The Nazi propaganda poster, on the left, in German is promoting the NSDAP with an image of a happy perfect family. NSDAP stands for National Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei, for those of you that don't know German, it translates to National Socialist German Workers' Party. In simpler terms NSDAP is the Nazi party. The image on the right (cover picture of chapter five from Maus volume one) illustrates a family cramped in a cellar trying to hide from the Nazi's.
The most apparent and significant difference in these two images is in the way each family is portrayed. To the left we see five people. A mom and a dad smiling while taking in the joy of their new born child. A little boy with blonde hair also admiring the baby, and a sweet little girl with golden hair and rosy cheeks, looking the viewers of the poster dead in the eye. Similarly, the image on the right also depicts five people. Three people in the center wrapped in blankets trying to stay warm, each one with eyes that look wearily to the floor. A man wearing a hat and coat standing in the back with this head angled toward the ground, and a somber black silhouette in the corner.
The Nazi propaganda poster deceives its audience by showing a happy perfect German family, when in reality it is promoting a party of racists and murderous people. A person walking down the street could take one glance at this poster and only see the family, not reading what it's actually about. The colored imaged, combined with smiling faces connotes joy and happiness. What if the same message was put onto the image from Maus? The meaning would be completely different, its connotation would shift dramatically from cheerful to depressed. Now that the poster gives off a sorrowful aura, an onlooker on the street will now connect the Nazi party with this image of a glum, miserable family.
Great post Olivia! I liked how you compared two images containing five people each. Your analysis on the Nazi party's use of deception was very thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteExcellently said! I think the two photos you choose to compare were perfect. You really highlighted the contracting details between the photos, and did an excellent job of what reasoning behind it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your description of both images since they were both so detailed. I can really tell you know what Art Spiegelman was trying to do with the image of the Jewish family as contrasted to the image of the German family.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you described both pieces in great detail. It made it easier to understand the similarities between them. Your analysis was really thoughtful and makes Spiegelman's reasoning clear.
ReplyDeleteI like how you compared the two families' demographics but also contrasted their well-being, as well as your analysis of relating the image to opinions of a bystander. I also agree with how the context of the pictures gives contrast to the connotation.
ReplyDeleteVery insightful analysis I loved this! I appreciate the way you organized your work, focusing on the most prominent aspects of the two images and then discussing how that's important/what it means. Really nice job!
ReplyDeleteOlivia! I think you analyzed both pictures very throrugly and I liked how you drawled comparisons in the expressions of the boy and girl in the Nazi propaganda and the somber silhouette for Spiegelman's art.
ReplyDeleteI really like how deeply you analyzed the two pictures together. Also the pictures you chose to compare and contrast were very strong subjects and you did a nice job picking apart the images. Good job!
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