the war. They are stepping on everyone else to get what they want at the time.

Philippine War

When I first look at this picture the first thing that pops out to me again, is the very center of the picture, which is Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam, is standing in front of a gate that says Philippines, and is holding the door open. I then notice the men walking in. One is an angry looking man, the other is a man who looks very pleasant, smoking his pipe. They are both holding a bag. From this I get that the picture is informing the public that the US invited people into the Philippines, without any agreement or anything. The man carrying the bag and smoking the pipe is signifying the US was already bringing over stuff to stay and didn't think much about it. The other man with the bag may be Filipino and looks angry, because of the US.

Cuban Conflict

The first thing I noticed when looking at this picture is Uncle Sam looking very scared, as it is the biggest image. I could tell it symbolized the US even though it also gave a label. I then looked at Cuba (spelled wrong, and not sure why), and saw that it had a missile aiming at the US. I then looked for closer details and saw the Soviet Union just watching to see what happens. This cartoon is demonstrating the Cuban Missile crisis during the cold war. From the picture, you can tell that Cuba is aiming a missile at the Us and the US is just waiting nervously (while sweating) to see what happens.