Analyze Political Cartoons

Political cartoons use imagery and text to comment on a contemporary social issue. They may contain a caricature of a well-known person or an allusion to a contemporary event or trend. By examining the pictorial elements of the cartoon, along with the textual elements, you can start to understand the message of the cartoon. This will lead you to understanding the cartoonist’s goal in persuading the reader to think a certain way about a current issue.

Steps

Understanding Persuasive Techniques

1. Recognize exaggeration. Artists will often exaggerate or distort certain elements of the drawing to make a point. Some commonly exaggerated pictures might include a character’s facial features or other parts of the body.
2. Understand symbolism. An artist may use symbols as placeholders for ideas or themes.
   • For example, a whirlpool may be used to denote the problems of getting involved with the messy political situation in Syria.
3. Understand labeling. The cartoonist may label certain elements in the cartoon. This will help identify the different pictures and ideas in the cartoon. Labels are often paired with symbols.
   • For example, the whirlpool that symbolizes Syria may be labeled as such.
4. Understand analogy. The cartoonist may compare two things that are not alike. This technique may be used if there is a complex topic or idea that is difficult to understand. By comparing it to something else, it can be easier for the reader to understand.
   • For example, if a political figure in the cartoon is pouring money into a toilet, this may mean that this politician’s policies on government spending are wasteful.
5. Recognize irony. An artist may use irony by using words or pictures to describe the opposite of what is, such as what should be. This is usually done with humorous effect.

Looking at the Picture

1. Identify the visual elements. Take a look at the cartoon as a whole and make a note of the drawings you see. Make a list of the visual elements, including people, animals, other objects, and the setting or background.
2. Identify the main focus of the cartoon. Find the portion of the cartoon that most stands out. Most often, this will be a caricature, which is an exaggeration or distortion of a person or object with the goal of providing a comic effect.
3. Look for widely recognized symbols. Some metaphors are commonly used by political cartoonists. For example:
   • Uncle Sam or an eagle for the United States
   • John Bull, Britannia or a lion for the United Kingdom
   • A beaver for Canada
   • A bear for Russia
   • A dragon for China
   • A sun for Japan
   • A kangaroo for Australia
   • A donkey for the Democratic Party in the U.S.
   • An elephant for the Republican Party in the U.S.
4. Take note of distortion or exaggeration. Look at the visual elements and pay attention to how they are drawn. People or animals may be exaggerated or distorted in some way.
5. Look for stereotypes. Some of the visual elements may be stereotypes. This might help the reader identify the visual elements more clearly. These can also call attention to the stereotypes as offensive and outdated.
   • For example, a cartoon about immigration along the southwestern U.S. border may present Mexicans dressed in ponchos. This calls attention to the view that some people have about who immigrates to the U.S.
6. Look for allusions to contemporary events or trends. Some cartoons will link their subject matter to a current event or trend that is widely recognized.
   • For example, a cartoon about voting might include a voting ballot with political candidates and celebrities, indicating that more people may be interested in voting for celebrities than government officials.
   • The effect of these allusions often diminish over time as people forget about those trends or events.
7. Look at minor details. Often the cartoon will have minor details that contribute to the humor or the point of the cartoon. Pictorial symbols convey minor themes or ideas. These are usually found in the background or on the sides of the cartoon.
8. Pay attention to how the visual elements interact with each other. Think about how different symbols are drawn in relation to each other. If there is a person, where is he standing? What is he doing? Is he talking to another person? Is he interacting with an object?

Looking at the Text

1. Look at labels. Some people or objects might be labeled to identify them. Often these labels are placed so that the viewer will know what a particular object represents. For instance, a person in a suit might be labeled “Congress,” or a briefcase might be labeled with a certain company’s name.
2. Look at text bubbles. People in a cartoon will often speak to each other in the cartoon. Alternately, they will “think” something. Read what people are saying in the cartoon.
   • Text bubbles are usually represented by solid circles or boxes around the text. Thought bubbles usually look like small clouds.
3. Read the caption. Some political cartoons have captions. These are words or phrases that are placed at the bottom of the cartoon. They give more information or interpretation to what is happening in the cartoon itself.
4. Take note of minor details. The cartoon might also have one or more words in smaller print. These are intended to convey minor themes. They might be found in the background or on the edges of the cartoon.
5. Brainstorm how the words enhance the pictures. Once you’ve identified the symbols and other visual elements in the cartoon, think about how the words help describe them. What do the words add? How do the words enhance your understanding of the pictures and symbols?

Identifying the Issue

1. Identify the issue that the cartoon is referencing. Political cartoons typically comment on a certain event or issue. If you’re not sure about the issue, check recent news stories to identify the story.
2. Identify the people involved in the issue. To give you more reference points, find out the names and roles of the people involved with the issue or event.
3. Identify the perspectives of this issue. The issue at hand will have different perspectives. If the issue is a war, there might be the pro-war position and the anti-war position. If the issue is a scandal in the news, competing perspectives might support different sides of the scandal.
   • Keep in mind that there may be more than two perspectives. Most news issues are complex and can have multiple perspectives.
4. Do additional research on the issue. Find out the background of the issue, how it came about, who is impacted, and so on.
   • If the political cartoon is historical, find out what some of the main news stories and common beliefs were at the time. This will help deepen your understanding of the cartoon.
5. Determine the audience. A political cartoon is created with consideration to the experiences and assumptions of the intended audience. What section of the population is the publication geared towards? What country and locality do they live in? What are their political leanings?
   • For example, a political cartoon in a publication distributed in a strictly conservative tone will convey its message in a different way than it would if the audience was a particularly liberal group.

Analyzing the Message

1. Identify adjectives that describe the emotions in the cartoon. The words and pictures together will produce certain meanings. Many political cartoons are intended to portray some emotions. What emotions are present in your cartoon?
2. Determine the artist’s perspective. The artist will have a particular viewpoint about the issue in the cartoon. Once you’ve pinpointed the issue and the possible perspectives on this issue, you can figure out what the artist is arguing for.
   • Try to boil it down to one sentence. What is the artist trying to say with this cartoon?
3. Consider the rhetorical triangle. The rhetorical triangle is made of three elements: ethos, pathos and logos. These elements make up a forceful, effective rhetorical argument. Think about how the artist uses these elements in the cartoon:,
   • Ethos: An ethical appeal that demonstrates the author’s legitimacy as someone who can comment on this issue.
   • Pathos: An emotional appeal that tries to engage with the reader on an emotional level. The artist might also use common ground to connect with the reader.
   • Logos: A rational appeal that uses logical and well-researched evidence to support an argument.
4. Think about how readers might respond to the cartoon. The audience for the cartoon may agree completely with the message of the cartoon. Or, the audience might be shocked by the content. What is controversial about the cartoon?
5. Determine the overall message. Think about how the different elements about the cartoon shape what the overall message is. Boil it down to one sentence. How would you describe the cartoon’s message to someone else?
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of the cartoon. Once you’ve put together all the elements, determine if you think the cartoon is effective. Does it make a sound argument? Does it use appropriate and meaningful symbols and words to convey a viewpoint? Do the people and objects in the cartoon adequately represent the issue?

Tips

• If you are having trouble discerning the meaning of a political cartoon, try discussing it with friends and colleagues.
• Keep yourself informed on current events in order to more clearly understand contemporary political cartoons.

Warnings

• Political cartoons are oftentimes meant to be funny and occasionally disregard political correctness. If you are offended by a cartoon, think about the reasons why a cartoonist would use certain politically incorrect symbols to describe an issue.

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