Amit Kalantri says, “A photograph shouldn’t be just a picture, it should be a philosophy”. Pictures act as one of the best methods to get a message across because it is so easy to absorb, one simply has to look at it. However, pictures can make you think and thinking leads to motives and ideas. One of the most iconic figures in America is Uncle Sam. Although Uncle Sam was never a real person, he has shown to be one of the most influential figures during the 1900’s. His most persuasive and well-known image is the photo of Uncle Sam pointing at viewers saying, “I want you”.  The purpose of the poster was to make people want to enlist in the war and this was a very effective poster using propaganda techniques and other visual elements such as ethos, pathos, and logos.

Uncle Sam made his debut as Samuel Wilson, an honest meat packer who lived during the war of 1812. Later Uncle Sam exploded with popularity in 1916 around the time of World War I when recruitment for the war was needed the most. The people of America felt Uncle Sam was a symbol of the US government; therefore this gave him great credibility and ethos. When Uncle Sam has something to say, people wanted to listen because they trusted him. People felt they could connect with the poster and Uncle Sam, due to the fact that he was also just an average American trying to help the war effort. To add to the ethos, one should observe the clothes that Uncle Sam wears. He is shown in very patriotic colors such as red white and blue. The colors he wears represent a sense of unity among Americans in a time of chaos and distraught. It gives a common bond among Americans. His clothes also created a sense of connection between him and the people of America because just like them, he is very patriotic and wants to support his country. Overall, Uncle Sam or the US government was seen as fair, reliable, and patriotic. Not only did Uncle Sam make this poster have ethos, but also the author himself had great credibility at the time. The artist, James Montgomery Flagg was already a well-known political ad creator. With the placement of his name on the poster it gave the American people more reason to trust in this poster due to the fact there was an already present love for the artist. By choosing this figure and the use of ethos, the artist created a nationwide icon that almost every American could identify. 

To go along with the artist’s great use of ethos, the poster also has a good deal of emotional appeal as well. Near the bottom of the poster one can see the phrase, “I want you” in very big bold letters with extra emphasis on “you”. What this does is it creates a sense of belonging and stands out in a persons mind. The phrase makes people want to join the cause because they feel needed and sense a desire to respond by joining the war effort. The artist was very crafty with the word “you” because it made it so he was not speaking to a general audience which further persuaded individuals to join the cause. In addition to the words on the poster, the color scheme had a large emotional appeal as well. The three colors used were the three colors of the United States of America, red, white, and blue, nothing else. The use of this color schemes catches the eyes of Americans because they mean something to the people. The colors also stand for the glory and magnificence of US government and give a sense of security for the people because it portrays confidence to the viewers. As can be seen the use of pathos or emotional appeal was a very effective technique in this poster because it created a sense of individualism but also a sense of unity among Americans to join the war effort. 

Together with the artist’s use of ethos and pathos, he also has a strong presence with logos as well. Uncle Sam does represent the United States, people of the time period during the war could depict that very easy because they have the same initials and he is wearing the colors of the American flag. The poster catches the glimpse of pretty much anyone and the message is extremely clear that the United States is personally calling upon soldiers to fight for him. The poster has no extra or hidden meaning, it is conveying clearly and simply that the US government wants you to enlist and fight in the war. 

The most common propaganda technique used in the Uncle Sam I want you poster is the direct order technique. The direct order technique is used to simplify the decision making process by using images and words to tell the audience exactly what actions to take. Uncle Sam was also seen as an authoritative figure at the time so this emphasized the direct order since it was coming from higher up in the food chain as one would say. Another propaganda technique being used in this poster is the flag waving technique. The flag waving technique is conveying the idea using patriotism or nationalism. The poster of Uncle Sam absolutely screams patriotism. The way he dresses is very American, the only colors used are that of the American flag, and the borders are even outlined in the nations colors. What this did is it gave people a sense of American pride and felt it was their duty to respond. Overall, the use of propaganda techniques in this poster was very effective. So effective the U.S. Army recruitment offices would have to stay open for 24 hours a day seven days a week! Uncle Sam is still used in propaganda today incase the need ever arises again for his revival. 

All in all, the use of ethos, pathos, logos, and propaganda techniques effectively recruited soldiers ultimately reaching their goal of creating a very large and tenacious army. The ad has left a definitive mark in the history of USA and continues to be relevant to this day. This situation shows the true power of an image, it has the power to fight other countries and it has the power to make people do crazy things. In the end visual representations of ideas have shown to be operational. 