Analyzing Canadian War Propaganda

The purpose of propaganda during war is to ignite feelings of nationalism & to justify the government's position.

Canadian War Posters are very different from those produced by the European nations.  Generally, they are very colourful & express a "gung-ho" type of attitude, to encourage young male Canadians to sign up & celebrate the greatness of war & to encourage those left behind on the homefront to do their part to support the boys overseas.  In Canadian war propaganda, the enemy is commonly depicted as a hoarder, gossiper or someone not willing to participate in the war effort.

War propaganda produced in Europe, on the other hand, is darker & much more sinister.  It portrays the enemy as an evil tyrant, someone who will commit the even the most heinous of crimes.  These posters are much less colourful & often very graphic.  They depict a very desperate situation.

The exception to the dark European war propaganda are the posters produced in Nazi Germany.  They are very bright & colourful--almost biblical in nature.  They portray a leader of destiny, a saviour.

War Posters:

  • Provide the government's opinion.
  • Provide the audience with the information the government feels it needs in order to agree with the government's message.
  • Emphasize only one side of the issue or concern.  They are usually very biased.
  • Rely on feelings of national pride & duty to country.
  • Depend on drawings, pictures & caricatures to make a point.
  • paint the enemy in a dark, sinister or evil light.

Japanese Mitsubishi Zero WWIITechniques that Artists use in War Posters include:British Spitfire WWII

  • Symbolism:

using an object to stand for an idea

 

  • Caricature:

exaggerating a physical feature or habit

 

  • Captions & Labels:

used for clarity & emphasis

 

  • Exaggeration:

overstating or magnifying a problem

 

  • Satire (Sarcasm):

pokes fun at a person &/or situation with a hard edge to motivate change

 

  • Irony:

what is said or shown has a “twist”

  • Colour:
creates the poster's mood

Guidelines for Interpretation of War Posters:

A.  Dimension

  • Who are the figures and what are they doing?
  • What size are the character and figures used?
  • What, if any, is the significance of the way the figures are dressed or what are they doing?
  • Is the background simple or complicated?

B.  Symbols

  • What symbols are used?
  • What do the symbols represent?
  • How do the symbols help convey the message of the war poster?

C.  Bias

  • Who looks nice?  Helpful?  Kind?
  • How have you identified this?
  • Who looks ugly?  Nasty?  Stupid?
  • What facial features are used to convey this emotion?

D.  Message

  • What is the artist saying?  Is the artist speaking for himself or for another group?  (Think special interest group, rebel group, government, etc.)
  • Is the a universal theme such as anger, humour, truth, justice?
  • What ideas does the artist want you to think about?

E.  Words

  • Has the artist used labels, speech balloons or captions to get the idea across?
  • Which words convey emotion or action?

F.  Historical Importance

  • What is the historical context of the war poster?
  • What is the historical reliability of the artists’ comment?
  • In what ways does the war poster provide historical insight?

War Poster AnalysisWWI Triplane

Title Country

 

Topic of Issue Depicted

 

Description of War Poster 

 

 

 

Message Conveyed (Hidden Message)

 

 

 

Common Artistic Devices (Techniques) Used

 

 

Artist's Point of View

 

 

Possible Reasons for Artist’s Choice

 

 

Examples of War Posters:

Analyze 2 posters using two charts.
Write a paragraph expressing your reaction & thoughts on the subject of the government using such propaganda to influence the public's thoughts & actions.
Refer to the posters to prove your point. Express your opinions on propaganda. Should the government be making such posters?

Canadian War Posters School Subjects
Canadian War Posters University of McGillMore examples