Contextual Analysis:

206 Contextual Analysis

Reflection:

When previously watching propaganda films I never considered the different skills producers utilized to construct them. Conducting a multimodal analysis gave me an opportunity to be a more critical consumer. Furthermore, it allows me to now better recognize what is and is not propaganda. Secondly, constructing a multimodal analysis allowed me to further understand the importance of connecting my ideas back to my thesis after presenting evidence. As I continue on in my academic career I will make sure I am always presenting evidence with adequate analysis. 

The most difficult aspect in writing the multimodal analysis was narrowing down my propaganda film to focus on specific skills. I picked a dense film and I struggled with narrowing down which sections and which skills I would focus on. Additionally, I noticed throughout my writing I struggle a bit with grammar and sentence structure. In the future, I will have to work on my proofreading skills in order to turn in more polished pieces of work. 

Throughout this whole process, I loved learning about the different skills producers use to persuade audiences. I came out of this lesson a more educated consumer; now when I watch ads on tv I consider how I’m being manipulated to adopt an idea or opinion. Additionally, in times of crisis, when I look at images, I will always consider what is the agenda behind them. I now know the way the media utilizes times of crisis to push agendas and sway public opinion. 

 

Helping on the Homefront: Multimodal Analysis of Mr. and Mrs. America

The year 1945 marked the culmination of one of the greatest wars known to mankind: World War Two. The war had been raging in Europe since 1939 with the United States entering after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. On January 28th 1945, German forces lost the Battle of the Bulge causing them to retreat back into Germany (Johnson). Later that year, on May 7th, Germany’s new president, Admiral Karl Dönitz, authorized the surrender of Nazi Germany’s armed forces; the following day, May 8th, marks VE day or the end of the war on the European front (Johnson). On August 8th and 9th of 1945, allied forces dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Johnson). VJ day is celebrated on September 2nd which marks the end of World War two on the Asian – Pacific front. Although World War Two officially ended during the summer of 1945, the economic impact was devastating causing countries to shift from war to rebuilding efforts. Wartime propaganda was crucial in raising the funds to rebuild entire nations. 

The United States propaganda film Mr. and Mrs. America was released by The United States Department of Treasury in 1945. The film urges Americans to purchase war bonds by arguing that war bonds save soldiers’ lives and provide monetary benefits for consumers. Two crucial scenes conveying the necessity of war bonds are minutes 2:57 – 3:37 and 12:25 – 13:30. Minutes 2:57 – 3:37 heavily utilize suspension of disbelief and serves the purpose of invoking feelings of sympathy and concern for soldiers. Minutes 12:25 – 13:30 utilize suspension of disbelief, transfer, and glittering generalities and serve the purpose of solidifying the propaganda film’s call to action.

    2:02                                                        3:08

 

In order to emphasize the tragedies caused by World War Two and call viewers to action, filmmakers first have to show the extreme strength of the American military. The purpose of Minutes 1:47 – 2:57 is to convey the strength of the American military in order to raise morale among viewers. Minutes 1:47 -2:57 depict powerful weaponry and courageous men engaged in battle. In the background, upbeat and fast-paced music is occasionally interrupted by the roar of a machine gun or boom of a firing tank. The fighting men and massive explosions depict the strength and power of American forces. As the film transitions into minutes 2:57- 3:37, the music becomes lower and somber. The narrator claims that some parts of war are silent and the same powerful soldiers are seen carrying fallen men on stretchers, burying men at sea, tending to men experiencing PTSD, and guiding men blinded in battle. The suffering have their wounds wrapped in gauze and gashes sewn by nurses and surgeons. The contrast between minutes 2:57 – 3:37 and minutes 1:47 – 2:57  portray the soldiers as not only strong and powerful, but vulnerable and brave. Minutes 1:47 – 2:57 glorify war, making it seem exciting; however, minutes 2:57 – 3:37 depict the peril and suffering soldiers face invoking feelings of respect and concern from viewers towards the soldiers.

Moreover, during minutes 2:57 – 3:37, the narrator, in an empowering yet monotone voice, claims that war bonds say “relief from pain,” “hope,” “health,” and “sanity” (3:09 – 3:19) to wounded soldiers. Moreover, the narrator asserts that war bonds “reinforce the skilled fingers of surgery” (3:20) and mean “death to the enemy and life to our fighting men” (3:35). As scenes of suffering men play, the narrator pulls at viewers’ sympathy through associating war bonds with health and life. Furthermore, the narrator’s empowering and monotone voice conveys confidence and certainty to viewers. The ethos in the narrator’s tone contributes to the pathos invoked during his commentary. This pathos is built upon through the emotions generated from the visuals and audio, which when taken together, call viewers to action. Now, viewers potentially see purchasing war bonds as an ethical duty to protect their country and the men fighting for it.

 

   3:28                                                        3:31

 

In order for the audio and visuals to effectively call viewers to action, a degree of suspension of disbelief is relied upon. During minutes, 2:57 – 3:37, every soldier who receives medical attention is saved. At minute 3:28 a man with gauze covering his right eye and arm is seen walking and at minute 3:31 a man with gauze around his head and shoulder is talking passionately with a doctor. In both instances, men who have been injured and received medical attention are functioning normally. The propaganda film does not show any failed surgeries or men succumbing to their wounds. Through omitting any evidence of death after medical intervention, the propagandists are attempting to persuade viewers that war bonds are guaranteed to save lives. If viewers ignore their prior medical knowledge or suspend their disbelief they will feel more inclined to purchase war bonds. 

In order for the epilogue to employ pathos and contribute to the propaganda film’s call to action, suspension of disbelief, transfer, and glittering generalities are relied upon. Minutes 12:25 – 13:30 are the epilogue of the propaganda film. During this scene, a soldier dressed in his combat uniform, helmet included, holds a rifle and speaks directly to the American viewers. As he speaks, his facial expressions remain serious and solemn. Behind the soldier there is a dark, barren battlefield. Throughout the film, both upbeat and somber music plays behind the narrator’s commentary, but while the soldier speaks no music plays. The soldier claims that he knows the importance of war bonds because he worked in a war factory prior to serving. Furthermore, the soldier claims that he buys war bonds with his “buddies, millions of them” (12:51).  The epilogue relies heavily on pathos. As the soldier speaks directly to the American public, it allows each individual person to feel as if he is begging them for help. The lack of music helps viewers hone in on the soldier’s message and his solemn facial expression and the dark barren background, invoke feelings of unease pity from viewers. Moreover, the soldier refers to his fellow men as “buddies” and claims that there are “millions of them”. The soldier does not refer to the men he works with as his colleagues or as fellow soldiers. The usage of the word “buddies” causes the army to be interpreted as a family or community. Now that viewers have connected and established feelings of sympathy towards the soldier in the epilogue they will be more inclined to purchase war bonds to help his community or the people he cares about.

12:55

Logically, the soldier addressing the American public appears to be an actor on set; his facial expressions and statements seem rehearsed and there is no action occurring behind him causing the background to appear as a film set. Through suspending their disbelief and viewing the man as a struggling soldier in combat, viewers will be more inclined to purchase bonds. Furthermore, the entire propaganda film, until the epilogue, has shown live footage of brave soldiers performing dangerous tasks and putting their lives at risk to preserve the freedoms of viewers. This generates feelings of respect among viewers towards the men. Through transfer, the respect felt towards the soldier in the epilogue adds credibility and urgency to what he’s saying. Viewers will trust that war bonds are saving soldiers lives and out of respect, feel inclined to buy them. However, in order for transfer to be effective, viewers have to suspend their disbelief and view the actor as a soldier in combat. Moreover, when addressing viewers, the “soldier” refers to his fellow men as “buddies.” The usage of “buddies” is a glittering generality linking the army to a family or community. When coupled with suspension of disbelief and transfer, the glittering generality “buddies” makes the call to action more urgent. If viewers believe the man speaking to them is a soldier whom they respect they will want to purchase war bonds to help those just like him. 

Mr. and Mrs. America was released in America’s fourth and final year of World War Two. The live footage of injured and dying soldiers present in minutes 2:57 – 3:37 coupled with the “soldier” speaking directly to the American public during minutes 12:25 – 13:30  serve as a stark reminder that help was still needed from the homefront. The filmmaker invokes feelings of sympathy, concern, and urgency from American civilians towards their armed forces making the purchasing of war bonds seem like an ethical obligation. The propaganda film effectively convinces viewers to purchase war bonds creating feelings of morale and pride within American communities.