...During World War II, 358,074 women served in the U.S. Military. Rosie the Riveter is portrayed as a female defense worker with a riveter, a machine utilized to construct airplanes, and an American flag in the background displaying patriotism and a sense of duty. Despite Rosie the Riveter's masculine look, she has a compact and a handkerchief tucked into her pocket, showing her femininity. Norman Rockwell created this highly influential propaganda piece at the peak of World War II encouraging the women of America to help the war effort by showing them what American women are capable of doing. Numerous men headed off to war leaving jobs vacant for women to occupy. According to Stephen Ambrose, the women of America “became proficient cooks and...
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...high. This image has been widely associated with “Rosie the Riveter,” a fictional persona that represented (and encouraged) American women who joined the war effort by temporarily entering the paid workforce. Accordingly, it’s become a feminist icon, a symbol of women’s empowerment and solidarity. The poster is so recognizable today that it’s often parodied or appropriated for everything from campaigns to improve women’s lives to marketing for cleaning products. You can even buy a “Rosie the Riveter” action figure, complete with “We Can Do It!” emblazoned on the packaging. One retailer, giftapolis.com, enthuses, “Rosie the Riveter is no ordinary gal! Her image was used to promote the Women Ordinance Workers (WOWs) during World War II. Her confident declaration… inspired millions of women to drop their brooms and pick up rivet guns and wrenches.” However, in their 2006 Rhetoric & Public Affairs article, “Visual Rhetoric Representing Rosie the Riveter: Myth and Misconception in J. Howard Miller’s ‘We Can Do It!’ Poster,” communications scholars James Kimble and Lester Olson argue that the image was never used in any such way. The idea that the poster was an inspirational call to other women is the result of reading history through the lens of our current assumptions about gender and politics. In fact, the real story of the poster is about labor relations, not gender. First, though we often think of the “Rosie the Riveter” poster as the product of a government enthusiastic...
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...The U.S. government came up with the “Rosie the Riveter” campaign to inspire women to replace men in the workforce. Rosie the Riveter was a cultural icon of the United States. She was a strong fictional character who symbolized the female industrial worker of World War II. The campaign became one of the most successful recruitment tools in American history, as a great number of women were assured of their patriotic duty and quickly responded by entering the workforce Women held jobs in munitions and did an extremely hazardous work. The munitions industry heavily recruited female workers. According to Susan Brownell Anthony, “Women form[ed] almost half of all the workers trimming bullet jackets, annealing case parts and assembling bullets and cartridges. In big ammunition-artillery women form[ed] more than a third of the workers...
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...I understood who she was and her slogan “We Can Do It” which empowered woman, but I never knew the background of it. Of course, me being a woman, this enticed me and through this video, I had a desire to learn more in depth about the life of Rosie the Riveter. As for the role of Latinos in World War 2, I was caught by surprise over how many Latinos would give their life to serve for a country that treated Latinos as the lowest of the low. Although, I later understood that fighting in the war paid really well and most Latinos were in need of the money. The life of Macario Garcia was a perfect example. After receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor for his exceptional efforts in the war and being seen as a hero by the own president of the United States, he was refused service at a small café in Richmond, Texas. The idea that someone refused service to a man who shed blood, tears, and sweat so that the owners of that restaurant could live freely in the United States is ridiculous. However...
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...In 1938 Superman made his first appearance in the first of many DC's Action Comics and quickly became a big American favorite. He was portrayed wearing a suit of red, white, and yellow and his dialogue was found in speech bubbles floating above his head. Superman was mentioned in lecture because he shares a striking resemblance with another American favorite, Rosie the Riveter. Rosie the Riveter shows the typical American girl who is ready and willing to show her support for World War II. Rosie is wearing a red polka dotted bandana, a blue work shirt, and also has a speech bubble with the words, "We Can Do It." This resemblance to the Superman comics is almost like a motif. The same occurring color scheme and speech bubbles were popular during that time due to these two famous figures....
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...THESIS Rosie the Riveter took a stand by proving to society that women were capable of completing the jobs of men. Although she wasn’t an actual person, she still did have a big part on giving more freedom and independence to many women across the nation and still does inspire many people every day. DISCRIMINATION Women were expected to stay home and do house work and raise children during WWll and even before that, and in some cases, even today. Men’s expectations from society were a little different, they were expected to go to the work to provide for their families. Before women were encouraged to work,...
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...Rosie the Riveter, a painting by Norman Rockwell, is on display at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. In this painting that was created in 1943, there is no text, only an image and it still communicates a strong message about its time. Although, this image-based design was used as a magazine cover for Post. This strong message is one of the reasons why many people are familiar with Rosie the Riveter and it is still popular today. Rockwell chose Mary Dole (now Mary Keefe), a nineteen year old telephone operator, as the model for Rosie. She met Mary Rockwell, Norman Rockwell’s wife, while paying her telephone bill. Later on, Rockwell called and asked if she “wouldn’t mind posing for a painting” (Knight 2013). She sat for several photographs and the end result is what is seen today. In the painting, Rosie is seen sitting wearing a blue shirt with overalls and penny loafers with red socks. She is also seen holding a sandwich and has a white handkerchief in her...
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...Before World War II, no one knew women could do what men could do. When Rosie The Riveter became a popular, that’s when men started to get frustrated with the fact that women were finally stepping up to what they can do and becoming independent. Till this day it is still believed that men are angered, maybe even more now, by the reality that women are coming up in this world socially, economically, and sexually. But why are men so angered by this? Men have their minds set on these gender stereotypes, their beliefs are that men should be supporting the family and women should be caring for the family. It can be said that not all men are like this but there is that percentage of men who think like that. So when men hear that women are starting to get into a higher power they don’t like the idea, they don’t think women are capable of taking on the task of ordering around a whole army. What makes them incensed is knowing that many women do have the capability to do this....
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...Chapter Five: Conclusion on the Portrayal of Feminism Within both pieces, there is evidence of feminism and basic wants for equality. However, what is most interesting is the fact that both pieces were illustrated by men. Typically, works that accurately portray powerful messages about feminism and gender equality for women are done by female artists, such as those in the 1970s, to obtain the correct perspective of a woman. This is perhaps why both We the People and Rosie the Riveter are not considered feminist art, but simply political art portraying feminism. Feminist art is done by women. Even though the pieces are done by men and cannot classify as feminist art, both Fairey’s and Rockwell’s pieces reflect feminist movements in the US during...
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...Later in 1943, Redd Evans and Jacob Loeb recorded a new song, “Rosie the Riveter.” In the song, they reference a woman who is “part of the assembly line, she’s making history, working for victory, Rosie the Riveter” and “that little frail can do more than a male will do, Rosie the Riveter.” After this song became popular throughout the US, “Rosie the Riveter” became an iconic female figure on various forms of media that represented women who worked in the war industry. With the introduction of propaganda and national recognition of “Rosie the Riveter,” thousands of women started contributing to the war effort by serving in the military. Women started working for the Armed Services, Nurse Corps, and as Aviators. Before World War II, women had not been authorized to serve in a number of different military branches. However, this started to change in 1942, when Congress started allowing women to serve in the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard. Additionally, in 1943, women were allowed to serve in the Marines. Some of the most important military groups...
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...viewer’s eye along with Rosie who stands out with her tones the colors and text that makes the image pop. It’s a well put together image that did serve as a WWII propaganda, but it also can be considered as a work of art. Additionally this artist and his art work leads into another artist that was also know for the same type of WWII propaganda. Normal Rockwell was another well-known artist that was known for his paintings and illustrations. As an artist Rockwell received his first commission at the age of 17 when he was considered to be very talented at a young age (Biography.com). As an illustrator in 1961 he created the first of 321 cover for the Saturday Evening Post. His images were classic Americana that were love by the public. He also...
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...CHARLESTON, W.Va. — If she had complied with the law, Anna Hess would likely not have worked for Mohawk Industries during World War II. "I told a little white lie," she said. "I went to work when I was 15 years old." Telling factory officials she was 18, Hess began building tire bands for trucks that would be used overseas by Allied troops. Now 89, Hess was among 25 World War II female workers who were recognized Thursday in Charleston for their roles in manufacturing equipment for the American military and its allies. The female workers were referred to as "Rosie the Riveters," named after a government campaign to encourage women to take a manufacturing job, Hess said she grew up in "back in the head of one of the hollers" in Roane County. She still...
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...The ad is representing a woman who worked in factories and shipyards during WWII. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who joined the military. I chose this ad because it’s a role model for all young working women who followed female contributors to WWII and it inspires women to be a part of something bigger. If you were a Rosie Riveter, you were one of the 2.5 million women who joined the workforce in the early 40’s to fill industrial defense jobs for men who were fighting over seas. Rosie’s produced 296,429 airplanes, 102,351 tanks and guns, 87,620 warships, 47 tons of artillery ammunition and 44 billion rounds of ammunition according to the Galle Encyclopedia of U.S. History. I concluded that the ethos strategy dominates this ad while also rhetorically persuading the audience with the logos strategy. The domination of the ethos strategy presents itself when displaying a woman. It displays credibility for women who are interested in serving for our country and for those who already have. It persuades observers by challenging reliability in terms of strength. This is shown as Rosie flex’s her muscles. The ad logos strategy is also uses to persuade the audience threw historic analogies. The image captures the American flag, a woman in uniform and captions “We Can Do It” illustrating...
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...Final Paper Prep: History of American Women in World War II Marilyn Thorsted HIS 204 American History Since 1865 (BUH1028C) Instructor: Dana Logan July 26, 2010 Topic The topic that I chose to write on is the History of American Women during World War II. What I would like to focus on is how these women lived and what impact they had on the American society at home or on the battlefront. Thesis: Women in World War II played an important role in defending our country at home and away. They were helpful when it came to filling the much needed jobs that were left behind by the men, and they provided much support on the battlefield as many of them recruited in the arm forces. Sources: Carter, R (2005). Blacks in America’s military: A legacy of war time heroism. New York Amsterdam News, 96 (24), 10-166 Retrieved July 26, 2007 from Academic Search Premier Database This source reports on contributions made by African Americans as they served in military and how valiantly throughout history. Many of these women sacrifice their way of live to protect the life and freedoms of the nation. Eisenmann, L. (2002). Educating the Female Citizen in a Post-war World: competing ideologies for American women, 1945–1965. Educational Review, 54(2), 133- 141. doi:10.1080/00131910220133220. Retrieved July 20, 2010, from Academic Search Premier Database This source gives information about Women in the post-World War II that found themselves caught between patriotisms...
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...1) Describe the post-WWII frustrations felt by women such as Betty Friedan. 2) During the era of “Rosie the Riveter”, what gains did women make in the workforce? How did these women feel about themselves and their contributions? What did society as a whole think? 3) What role did mass media play during the 1950s and 1960s in regard to supporting or undermining the “feminine mystique”? 4) Which television heroine -- Alice, Lucy, or Miss Brooks -- came the closest to TRULY overcoming the feminine mystique, and elaborate on that heroine’s situation and relationship to the men in her life. 1)Describe the post-WWII frustrations felt by women such as Betty Friedan Betty Friedan and other women were frustrated about their roles as women in society and in the household. Many women weren’t pleased being the typical housewife, they wanted to be someone and have their own identity. When women started working during WWII they found the heroine they wanted for themselves. After the war, most women stopped working and went back to being housewives. Betty Friedan was frustrated at this and didn’t comprehend why women stopped working. 2) During the era of “Rosie the Riveter”, what gains did women make in the workforce? How did these women feel about themselves and their contributions? What did society as a whole think? While most of the men were out in the field battling war, women were the only ones left to the do the work the men had left without employment. Advertising at one...
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