War Bond Advertisements Analysis

A Comparison between Two War Bonds Ads
During the Second World War, the United States, like many other nations at the time, made heavy use of propaganda and advertisements to support the war effort, inspiring citizens to ration supplies, donate money, or even enlist as a soldier. These advertisements would invoke feelings of patriotism, unity, and affiliation for its readers, urging the necessity of the reader’s support despite not always being financially beneficial for the donator. Out of all the adverts throughout the Second World War, there are perhaps none that represent these feelings than that of the war bond. A war bond, simply put is an official “I.O.U” from the government. The idea being that citizens would finance military operations
The first ad, titled “Ever wonder what a soldier thinks about?” appearing in Good Housekeeping, greets the audience a visual of a battle-hardened soldier. His appearance is that of the average man, recognizable but still determined, heroic, but relatable. This soldier stays ready with his weapon in hand, and as the audience takes in this image of our brave brother, we are left wondering one thing, “what is he thinking about?” The advertisement then places the reader in the perspective of a soldier, explaining the terrible reality that a soldier must face regularly. Bombs falling around you, your fellow soldiers dying beside you, not knowing if you will survive, all these feelings are feelings that the
However unlike the previous ad, it is not the figure that catches the reader’s immediate attention, it is instead the text near the bottom of the page written in bold, big lettering, simply asking “Scared, kid?” This title offers not a question, but a challenge to both the reader, and the narrator. The narrator writes from the perspective of a soldier, a soldier presumably asked the title of the advertisement. The however, is anything but scared. He’s an American, and all his buddies are Americans. As both an American and a soldier, he has a job to do, and while it may not be pleasant it is still his job, and a job he intends to complete. However as the advertisement continues, and the narrator’s determination continues, the question of the title moves from the narrator, to the reader. The audience has a job, says the narrator, and this is a job that every American should look to complete without hesitation, regardless of costs. As the advertisement concludes, it gives further details of the jobs that U.S soldiers must complete, crawling through jungles, lying in deserts and compares them to the jobs of the average citizen, making it clear to everyone who has it worse. As the article ends we are left with the challenging title once