Pro and Anti Hitler Images

Pro Hitler/ Pro Nazi vs. Anti Hitler/ Anti Nazi

The above image is one of the many images created to paint Adolf Hitler in a positive light and align him with the German youth.  Hitler is in the center of the frame, in the middle ground, wearing a swastika on his left arm.  He is facing the left of the frame.  There are also three children in the image.  A young girl is in the left center of the frame, in the middle ground, facing Hitler.   The bottom half of her body cannot be seen because it is blocked  by a red flag with a swastika on it.  The flag is being carried by one of the other two children, two young boys in the left foreground.  Two flags with swastikas are behind the young boys, but in front of Hitler and the young girl.  

Hitler is seen smiling as his arms are outstretched to pick up the young girl.  This image connects his with the children not only by placing them in the image together, but by having his physically reach out and pick up one of the children.  All of the figures are also connected in the image in a very important way.  Each of the four individuals has a swastika flag in close proximity to them and a flag touches each of their images in the frame.  Hitler has the one on his left arm.  The young girl has the flag which is directly in front of her and covering much of her body.  The young blond boy has two flags which are behind him and touch his image in the frame.  The larger flag along the left of the frame is behind his head and the smaller flag near the center of the frame is behind his face.  The young dark haired boy in the bottom left of the image also has the large flag with the swastika, located on the left edge of the frame behind him.  The larger flag behind the young boys appears to be larger than them.The repetition of the flag in the image is used to unify the figures and to tie them to the Nazi party.  

This image associates the children or youth with Hitler with the Nazi party in a positive way.  There is order in the image.  There is joy in the image.  It is a positive image of Hitler, the Nazi part and of the children themselves.  This image is pro Hitler/ pro Nazi party.

The above image is a photo montage by John Heartfield.  The majority of the frame is filled with the row of skeletons  who stretch from the left top corner of the frame to the bottom right corner of the frame.  They occupy approximately 75% of the frame.  On the right side of the frame is a Nazi military leader who is comparable in size to the large skeletons.  The remainder of the frame, the bottom left to bottom center is filled with German youth who are marching in unison, carrying weapons and wearing military uniforms.  The size of the young boys is minute compared to the large skeletons looming over them.  The hierarchy of scale, having the skeleton be so much larger then the young boys, suggests that the presence of the skeletons in the frame is of more important than the presence of the boys. This hierarchy of scale forces the viewer to look at the larger or the two, the skeletons.

The juxtaposition of  the young boys with the skeleton, both groups in a uniform row, shows they are related to each other.  The image implies that the orderly rows of Nazi youth will one day become the orderly row of skeletons.  Unlike the above poster shedding the Nazi party and Hitler in a positive light, this image by Heartflied places the Nazi party in a negative light.  This anti Hitler/ anti Nazi part image discourages the alignment of youth with this communist party and goes further than that.  It implies that the youth who align with Hitler and the Nazi party will soon be nothing more than skeletons; their alignment with the Nazi party is not only negative but will lead to their death.

DEFINING POLITICS

     How do I define politics?  When I think of politics I think of ancient Greece and the development of a governing body to create laws to govern the individuals in each polis or city-state.  So, in simple terms I think of politics as a governing body who creates and enforces certain laws to govern the people of their city, state or country.  When I think of politics in this way, I think of unity within a region or city-state.

 



This above image is a combination of words which each illude to the politics and many of the words have negative connotations.  I chose this image because politics has many negative aspects to it.
 



     Thinking of the political climate we live in today here in America and the definition changes to a more complicated and messy one.  In this environment, especially around election time, the terms which come to mind to define American politics are negativity, corruption, and broken promises.  When I think of the political climate that surrounds me today, instead of thinking of unity I think of division.  Democrats vs. Republicans, liberals vs. conservatives, etc.  The image above shows the images of the donkey and elephant, which represent the two main political parties in the United States, the Deomctas and Republicans.  They are standing on a map of the the United States, facing eath other in what looks to me like a confromtational manner, like they are facing off or preparing for battle and the two parties are constantly battling so much between each other that the pepole they were elected to represent are often forgotten.

     Yes, when I look at politics in America I define it as complicated and messy, but I also see the positive aspects of living in a democratic political environment and having the ability as a people to not only voice our views but to be able to vote and change the world we live in.  Of course becaue of the division in American politics, this change occurs gradually over time and many who use their voice don't live to see this change.  The above image, although it does not show a same sex couple, it does show a couple holding hands but looking in a different direction.  The fact that they are wrapped in American flags, with the political party images of the elephant and donkey litterally butting heads over this issue, makes it a blatent political image on the state of marriage in America today.  The title "Politics of Love" also makes it obvious that this is a political image.  As I look at the image, although the same sex couple is holding hands, they are not facing each other.  This says to me that they are trying to hold onto same sex marriage in one way but turning away from it in another..

   Although I think of the negativity involved in American politics, I also think of democracy and am thankful that in America we do have a voice and the right to vote.  So, when I think of politics, democracy and America I also think of all the freedoms we are afforded and all of the freedoms we are still fighting for. Today the issue of marriage equality and is ever present in the media and it is one such freedom that groups of individuals are fighting for and their voice is slowly changing the world we live in.  The above image uses the check mark in a ballot box as the V in vote and simply states "Vote for change".  The use of the black and white square representing a ballot box with the V in it shows a type of action, checking the box.  The elongated right side of the V and vertical angle of the line suggests movement or action.  To me, the V in the ballot box in itself  is illustrative of the fact that action is necessary to elicit change or movement in a different direction.