"As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: You liberate a city by destroying it. Words are used to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests."
—Gore Vidal, Imperial America, 2004

"Propaganda is a soft weapon; hold it in your hands too long, and it will move about like a snake, and strike the other way."
—Jean Anouilh, L'Alouette, 1952

"Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state." 

—Noam Chomsky, Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda, 1997

Essay Proposal

Course Title: Graphic Design

Lecturer: Richard Miles

Student: Rebecca Liggins

Proposed Essay Topic:

A analysis of propoganda moral posters from WWII, compairing two examples from Germany and England (see images below)

Main issues addressed by the essay and the thrust of the argument

· Addressing a critical definition of Propoganda and defying it in terms of these posters

· Evaluating the visual elements to these posters, type, image, colour in terms of graphic design

· What message are these posters actually portraying to their country, I will analyse them using propaganda devices by the IPA (The Institute of Propaganda Analysis)

What visual material will be looked at?

One German and one English propoganda poster in detail and other WWII propaganda posters to research and backup my work.

What theoretical approach / methodology will be seen?

Progaganda Devices from the IPA, Name calling, Glittering Generalitym , Plain folk, Band Wagon, Testimonial, Transfer and Card Stacking

Which specific theorists / writers will be referred to?

IPA (The Institute of Propaganda Analysis
Harold Lasswell - WWII propaganda

At least 5 Books / Articles / Resources; Already located (Using Harvard)
http://www.propagandacritic.com/
http://ww2poster.wordpress.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7869458.stm
Selling the war: art and propaganda in WWII, A.B.Zeman

Globalisation, Sustainability and the media

Communication Theory

'The Gaze' and Psychoanalysis

Reality, Virtuality and Hyperreality

Media Ideology