The Propaganda was a Great Success

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Professor
Intensive English Program – 21/SP-ENGL-097-15
March 22/2021
Freedom is Never a One-Man Job
"May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't." – George S. Patton, in a plainspoken address to U.S. troops (Angier). In 1942, an unforgettable tragedy had happened, marking the significant turning point of WWII – the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Because of this miserable act from Japan, The U.S. government then decided to join WWII and fight against the Fascist. During that warring period, artists felt obligated to provoke the public's morale and stimulate their patriotism. Propaganda was a good choice during that period, characterized by that lack of information. Defend American freedom: It's everybody's job was created by McClelland Barclay in 1942. The art is an excellent example of successful propaganda because of the Testimonial, Plain Folks, and Glittering Generalities techniques that Barclay utilized to convince the public.
Testimonial technique uses a respected figure in society to appeal to the masses. The celebrity can be of good character or a bad person whose influence is negative in the society like Osama Bin Laden was while he was alive. Such a society's "big name" endorses a product or an idea to make people believe in it without further questioning it (Hamdani, 241). Testimonial technique appeals to the ordinary person who believes that what a particular celebrity has endorsed must be good for them too. Propagandists make this assumption that the intended audience will accept the propaganda because a particular person has stamped it. Barclay, in his art, Defend American freedom: It's everybody's job, employed the testimonial technique to appeal to the masses, making his propaganda successful.
Barclay utilized the testimonial technique by using Uncle Sam's character, a common personification of the U.S. federal government. This utilization stimulates the public's personal connection with this situation, making them feel like doing their job is the best way to defend their country during war time. "Uncle Sam has removed his top hat and is putting on a workman's cap. His jacket is draped over his left shoulder and he is wearing striped overalls over a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Along the bottom of the poster is the silhouette of an industrial landscape" (UNT Digital Library). This description made the target audience believe that Uncle Sam was selfless and ready to fight for the rights of Americans. The expression "putting on a workman's cap" means that he was embracing the joint patriotic responsibility. Since Uncle Sam is a personification of the federal government, the propaganda suggested that the government was ready to fight for the Americans, and the people fell for the message.
The Second technique Barclay employed is Plain Folks. Propaganda uses this technique to appeal to people that the spokesperson or the subject used is from a humble background, hence can be trusted. It also suggests, to the audience, that the persona used in the propaganda has their interest at heart (Hamdani, 241). For example, Kenya's deputy president, a country in Africa, has developed political propaganda that divides people into two sections, the rich and the p...