One thing that struck me after reading Pearl James, was the relative lack of analysis regarding maternal images. The image I selected seems to be a poster for the Red Cross and depicts a nurse holding what appears to be a soldier strapped to a strecher. Importantly, the woman here is much larger than the man she is holding in her arms, yet she is not a "goddess," a fictionalization of the country, or the embodiment of a particular virtue. Rather, when one sees her one is reminded of Michaelangelo's sculpture "La Pieta" which shows the virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ. Notably, the soldier also seems to be clutched to the breast of the nurse which furthers the maternal parallels. I wonder whether this poster could have been particularly targeted at one religious group?

As James details, this image function on multiple levels simultaneously. On one level, depitcting a woman as a mother is conservative, and a reinforcement of traditional gender roles. However, women might also see the madona as empowering, a phenomenon which has been explored by theorists who discuss Catholicism. Certainly this could be seen as an idealized female role, however, I think the poster also invites women to imagine themselves as a contemporary madona. It's striking to look at this advertisment in light of Britain, who not only works with nuns at one point, but also speaks on multiple occasions of wounded men as being akin to children.