Clear
Lines:
- In 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor the Writers War Board used heroes to incorporate support for the government's political ideas
- Captain America projected his heroism and support and this was visible through his symbolic costume and shield in the American colors: red, white and blue.
- Superheroes were easy to distinguish during this time because the victories in the war were clear.
Grey Area:
- Starting in the 1950's (Korean War & Cold War Era) the victories were not so clear.
- America having an atomic bomb was seen as a positive because "it was the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures" (Henriksen, 1997, p.17). Russia having a bomb was a a negative and America made everyone fear Soviet bombs. So basically, Americans having an atomic bomb is good and everyone should trust them, but Soviets having the same is bad and everyone should be afraid.
Captain America
is a symbol of American freedom and power.
In the early 1940s the world was coming to war for the second time
creating WWII. America and allied forces
needed to combat the enemies in Germany.
Adolf Hitler assembled an entire military force with a mindset of purity
and a belief that everyone that was not of Aryan descent needs to die. The genocide of the Jews invoked the United
States to take action and join allied forces to overthrow the Nazi Regime that
Adolf Hitler was in charge of. The above
photographs depict the power that America instilled in its people in hopes of
winning the war and freeing a war torn area.
On the left picture Captain America is seen alone punching Adolf Hitler
and on the right Captain America can be viewed as America alone standing up
against the evil of Nazi Germany, which may be a form of propaganda for the
American people.
In the movie,
The Avengers, Captain America is in his same red, white, and blue suit with
weapon of choice being his shield.
However the plot is not Nazi Germany anymore but rather America saving
the world from an alien invasion from a different universe. Captain America works with other superheroes
to defeat this enemy. This unknown enemy
can also be related to terrorism that the world is seeing today.
Everything seems good in your explanation! You could maybe add how in the movie the new weapon technology used is very advanced for that time period. This probably will compare to the 1940's when the U.S. and Germany competed to come up with the most advanced, destructive weapon that will give them the edge in the war(like the atomic bomb).
ReplyDeleteThis is good! Do you think there is any particular reason that in the adaptation, they purposely change the villain, but keep certain characteristics? In your opinion, is Red Skull supposed to represent Hitler specifically or maybe represent a more generic evil?
ReplyDelete