Learning Module 2 -  Activity Two

Images of War[1]

 

 

Learning Objective:  To consider the positive and negative roles of censorship and propaganda during wartime

 

 

Context:
When Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a Declaration of War on Germany in April 1917, many Americans were against the war.  As a matter of act, the police had barricades at the Capital building to keep the war protesters at a distance.

 

Nonetheless, Congress agreed and the United States joined England and France in the war against Germany, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire. Wilson effectively argued that the United States’ participation in that war was necessary to “make the world safe for democracy.” As you have learned from your textbook, Wilson also established the Committee on Public Information, an agency that “sold” the war to the American public through censorship and propaganda (see pgs 649-653 & “Reliving the Past”).  

 

• Section One of this activity will ask that you consider the use of censorship of images during World War I.  For this, you will view a video clip from the History of American Photography and additional photographs and paintings of trench warfare.

 

• Section Two of this activity will ask that you consider the use of propaganda during World War I.  For this, you will be asked to learn more about the basic concepts and practices of propaganda. Then, you will be asked to examine propaganda posters generated by the federal government during World War I.

 

Process:

·         Due Dates: Discussion active from September 8 - October 7

·         Viewing the video clip on World War I must be done before participation in the online discussion.

·         Assessment: The online discussion is worth 30 points (15 points for each section).

·         The information and discussion in this activity will be used as an exam essay for Learning Module 1.

·         Be sure to read through the entire activity and contact Susan Oliver (soliver@cerritos.edu) with questions. 

Section One: Censorship

 

Step One:

 

• View the video, World War I which is located in TalonNet.  Feel free to read along in the transcript.  [Note:  ignore the short portion at the end of the video clip on Tabloids.]
  
• Review the photographs and paintings on trench warfare in World War I.  See “Images of War.”
  
• As you review these two sources, make notes on why photographs were censored by the Committee on Public Information (agency of US government) during WWI.
  
• In the discussion address the following question: “Do you think that the US government was right to censor certain photographs of the war?”  Why or why not?  Be sure to provide one or two specific examples that support your answer.
  
  

 

Step Two:

 

• Review your notes and/or review the video clip and “Images of War.”  This time think about how media (newspapers, magazines, and television) publish visual images of conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Africa. Are these images censored?  If not, should they be? 
  
  
• In the discussion, answer the following question: “Do you think that the federal government should use censorship to keep the more brutal images from being published?  Why or why not?”  Be sure to provide one or two specific examples that support your opinion.

 

Section Two: Propaganda

 

Step One: Overview - Why Study Propaganda?

 

 

To better understand the concept and use of propaganda, review the summary pages on the following website.  These pages explain the uses and methods of propaganda, which, in turn, you can use to interpret the propaganda posters.

 

• Resource:  Propaganda:  Relevant Sections for this activity: Introduction, Common Techniques, World War I propaganda.

 

• In Chapter 22 of the textbook, read “Recovering the Past – Government Propaganda” and “A Patriotic Crusade.”  These two sections will give you additional background on this activity.

 

• Be prepared to discuss what you learned about propaganda.

 

Step Two: World War I Posters

 

• Review the posters on “Fighting for Freedom – Propaganda in World War I”
  
  
• Select one poster that you find most interesting.
  
  
• Answer the following questions about this poster.

1.    Imagine you lived in 1917 – 1918.  What would be your reaction to this poster? What do you think that this poster tells you about America’s commitment in the war?  How does this “message” make you feel?
 

2.    Now look at the poster again, this time more critically.  Analyze the image (s), the colors, and the presentation.  What kinds of people are depicted?  What event might the poster refer to?  Who is the target audience for this poster and what is the poster asking that audience to do?

3.    Be prepared to offer your analysis of the poster in the class discussion board.    

 

Step Three: The discussion.

 

The following discussion threads will be posted in the online discussion.

 

 

Thread One: Censorship

 

This section of the discussion asks that you address two topics. 

 

Topic 1: After you viewed the video clip, you were asked to think about the following question: “Do you think that the US government was right to censor certain photographs of the war?”  Why or why not?

 

Topic 2: Do you think that the federal government should use censorship to keep the more brutal images from being published?  Why or why not?

 

Post your answers in the discussion and be clear on why you reached your conclusions on censorship in World War I and in the war in Iraq.

 

 

Thread Two: Propaganda

 

In the activity, you were asked to review the concepts of propaganda on the website, Propaganda and in its use in World War I, as noted in chapter 22 of the textbook. Share with your classmates what you learned about propaganda. Based on your brief study of propaganda, do you believe that propaganda is essential to unifying the nation during a war?

 

Thread Three: World War I Posters

 

In the activity you were asked to review a sample of the posters from World War I. You were then asked to select one poster and think about the following questions: Imagine you lived in 1917 – 1918.  What would be your reaction to this poster? What do you think that this poster tells you about America’s commitment in the war? 

 

Then you were asked to examine the poster more critically, looking at its colors, presentations, and subject matter. From this you were answer the following questions: What kinds of people are depicted?  What event might the poster refer to?  Who is the target audience for this poster and what is the poster asking that audience to do?

Offer your observations in the discussion. Be sure to describe or name the poster that you selected.