The Fighting Filipinos: EC

I decided to blog about some propaganda that meant a little something to me.  So I chose an old propaganda ad from World War II based out of the Philippines.  As a half-Filipino, I do my best to learn and understand the Filipino culture.  The Philippines were definitely in a dire state during World War II when it was invaded by Japan.  The Japanese devastated the Filipino people, tortured them, killed them, and demolished their homeland during the war and of course, many Filipinos fought back.  Not only were Filipinos affected but many American prisoners of war were as well.  Japanese forces were plenty in the Philippine Islands which made the war very hard for the Filipinos, even when America stepped in to help, it was still going to be tough.  In the first ad, it shows a youthful Filipino man.  He has what appears to be a military uniform on, but seeing that most fighters were just citizens, it could just be a matching pair of clothes.  There are no insignias or patches on them that signify he is a part of the military.  He is most likely youthful to reach out to the many youthful men and women that had the ability to join and fight.  It is also easier to persuade the youth.  His uniform is beaten, ripped, and bloody to show that he has been fighting and he is hurting, but he will persevere for the country.  The Filipino flag is held high into the air by his hand, also beaten and torn but still waving.  Also, the Filipino flag can be waved in two ways.  When the country is at war the red side is up.  The blue side is up when they are at peace.  So obviously in this image the red side is up signifying the war against the Japanese. Smoke billows in the background which could represent a city or village that the Japanese probably burned.  The 'soldier' is holding a grenade in his hand as if he is ready to throw it which allows the viewer to imagine who he is throwing it at.  Most likely it is the Japanese but this gives the viewer freedom to believe what he wants.  This idea of freedom can also be seen as a selling point.  Given the freedom to imagine being this soldier throwing that grenade at the people ravaging your country gives a little bit of angst and desire to stand up and fight.  A youthful and energetic viewer may let his feelings get the best of him in a situation like this.  Then there is the slogan, 'The Fighting Filipinos,' with delightful alliteration to it as well as 'We will always fight for FREEDOM.'  Here is another strong point in the poster.  The word Freedom in all caps.  The Philippines may not have been completely overrun yet but this lets you know as a citizen that there are people coming in to YOUR country stealing YOUR freedom from you.  It is a pretty simple poster but it gives off a lot of spirit to the viewer, especially if they were a Filipino during this time.  It allows for the viewer to experience the situation it is showing and the idea of being the soldier displayed.  It evokes a lot of emotion and could easily provoke and persuade the people of the Philippines to stand up and help out.  As a Filipino-American, this poster speaks to me and my culture and I am thankful for the people that gave their lives so that I could be here today, free, and speaking my mind.