Wwi: Art Propaganda

WW1: Art Propaganda

German 1:

As Jesus stood on the hill, he pointed the German soldiers off to battle. With a cross behind him the Lord stood with his hand up blessing the troops as the go off. With the statement "God punish England", underneath the picture the Germans felt safe with God on their side. The sky is dark and cloudy but over Jesus' head is a ring of light. As the ride into this darkness they take with them the blessing of Jesus.

This poster is directed to religious Germans who were off to battle and their families. One of the two principle religions in German at the time was Roman Catholicism. So for them to see Jesus looking over the soldiers they felt more at peace with the war. It could be seen as Jesus asking the Germans to fight against England to protect the land and the people of Germany. Feeling a religious responsibility the Germans went off to battle England.

The ring of light over Jesus head stands out in the dark sky. I fee that this can be seen as a "ray of hope". Also the cross behind Jesus enforces the religious beliefs of the church. Even thought he is not nailed to the cross it is positioned so that at first glance if you are a Roman Catholic you remember the struggles Jesus had endured. And lastly because Jesus is on a hill looking over them it portrays the image that he is looking over them and sending them on a mission to punish England. With religion come strong emotions, such as passion, love and dedication. To accuse someone who is spiritual, of going against the advice and word of Jesus or God sparks angry and rage. Feeling the religious responsibility and pressure German soldiers felt it was more than their duty to their county or families. God had chosen them to fight in this battle against England and bring home victory to his kingdom in Germany. This idea instilled pride and obligation in the soldiers as the rode off to battle.

German 2:

As the solider stands with his arm in the air and pride in his eyes, bolts of lightening hit down onto England. The storm clouds sit under the statement, "everything for the native country." The lightening bolts descending from the storm clouds are striking two areas. On the left you see a factory and on the right a church and houses. With a gun in one and hand and the other up high he shows confidence in his fight.

I feel the intended audience for this poster is the people who do not understand what this fight is doing to England. This shows that Germany's attacks are hitting England in all aspects of there lives. It looks as if the storm is being created by the Germans power. This one to me has the most basic symbols. On the left there is a factory getting struck by lightening. This symbolizes the Germans attack on England's economy. The right side shows a church and houses. This represents the families and religion that is being destroyed in this war. The lightening represents the power of Germany and their attacks striking in this war. This raises excitement for the Germans to see that their soldiers are hitting England right where it hurts the most. They feel confident seeing these bolts or lightening coming from this solider.

United States:

"A wonderful opportunity", is the message in this poster. As a recruitment tool for the US Navy they show the positive side of joining. There is a sailor smiling with his bags packed all ready to head of and defend his country. In the background is a large Navy ship sitting in the ocean. The ocean is made to look calm and full of endless adventures.

The solider is looking back smiling but taking a huge step forward. This symbolizes embarking on the next journey. He is ready to join the Navy and is proud to have this "opportunity". His bags are packed and ready to go showing that he is excited. The emotions for this poster are set by the