Propaganda Poster Assignment- Write-up

My propaganda poster revolves around the theme of pro-recruitment. It encourages

Canadian men who are fully capable of being in the army to enlist. This is done through many
features which guilt-trip them into joining the army. The image plays a role in persuading
Canadian men to volunteer. It displays soldiers in a small and cramped area with severe
injuries. This can make men feel as if they have a duty to help out the troops and give those
soldiers a break. The poster also guilt-trips them by using expressive language like “Coward”.
This word creates a visceral feeling through testing the man’s courage. Usually after hearing or
seeing this word, men will tend to accept the challenge brought up after or before the use of the
expression. That indicates that the use of this term can be extremely effective in recruiting
Canadian men. The phrases on the poster play the most important role. These expressions
bring up the topic of cowardliness and how their loved ones are relying on them to join the war.
This gives off a sense of responsibility for enlisting towards Canadian men. How the word “you”
is portrayed falls in line with this concept as well. It creates much more of a personal feeling
towards the audience. This can give them an extra push into joining the army. Not only can this
poster influence a man’s decision in joining the army but it can convince family members to
push their loved ones as well. The phrase “protect who you love” can be interpreted by women
or children as “if you loved us you would go and protect us”. Their perception of the poster can
also heavily impact a man’s decisions. Overall, I think the propaganda poster has many
attributes which can lead Canadian men to enlist and join the army. This indicates that the
poster has many features which are remarkably successful in persuading or influencing their
decisions.