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