TGG #2

Meyer Wolfsheim taints the godlike perception of Gatsby to give a hint of who he really is. The story of Jay and Daisy also take down some of the grandeur of Gatsby, humanizing him and giving him a personal history. All and all, Gatsby is becoming more and more shady and although he seems more human, I like him less because I don't trust his motives.

Black Bottom Stomp

This song is is cheerful and very Gatsby-esque. It works to show the immature and carefree joy of Gatsby's parties and matches the style of the era.

TGG #1

Nick will be the hero, given his characterization as an unbiased and reliable narrator. He also seems to be repulsed by the upper class socialite environment he's in, giving him a sort of moral credibility. I think Daisy will ultimately play an antihero given how she's kind of a selfish and irritating person, but her portrayal as a victim of Tom's infidelity will give her our support as she, I don't know, works against Tom to reveal his true nature. I think Gatsby will be a villain because Fitzgerald shows him in a secretive and mysterious light, using dark imagery in the scene where he's outside his house.

Bua's Art

Bua distorts the perception of common life and plays with convergence to create his unique style. He favors organic lines over geometric.

Clampdown

The song is about Nazi Germany and the rise of the Aryan movement. "We will train our blue-eyed men to be young believers" and "they said, is this man a Jew?"

The song features a strict rhythm that evokes the idea of a regulated society and the staccato taps of marching soldiers.

In terms of propaganda, the song talks of turning the blue-eyed men into young believers, as well as putting up posters, implying that the government is teaching the people what to think and how to behave.

Duck and Cover

overt: Duck and cover.
covert: None
This isn't propaganda. The duck and cover video is an informational video giving useless information intended to mollify the anxiety of a people under the threat of nuclear war.

Destination Earth

Overt message: Oil has helped America, competition and capitalism make America great.
Covert message: Communism is bad, government control of industry is bad.
Why it's propaganda: The entire message is overgeneralized and again pushes that anti-communist idea without going in depth on the merits of capitalism over communism.

WWII Propaganda

The overt message is to eat less bread (as is clearly stated.) The covert message is that everything possible must be done to help the war effort. The poster drives Americans to a more patriotic state of mind while never expressly saying anything of the sort.

Propaganda Quotes

I liked quotes 1, 11, 29, and 42. Of those, I chose number 11 to analyze.

 Who speaks to the instincts speaks to the deepest in mankind, and finds the readiest response.

AMOS BRONSON ALCOTT (1799-1888)

I think this quote means that rhetoric is the more influential of techniques. Alcott believes that the majority of humans understand, connect with, and prefer emotion and passion over rationality and analytic thought. When someone speaks to ones instincts, they are manipulating the inherent values and characteristics of that person. It's much easier to go with what you feel is true than what you know is true, and Alcott understood that. Argument is not as effective as rhetoric, and while both are needed for a strong presentation, it is ultimately rhetoric that decides the outcome of a conflict.