Propaganda Poster- Gia Alonso

 

In 2008, M&M decided to create its own "election campaign" in Australia and New Zealand. Each M&M color was given their own propaganda poster for the campaign based on their personalities. Each poster featured its own silly slogan like "Miss Green, working the polls" and "Vote Yellow, the people's candy-date." In addition, they ran small ads on TV to showcase each M&M color. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5uThH2jR0M

The purpose was to promote M&M's by getting people to remember them for their fun advertisements. This was also during the time of the 2008 presidential election, so giving people a good laugh between the real advertisements on tv were the goals. I just thought these were funny and different from ones we viewed in class!

Propaganda Poster- Redieat Abebe

This is a propaganda piece I created last year for one of my classes. It focuses on the social issue of rhino poaching. I chose to focus on this social issue because rhinos are critically endangered. But, why should we save the rhinos? 

Rhinos play a crucial role in their ecosystem. They are grazers and consume large amounts of vegetation, which helps shape the African landscape. This benefits other animals and keeps a healthy balance within the ecosystem. Furthermore, local people depend on the natural resources within the rhino habitat for food, fuel, and income (tourism).

Rhino horns are used in traditional Asian medicine and as a status symbol. The rhino horn is made of keratin, a protein also found in human hair and fingernails. I decided to incorporate this concept into my poster by having a rhino scalping my hair with its horn. This not only makes the connection between the keratin found in rhino horns and human hair but also provokes the viewer to think of what rhinos have to go through. 

I then had the rhino be vocalized by putting a text box that says "I am not your trophy or medicine". I made my hoodie grey to symbolize the position I played as a rhino being poached. If humans were being scalped and killed for their hair to be used as medicine or a trophy, there would be severe outrage. 

My poster provokes pathos within the viewer by forcing them to put themselves in the position of the rhino. Once in that position, the viewer is able to see that my stance on this issue needs to be supported. 

Propaganda- Riley Coleman

This propaganda was recently very relevant to our lives. In March 2020 when covid first hit, we went into a lockdown to slow the spread. This propaganda was made to make people feel sympathy for the frontline workers. They worked so hard during the pandemic. Hospital beds were overflowing and the frontline workers did what they can to protect us all. While we were all at home during lockdown, the frontline workers never stopped working. It was very stressful for them during this time. The women in this propaganda looks fierce and strong with the way her eyes are pointing up while wearing a mask. I believe this propaganda was successful at relaying the message of staying home, slowing the spread, and protecting others.  

Propaganda Assignment- Sofia Williner

 Sofia Williner - University of Tampa - COM232

Propaganda Assignment: Visual Literacy Paper 2

For this assignment, I decided to work with a very well-known propaganda poster made during World War I. This iconic piece was created to perceive the viewers and encourage them to join the US army during a hard time for the country. Millions of copies were printed, flying all around the country between 1917 and 1918. The figure we see in the middle is known as “Uncle Sam”, which is a personification of the federal government of the United States. He was “born” in 1813 naming him after Samuel Wilson. Samuel was known for supporting the U.S army by supplying them with barrels of meat. 

There are many reasons why this poster is still considered one of the best examples of historic propaganda. The persuasive techniques are the right ones to encourage men to join the army. In the first place, we can see how the figure itself has a very intimidating face. This made the viewer feel like he had to do what he was asking for, giving a sense of superiority and leadership. In the second place, the top hat, evil eyes, pointing finger, and colors make the viewer feel part of something. That something was war, they created the idea of how proud the future soldiers should feel if they joined the war and show support for their country. The colors used in the poster are very important as they represent the colors of the US flag, another technique to make the viewer feel part of the movement for their country.

Last but not least, the author of this historic poster was James Montgomery Flagg, born in New York in 1877. He was recognized as a highly known designer, having the peak of his carrier by being the highest paid magazine illustrator in all America. He started his illustrations at the age of 12 and without stopping he ended up created one of the most known posters of all time.

All in all we can conclude saying that this poster marked history in many ways. I believe even though many people might not know the history behind the poster, they have seen it before. The propaganda techniques we're totally thought by, not leaving space for doubts at all. As the message was very clear, this poster changed the recruitment number and encouraged patriotism all around America.

Propaganda Poster - Danielle Barberio

 

He volunteered for Submarine Service 

    In 1944, Jon Whitcomb created a piece of propaganda called “He volunteered for the Submarine Service”. This poster was made towards the end of World War II. It was an obvious attempt to get men to join the submarine service because they were in need of more men. The United States government was the main propagandist and tried using the underlying desire of love to pursue men to join the service. Playing on the desires of men, this poster alludes that if you join the service it will attract women. In the poster, it depicts a man with a young and attractive female and the man has a big smile on his face. The photo has very bright colors and gives off a positive and happy vibe. It promoted the idea that serving was filled with joy and rewards instead of showing all the harsh and negative risks and emotions that serving brings. Propaganda was created to manipulate people by appealing to their unconscious desires. Due to the fact that the United States government was looking for new and fresh recruits, they used this style of art to attract young men to join the submarine service thinking it would be easy work and instant reward. When men join the service they will think their experience will be just like the poster and they will not hesitate to join because they are looking for the effect that the poster brought to them. This poster makes men more interested in joining the service because in their minds they believe they will get a young woman and be just as happy as the man in the poster is. I believe this poster is very accurate because men tend to think about women and how to get them so I think a young man would easily believe this poster. I think the brightness of the poster and the smiles on their faces also make joining the service seem like a very positive experience, which would make people want to join.  

Movie Review: Psycho (1960)

        For this blog entry, I want to briefly talk about my viewing experience of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Firstly, I should mention that I had watched Bates Motel, a television series inspired by Psycho, prior to watching the movie. As a result, seeing that I was familiar with Norman Bates's character, I was genuinely curious to observe how he would be portrayed. 

        As Dr. Hammond mentioned in class, the film focuses on the character of Marion Crane for about the first 45 minutes until her death. While watching, I was surprised that after detailing Marion's love and work life, she was abruptly killed in the classic shower scene. At that moment, I was unsure as to how the movie would proceed since the main character, up until that point, was killed off. As the movie progressed, Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins, became the center of attention and I was instantly reminded of my fascination with Freddie Highmore's (played Norman Bates in Bates Motel) portrayal of the character. From Perkins's facial expressions/looks of uncertainty to stuttering when asked about Marion Crane, many examples of Norman Bate's peculiar attributes can be found within Psycho. Having watched Bates Motel, I had assumed that something shocking would finally be revealed about Norman given his unique mother-son relationship as well as his more-than-a-hobby of taxidermy. 

        Overall, I appreciated what the film had to offer for a variety of reasons. Not only did Psycho remind me of why I liked Bates Motel so much, but it was able to set up a story, go in-depth about the abnormalities and struggles of a character introduced almost halfway into the film, and include a mystery aspect in which a case needed solving. Ultimately, the movie kept my attention all the way through and it is definitely one that I will be recommending to others. 

Tristan Hilson

        

My light

Luna

Although to some she is bad luck 

to me she is comfort 

Someone I can go to for a smile or a cry

she makes me feel whole when I am with her 

and dreary when she's not around

Her graceful strut around a quiet home 

makes me realize I am not alone

her big yellow eyes are like the sun 

they glisten in the light 

and shimmer in the night

she gives me a sense of responsibility 

with her I have the ability 

to grow and learn my way through life

thank you Luna 

you are my light.