Strike Till Sam Hollers Uncle!

Strike Till Sam Hollers Uncle!

Kent State

Rage sparked up throughout the nation about the shooting, in addition to the outrage against the United States Military presence in Vietnam. Uncle Sam is a cartoon man that historically has been the face/poster boy of the United States government, and his face is meant to invoke a feeling of patriotism, pride, and courage. This piece specifically uses the iconography of Uncle Sam and uses the power of his image against “himself”, by turning the stern facial expression into that of someone who is scared. The words on this protest poster create a message that is undoubtedly clear; it’s time to strike. From the article “using non-textual sources” by Catherine Armstrong, she states that “...in the twentieth century the visual language overtook the textual in the importance and centrality of its advertising message”. In this case, using the iconic cartoon of Uncle Sam, a symbol of American patriotism and the power of the american government, is a strong tool in catching the attention of the audience/viewer. But instead of invoking pride of country, in this case the image makes strong Uncle Sam into someone easily overpowered or weak.

Columbia College Chicago Students

Kent State, College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago

College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago.

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“The oral histories are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. “ All rights remain with the creators.

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