"Distortion"


The two pictures contrast very much. The Nazi propaganda has a lighter tone to it as if it is saying “Come over to this side, it is much more calm and peaceful.” The colors on the hands are bright, like a light is shining upon them. The picture shows that there are already many people that agree with the regime, and that others should agree too.  It makes it seem as if everyone is in unison and that Germany is like heaven, in contrast to the war zone it really looked like.

The title page of Maus “And Here My Troubles Began” shows the other side of the war. It shows reality. The image itself shows the feet of the Jews in prisoner clothing. The shoes and the path are darkly colored, showing a descent into the darkness rather than an ascent into light. We also see at the front left corner of the picture has a foot that is sideways. It can be inferred that the person that the foot belongs to has fallen either from fatigue, pain, or death. Overall this picture looks dreary and it doesn’t beckon us to join them.

When comparing the pictures side by side, we see that the main contrast is the use of hands and feet. When people put their hands up they reach for the sky. It is usually associated with a positive connotation. The falling feet on a dark path has a negative connotation and gives a mysterious tone to the picture. It shows how the Nazis thought they were at a higher status than others because they were letting themselves reach high heights, while chaining others to the ground.  The propaganda shows Germans in unison, blindly following a leader regardless of their moral values. The title page shows Jews in unison, blindly following officers to their deaths.

These two pictures show how the media distorted images in order to devalue the wrong doings. According to Sylvan Barnet, “photographs have historically been considered especially powerful as tools of persuasion.”  If the public had just seen the propaganda and wasn’t aware of the feet walking down a dark path, then the Jews wouldn’t have been freed.

We can see Spiegelman mock the Nazi propaganda as he uses the same techniques to show reality.
  Image result for and here my troubles began

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 21, 2017 at 8:51 PM

    Shivani, this was a great analysis! I think you picked apart the pictures and really compared the two different pictures. Throughout the post, you were able to come back to the point you wanted to make about the similar techniques Spiegelman used. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 22, 2017 at 9:28 AM

    Wow! This analysis really blew my mind because the pictures look nothing alike at first glance. Loved how you picked apart every detail of the pictures in your analysis.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Iman ManzoorOctober 22, 2017 at 5:26 PM

    Shivani, I totally agree with your analysis! The two images are almost exactly opposites of each other - hands and feet, light and dark, and yet that same factor unites them, like you said.

    ReplyDelete

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