Monday, November 1, 2010

PERIOD 3 - NAZI PROPAGANDA

Keep in mind that propaganda is never objective; it is always subjective. It forces the viewer to adjust his or her perception in order to make a decision about the value and meaning of a of a particular point of view. In your post you will answers the questions listed in the "Art and Proganda Project" handout you received in class. Please make sure to comment on at least one other student's post.

21 comments:

Zachary Michaels said...

I think that visuals can be far more useful than words. It's a lot easier to make a person understand suffering when they see it, than using words to describe it for them. It has more emotionsl impact and can show a perspective more clearly. It also makes people more confident with the information you are presenting. Words are words but people are more likely to trust you when they can see something for themselves.

Hitler used degenerate and decadent to describe "UnGerman" art because he wanted to portay it as tarnishing the glory of Germany. He wanted to portay it as being a negative influence that had to be purged for the good of German culture and society.

I think Nazi glorifing art could be kept in a museume. Even if the art isn't worthwhile they still are valuable from a historical perspective.

Meredith Geller said...

It's one of those ideas where the experience is a lot more effective than words. If you actually have an image in your mind, its becomes more real.

I believe Hitler used these adjectives because they have more of a powerful connotation with them. It builds confidence in his followers.

^ I agree with Zach Michaels about the Nazi art

I have kept the art in exhibits, so that the public could learn the perspective of Nazi Germany. WWII is not truly understandable if you do not understand the perspective of all sides.

Michael Doran said...

I believe that pictures are much more valuable than words. By looking at a picture it is much easier to see what events are taking place as well as the emotions that are displayed. A picture has a stronger impression on me because you can physically see what is going on where as with words you have to mentally picture the event.

Hitler used adjectives such as "UnGerman" because he wanted to negatively display the people that did not support what he was doing. He wanted the "UnGerman" people to feel as if they were not important.

I would keep the art in an exhibit in order for people to see the German attitude towards "UnGerman" people.

I agree with Meredith that the art should go into a exhibit in order to see the perspective of Nazi Germany.

Shady Mostafa said...

A picture is much more powerful than any word. It does not take an educated person to interpret the images shown the Nazis. Pictures much more easily stick in your mind than words do. Hitler used those complex adjectives to stress the evil he viewed in "unGerman" art. A group of followers, even uneducated, are looking for an intelligent man to lead them because he probably knows what he is talking about. These words make Hitler appear extremely noble.

After defeating the Germans and discovering what they have done to Jews, I would not touch them for a while. I would keep them somewhere safe and find a way to get Jews to mingle with Germans again; make them realize that Jews are just as human as everyone else. Then I would bring them out again and show the world how ridiculous they were so that hopefully people can learn from their history.

I really like Meredith Geller's Inception look on this whole thing.

Allie Arpante said...

In my opinion, pictures can be a lot more effective then words. When someone is given a picture of something they tend to be much more attracted to it then a big long write up. Photos and real life images not only grab your attention but they give you a better idea of what is going rather then words when you are left to decide for yourself how something may or may not be. People are more likely to believe what they see rather than what they hear.

I think Hitler wanted it to stand out to his listeners. Also the definitions of these words can also paint a picture in your head.

I would have kept the art as a learning tool. The art can give you a better idea of what the Nazi Party was really like.

I agree with what Zach said about pictures and that they can give you confidence and sway you to believe something.

Connor Gibbs said...

I agree with what mike said in that i believe that pictures are much more valuable than words. i strongly agree with the saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words". i think that if a picture is shown the right way, it can be so powerful and moving, that words dont even come close to what is being "said" in the picture.

I think the reason as to why Hitler used words such as "UnGerman" is because he wanted to make the people who were not supportive of what he was doing look as though they were not supporting their country. this is seen as being very unpatriotic and would have been frowned upon at the time.

I would keep the art in the exhibit. i think it would be interesting to see the german attitude towards the "ungerman" people.

Tucker McKinnon said...

I believe that the pictures say and mean a lot more than the words do. This goes along with the saying "a picture means a thousand words" mainly because pictures can be viewed by all people no matter what. Allowing anyone to have an opinion of them or it to have a significance in someones life while in this case people of Germany.

Hitler used words like UnGerman mainly becasue he wanted people who did not support him to feel as if they were not apart of the country and were not patriotic. In a way this was smart for him to gain more followers and beleivers however I think that it was wrong of him to do.

Sam Nichols said...

I think that visuals can say a lot without using words. Just from the picture of the simple picture of the eternal jew many Nazi beliefs were portrayed. Words can create a lasting image in a person's mind whereas words used to decribe things can easily be forgotten and can be difficult to visualize if not put correctly. To me words are more effective. I tend to remember the details of something I read better than something that I see. Hitler used those words to describe what he considered unGerman art because he wanted to create a negative connotation in people's minds for anything considered unGerman. I would have kept the art to show people in the future. History serves no purpose if we destroy it. We must remember it in order to learn from the good as well as the bad.

I definatley agree with Shady that it would be important to remove any of this art work from the German people in order to break them away from the Nazi life in all aspects

kelsey landroche said...

I do think "a picture is worth a thousand words". One picture can say many things about the subject like the propaganda posters did. Pictures can make a stronger impression on a person because it can be so simple. Pictures are often easier for a person to remember and can often stick in their minds longer. Hitler probably used these words because they were so harsh. He wanted people to get the point that Jewish are or any are that was "unGerman" should not be accepted by the public.
The art that was left by the Nazi's I think should be put in a museum. I would have done this so that people could see what happened in history and learn from it.
I agree with both Zach and Meredith on the view of what should be done with the art. People could learn from what the Nazi's did.

Anna Degtyareva said...

A picture is worth a thousand words because it can convey its message right away. Meanwhile, it might take someone at least a quite few words to describe all the symbols (that may be associated with all kinds of stereotypes) and imagery in the picture. Pictures get the point across right away and give the viewer a visual to remember too. Pictures make a stronger impression on me (especially because I'm a very visual person).

Hitler used words like "degenerate" and "decadent" to describe the art that was considered un-German. He used those words because of his prejudice against anyone who wasn't German, but also because he wanted to voice his thoughts so others would think the same way.

I wouldn't have destroyed the art but preserved it (in a museum?). There, it wouldn't have caused any harm and corrupted any other unsuspecting / innocent minds.

Anna Degtyareva said...

I agree with Allie and the statement that humans are more attracted to a simple (but meaningful) picture than to a long write-up. I also liked how she said that "People are more likely to believe what they see rather than what they hear." I think that's true.

Brian Goodliffe said...

In my opinion, images are far more powerful than words can ever be. When using images, an entire idea or philosophy can be expressed without ever persuading anyone. That way, when the person viewing the image has come up with what they think the meaning of the image is, they believe it even more because the idea feels theirs. Words can only go so far, but pictures can truly make people take action and believe. Hitler used words like unGerman to describe the art because that is a label that will upset all Germans. Instead of labeling the art "Jewish" he chose to call all Jewish art offensive to Germans. I would keep all of the art because without history, we are likely to repeat our prior actions. We, as humans, need a reminder of the horrors we are capable of.

I agree with Mike that keeping the art in an exhibit would also make for a lasting impression.

Ryan Blackney said...

This peice of propaganda used by the Nazis was very graphic but realistic at the sme time. What I mean by that is a picture like this that when someone sees this, they actually see a rendering of a person. Images are much more descriptive than words.

When Hitler refered to those who were "unGerman" he wanted to make them feel that they were less important. He tried to put them down as much as possible.

I agree with Doran in that all of this stereotypical and "unGerman" art and propaganda should be kept in a museum of some kind so that people today can see what Jews had to face everyday during the Holocaust.

Andrew Grant said...

I believe that it is true that a picture is worth a thousands words. A picture can allow a view to witness first hand visual the emotions that words cannot. Some look at the picture can analyze through the perspective of what they visually see. Words are just words until you can visually appreciate what you are reading you have nothing to compare the meaning of the words to.
Hitler used these words to describe "UnGerman" art because wanted to use the art as propaganda against the jews and how they were going against the ideals of the Germans.
I believe that art could be put on display as long as the viewers were educated on what the German were trying to accomplish with the propaganda.

I agree with Zach on how the Nazi art is still worthwhile in a historical perspective.

Zachary Michaels said...

I disagree with Shady. I don't think censoring art is a good way of changing opinions. Making the subjective stand up to objective scrutiny is a good way to counter them. But simply removing a perspective isn't useful because it doesn't give a way for people to come to terms with their mistakes.

Gabe Stahl said...

I think the propaganda the Nazis used was unfortunetly genius and very effective. When an image like this is exposed to the public people start to associate all Jewish people with it. Hitler was able to bring out the hatred that already existed in the Germans by showing them images like this. The Germans were angry for the misfortune that had come upon them and Hitler gave them someone to blame. They directed their anger towards Jews and images like this reminded them who was the enemy and what they were guilty of.

I agree with Zach, I think it is dangerous to hide and censor these things. If people don't see them, then they will forget what happened and how it could happen again.

Alyssa Noble said...

I also think it is true that "a picture is worth a thousand words". The title of the eternal Jew shows how words don’t leave as much direct impression. If someone read eternal Jew they aren’t going to necessarily going to understand the writers view, but with a picture you see what the creator wants inscribed in your mind. When we see other peoples drawings the artists views are clearly shown, while one word can be read many different ways.

Alyssa Noble said...

...and I agree with what Zach said about the pictures.

shane ruffing said...

I think that the simplicity of the eternal jew is what made it so effective. It degraded the jews to animals and turned a lie into a major lie. The whip being held by the jew represents them killing jesus and whipping him which wasnt the case. Hitler used art as a way to convey a message that the jews were sub human and should be treated that way.

Brian Orlando said...

I think that the pictures leaves a bigger impression on the people than any words would. People tend to remember a picture more than they remember words. The picture really shows how the Germans felt about the Jews and tried to persuade people that the Jewish people were all "bad guys". I agree with Shady on how the picture is stronger than words and it left a greater impression of the public who saw this.

Patrick Bryant said...

Pictures can be more effective than words because it's right up in people's faces. They don't have to put any imagination into it, or they don't have to think. It's just in their face and right there. I feel that words make more of an impression on myself. But pictures do have the ability to visualize what the masses are thinking and this can easily be distributed to everyone and be seen by anyone, not just a certain class. Hitler would also use such adjectives to deface any painting he considered unGerman because he didn't want these pieces "tainting" the German image. If I were in the situation these nations were in, I would keep the art as a constant reminder of what can happen.