I Want You by James Montgomery Flagg, 1940
Guns, tanks, and bombs were the principal weapons of World War II, but there were other more subtle forms of warfare as well. Words, posters, and films waged a constant battle for the hearts and minds of Americans just as surely as military weapons engaged the enemy. Persuading the American public became a wartime industry, almost as important as the manufacturing of bullets and planes. The government launched an aggressive propaganda campaign with clearly articulated goals and strategies to encourage public support, and it recruited some of the nation's foremost intellectuals, artists, and filmmakers to help with it.
Definitions
Persuasion is the act of getting someone to take a particular action or to change a particular belief.
Propaganda is a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitudes of people toward some cause or position.
Click on the link below to view the online exhibition.
This exhibition is split into two parts. Choose 1 or 2 topics from each part to explore the questions; however, feel free to view the entire exhibition.
Link:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuasion/powers_of_persuasion_home.html
These questions are provided to help facilitate the discussion.
1. What emotions do the images convey?
2. What words, colors, and images are chosen for impact?
3. In what ways do the posters glamorize or vilify war or the people involved?
4. Using the list of terms and the links provided, which types of techniques are used in these posters? Name Calling, Glittering Generalities, Transfer, Testimonial Plain Folks, Card Stacking, Band Wagon
If you are not familiar with these terms use the links provided:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~amcdonal/Propaganda%20Techniques.html
5. Do you think propaganda/persuasion techniques still exist in our society? If so, where? How?
Click on the link and view these online ads.
http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/news
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FWHlPVwJKU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6rj5jisB7g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNkhw2PsZQk
6. After viewing the exhibit and the online ads, what are the similarities? What are the differences?
7. How does technology affect the way propaganda is created? Disseminated?
8. How does technology affect the way we view propaganda?
9. Are propaganda/persuasion practices positive or negative?
Additonal information :
Why think about propaganda?
http://www.propagandacritic.com/articles/intro.why.html
http://www.acjournal.org/holdings/vol5/iss3/articles/visual/visual.htm
http://propaganda.mrdonn.org/techniques.html#INTRO
Dissect an AD
The PBS election guide web site “By The People” makes the following argument for why political advertisements should be looked at more carefully.
http://www.pbs.org/elections/savvydissect.html
Federal Arts Project
Listen to the author, Roger Kennedy, discuss his book, When Art Work, about Pres. Roosevelt’s, Federal Art Projects under the New Deal.
http://wamu.org/audio/dr/09/12/r2091208-29173.asx
Teacher Resources:
If you are a teacher and would like to do a similar project with your class, click on the following:
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=405
http://propaganda.mrdonn.org/lessonplans.html
http://www.frankwbaker.com/propaganda.htm
