INTERPRETING POLITICAL CARTOONS What are the contents, methods, and purposes of political cartoons?

INTERPRETING POLITICAL CARTOONS SATIRE Use of humor to lower something or someone in the reader’s or viewer’s estimation.

INTERPRETING POLITICAL CARTOONS CARICATURE Exaggerates one or more features of a person or thing. It attempts to say something about the person/thing’s character, beliefs, actions or significance.

Analyzing Political Cartoons Elements of a Political Cartoon Symbols Exaggeration Irony Captioning/Labeling Analogy

Symbolism Using an object to stand for an idea for example, the Statue of Liberty to represent freedom

Exaggeration overstating or magnifying a problem, physical feature, or habit. use of an object to note a similarity to something else. Example – using a tiger to represent one nation invading another.

Irony the difference between the way things are and the way things should be or the way things are expected to be

Captioning and Labels Used for clarity and emphasis

Analogy comparison between two unlike things that share some characteristics

What is the purpose of a political cartoon? To expose one of two gaps The gap between appearance and reality. The gap between what is and what should or could be. Political cartoons attempt to expose hypocrisy, point out pretentiousness, laugh at arrogance, deflate the powerful, and give voice to the underdog.

What Five Elements are we Using? Symbols Exaggerations Irony Captioning analogy