Propaganda Project
Drew Thompson
Propaganda Piece 1
"Join or Die" 1754
Propaganda Piece 2
"You buy a Liberty Bond; Lest I Parish" 1917
Propaganda Piece 3
"Marks the Spot! Keep 'em Firing" 1942
Propaganda Piece 4
"Hope" 2008
My Personal Creation
"Protect the Environment" 2017
Reflection
In order to properly analyze propaganda, I had to do extensive research for each piece I chose. The research I conducted allowed for a better understanding of the overall purpose of the piece, which gave me a whole new look on how propaganda can affect people. In learning about each piece separately, I realized that propaganda is used virtually everywhere. Most ads or commercials or posters use some sort of logical fallacy (whether accidental or intentional) in order to persuade their audience. I understand that propaganda is a tool that is used for both positive and negative ways, and I took this into consideration as I began my analysis.
I knew from the beginning that the analysis was going to be very important in fully understanding the project. I wanted to over exaggerate my analysis to be able to have a full scope of each piece of propaganda. I approached the analysis portion of this project with an intent to completely embrace the propaganda, because that is what was going to help me the most. In doing so, I found that analyzing the difference between the exigence and the purpose of the piece was the most difficult. I found it hard to distinguish what exactly was the driving factor behind the creation of the piece in relation to its purpose. As I went through my pieces from different time periods, I realized that all of them are similar. Many of the logical fallacies they use are shared between the different time periods, connecting the ideas behind their creation. All of these posters were created for a certain purpose, whether it be to inspire the public or to support a war.
For my personal creation of a piece of propaganda, I chose to make something that is important to me. I focused on the negative effects of human activities on the environment, showing a two sided picture representing the major difference. For my logical fallacies in the visual portion, I used Appeal to Fear and False Dichotomy. By representing the environment with negative human activity as dull and filled with fire, I attempted to create a sense of fear within the audience that would help propel them towards the side that saves the environment. And, by only providing two options to the audience, the false dichotomy fallacy contributes to my purpose of persuading the audience to protect the environment because of the horrible second option due to human involvement. In order to use fallacies through text, I brainstormed and came up with a way to incorporate numerous different ones that would help fulfill the purpose. I used an appeal to authority that, even though it's probably not true, it convinces the audience that environmentalists are truly arguing for my purpose. Second, I used a slippery slope by implying that if humans don’t begin to protect the environment now, nature will begin to die, therefore leading to the end of the world. This argument is false, but is persuasive for the audience and will help point them towards protection of the land and resources. For the last textual fallacy, I used a bandwagon by stating “join the rest of the nation today” in order to fully elicit a beneficial response from the audience. By implying that everyone is doing it, people tend to jump on the bandwagon for a cause even if they don’t even truly understand it. These fallacies help to support my overall purpose of emphasizing the importance of the protection of the environment and the negative effects human activity has on its overall health and prosperity. The primary audience for this piece is the American public, but more specifically those who aren’t really being careful of their actions. These kinds of people are the reason behind the rapid decline of environmental health, so I felt it was very important to address them directly.
Bibliography
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