Propaganda Poster, Assignment Example

The poster selected for this assignment is This is your flag poster. Upon scanning the poster, one notices the British flag, an officer of the Ottawa-Carleton Battalion dressed in an army uniform, and the title of the poster positioned towards the center-left side of the poster.  The title is visible from a glance since it is written in white color, and it states that, “This is your flag; fight for it, join the….”   The poster has a short precise message on it. The message is in the form of a reminder and a command. It reminds the audience that the flag is a symbol of liberty. It also commands them to join the overseas battalion and fight for the symbol (the flag). The commands can also be viewed as an instruction given to the audience to make it join the overseas army in fighting for their country. The poster clearly indicates that it is LT Col. MacLean, the officer commanding, who created it [1]. Additionally, it has a number of objects, activities, places, and a person drawn on it.

On the far top of the poster is a flag which is supported by a long rod that occupies the far left part.  On the right side of the poster stands an officer with is lefty hand on his waist. The officer holds a rod that points to the flag. It also has a logo of the 207 Ottawa Carleton Battalion.  There are two places named in the poster, which include Ottawa and Overseas. The main activity that is revealed in the poster is the recruitment of people to join the army [2]. Another feature that is evident in the poster is the colors used. The flag consists of blue, white, and red colors, while the words on the poster are written in white and black colors. The background of the poster, as well as the uniform that the soldier is wearing, is painted using the army green color. The flag is said to act as a symbol of liberty for the people of Canada. The poster tries to persuade its audience through the use of both words and visuals. The words written on its aim at persuading Canadians to join the army in defending their flag. On the other hand, the words are written in capital letters using the white color to enable people to understand their significance. The poster is a representation of how different artistic features such as colors, objects, words, symbols, and other visuals can be used to enable a production such as a poster to deliver the intended purpose to the audience.

The Poster was created during the First World War.  When Britain declared to be part of the war against Germans in 1914, Canada was under its Empire. As a result, it automatically became part of the war [3]. Together with other nations that were under British ruling, several Canadians were recruited to join the army and help Britain fight for liberty. A total of 260 battalions were formed and transported overseas to aid in the war. One of the Battalions formed was the 207 Ottawa Carleton Battalion [4]. The Battalion was given this name since most of the recruits were from the Ottawa Carleton area. Several posters were created during the war to persuade more Canadians to join the army in fighting against the Germans. One of such posters is the one that instructed Canadians to join the 207 Ottawa Carleton Battalion.

The poster was created in Feb 1916 when the Germans launched a huge attack on the French troops in Verdun. The attack was closely followed by another attack that was also aimed at the French troops and their leader, Colonel Emile Driant [5]. During this time, Canadian troops were being recruited voluntarily to join the British military in fighting their enemies. The poster was, therefore, mainly created for the Canadian audience. Its aim was to persuade the Canadians to join the Ottawa Carleton Battalion in fighting the Germans [6]. The fact that the poster has a British flag indicates that the Canadians were being influenced to join the British army in fighting against their enemy. The flag shows that Canada was under British ruling during this time, hence the latter’s flag is also termed as that of the Canadians. The fact that the viewers were being convinced to join the battalion and go fight overseas confirms the aim of the poster.

What I learned from the poster that cannot be learnt anywhere else is the fact that the 207 Ottawa Carleton Battalion was created and managed by Lt Col C. W MacLean. The poster also contains the words which were used during the First World War to convince Canadians to join the Battalions overseas. Several sources that document the contribution of Canadians towards the First World War, only state that the Canadians were initially recruited voluntarily but later on forced into the Battalions. However, the sources do not state the words that were used to persuade the people to join the army.

Posters were an effective mode of propaganda to be used during World War 1. They were the only means through which the Prime minister could communicate to a large number of people at once. The posters were also effective in delivering the relevant message to the Canadians since they could accommodate both words and visuals, which were important in passing the message to a large number of people. The words also provided a perfect way to convince the men to join the battalions in their districts. The visuals were used to draw the attention of the viewers. The posters were also used to enhance the awareness of Canadians regarding the war and their role in fighting the Germans[7]. Additionally, the title of the present poster was used to unite Canadians during the period of the war. Their acknowledgment that the flag was “theirs” and it symbolized liberty made them understand their unity and their role to defend it. The posters were also used since they could be produced at a lower cost, and the various districts could finance these costs. While some of them were used to persuade the Canadians, others were designed to shame for their failure to play their duty of protecting the flag [8]. Due to its significance, it can be said to be the most effective mode of propaganda at that time. The effectiveness of the poster was seen from the large numbers of Canadians that joined the Canadian army simply by reading the information on the posters.

References

Cook, T. (2007). At the Sharp End: Canadians Fighting the Great War, 1914-1916 (Vol. 1). Toronto: Viking Canada.

Hart, P. (2015). Great war: A combat history of the first world war. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford University Press.

Fernberg, E. (2006). Great War Legacy: A Drum from the 20th Battalion. Canadian Military History, 15(3), 6.

Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. (2015). Recruitment. Ontario. Retrieved from: http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/posters/recruitment.aspx

Moran, M. C. (2012). “This is your flag”: Canadian WWI Recruiting Posters. Retrieved from: https://www.ottawavalleyirish.com/2012/11/this-is-your-flag-canadian-wwi-recruiting-posters.html

Ilic, D., & Rowe, N. (2013). What is the evidence that poster presentations are effective in promoting knowledge transfer? A state of the art review. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 30(1), 4-12.\

Smith,R. (2014). Canada and World War 1. Chapter two notes for SS11 students. Retrieved from: https://bodwell.edu/r_smith/Images/Ch2Notes.pdf

War Museums. (n d). This is your flag. Retrieved from: https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/objects-and-photos/propaganda/recruitment-posters/this-is-your-flag/?back=1580&anchor=2101

[1] War Museums. (n d). This is your flag. Retrieved from: https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/objects-and-photos/propaganda/recruitment-posters/this-is-your-flag/?back=1580&anchor=2101

[2] Moran, M. C. (2012). “This is your flag”: Canadian WWI Recruiting Posters. Retrieved from: https://www.ottawavalleyirish.com/2012/11/this-is-your-flag-canadian-wwi-recruiting-posters.html

[3] Smith, R. (2014). Canada and World War 1. Chapter two notes for SS11 students. Retrieved from: https://bodwell.edu/r_smith/Images/Ch2Notes.pdf

[4] Fernberg, E. (2006). Great War Legacy: A Drum from the 20th Battalion. Canadian Military History, 15(3), 6.

[5] Hart, P. (2015). The great war: A combat history of the first world war. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford University Press.

[6] Cook, T. (2007). At the Sharp End: Canadians Fighting the Great War, 1914-1916 (Vol. 1). Toronto: Viking Canada.

[7], Ilic, D., & Rowe, N. (2013). What is the evidence that poster presentations are effective in promoting knowledge transfer? A state of the art review. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 30(1), 4-12.\

[8] Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. (2015). Recruitment. Ontario. Retrieved from: http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/posters/recruitment.aspx