Life — May 31, 1917 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "The Job: What It Is" This 1918 WWI-era cartoon depicts a procession of figures marching leftward with farming tools (hoes) converted into weapons, progressing toward a "FARM" sign. The caption reads "DO YOUR BIT—FORWARD, MARCH!" with text about fighting "the Hun" through soil cultivation. The accompanying article discusses President Wilson's stated war aims, emphasizing that the war targets not Kaiser Wilhelm II but rather German aristocratic leaders described as "medieval, barbarian." The piece argues the conflict aims to eliminate autocratic rule and establish democratic governance. The cartoon satirizes the recruitment message conflating agricultural labor with military duty—suggesting Americans should support the war effort through farming production as equivalent to combat service.