Pledge Your Allegiance, 1979, is a oil on canvas painting by Emigdio Vasquez. The piece illustrates a homeless man next to a bench that has the American flag and the words “Pledge your allegiance” painted on it. This artwork brings to light injustice in America and the hypocrisy of its government expecting one to pledge allegiance to the country even when it does not treat all of its citizens well. Emigdio Vasquez uses multiple signs to show that the man in the piece is worn out. The fine details in the piece who the man is wearing dirty, wrinkled clothes with holes in them. The small holes in the clothes are indexical for their age and how they were softly ripped over time and worn out. These worn out clothes are also a metaphor for
