A2_CLA

Computer Lab Activity – World War II[1]

Step Two: World War II – Demonizing the Enemy in World War II.

View the video clip, Demonizing the Enemy. You might wish to read the transcript as well. (This transcript is included in the worksheet). Listen carefully to the statements made by the commentators about (1) the power of documentary photography during World War II and (2) discussion about Life’s Picture of the Week (Demonizing the Enemy).

Answer the questions in the worksheet for step one. These questions are included below.

1. Why do you think that the government allowed films and photographs to be shown to the American public of the bombing of Pearl Harbor? How do you think these images impacted American citizens? Did the images of Pearl Harbor have any connection to public support for Japanese Internment? If so, how and why?

2. "Public opinion wins wars," wrote General Eisenhower. If you were living in 1942 and had friend fighting in the Pacific, how would you have reacted to the picture in Life Magazine? Would it have made you more patriotic?

Step Three: The Four Freedoms – Posters

Roosevelt’s speech on the Four Freedoms inspired illustrator Norman Rockwell to create a series of paintings on the "Four Freedoms" theme. In the series, he translated abstract concepts of freedom into four scenes of everyday American life. Although the Government initially rejected Rockwell`s offer to create paintings on the "Four Freedoms" theme, the images were publicly circulated when The Saturday Evening Post, one of the nation`s most popular magazines, commissioned and reproduced the paintings. After winning public approval, the paintings served as the centerpiece of a massive U.S. war bond drive and were put into service to help explain the war`s aims.[2]

Assignment:

Review these posters in The Four Freedoms.

Select one of the posters and answer the questions listed with the poster using Poster Analysis Worksheet. This form in included in the worksheet.

Step Four: The Four Freedoms and Japanese Internment

Review the images in The Four Freedoms vs. Japanese Internment.

Select one of the slides that include a poster based on the Four Freedoms and a photograph of Japanese Internment. (This slide can be the same poster you analyzed in Step 3 or a different one.

Answer the questions in the worksheet. These questions are also listed below.

1. Describe the Four Freedoms’ poster and the photograph of Japanese Internment

2. In what ways does the photograph challenge the message of the poster?

3. Answer the following question: How can a nation that promotes freedom “everywhere in the world” decide to relocate Japanese and Japanese Americans to Internment Camps during World War II?”

[1] Created: November 2, 2009; updated: 11/2/2009