Poster Analysis: Deliver Us From Evil

The poster, “Deliver us from evil,” was published in 1943 by the U.S National Treasury in an attempt to persuade civilians to buy war bonds in order to raise money for the war effort. The poster depicts the face of a child centered in the foreground of a Nazi swastika, on the top of the image a text is displayed, which reads, “Deliver us from evil.” On the bottom of the poster is a bold, blue text reading, “BUY WAR BONDS.” In the background lays an eerie dark gray smoke. Upon looking at the poster, “Deliver us from evil,” the viewer feels eerie with a dire need to help the child in the center and a sense of hatred is felt towards the enemy.
The first aspect that we notice when looking at the poster is the color scheme. The black and white image conveys a feeling of desperation. Even the bold blue text at the bottom, which reads, “Buy

War Bonds,” cannot distract the civilian viewer from the eeriness of the black and white. This causes the viewer to focus their attention on the image of the girl and the swastika, located in the center of the image. The quote at the top of the page, which reads, “Deliver us from evil,” is quoted from the Lord’s Prayer and conveys a feeling of desperation because most people mentally link prayers to dire needs. The quote and the swastika are both the same color of white which helps convey to the civilian that the “evil” they are speaking of is the Nazi Regime. The word “us” is used to link the girl to the people who need to be delivered from evil. The girl conveys a feeling of pity and desperation to the viewer because of her sad expression, messy hair, and dirty, ragged clothing. The girl is placed in the center of the poster with the swastika surrounding her. This shows that girl is surrounded by the “evil” and that they are responsible for her suffering. The girl appears innocent and this makes the use of the girl cause a feeling of hatred toward the enemy because the girl appears to have been mistreated by the Nazi Regime. This causes the viewer to feel the need to protect the girl from the evil enemy who has mistreated her.
Once the civilian has recognized the German army as the “evil,” mentioned in the quote, the viewer then feels the need to help.

This drives the civilian to read the text. The statement “buy war bonds” is written on the bottom of the page. This statement draws the eye to it through its use of large, bold font which stretches across the page. It is also the only text on the page that uses all capital letters. These characteristics of the phrase cause the viewer to feel a sense of urgency it also seems demanding, as if to say buy war bonds now or the child will not be able to be saved. The phrase contains the only bright color of the poster which is blue. Its color stands out so much from the black and white that it is like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, or the answer to saving these people. The phrase, “Buy war bonds,” is also noticeably larger than the phrase, “Deliver us from evil,” and this establishes dominance over the “evil” stated. Since “Buy war bonds” is typed in blue, an American color, the statement makes the viewer feel like buying war bonds is the American thing to do and is essential to saving the young

girl.
In conclusion, the 1943 poster, “Deliver us from evil,” created by the U.S National Treasury, persuades the audience to buy war bonds. The poster uses imagery, color, size, and placement to convey emotion and show the importance of buying war bonds.