Where did your propaganda first appear? Is it culturally / regionally specific?
Does it address a particular demographic?
When did the propaganda first appear, and how long did it run? If your
propaganda is still running now, how long has it been running?
Who made the propaganda?
Who is the target? By this, I do not mean who is the scapegoat (eg. The Jews in
Nazi propaganda); I mean who is the propaganda trying to sway? (The “average”
German citizen). Is there a scapegoat, as distinguished from the target?
What was happening at the time that made the propaganda effective? This is
your opportunity to explore the historical context of the propaganda.
Why does/did this propaganda exist? Why did its makers produce it? What were
they hoping to achieve by it? Think of the perceived needs and beliefs of the
population, and how the propaganda reinforced those needs and beliefs.
How does/did the propaganda work? Speak to the overall effect of spoken
language, image, sound / music, written text, tone of voice, body language, color,
whatever combinations your propaganda offers. You will have opportunities in
later essays to address these tools individually, so for now, just look at the big
picture. How does the message play to the emotions? What emotions is it trying
to evoke?
