Analysis Of Pears Soap

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This 1899 advertisement for Pears ' Soap came from the poem written by the British novelist Robert Kipling, who wrote about the ideas of White Man’s Burden. The artists and the company were both clearly behind the idea with American Imperialism. The image was used to help make America jump in the bandwagon to step in where the Europeans left off and bring civilization to the uncivilized parts of the world. The image helps us understand the times during the Progressive Era. It is clear, first of all that this was a time a wonderful time to be a white person. The picture is centered on a white man who is wearing a white suit and his hair is white as is his moustache. It is clear that in America that white people had all the advantages and liberties …show more content…

The way the man is positioned and his posture reinforces the idea that he has been civilized and taught the concepts of American etiquettes. American etiquettes in the 19th Century included: Know when to shoot an icy glare, watch your language, women being punctual, exercise in gender-specific ways, perform when asked but don’t overstay your welcome, and suppress your emotions. American etiquettes was not a choice for people to decide on, which allowed people to be controlled that turned them into docile bodies. Also, it seems that America felt that it was their duty to save people and bring them the ideas of American Imperialism across the corners of the earth. The pictures of the ships on their journey across the sea carrying precious cargo of Pears Soap to Black savages shows the idea of colonization. The text on the advertisement also reinforces American Imperialism; “Pears Soap is a potent factor in brightening the dark corners of the earth as civilization advances.” The text suggest that using Pears Soap on Black savages will allow them to be civilized by being reinforced by the American vision. Finally, it is apparent that the Black savages who are being …show more content…

White supremacy has influenced many people to believe that they should politically, economically, and socially rule non-white people. The Naturalization Act of 1790 limited U.S. citizenship to whites only. The formation of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865 happened because they were in favor for the expansion of slavery. The illustration of the old white male promotes the ideals of slavery by his placement in the advertisement and he knows his importance of where he is in society. The white old man knows his significance in society that he superior over any race. The only way to make the world better is to have ownership over black savages (slaves). The ideals of slavery continued into 1954–68 where racial segregation and discrimination happen against African American’s. White people did not want African American’s to have the same basic rights as them because they would lose some superiority over them. Donald Trump is most recent example of exemplifying the white old man in the advertisement and supporting ideals of white supremacy. Trump defends his remarks calling immigrants ‘rapists’ and showing people during his presidential campaign his xenophobia ideals. He believes in order to make America great again is to get rid of all the

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