Political Cartoons

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Political Cartoons

• Visual Protests

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Origins of the political cartoon

• Began as caricatures in the time of Leonardo da
  Vinci (1400s)
• Editorial elements (aka commentary) emerged in
  the time of Martin Luther (1500s) where he used
  political cartoons in his pamphlets to rail
  against the Catholic Church
• Makes its way to North America with works by
  Benjamin Franklin (1750s)

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Lucas Cranach the Elder for Martin Luther
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Benjamin Franklin (1754)
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The high-point of political cartoons

• The 19th and 20th century are times of great
  change in many parts of the world, especially
  related to politics, therefore political cartoons
  feature prominently in pamphlets, magazines, and
  newspapers

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Post-Civil War America The Cinderella of the
Republican Party and her Sister
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WW1
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WW2
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Whats the point of a political cartoon?

• Takes serious issues and presents them in a funny
  way that is more socially acceptable
• Doesnt seem as harsh or critical as an editorial
  or an article communicating the same message or
  point of view
• Designed to affect the viewer's opinion
• Thus appeal and influence are key!

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STEPS TO ANALYZE A POLITICAL CARTOON

• Read pgs 216-217 in textbook make notes
•  

STEP 1 ESTABLISH A KNOWLEDGE BASE STEP 2 IDENTIFY THE ISSUE
STEP 3 DETERMINE DEVICES STEP 4 IDENTIFY BIAS
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(No Transcript)
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STEP 1 ESTABLISH A KNOWLEDGE BASE

• Who is pictured in the cartoon?
• What aspects do you recognize?
• What does the caption say?
• What wording is used in the cartoon?

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STEP 2 IDENTIFY THE ISSUE

• Using info from Step 1 answer the following
• What is the subject or message of the cartoon?
• What particular issue is being identified?
• What makes you think this?
• What evidence can you provide from the cartoon
  to support your determination?

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STEP 3 DETERMINE DEVICES

• What stands out to you in the cartoon?
• What characters are in it? How do they look?
• Remember to consider
• Caricature
• Analogy
• Symbols
• Facial expressions gestures
• Words

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STEP 4 IDENTIFY BIAS

• What is the cartoonists point of view?
• Positive? Negative? (Rarely if ever is a
  cartoonist neutral!)
• Remember to consider
• National/regional/local
• Political
• Racial/ethnic
• Economic
• Gender
• Personal values

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"Now mother's all-Canadian boy can go wave his
all-Canadian flag while his all-Canadian father
reads his all-Canadian magazine, and his
all-Canadian mother watches her all-Canadian
T.V., and we develop our all-Canadian
culture... (Leonard Norris,
Vancouver Sun, March 23, 1956)
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• STEP 1
• STEP 2
• STEP 3
• STEP 4

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Who says we dont have national color and
character? (Leonard Norris, Vancouver Sun, Nov.
16, 1956)
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• STEP 1
• STEP 2
• STEP 3
• STEP 4