THE SKILL OF INTERPRETING CARTOONS

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THE SKILL OF INTERPRETING CARTOONS

• Ireland 1909-1922

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What are political cartoons?

• A political cartoon is a mixture of visual and
  written evidence.
• Political cartoons are normally drawn the show
  the cartoonists point of view about an issue
  which is seen as important at the time.
• Cartoonists often use humour or sarcasm to
  emphasise their point of view about a particular
  issue.
• Here are some guidelines about what to look for
  in interpreting cartoons.

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Some background to the first cartoon

• In 1867, a group of Irish nationalists called the
  Fenians staged a rebellion against English
  control in Ireland.
• They were trying to establish an independent
  Irish republic.
• This rebellion was a failure, but it caused the
  British government serious concern.
• The next two cartoons were published in Punch, a
  popular English satirical magazine.

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The Fenian-Pest
Britannia (England) shown as strong, determined
and protective
The Fenians are shown as barely evolved and
threatening beings (a common English stereotype
of the Irish).
Hibernia shown as worried and vulnerable.
Hibernia thinks of the Fenians as troublesome)
Britannia implies stronger action against the
Fenians if isolation does not work.
The title suggests that the Fenians are a pest to
be dealt with.
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• This cartoon relates to the 1867 Fenian
  rebellion.
• The cartoon shows Britannia (England) and
  Hibernia (Ireland) concerned about the activities
  of the Fenians.
• The cartoonists viewpoint is negative towards
  the Fenians and sympathetic towards the English.
• The evidence for this is the stereotyped picture
  of the Fenians as savage and potentially violent,
  whereas Britannia is shown as strong and
  determined to protect Hibernia (who calls the
  Fenians troublesome).
• The cartoonist suggests that Britannia might need
  to take some firm action to deal with the
  Fenians.

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St George and the Dragon

• Copy down the following headings, and complete
  these sentences, using evidence from the cartoon
  on the next slide.
• This cartoon relates to . . . (leave 2 lines)
• The cartoon shows . . . (leave 2 lines)
• The cartoonists viewpoint is . . . (leave 2
  lines)
• The evidence for this is . . . (leave 4 lines)
• The cartoonist suggests that . . . (leave 2 lines)

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St George and the Dragon
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Further practice with cartoons

• Get more practice by with these headings, by
  completing these sentences, using evidence from
  the following cartoons.
• This cartoon relates to . . . (leave 2 lines)
• The cartoon shows . . . (leave 2 lines)
• The cartoonists viewpoint is . . . (leave 2
  lines)
• The evidence for this is . . . (leave 4 lines)
• The cartoonist suggests that . . . (leave 2 lines)

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Use evidence from this cartoon to show who the
cartoonist believes was responsible for the
Easter Rising.
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Use evidence from this cartoon to show that
cartoonists view of Lloyd Georges policy for
Irelands future.
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• Identify each of the men in the cartoon and in
  your own words state his attitude to the creation
  of the Irish Free State.
• How accurate was the cartoonists portrayal of
  each mans attitude to the Treaty?