How to Decode a Political Cartoon

Definitions "political": that which is concerned with public affairs or government "cartoon": a sketch or drawing that interests or amuses by portraying persons, things, political events or situations etc. in an exaggerated way

Definitions SATIRE - uses humor to lower something or someone in the reader’s or viewer’s estimation. It is not mean- spirited and its point is not to harm. It exposes human folly to make room for improvement.

What are Political Cartoons? Political cartoons usually appear on the editorial page of your daily newspaper. They generally deal with events or issues currently in the news and are, in essence, visual editorials. Like the writer of an editorial, the cartoonist is trying to make a point. They are a primary source of information.

What are Political Cartoons? When you look at a political cartoon produced many years ago you are seeing it out of its original context. In order to "get it" you will likely need some background information from classroom discussion, a textbook or your own research. Once you have a general idea of the topic at hand you can start to decode the message the cartoonist is trying to convey.

Tools Used By Cartoonist Exaggeration

CARICATURE Made Obama’s ears large

CARICATURE Jimi Hendrix

METAPHOR Uses an object to note a similarity to something else.

John Bull (England) as an octopus of imperialism

IRONY Expresses an idea through a contradiction between something’s literal meaning and the intended meaning. For example, picturing a U.S. president with a crown on his head. SARCASM- is a form of irony. The element that turns irony into sarcasm is the appearance of mockery, or bitterness.

STEREOTYPES Works by taking a real or imagined trait of an individual to be true of the group to which the individual belongs. They express bias and can be unfair and harmful.

Analogy & Allusions Another very important technique is the use of analogy, in which one event is represented by another. An allusion is understandable only to those with prior knowledge of the reference in question (which the writer assumes to be so). A one-sentence or one-phrase (or image) reference to another event, character, etc. in the Bible, mythology, or current event

Three kings follow star to Barack Obama, savior of the Democrats.

Captions Cartoonists sometimes use words (titles, captions, name tags, balloon comments or dialogue) to help the viewer.

The Rebellions of 1837 Political Cartoons Instructions:  Create a political cartoon on the Rebellions of 1837  You must invent an appropriate slogan and have captions.  Your cartoon must include at least ONE Historical Figure (or reference to) from the Rebellions of  You need to illustrate your cartoon with fully coloured, hand-drawn pictures.  On the back, explain the background of your cartoon. Checklist for Creating Cartoons : Decide what aspect of the Rebellions of 1837 that you wish to convey your message with. Give reasons for your decision. –Identify your topic: Event, person etc.. –Express your point of view and the message you want to convey –Determine what symbols are appropriate and historically accurate –Choose the words to convey your message.