This propaganda poster was created during world war one with the obvious purpose to get men of that time to join the army if they hadn't already been convinced to do so. I aim to explore the signs, depth and relations with this complex image and to decipher its' main components and the meanings behind them.
Red, blue and white are an obvious connotation of the United States of America, they demonstrate the flag colours, but by wearing these colours this shows that Uncle Sam, a national personification, is very patriotic. This is regarded as a common acknowledgement or a social agreement considering that he is the representative of the country, and is the signifier that then in turn demonstrates the signified approach that he is top of the hierarchy, an important person.
The portrait of Uncle Sam is a visual icon, he is portrayed through the perspective of the artist, his stance resembles that of a stern teacher or parent ready to scold a child. His scowling expression is one of the key index's here, it shows displeasure and concern, this has an affect on the audience and makes them feel belittled and childish.
Words are symbolic in the short paragraph of text, albeit short it is a powerful and quite ruthless passage, the word 'I' is used, this is symbolic as it is personal and direct and shows how all of the power is held by this man asking the question. 'Expect' demonstrates symbolically that this is not a question but a statement or an order, it is to the point and and forceful with the expected result as a command that is followed by all whom it concerns.
This entire image is made up of signs but several were more obvious initially, he stance and angry facial expression is a key signifier and immediately sets the tone, it signified a serious matter with not a slight bit of humour incorporated. 'I am telling you' is a very forward signifier, it shows an informative tone but in an aggressive and strong manor, it is a surprising choice of words and makes the audience feel small and as if they are in the wrong, a sense of guilt is what is being conveyed.
The codes of propaganda posters are anything but subtle, there are several common themes that seem to occur in many, including this example in particular. The aim of them is to convince, sell or guilt trip people, in this case it is men that have not yet joined the forces, this is done through the arrangement of words, the tone they create and the impact they have. Large, bold text to emphasise the point they are trying to get across and usually a guilty tone to make that person feel uncomfortable and pointed out.
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