WWI Poster Analysis

1. I would define Propaganda as any kind of picture or poster that raises awareness about what is going on in that specific place. Propaganda usually raises an issue and tries to persuade one to do the right thing for the country.
2. Propaganda is defined as information, usually biased, used to promote a political cause or point of view.

The first thing I notice with this Propaganda Poster are the words "YOUR DUTY!". My eye is drawn to the big words, "YOUR DUTY", and the man on the horse in the yellow attire. The artist, I believe, purposely made the words "YOUR DUTY" the biggest font on here, to draw the viewers attention to it. The artist also chose the attire to be a bright yellow color, to draw attention to the man on the horse. 

I believe that the artist's intentions were to draw people into war by enlisting, and that it was YOUR DUTY, or our duty to enlist into the army, or navy, `now, immediately. The words, "Come on boys do your duty by enlisting now!". The artist is wanting every male who sees this poster to feel pressured to do their duty, and enlist in the war.

The main target for this poster is every man who sees the poster. I know this because the poster says, "Come on boys do your duty by enlisting now." Saying that every man who sees this poster to go and join and enlist in the army right now. 

The first thing I notice with this Propaganda Poster is the finger that Uncle Sam is pointing at me. The second thing I notice is how all of the words are black and then the "YOU" is bright red. This draws attentions to how Uncle Sam wants me, or you, specifically me, for the US Army. This poster is very patriotic and only uses red, white, and blue, the Nation's colors. 

I believe that the artist's intentions is to draw people into the United States Army by Uncle Sam, persuading you to join. It makes viewers feel wanted and welcomed in a way that will benefit Uncle Sam, or America in reality. The words "I want... for the U.S. Army... Nearest recruiting station." are all in black. The word "You" is in a bright red color to draw attention to you specifically, to make you feel wanted. And the words nearest recruiting station mean and show how easy it is to go enlist into the army. 

The main target for the poster is for every man who sees this to feel wanted by Uncle Sam, and America, to join the army. To really get under the men's skin, in a very personal way, implying that the United States needs them.

The first thing I noticed was the women with her koi looking face, looking at the reader with those dreamy eyes. I notice the words, "I  WANT YOU... THE NAVY." in all caps locked to specify that this women wants you personally in the Navy. I also notice the men's navy uniform on this women to show that the women had to take it off of a man, and that she had to take something off of herself, in order to wear the uniform. This is implying that the men that join the Navy, are the men that get the women. 

I believe that the artist's intention is to make the men who join the navy very very manly, so that the men believe that the women fall for, and want personally the men who join the navy. The women in the poster is saying that she wants him, specifically, for the navy. To make men who want women, join the Navy.

The main target of this poster is to draw in men who want women to join the Navy. It also targeted to women to like and feel frisky for the men who join the Navy. It makes men feel wanted personally by women to join the navy.

I do not think that using tax money for propaganda is necessarily a bad thing, but I also do not believe that it is a great thing. Americans pay a lot of tax annually and to spend it on something that may not even persuade people to do thing, may be a waste of American's and the governments money. I just believe that the government could spend their money on something else that is proven to work. I really don't know whether or not and how much propaganda persuaded American citizens. 

I believe that the government believed that propaganda was so necessary because they did not have one person knocking on everybody's door telling them to go join the arm, so they needed some other way to convince and persuade people to be a part of the military. And propaganda gave those necessities a place to take over and try to win the crowd over, and encourage men to join the army.

Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau

         Eddie Aikau is shown and known as a legend. Not just for his surfing, but his ability to help others, and live the life that a natural born Hawaii native should. The film told us if we had not already know that surfing originates to way back in Hawaii, before water toys, or any other kind of water sport was really even a thing. Surfing is a Hawaiian tradition, but to other places, it is just another sport. Surfing for the Hawaiians gives them this type of empowerment of race, and connection with the ocean. It allows them to feel power in who they are and where they came from, even if America took over them, and made them American. Surfing makes Hawaiians feel like they are at home, with the ocean, it makes them feel like no matter who is in control of them, and no matter what nation stamps their name on them, that surfing is something that will make them feel more traditional and more Hawaiian than anything on the planet. The film even told us that Americans and Australians would come to Hawaii for these surf competitions, and Hawaiians were not even allowed to surf in the competition. Having a competition held at the place where the sport was originated from, and to not even let the people native to that country participate, is insane. This film shows Eddie and his struggle to show and display the connection and want he has to live like his ancestors. He surfs on the biggest wave beaches, lifeguards at those beaches, and even went out to sail with ten others, on the old ship that the native Hawaiians sailed on to Tahiti and back with only the stars, the sun, and the waves to guide them. Eddie finds every way he can to live and celebrate who and where he came from, and that is so respective of him. I think that the perspective shown on this film is a brutally honest and true perspective. It shows and tells people what the people who lived in these places imperialized by America felt. It shows how their culture was stripped of them, and how they had to conform to be just how the US wanted them to be. It shows how other nations took what they liked about the Hawaiian culture, and disposed of the native and historic culture. It is so sad to see how these people's lifestyle was taken and thrown away, with only this other type of life left for them, given by America. It makes people feel bad and sorry about the imperializing that the Americas did.

This picture is a collage of Eddie, and the cultural things he loved to do, that reminded him of his Hawaiian ancestors. 

How do you Analyze a Political Cartoon

Me: When I look at a political cartoon I first read the title of the cartoon. That gives me an idea of what is going on. I then read all the words that are given. I think that the words kind of tell what is going on and what the standpoint and views of are the cartoonist. After reading the title and the words I then go look at the cartoon. I look at what is drawn, what is most exaggerated, what takes up the most space, what has the biggest size, what has the smallest size, what has the most color, and what is black and white. This shows readers what is the most important, less important, and what has the most attention in the cartoon.

Library of Congress:
Symbolism: Cartoonists use symbols or objects, in order to show big concepts and ideas. After you identify the symbols, think about what each symbol means.
Exaggeration: Cartoonist overdo or exaggerate physical characteristics of things and people.
Labeling: Cartoonist usually label objects and people to show what they stand for.
Analogy: Cartoonist compare two different things that have a few of the same characteristics.
Irony: Cartoonist like to compare the way things should be to the way things are.

Comparing: It looks like most of the guide's ways of doing things and mine are very similar. My ways of analyzing are very similar to the Library of Congress. To really read all the words, and to look deep into the images.

I plan on looking at political cartoons pretty much the way I always have. I have always looked at the images in the cartoon, what they are, which ones are the biggest, smallest, most bland, and most exaggerated. Then I will read the words and the titles and figure out what it is about and what the cartoonist believes. Then I will look for things I never have, such as irony, and analogies, and the comparison between many things. I really enjoy looking at cartoon and trying to figure out what they are trying to convey. I think it is fun, and usually the meanings are really funny and interesting. It is a fun way to express political views.

Spanish American War:

I really like this cartoon because it shows a lot. The first thing you are drawn to is Uncle Sam standing in the middle of the ocean. He is very exaggerated, meaning his size. He is towering over the ocean. If you continue to look you see he is pulling a ship with his fist. Meaning Uncle Sam, or America is extremely strong in the War, and that they are powerful, and mighty. You see Uncle Sam walking towards tiny little Cuba. This shows that even the biggest most powerful nations seek to help small places in need, such as Cuba. This cartoon shows that America declared war on Spain, in order to help and save Cuba. 

Philippine Conflict: 

This is a political cartoon of the Philippine invasion. The biggest most exaggerated object here is a huge clean and shiny shoe. The shoe is a fancy, up town king of shoe, and is very large in size. My attention is drawn to it almost imeadietely. You see the shoe to be stepping onto the Philippines with a small Filipino man trying to pry the shoe off of the land with a single tiny stick. This shows the big and wealthy Americans trying to invade the Filippinos and their land. It also shows how weak they were compared to America at the time.

American Imperialism:

This cartoon is a picture of Uncle Sam holding the entire globe or the World. The only two objects in this image are Uncle Sam himself, very long and lengthy, and the very big and wide globe. He is almost hugging it and the only places shown are The United States, the Philippines, Hawaii, Guam, with a few others. This shows that these places were eventually important to Uncle Sam, or America, and that these were the places America planned and already did take under control. Down at the bottom you see the words, "Now, Will he let go? If you think he will let go, you don't know him." This shows that every other nation thought awfully of America. It tells the reader that if you think America is going to stop trying to acquire land, then you are wrong, and you do not know America, who they are, and what they do. This cartoon is very against America, and shows bad views that were seen of our country from others.