This image, entitle The Sowing, is a powerful commentary.  This poster was used to remind people in America why we were fighting the war.  The middle shows a man standing wearing the cap, pants and boots of a Nazi soldier, throwing skulls into the ground as though planting them for later harvest. The perspective makes us look up at him, enhancing his power, and therefore enhancing our fear of him.  His face is made brutal by stark lines, and strong jaw and cheek bones that enhance his masculinity.  At the same time his forehead his low, and his eyes invisible, making him seem less intelligent, like an animal.  The way his hat slopes over his eyes and face remind me of pictures of Death from medieval drawings.  His arms and chest are muscular, again telling the viewer about his power and masculinity.  At the same time his belly is round and flabby, suggesting gluttony and self abuse.  The sky is black and dark blue suggesting the coming of night, and the tree in the picture is broken and barren, suggesting death and winter.

The audience for this poster was the American people.  Its obvious intent was to scare them into continuing to support the fight against the Axis powers, suggesting what the consequences of failure might be.  It was designed and painted for the U.S. Government, and their bias is obvious here, as is their message.  The metaphor here is a powerful one, suggesting that the Nazis bring only death and destruction, and that nothing good may grow under their regime.  The skulls, a symbol for Western people of death, are there to be identified with by the audience, to suggest that all of us could end up this way without supporting the war.  At the same time the portrayal of the Nazi soldier is racist against Germans, to say the least. It serves to differentiate THEM from US, a vital necessity in order to have people support a war.  People have trouble making bombs and bullets, and sending their sons to die, against a foe who is just a boy like theirs, has hopes and dreams like theirs, families and jobs like theirs.  By making the Nazi soldier a monster it allowed the U.S. Government to justify the continuation of the war.

As a Jew this poster really struck me.  When I look at the skulls I see the martyrs of my people, and of the Gypsies, homosexuals, political dissidents, and so many others who died at the hands of that insane regime. I support what America did during World War II, and I think this poster was necessary.  At the same time this propaganda, with its brutal and inhuman portrayal of the enemy strikes me as disgusting.  I suppose I desire war not to exist, and the lies we tell ourselves as a nation to become unnecessary. I am not sure how to resolve this internal dilemma of disgust for both the actions of the enemy and the portrayal of him.