How Can Propaganda Twist the Truth?


On the left is the chapter title page of Chapter 2 in Art Spiegelman’s Maus Volume I, while on the right is a Nazi propaganda picture during the 1930s. The poster was targeted to promote the Nazi cause, showing smiling students holding the Nazi flag. The two images show similar structure, with the swastika flag serving as a dominating feature near the top of the page, followed by buildings and a crowd on the bottom of the picture. The atmosphere created by the two pictures, however, is completely different.

While the propaganda poster conveys a happy and united group, the illustration in Maus highlights more of the horror and darkness faced by the Jews. The Nazi flag, on the right, is a positive symbol as it is held by a smiling leader figure, who looks into the distance, suggesting that the Nazis are headed towards a bright future. The flag in Maus, on the other hand, overshadows the Jews, who stare up at it with unease. The lack of someone holding the flag points out the systematic actions in which the Nazis organized the Jews and how inhumane their actions were. The animal allegory in Maus can be emphasized here as well, since the Nazis were the ones who dehumanized the Jews with they racist propagandas. The Jews are also looking back in the picture, giving off a pessimistic vibe.

Art Spiegelman’s decision to make his comic black and white, other than reasons of art style, might also have resulted from his attempt to create a gloomy mood throughout the novel. Without using colors, every darker color in his illustrations will appear as shades of gray or black. Compared to the colored houses and sky of the Nazi propaganda, these same features in Maus appear dimmer and the entire picture seems shadowy to the eye, especially when bordered by white on the outer edges. The houses on the right hint at prosperity, following the overall trend of the image; the houses on the left, on the other hand, look almost like barriers trapping the Jews, again symbolizing their circumstances during the Holocaust.

The people in each image looking at opposite directions is probably a coincidence in this case, since I randomly selected these pictures, and I am almost certain that Spiegelman did not base his drawing off this specific propaganda; however the two groups looking at the flag from two opposite sides shows how switching perspectives on an issue can change its meaning completely. This is still true in present days, and the way media portrays information can cause significant changes in society sometimes. Looking back at the Holocaust, it is important for us to realize the importance to analyze matters proposed by propagandas.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 22, 2017 at 3:26 PM

    These are two very interesting images and a really good analysis. It kind of looks like the image on the left could have been drawn after the flag the boy is carrying is hung. I really like how you discussed Spiegelman's artistic style. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 22, 2017 at 5:21 PM

    I really liked how you talked about the buildings! I never would've thought of the buildings as trapping the Jews. :oo I also liked your point about nobody holding the flag in Art's cover. Really good analysis!

    ReplyDelete

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