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

The First Political Cartoons  It's important to note that America's earliest cartoons were political in nature.  The first cartoon appeared in Ben Franklin's newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, The Pennsylvania GazetteThe Pennsylvania Gazette  It appeared as part of an editorial by Franklin commenting on 'the present disunited state of the British Colonies.'

 The woodcut drawing entitled 'Join or Die' pictures a divided snake in eight pieces representing as many colonial governments.  The drawing was based on the popular superstition that a snake that had been cut in two would come to life if the pieces were joined before sunset.  The drawing immediately caught the public's fancy and was reproduced in other newspapers.

What’s the Point???  To make a point about a political issue or current event  To persuade the reader of the cartoonist point of view  What is the cartoonist point of view in this cartoon?

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Notice the dollar bill is partially under water. What do you think that means? Notice the fish, what type of expression do they have on their faces? What is George Washington’s fate? These are all questions that you need to ask of this political cartoon to try to figure it out. Answer: This cartoon represents the loss of value the American dollar is taking in the world economy.

Some times you have to look at the images in the cartoon as well as the writing to completely understand the cartoonist’s message.

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Read the title of the cartoon at the bottom of the page. Then read all of the plaques posted on the wall around the pictures. Who is Cheney? Maybe you recognize his name in relation to President Bush. Why would Cheney be related to hunting in a way he could be made fun of? Is the cartoonist a supporter of Cheney and the Republicans? Answer: Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter in the woods. This cartoonist is probably a critic of the Republicans considering he is taking a negative view of Cheney’s actions.

Cartoonists’ Techniques  Used to get their point across  Not all have to be used in every cartoon  Examples: Satire Caricature Symbolism Irony Exaggeration Analogy Labeling

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.

CARICATURE  E xaggerates one or more features of a person or thing.  It attempts to say something about the person/thing’s character, beliefs, actions or significance.

SYMBOL  represents something else. It is a often a material object that represents something abstract or invisible  (for example, the Statue of Liberty to represent freedom).

Common Symbols in Cartoons  Dove/Olive Branch = Peace  Vulture/Buzzard/Skull/Bones = Death  Elephant = Republican Party  Donkey = Democratic Party  Uncle Sam = U.S. Government or American People  Tortoise = slow mover/winner  Hare = quick mover/loser  Capital Building Dome = Congress  White House = President  Scales/Balance = Justice/fairness  Statue of Liberty/Liberty Bell = Freedom  Bear/Chains/Ocean = Strength  Acorn = growth/youth

METAPHOR  Uses an object to note a similarity to something else.  For example, using a tiger to represent one nation invading another.

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.

What is the purpose of a political cartoon?  To expose one of two gaps; 1. The gap between appearance and reality. 2. The gap between what is and what should be or could be.  They attempt to expose hypocrisy, laugh at arrogance, deflate the powerful, and give voice to the underdog.

“Oncoming Recession”