WWI propaganda analysis

I would define propaganda as advertisements made by the government to gain the support of their citizens.

information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person,   group, movement, institution, nation, etc. Dictionary.com

Propaganda Posters

The first poster is a woman wearing a nurses outfit holding a child and it says our greatest mother.  It encouraged women to join the war as nurses and showed a connection between motherhood and being  a red cross nurse.  This suggests that women from America would make good nurses because they are good mothers.

The second poster shows a woman holding a paper and it says be a trained nurse.  She is also opening the door to opportunity.  This poster was again encouraging women to be nurses.  This  is trying to convince women that being a nurse would be a greater opportunity for women than staying home because the city behind her is on fire.

The third poster shows a woman working as a telephone operator near a battle and it says back our girls over there.  This is encouraging women to get involved in the war.  It also mentions the United War Work Campaign and the YWCA.  The  United War Work Campaign worked with several organizations including the YWCA to raise money for the war.  This poster specifically wants people to donate money in order to help the women involved in the war.

The Legend of Eddie Aikau

The Legend of Eddie Aikau allowed us to see the affect Imperialism had and continues to have on the native people of Hawaii.  Eddie's family felt fortunate compared to the other natives because they were allowed to live in a Chinese cemetery as long as they maintained it.  This shows how the natives had been displaced on their own island.  Eddie struggled with getting in to the surfing competitions held by the white people on the island and the arrogant Australian surfers who had claimed to evolved and taken over the sport created by the natives.  The Hawaiians felt that they had just become hula dancers and other forms of entertainment for the tourists.  Hearing the natives talk about how they felt unwanted on the beaches of their own islands really put the impact of imperialism into perspective and allowed me to learn about how the effects of imperialism lingered even after Hawaii gained its statehood and still exist today.

How do you analyze a political cartoon?

In order to analyze a political cartoon I think it is important to look for important political figures and then objects that could represent an issue that the political figure is involved with.  Finally look for what is happening to the object or political figure in the cartoon and try to figure out what point the artist is trying to get across in the cartoon.

After looking at cartoon analysis guide I realized that I was correct about looking for political figures and symbols but when trying to find the meaning of the cartoon it is important to also look for exaggeration, labeled objects and people, an analogy between a familiar situation and a political situation, and irony being depicted in the cartoon.  Using this guide I will be able to successfully analyze a political cartoon.

Spanish American War Political Cartoon

In this cartoon President McKinley is labeled letting a dog which represents the US army out of its house labeled Tampa to attack a man wearing a hat labeled Spain.  While the man is running from Army he is caught by a second dog named Navy.  This cartoon represents President McKinley sending the eager army out of Florida and in to Cuba to attack the Spanish, and even when the Spanish tries to run from the army they will be caught by the Navy.

Philippine Conflict Political Cartoon

This cartoon shows a large man symbolizing Uncle Sam helping a smaller person who represents a native Filipino while a man labeled Spain hides in a bush.  The caption on the bottom says "It makes a difference".  The artist was trying to show that America is powerful and able to move in to the Philippine's and show the importance of helping the native people and protecting them from the Spanish.

Cuban Mother Political Cartoon

This cartoon shows a Cuban mother holding her dead son.  The reason his head looks old is he represents the young soldiers that died during the war.  This cartoon puts emphasis on the negative aspects of the war and how devastating it was for the Cubans.