Week 9-10 Political Cartoons

A political cartoon is a cartoon that makes a point about a current political issue or events in the news or local community. Political cartoon are found in the editorial section in any daily newspaper, or political Wen site, but they won’t be in the comics section. They usually support an opinionated article or stand alone as an editorial in itself. You can also find them in newsmagazines and on political Web sites. Political cartoons intend to be funny, especially if you understand the issue that they’re commenting on. But their main purpose is to persuade its readers to either agree to something, or to share the cartoonist’s point of view. The best political cartoonist are able to change your mind on an issue without you even realizing how he or she did it.

Fig 1 by Peter Brookes from The Times The scene is customers retiring items/people to a shop.The first two customers are returning clothes items, but the next four are carrying politicians, the first David Cameron, the second, Nick Clegg, Ed Miliband, leader of the Labour Party, and Ed Balls. Ed Miliband and Ed Balls had been characterised as Wallace and Gromit.

Cartoonists use several methods, or techniques, to get their point across. They include:

Symbolism-Cartoonists use simple objects, or symbols, to substitute for larger concepts or ideas. Once the reader has identified the iconic shape or symbol in a cartoon, they then associate that character for that shape, meaning you are constantly thinking about it, so you remember it meaning you are more likely to be persuaded/influenced by it.

Exaggeration- A common technique is exaggeration, where a cartoonist with overdo, emphasize peoples’ characteristics, their action or what they say in order to make a point. This often creates a humorous cartoon, once you have seen a character of a person you then constantly refer back to that image.

Fig 2- Donald Trump mouth has been used as an exaggeration multiply times, either for his loud, explosive, sometimes offensive words, or for the physical size of his mouth, which is exaggerated to create a cartoon vision of trump that is recognisable 

Labeling-Cartoonists often label or categorize objects or people to make it clear exactly what they stand for.

Irony- Cartoonists often use irony to express opinions on an political issue, it is the difference between the way things are and the way things should be, or the way things are expected to be.

Fig 3- Walt Handelsman

Analogy-An analogy is a comparison between two unlike things that share some characteristics. By comparing a complex issue/ situation with a more familiar one, cartoonists can help their readers see it in a different light, so they are more likely to be persuades to to share the belief of what the cartoon is portraying, as the its easier to understand.

Image References

Fig 1- Hill, J. (2016). Cartoon: Returned Items. [online] The English Blog. Available at: http://www.englishblog.com/2014/01/cartoon-returned-items.html#.WEqoO3ecaRs [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].
Fig 2- About.com Entertainment. (2016). Political Humor - Jokes Satire and Political Cartoons. [online] Available at: http://politicalhumor.about.com [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].
Fig 3- Handelsman, W. (2016). Walt Handelsman by Walt Handelsman, December 18, 2009 Via @GoComics. [online] GoComics. Available at: http://www.gocomics.com/walthandelsman/2009/12/18/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].

Bibliography

• About.com Entertainment. (2016). Political Humor - Jokes Satire and Political Cartoons. [online] Available at: http://politicalhumor.about.com [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2016). Editorial cartoon. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editorial_cartoon [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].
• Handelsman, W. (2016). Walt Handelsman by Walt Handelsman, December 18, 2009 Via @GoComics. [online] GoComics. Available at: http://www.gocomics.com/walthandelsman/2009/12/18/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].
• Hill, J. (2016). Cartoon: Returned Items. [online] The English Blog. Available at: http://www.englishblog.com/2014/01/cartoon-returned-items.html#.WEqoO3ecaRs [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].
• Learnnc.org. (2016). Analyzing political cartoons - Educator's Guides: North Carolina Digital History. [online] Available at: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-eg/6460 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].
• Loc.gov. (2016). About this Activity - It's No Laughing Matter: Analyzing Political Cartoons- Classroom Activity | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress. [online] Available at: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/activities/political-cartoon/about.html [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].
• Reference. (2016). What is a political cartoon?. [online] Available at: https://www.reference.com/art-literature/political-cartoon-40e65f2b808ac11d [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].