Analysis of World War II Recruiting Posters Essay Example

Art is everywhere. The main form of art that was used back before the wars was posters. These posters were a source of advertisement. The advertising stories were most used to recruit people for the war. After World War 1, the number of soldiers dropped drastically. At the time, the United States was desperate for people to join because they were low on numbers. This was important specifically and especially for World War II.  

World War II was a large and important war for the US. For their soldiers to win they had to have big numbers. This is where drafting took place. Instead of drafting, many people tried to get volunteers. All men between 18 and 41 was needed to take part is recruitment. This did not guarantee that they were going to be chosen. “The District of Columbia opened 47 registration centers to accommodate the 113,371 men who lined up there in a cold rain to register” (Dickson, p.1). Men were needed for the war whether they were drafted or voluntary. The males who voluntarily signed up needed some encouragement along the way.  

When looking at the overall poster, both eyes are drawn to the boxes and the repetition of a person. The direction of the story, like any typical story, is left to right and top to bottom. This helps the main idea flow better. For visual storytelling, mini posters and tiny people have been added. This shows the reader that there is a story to this and might even attract more attention. The figures in the poster are telling us a story of the past and what has happened or what the artist would hope to happen to his poster, how ironic. In the first 3rd section it holds the beginning of each new part. Next it shows the middle of each storyline. Finally, it shows the outcome of all of them. Notably, colors carry mood. The colors used are red and blue. The blue starts the story off with a man confidently strolling down an alley, after bumping into a few posters he gets a message and begins to walk angrily. The red part of the story shows that he is determined and annoyed to get to a certain place. When he gets to where he needed to be, he falls in the trap of propaganda. Our character starts as a calm and gentle man walking down the street but easily angered by all the signs layered on the walls. He begins with his hangs relaxed but as the posters go on, he clenches his fists tighter and his posture starts to curve. Quickly after that, he becomes angry which shows that he has a low temper. The person who met our main character at the end had a sense of excitement in his stance that he got what he wanted. Not only pictures and attitude tell a story, but symbols can also. Symbols that are presented in the posters are words, they are driving the need for people to willingly join the army. The artist uses cause and effect to show what happening and what the only correct answer to the situation is. Visually the artist made this easy to understand so that the men that this is directed to can process the information quickly.  

In the poster, different forms of language are used. The author uses both forms of connotation. More on the negative impact, the poster makes people feel obligated to do something they may not want to do. With the word choice that the artist chose, it gives off the energy that there is not any other choice and that volunteering is the best way and only way to do things. The language used intends to the reader that they must join, or it will keep bothering them until they give in. It tells the reader that the honorable thing to do is voluntarily join. A generalization is being made when the character willingly joins because the artist believes that everyone who will see their poster will and should do the same. A stereotype is placed by the only characters being men, meaning that only men can join the war. Cliches are used when the poster says, “The army wants you!” (Alex). This phrase was used in many propaganda posters directed towards the war; therefore, this is a common phrase used in many common scenarios. All the minis posters inside our main one holds a slogan. These slogans are there to catch the eye of our character and set the setting along with the backstory. Emotional appeals are clearly being made throughout the posters story. The author creates a mood of calmness in the beginning where the guy is casually walking down the road. After seeing a couple signs, he gets annoyed but keeps going. A couple of posters later, he is fed up, he turns around and stomps back in the direction he came from. At this point he is convinced that he needs to do this, he is angry but pleased that he will not be bothered by any more ads. The artist is hoping for the same reaction but out of his readers. The artist for this poster was creative and inspirational. He had a driven goal and a steady claim to get there.  

This poster was created by Alex. He set this all up before the start of World War II. The intended audience is males between 18 and 41. This was the age that recruitment started and ended. It was created to persuade males to voluntarily join the war so that drafting can continue without issue. The purpose was for the readers to read the poster and react the same way the character that the artist created did. Society at the time is preparing for the second World War. They are also struggling with the number of men wanting to fight for their life. The world issue going on at the time is the main reason this poster was created so they are as related as two events could be. This posters story was a notable example of the advertising back then. It allowed the readers a look into the reaction the artist was hoping for. The creativity and cleverness used, attracted more people than was thought possible.