This is the cover of the January 2, 1939 edition of TIME magazine.  The cover depicts Adolf Hitler playing an organ in a cathedral.  From the top of the organ, bodies hang.  These bodies most likely represent the people who Hitler killed or exiled in his attempt to seize complete control of Germany and other nations.  The bodies could also represent ideas such as democracy, freedom, and equality.  Hitler rejected these ideas and persecuted those who attempted to keep them alive. The caption under the picture states that Hitler is playing “a hymn of hate”. 
Most probably think that being awarded “Man of the Year” would be an honor, or that it is a prestigious award.  In this case, the award is the antithesis honor or optimism.  Hitler was undoubtedly the most powerful man in the world during this era, which is why they awarded him this title.  The term “power” in this context refers to Hitler’s ability to persuade millions of people to follow in his evil ideology.  Furthermore, Hitler had the attention of every government and country in the world, not because they welcomed him but because they feared him.
Although this cover was not meant to be preserved as a historic document, it can be used today as a very informative document.  Although there is a limited amount of text on this page, the picture conveys a very strong message.  If a person who was unfamiliar with the history of Hitler and the Nazi party looked at this cover they would be able to infer certain things about the event: people were killed, it was a dark time, it was the work of one man.  Although this is certainly not the entire story, it gives the person enough information to understand the basic legacy of Hitler.