Political Cartoons

Political Cartoons – What are they?•Political cartoons are vivid primary

sources that:▫offer intriguing and entertaining insights

into the public mood▫the underlying cultural assumptions of an

age▫and attitudes toward key events or trends

of the times.•Since the 18th century, political cartoons

have offered a highly useful window into the past

Background for Political Cartoons

•Began in 1754, when Benjamin Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette

•originally appeared during the French and Indian War

• Was recycled to encourage the American colonies to unite against British rule. South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and New England.

Background (cont’d.)• Began as a street-level phenomenon in

1800s-1900s.

• Often posted on walls or passed from person to person, as well as being published in newspapers.

• Important part of the growing popularity of newspapers and magazines

• Intense competition for readership made provocative cartoons a valuable selling point.

Background for Political Cartoons• political cartoonists have long used their

skills to

▫ praise,

▫ attack,

▫ caricature, and

▫ otherwise express their opinions

on the most urgent political issues of the day.

Characteristics of Political Cartoons

•Stark, simple imagery •Complexity in a single drawing and a few

words.•1700s and 1800s cartoons often employ

▫archaic language▫elaborate dialogue, and ▫obscure visual references.

• Need to understand historical contextIn short, political cartoons employ complex

visual strategies to make a point quickly in a confined space.

Backgrounds (cont’d.)

• At the beginning of the twenty-first century, political cartoons appear in a wide range of online publications and can still stir up controversy.

Analyzing cartoons

•Analyzing a political cartoon can lead to:▫ a deeper understanding of the issues

addressed by the cartoon, ▫the historical context from which the issues

arose. •However, it can also raise interesting

questions about the point of view of the cartoonist and shed light on the methods different cartoonists use to persuade their audience.

Analyzing Political Cartoons…

•Symbol and Metaphor•Visual Distortion•Irony in Words and Images •Stereotype and Caricature•An Argument Not a Slogan•The Uses and Misuses of Political

Cartoons

VISUAL SYMBOLS AND METAPHORS:

• A visual symbol in a cartoon is any image that stands for some other thing, event, person, abstract idea or trend in the news.

For example, a dollar sign may stand for the entire economy. An octopus may stand for a powerful corporation with “tentacles” controlling many other institutions.

• Metaphors are like symbols in that they describe one thing as something else entirely.

Shakespeare used a metaphor when he wrote “All the world’s a stage.” (A cartoon would simply show the world as a stage.)

Begin any cartoon analysis by describing all the details in it that are symbols and metaphors.

VISUAL DISTORTION:•Changes or exaggerations in size, shape,

emotions or gestures often add extra meaning to the symbols the cartoon includes. ▫For example, a dragon is often used as a symbol

for China. ▫But a huge, snorting dragon will make a

different point about China from a tired, limping, meek dragon.

• Every detail in a cartoon, especially one that is distorted in some way, is likely to be a part of the cartoon’s meaning.

IRONY IN WORDS AND IMAGES:• Irony is a form of humor in which something is

said in a way that undercuts or mocks its own apparent meaning. In other words, what is said seems to mean one thing, but it will be taken to mean the opposite.

• Irony is well suited to political cartoons, which often seek to mock something and show how false, unfair or dangerous it is. Irony always entails a contradiction.

• Often, an amusing image undercuts and reverses the meaning of the words in a caption. Sometimes, however, the image alone conveys the double meaning.

STEREOTYPES AND CARICATURE:

•A stereotype is a vastly oversimplified view of some group. Stereotypes are often insulting. Yet they may give cartoons a shorthand way to make a complex point quickly. They also reveal broad cultural attitudes.

•Caricature is the opposite of a stereotype. It is an exaggerated or distorted drawing of an individual highlighting what the artist sees as most unique about that individual.

AN ARGUMENT NOT A SLOGAN:•Slogans merely assert something. “An

apple a day keeps the doctor away.” ▫A good editorial cartoon is more than a

slogan.

THE USES AND MISUSES OF POLITICAL CARTOONS

•Editorial cartoons may be funny, outrageous, even insulting. Yet above all, their aim is to provoke thought about some issue in the news.

Caricature and symbols

•Caricature – exaggerating one or more physical features- a large mouth to show someone who often speak out on an issue

•Symbols – using a recognizable item to communicate an idea – an elephant to represent the Republican party Caption – having the characters speak or summarizing the message in a few words above or below the cartoon

Humor

•Political cartoons can be “humorous” because they exaggerate, but they are not always humorous.  They are often a biting comment on a social issue or in reference to a particular person.  The cartoon does not allow the reader or the person portrayed an opportunity for rebuttal.  Recognition of the fact that only one point of view is represented in cartoons is important in their interpretation.

ACTIVITY• Visuals• Words (Not all cartoons include words)Level One:

1) List all the objects or people you see in the cartoon2) Identify the cartoon caption and/or title3) Locate three words or phrases used by the cartoonist to identify objects or people

within the cartoon4) Record any important dates or numbers that appear in the cartoon

Level Two5) Which of the objects on your list are symbols?6) What do you think each symbol means?7) Which words or phrases in the cartoon appear to be the most significant?  Why do

you think so?8) List adjectives that describe the emotions portrayed in the cartoon.

Level Three:9) Describe the action taking place in the cartoon10) Explain how the words in the cartoon clarify the symbols11) Explain the message in the cartoon12) What special interest groups would agree/disagree with the author’s message? 

Why?

Designed and developed by the Education Staff, National Archives and Records

http://teacher.cgs.k12.va.us/jpicariello/political_cartoons.htm