
World War II was a time of destruction, tragedy, and horror. It was a heartbreaking time of mass murder and communist dictatorship that severely affected the whole world. The deadly attacks on certain groups of people not only reflected poorly on the Axis Powers, but showcased how the people of the world do not care for one another the way they should. Not only do people need to respect people’s beliefs and values, they need to encourage others to not be afraid to think and believe differently. The world is too beautiful to be filled with so much hatred that the only result is to murder and torture others. In Lizzie Dearden’s Berlin Wall: What you need to know, the aftermath of Nazi Germany and World War II is brought to life through this visual image of the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. With the use of line, scaling, and color, the pain and suffering inflicted by the Nazi’s are shown through the powerful image. 

The most powerful element used in the photograph is scaling. This element greatly emphasizes the impact of the Berlin Wall not only physically, but mentally as well. The grand stature of the wall allows the viewers to see the size of the wall and how overpowering it was to the citizens of Berlin. The sizing of the wall allows the viewers to see the greater force that blockaded the ones that did not fit the “norm” the Nazis were trying to implement.  Trying to downgrade and belittle the Jewish people of Berlin by creating an enormous physical blockade is cruel and inhumane. The scaling size of the Nazi soldiers at the top of the image can be viewed in two different lights. One view is the hovering control they had on the Jews and the power they held throughout Europe during World War II. They truly believed that the Aryan race was superior to all and that the others, especially the Jewish, should be massacred. Their hovering control on the top of the wall permitted them to survey every move the Germans made and allowed them to have perfect vision for people trying to escape. In order to show their power and control, the Nazis made the Jews feel prisoners in their own country. Another interpretation of the scaling of the Nazi soldiers could be is the notion that since the citizens are breaking down the wall, the Nazis are no longer in control and have lost in the terrible fight. Before this image, they would be on this wall with weapons ready to kill whoever dared attempt to cross over. Now they are watching the people tear down the barrier that they protected for so long. The soldiers are scaled differently than the people tearing down the wall to emphasis their loss of power and control over the Jews; they are belittled and defenseless.

Color plays a vital role in the interpretation of Lizzie Dearden’s image of the Berlin Wall. The contrasting colors of the Nazis and the German citizens illustrate the opposite views the groups held as well as the difference in beliefs and values. The dull, sluggish coloring of the Nazi uniforms brings out the evil, soulless emotions that they held. The coloring of the wall with the vibrant colors of the graffiti, overshadowing the grey darkness of the wall, signifies the hatred towards the Nazis the Germans had, as well as the obstacles they overcame in order to be able to finally tear down the wall. The emphasis of the red graffiti symbolizes the hatred and anger the Germans and the whole world felt towards the Nazi regime and the torment they introduced to everyone. 

The use of the line element platforms the other elements used in the image by Lizzie Dearden. Line addresses the main focal point of the image – the wall. The harsh lines represent the unimaginably hard circumstances these people had to endure for not only the six years of World War II but for the forty years afterwards that the wall was still dividing Berlin. The use of line also creates a separation between the Nazis on top of the wall and the German citizens on the ground in the process of destroying the wall. The divide is an overall theme to all of World War II – that the Nazis and the Aryan race were superior to everyone else. The wall created a line, separating people based on different race, religion, and beliefs.

The rise and fall of the Berlin Wall holds a very important place in the world’s history. It killed millions but affected everyone. The brutal and torturous acts of the Nazi communists created so much pain, suffering, and damage to so many innocent lives. Due to the ideology that one race was superior to others and the belief in different religions, it resulted in tragedy that is still affecting people’s lives today. Even after all of the years since World War II, people still face the same prejudice and discrimination that the Nazis enforced on the Jews. Lizzie Dearden’s Berlin Wall: What you need to know brings awareness to the unjust inferiority and communist control over innocent people of all ages. With the help of scaling, line, and color, this visual text of the destruction of the Berlin Wall shows viewers the pain the Germans felt, the power the Nazis once had and was eventually stripped of, and the wall that changed everyone’s lives forever. 
