http://www.flickr.com/photos/mfspeccoll/4900307826/

I chose this image because I think it presents an interesting (or to use James' words, "Janus-faced") perspective correlating lore about America's past with a then-contemporaneous parallel. He notes that "posters were 'the medium for the construction of pictoral rhetoric...of national identities'" (James 3).  Certainly, the image also plays on the emotions of its viewers rather than appealing to higher reason.  By illustrating a comparison between the Revolutionary War "Minute-Man," and the modern WWI soldier, the poster-maker argues a case for legitimacy and pride in the war.  I tried to find where the "Plattsburg" that the poster is reffering to is located...and I'm not entirely sure whether it is speaking of Plattsburg, MO or Plattsburgh NY (which does have a military base even though the spelling is slightly different).  I imagine that by convincing the American people that WWI was a war in the same vein as the Revolutionary War, that the poster-maker hoped to influence young men to enlist, proffering patriotic pride/guilt(?) as a reason for involving oneself in the War.

The only connection I can think of between this poster and Vera Brittain is that it depicts "doing something about the war" as what should be the primary concern for citizens.  Brittain, of course, worked as a nurse during the war because she wanted--she needed--to do something.

Possible things to consider with this poster:

symmetry, phallic shapes, masculinity, selling the war (with sex), simplicity, pop art