Political Cartoons

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• Political Cartoons

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• Political cartoons can be found in newspapers,
  magazines, and on social studies tests. They help
  capture important times or events in history into
  one picture versus lines of text. While they may
  be funny if you understand the issue their main
  purpose is to persuade you.

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• In the late 1800's an increase in newspaper and
  magazine circulation provided a rich environment
  for the rise and use of political cartoons.
  Political cartoons communicate powerful ideas
  often in a humorous, enlightening manner, by
  incorporating the events of the period into an
  easily understandable format most people could
  relate to even with limited reading abilities.

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• In the 1870s, a New York politician named
  William Tweed became deeply embroiled in a bitter
  scandal involving the disappearance of more than
  200 million taxpayers's dollars. The scandal was,
  of course, covered by the newspapers, and the
  people of New York were upset. There was,
  however, a turning point in this event--a point
  at which the event became a scandal that would
  cost William Tweed his career and his freedom.
  The turning point involved some editorial
  cartoons by a cartoonist named Thomas Nast

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• In response to the event, Thomas Nast launched a
  series of cartoons about the "Tammany Ring," the
  group of politicians involved in the scandal. The
  demise of William Tweed, a New York politician in
  the 1870s, a defining moment in American
  political cartooning. Tweed is attributed with
  exclaiming, "'Stop them damned pictures. I don't
  care so much what the papers say about me. My
  constituents can't read. But, damn it, they can
  see pictures!'" (Fischer, 2). Political cartoons
  had the ability to reach both the literate and
  the illiterate, and Nast's cartoons outraged the
  public against Tweed and the Tammany Ring. Tweed
  was imprisoned, but escaped, only to later be
  identified (so the legend goes) in Spain by a
  customs clerk who recognized him from Nast's
  caricatured version. In his suitcase was said to
  be a complete set of Nast's cartoons that
  portrayed him (Fischer, 2). Nast, in his role of
  cartoonist, changed political history and
  transformed the political cartoon into a
  stationary entity on the editorial page. Nast's
  cartoons greatly increased circulation in the
  periodicals in which they appeared.

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• Two steps that will help you read a political
  cartoon
• You need to
• a. identify all the pictures elements
• b. understand the meaning of each element and
  piece these meanings together

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• Since political cartoons capture major events or
  ideas into one picture they can be highly
  sophisticated and difficult to understand. The
  better your knowledge of current events and
  symbols the easier it will be for you to
  understand political cartoons.
• A good political cartoon makes you think about
  current events while also trying to sway your
  opinion. The best political cartoonist can change
  your opinion on a topic without you even
  realizing it.
• Be sure to look at how things are labeled. Read
  the words to yourself and make sure you are clear
  about what they mean.

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• As time passes and political cartoons get old,
  they become more difficult to understand and
  interpret because you, the reader, are not a part
  of the spirit of the times When looking at old
  political cartoons you must understand what was
  taking place during that time period.

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Exaggeration

• Sometimes cartoonists overdo, or exaggerate, the
  physical characteristics of people or things in
  order to make a point.
• When you study a cartoon, look for any
  characteristics that seem overdone or overblown.
  (Facial characteristics and clothing are some of
  the most commonly exaggerated characteristics.)
  Then, try to decide what point the cartoonist was
  trying to make by exaggerating them.

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Labeling

• Cartoonists often label objects or people to make
  it clear exactly what they stand for. Watch out
  for the different labels that appear in a
  cartoon, and ask yourself why the cartoonist
  chose to label that particular person or object.
  Does the label make the meaning of the object
  more clear?

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Analogy

• An analogy is a comparison between two unlike
  things. By comparing a complex issue or situation
  with a more familiar one, cartoonists can help
  their readers see it in a different light.
• After youve studied a cartoon for a while, try
  to decide what the cartoons main analogy is.
  What two situations does the cartoon compare?
  Once you understand the main analogy, decide if
  this comparison makes the cartoonists point more
  clear to you.

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Irony

• Irony is the difference between the ways things
  are and the way things should be, or the way
  things are expected to be. Cartoonists often use
  irony to express their opinion on an issue.
• When you look at a cartoon, see if you can find
  any irony in the situation the cartoon depicts.
  If you can, think about what point the irony
  might be intended to emphasize. Does the irony
  help the cartoonist express his or her opinion
  more effectively?

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