These five posters were used to persuade people that ‘careless talk costs lives.’ Use the questions to examine them and explain your answers.
- Which posters show the results of “careless talk”? Give examples to explain this.
- In what situations, according to these posters, must you be careful about what you say?
- Which posters warn about being careful who to trust? Can you explain how the poster makes this clear?
- Explain how certain posters could be used to target a particular audience, for example: men/women/children/all groups.
- Which is the most persuasive poster in your opinion? Comment on visual messaging (colour and artwork) and language. [Tip: use the questions from Task 1.]
- Can you think of any other evidence these posters provide about life during the Second World War?
Source 1
Poster from the Ministry of Information for the ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’ campaign – Keep It Dark, Catalogue ref: EXT 1/119 (6)
Image description
A large ghostly black hand at the top right of the poster draws a black sheet over half of the image which shows three ships at sea under a nearly cloudless blue sky. Written in red on the black sheet are the words: ‘Keep it dark’. At the bottom of the poster are the words: ‘Careless talk costs lives.’
Source 2
Poster from the Ministry of Information for the ‘anti-rumour and careless talk’ campaign entitled ‘The torpedo is listening – careless words may cost both lives and ships’, Catalogue ref: INF 3/233
Image description
A large torpedo with ears and swastika markings for eyes, leans against a red public telephone box listening to the sailor talking on the telephone inside. The caption below the picture says: ‘The torpedo is listening! Careless words may cost both lives and ships.’
Source 3
Poster from the Ministry of Information as part of the ‘anti-rumour and careless talk’ campaign entitled: ‘There’s often a listener – silence is safety’ Catalogue ref: INF 3/247
Image description
Two sailors are talking in a public bar while seated at a table. There is another man seated behind them. He appears to be listening to them as he reads a newspaper. The poster is titled: There’s often a listener – silence is safety’. Never talk to anyone about sailing dates, cargoes, destinations.
Source 4
Poster from the Ministry of Information ‘careless talk costs lives’ campaign entitled: ‘Telling A Friend, May Mean Telling the Enemy’, Catalogue ref: EXT 1/119 Pt.2
Image description
The poster is divided into four rectangles, the background colour alternating from red to white. In each box a pair of human heads are shown. In the top left-hand box, a sailor is talking to a female friend. The box is labelled ‘Telling’. To the right, the same woman is shown talking to a female friend. This box is labelled ‘a friend may’. Thus, reading from left, the words say: ‘Telling a friend may’. In the bottom left-hand box, the same female friend is shown talking to another female friend. The text in the box says: ‘mean telling’. The last box on the bottom right shows this second female friend talking to a man. This box is labelled ‘the enemy’ Thus, reading from left, the words say: ‘mean telling the enemy’.
Source 5
Poster from the Ministry of Information part of the ‘careless talk costs lives’ campaign entitled: ‘Be like dad – keep mum! By artist and cartoonist Leslie Grimes Catalogue ref: INF 3/ 231
Image description
The poster is divided into twelve squares each showing human figures talking in different settings as follows.
Top row: Two men wearing hats, drinking pints of beer in a bar; Two women seated, both wearing hats. Both are knitting socks; A milkman is delivering milk and talking to a woman on a doorstep.
Second row: Two women, one wearing an overall and holding a broom talks with another woman over a backyard fence; A woman and man are sitting in a café having a tea; Two women are talking in a draper’s shop. One has a scarf on her wrapped around her head. A shop keeper is showing them some cloth.
Third row: Two elderly gentlemen, one seated in an armchair and the other standing and smoking a cigar are talking; Two women are talking both wearing hats and walking outside probably pushing prams (obscured by the caption label); Two women are seated talking in what looks like a bomb shelter at night.
Fourth Row: Two workmen, one holding a tool bag and the other in overalls standing next to a machine are talking; In an office with a typewriter, two women stand and chat; Two elderly men in coats and hats are in a train compartment talking together.
Two blue labels are plastered across the poster with the slogan ‘Be like dad – keep mum! At the bottom of the poster are the words ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’