Political Cartoons

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?

Cartoonists’ Techniques

• Used to get their point across

• Not all have to be used in every cartoon

• Examples:– Symbolism– Irony– Exaggeration– Analogy– Labeling

Technique #1 - Symbolism

• Cartoonist used objects, or symbols, to stand for larger concepts or ideas.

Example: Here, the cartoonist uses a birthday cake to represent all the time that has passed since the Supreme Court’s school desegregation decision.

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

Technique #2 - Irony• Irony is the difference

between the way things are and the way they should/are expected to be.

• Used by the cartoonist to express their opinion.

Example: It is ironic that Public Schools are still segregated years after the Supreme Court’s desegregation decision – it’s not the way things are suppose to be.

Technique #3 - Exaggeration

• Often, cartoonist will overdo, or exaggerate, the physical characteristics of people or things to make a point.

Example: The height of the fence has been exaggerated to show how completely African American students are being excluded from public schools.

Technique #4 - Analogy

• Analogy - Comparing two unlike things

• Helps readers see things in a different light or to make a connection with the cartoonist

Example: In this cartoon, the slow pace of school desegregation is compared with a young student waiting to be let into a Public School.

Technique #5 - Labeling

• Cartoonist often label things to make it clear exactly what they stand for.

Example: The cartoonist has labeled the school building to show it represents ALL Jim Crow Public Schools.

Questions to ask yourself when analyzing a cartoon????

• What issue is this political cartoon about? • What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue? • What other opinion can you imagine another

person having on this issue? • Did you find this cartoon persuasive? Why or

why not? • What other techniques could the cartoonist have

used to make this cartoon more persuasive?

“Oncoming Recession”

“Gassed Economy”

Credits“It’s No Laughing Matter” website – http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/features/political_cartoon/model.html

www.politicalhumor.about.com

www.cagle.com