Source Analysis

What is a source analysis?

Analysis = detailed examination of the elements or structure of something

A source is anything that has been left behind by the past. It might be a document, but it might alternatively be a building or a picture or a piece of ephemera – a train ticket perhaps or a plastic cup. They are called 'sources' because they provide us with information which can add to the sum of our knowledge of the past.

Analysis occurs at two levels — literal and analytical. !First look at the literal level — what the poster contains visually and textually.

Step 1 Check the five aspects"

Colour: The colours used are bold and bright, they will quickly grab someone’s attention.

Scale: The Japanese soldier is portrayed as massive, easily able to defeat the apparently undefended Australia. His size also suggests how quickly he could be on Australia’s shores.

Symbols: Behind the soldier is the rising sun of the Japanese flag. The message is that the Japanese flag could soon fly over Australia.

Text: The text suggests that the options are clear for Australia, and that everyone will need to do their bit if the country is to survive.

Impact: The impact of this poster would be significant. Even at a quick glance it is easy to see that Australia is under imminent threat of invasion.

Accurate historical information is needed to give the poster its correct context, thereby enhancing understanding and appreciation of the poster's intent.

Who is the intended audience of this poster?

What message is the poster portraying?

What is the historical context? What was happening at the time the poster was produced?

is this an effective poster?

Is there a suggestion as to what would happen if the message was (a) accepted or (b) ignored?

Step 2 Ask specific analysis questions"

Source 2

Have a go with Source 2

!Colour: Pale yellow represents Germany and its occupied territories. Russia is in red, representing communism and Britain, in grave-earth brown, is dying or dead. !Scale: Germany and occupied territory dominate the image, as does the clenched armoured German fist punching Stalin's caricatured face. The large cross rises above Churchill's (and Britain's) grave. !Symbols: The fist represents Germany's power and might. The hammer and sickle represent Russia and the cross over Britain suggests its death is imminent. German prosperity is represented by the baby (new birth), factory and farming. !Text: The slogan on this poster translates as ‘Europe's victory — your prosperity’. Europe (German-occupied Europe) will be better off when Germany wins the war. !Impact: Significant. Appeals to German people's desire for security and living space. Victory is near and so is an improved standard of living for Germany.

Who is the intended audience of this poster? German civilians. !What message is the poster portraying? Victory is at hand. Russia and Britain will soon fall. !What is the historical context? British forces were pushed out of Europe in 1940. Britain was badly savaged during the Battle of Britain. Now Germany was invading Russia and had made initial rapid advances. !Is there a suggestion as to what would happen? If the people support Germany's war efforts, then prosperity and an improved living standard will follow victory.

Is this an effective poster? The poster is effective in the way that the government probably intended at the time — to make US citizens fear Nazi Germany. The illustration depicts Germany's power and the threat it posed to American freedoms; the text declares the United States' equal determination to defeat this threat. Important freedoms as expressed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and labour and business freedoms were at risk, since Nazi Germany would destroy these. While the viewer today can imagine such a poster creating fear and dread, and concern for their democratic rights and freedoms in the United States, there is insufficient information available to say to what extend the poster altered people's thinking and/or actions at that time. It may have reinforced negative ideas about Nazi Germany, but it cannot be stated categorically that it dramatically changed people's thinking and/or actions.

Source 3

Have a go with Source3

Colour: The crushing hand of the Nazis dominates through its size and darker colour; the founding US documents are paler, fading away except for their titles, which are boldly imprinted in people's minds. !Scale: The German hand takes up most of the space, its power crushing valued rights and freedoms. !Symbols: The Nazi swastika is shown twice (both in the ring and on the cuff of the sleeve). The three crushed documents are founding documents of an independent United States and symbolise their enshrined system of government and citizens' rights. !Text: The text is designed to reassure Americans that US service personnel are working to defeat Germany and preserve their freedoms and rights. !Impact: This is a dramatic image showing the power of Nazism and US determination to overcome that threat and preserve its values.

Who is the intended audience of this poster? US citizens. What message is the poster portraying? The United States will prevail over the power and might of Germany. !What is the historical context? It was important to keep morale high at home as well as successfully conduct the war. In 1943, the year this poster was created, the United States was having greater success in the Pacific than in Europe, where the planned invasion of France had been delayed. There was a need to reassure the American people that they would win the war in Europe. !Is there a suggestion as to what would happen? Victory would protect rights and freedoms; defeat would see them crushed. !Is this an effective poster? The poster is effective. It clearly shows Germany's power and might in the illustration and the United States' equal determination in the text.