COMMENT, two separate paragraphs.
FIRST, read your classmates comments and choose a different DETAIL to discuss.
1) Pick a SMALL DETAIL from either the cartoons or the shorts that amplifies and clarifies the underlying anti-Italian message.
Why did you choose it? Why this one and not another? What's in that DETAIL that grabbed your attention?
2) Put yourself in the perspective of the original NON ITALIAN audience that saw those texts, cartoons and shorts.
Which ones do you think was most effective in communicating its anti-Italian message?
Which ones do you think was most effective in communicating its anti-Italian message?
3) REPLY: choose a comment that made an impression for the QUALITY OF WRITING and explain what you could learn from it.
For the cartoons, I chose the one titled "The Way To Arrest Them" in "The Mascot New Orleans". I fully believe that a picture is worth a thousand words, but this caption just struck me as the epitome of anti-Italian. I chose this and not any other because when it is said bluntly, that is all the people need to know the Italians are not welcome or liked. There is no underlying message- it is said straight out. I also think that the picture is very attention grabbing- a ruckus occurring because of these Italians. People don't like that, they like their neighborhoods to be calm and peaceful.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the non-Italian looking at these texts, I think that the one I chose above, "The Mascot New Orleans" piece, would be the most effective in communicating the anti-Italian message. It gives me all the scenarios to show how bad these Italians were and why I should hate them.
I feel that the cartoon captioned “Afternoon’s Pleasant Diversions” really paints a vivid picture of the anti-Italian message. While there were many other examples on the same page, as well as further cartoons – including rats, I feel that this might be one of the most dehumanizing. The illustration shows a group of Italian men stabbing and attacking an individual, and includes a wine bottle indicating they are always drinking. Because "The Mascot" portrays the Italians as ruthless and violent, during their spare time, I would imagine it made people more apt to participate in the mass lynching that took place in New Orleans five years later.
ReplyDeleteAs a non-Italian seeing these shorts and texts at the time they were made, I think several mediums effectively communicate the anti-Italian message. Two cartoons depict the Italians as rats coming to America, while Uncle Sam either does nothing to stop them, or blindly leads them toward the US. It is inferred that they are going to infest and take over the country bringing all their nefarious behaviors and attitudes with them. As for the shorts, "the Black Hand" effectively portrays Italians in a negative light. If I was from this period, I would see ruthless men who threaten violence toward business owners in their own community. No one is safe from Italian immigrants, not even their own kind.
The cartoon from the magazine "The Mascot", The Way To Dispose of Them, got most of my attention. The illustration demonstrates Italians being held in the cage above the river. They are being disposed like unwanted things. This gives a strong message of hate and that Italians were not welcomed in America. I picked this cartoon over the other one because I personally despise people who were and still are act disrespectful toward each others. I believe no one has a right to humiliate another human being.
ReplyDeleteAll of the anti-Italian messages are outrages. However, in my opinion, the one that has the most effect in communicating its anti-Italian message is Wake up, Sam! The cartoon shows a Black Hand, none existed organization, killing a citizen and thumsing his nose at a dozing Uncle Sam. In other words, the Black Hand is mocking and laughing in the face of American government. Any non Italian viewer who would see this propaganda would be intimidated to see this guy on the streets.
I think the quality of writing I can learn from you is how to keep answers short and sweet. I like how you answer the question with a few details without rambling on.
DeleteI think that you do a great job of including a lot of details and making clear points in your writing. You are able to explain your stance with out being too general.
Delete"Original Wop" was the cartoon that stuck out the most for me. For as long as a can remember African Americans were always described or correlated with apes. I found it shocking that Italians received the same treatment. What also stuck out to me was how he was shining shoes and looking sad. They have those jobs because they didn't know any English, but it must have been hard to be degraded like that.
ReplyDelete"Wake up Sam" in my opinion had the most effect in anti-Italian message. The cartoon represents Italians as killers using the term "black hand". Seeing something like that would make me fearful to meet any Italian.
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ReplyDeleteThe cartoon that I chose was "The Way to Dispose Them". I chose this cartoon because of the idea that human beings found other human beings to be disposal because of their cultural backgrounds. The cartoon is very telling of the mistreatment of Italians during this time. I found the cage and the idea of drowning them to be inhumane and represents a form of carelessness surrounding immigrants that even continues to be displayed in our society today.
ReplyDeleteI believe all of the cartoons displayed a very clear message of Anti-Italianism and effectively communicates to the public how view them. If the non-Italians did not know any better and the negative messages surrounding Italians was the only source of information they had, these cartoons helped build on the ignorance of the non-italians and possible agree with the mistreatment.
I had some time to think about this and the cartoon I choose was “the wop” the way the cartoon characters interact with each other got my action. The cartoon states that they are less then human even ape like. This was a real eye-opening cartoon that other races where treated the same as black slaves. The short film I choose was SKYSCRAPERS OF NEW YORK this short film to me states, how the Diction of Italian Americans as violent and self-destruct individuals instead of hard-working individuals that made this country what it is today, in terms of skyscrapers that they for filled the goal of making New York the state that it is now, instead it gave anti-Italian message. Short film “THE BLACK HAND” which gives the most blatant and vile anti-Italian message. That not only are they lazy, but that they are so lazy that the only way they can think of to make money is by kidnapping children and hold them for ransom even that they should not do right because they are just lazy apes.
ReplyDelete