world war 2 propaganda

Essay by daffydHigh School, 11th gradeC, June 2014

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World War II propaganda

Throughout World War II propaganda was used to gain new recruits and encourage the population to keep production of weapons, ammunition and supplies to assist the war effort running at top capacity. Propaganda could be considered the second war front during World War II, it was the government's constant battle to keep their troops funded and well supplied.

I have chosen a 1942 propaganda poster called 'This is the Enemy'. It depicts a Japanese male as a murderous beast, wielding a knife, attempting to kill a helpless woman. In this propaganda poster the design is used to suggest to the readers that the Japanese are sub-human creatures with murderous intent. Colour is used by the designer to draw out cold and depressing emotions. Written text has been used to inform the viewer that the Japanese are the enemy and the flag on the Japanese mans head leaves no mistake that he is Japanese.

This propaganda poster positions the viewer to believe that the Japanese are evil, murderous beast and are the enemy of all the viewers.

The designer of this propaganda poster has positioned the viewer to believe that the Japanese people are vicious mindless beasts that want nothing but to see the viewer dead. This is achieved through the design of the Japanese man. The Japanese man has been given a beast-like figure; he has sharpened fingernails and an apelike figure, he also wields a knife and has a murderous facial expression. The woman who appears to be shrinking away in the bottom left corner of the poster has a terrified expression on her face and appears to be running for her life from potential murder or rape. This causes the viewer to see the Japanese as evil and animalistic, for male viewers it...