figure: laborer archtypal, idealised: young, modern, capable.

accessoiries

apron:identifies figure as member of labor force (the everyman).

newspaper: pravda (truth), mediary organ of the com-party. rolled newspapers were known to be used as a defense of choice against bugs and other flies. also as a practical means to enforce the obedience of children.

pose: frontal. determined, holds newspaper tight with left hand and close to the body. right hand/arm gesture not clear - possible reference to other iconography of that time.

imagery:

soviet insignia (hammer an sickle) on the apron, backfond consisting of stylised letters CCCP (SSSR=USSR). both present light color accentuations within extensive red color shapes that dominate the central vertical axis of the image. arms and head of figure also kept in predominantly light color, a contrast, very well catching the eye of the observer, very well underlining the agitated expression depicted.

text: ne sovetuem ustraivat' probu sil, gospodin reygan - NOT/ (WE) SUGGEST/USING/PROBE/OF STRENGTHS/gospodin REAGAN.

note that with the pronoun omitted, the first word becomes the energetic NOT.

also it is clearly first person plural, indicative, present tense: WE DONT SUGGEST... even with the imperfective aspect, this is more than a couple of tones away from 'i wouldnt suggest...'

also note multiplicity of dimensions: sovetuem, russian SOVET=Council. another nod to the country of origin of the image. begs to wonder who it is, this ominous omitted 'WE'...

overall, the phrasing is deliberate, something a SOVIET worker with tendancy towards political discussion would say, the verb ustraiwat' - USING being commonly applied when the referred to action has a certain officiality, complexity. sila - STRENGTH, also FORCE, with a variety of meanings, close to the english words.

the apostrophe: 'gospodin' can signify a lot of things, very much depending on whose voice we hear and on who we think that omitted pronoun 'WE' refers to. while it would be fine for a soviet official to refer to an american official with the formal Mister in an international talk, in colloquial speech, the word gospodin was rarely used. if it had been an address to a compatriote, gospodin would have sounded like an insult to some ears.