Essay (Study Task) - OUGD401

OUGD401

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE - TASK 3

IMAGE ANALYSIS.

The advertising image ‘Uncle Sam’s Range’ shows an extremely patriotic scene of an American family sitting down for dinner with the rest of the world (suggested through a humanised caricature). This image is to promote an oven range, which is also in the picture. There are many attributes to this image that intend to persuade the audience through patriotism and class.

The second image is also a display of patriotism, however it has been executed in a much more subtle way. This poster’s purpose is to persuade young men to join the army and fight in the Great War for their country. It shows a father sitting with his two children with short yet powerful text that plays with the emotions of the targeted audience.

Both of these images use emotion to promote their causes. The first uses pride as a tool to get the public interested in buying their product not only through very visual aspects such as flags and symbolic features but also through deeper and more meaningful indications appropriate to the current time. The second image also uses pride, but through the initial emotion of guilt. Even though the father in this scene starts as the main focus of the ad. As the audience reads, visualizes and understands what is portrayed the focus is then directed at them. This is done through the combination of enhanced text, indicating ‘you’ as an individual, and the image of the father who is staring directly at who ever is reading the poster. This gives the image a very personal feel and shifts the guilt of the father in the picture over t the on looking audience.

The patriotism in the first picture is very over powering and the advertising techniques would be seen as extremely in appropriate in today’s world. For example, the black slave sorting and serving the food will have been seen as a status simple in the 1870’s were only well off families could afford slaves. The list of international foods the ‘rest of the world’ is handling makes fun of what other countries and cultures cook and eat. This is a quite nasty way in which the company shows off their brand by undermining other nationalities.

In the second image also uses class as a tool but in a different and more refined way. The man is suppose to represent success in that he is well dressed has nice furnishings and is the head of his family were his children look up to him and hang on his every word. This representation persuades the audience by implying that if you join the army and fight for your country you will be like this. There are small hints in the image that show that this is a typical British, middle class through the toys the little boy is playing with, The upholstery patterns on both the chair and curtains and the fact the that British people know the first world war as the ‘Great War’.

'WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE GREAT WAR?'

'UNCLE SAMS RANGE'

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