Political CartoonsYear 4 DHP ACE T1W9 - 10

What is a political cartoon?Political Cartoons: Pictures with a Point A political cartoon is a cartoon that makes

a point about a political issue or event. Political cartoons can be very funny,

especially if you understand the issue that theyre commenting on.

Their main purpose, though, is not to amuse you but to persuade you.

Look at the political cartoons below: What is their message?

How do political cartoonists convey their messages? Refer to your handout Political cartoons

analysis guide1. Symbolism Cartoonists use simple objects, or symbols, to

stand for larger concepts or ideas. After you identify the symbols in a cartoon,

think about what the cartoonist intends each symbol to stand for.

How does the cartoonist use symbolism in the cartoons below?

What does the plane symbolise in this cartoon about the war in Iraq?

What does the eagle symbolise in this 1898 cartoon?

2. 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.

What is exaggerated in the cartoon here?

3. LabellingCartoonists often label objects or people to

make it clear exactly what they stand for.

What is clearly labelledin the cartoon here?

What is the authors viewpoint regarding the genocide in Darfur?

What other techniques besides labelling are used here?

4. AnalogyAn analogy is a comparison between two unlike things that share

some characteristics. By comparing a complex issue or situation with a more familiar one, cartoonists can help their readers see

it in a different light.

What is the analogy that the author is drawing here?

What situations are being compared?

1. Socrates death by popular vote by Athenians in 399BC

2. German popular vote that puts Hitler in power in 1933

3. Iraqis voting for their government in 2005.

5. IronyIrony is the difference between the ways things are

and the way things should be, or the way things are expected to be.

In the authors opinion, what is ironic about the sentiments that radical Muslims are expressing about the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad?

What other techniques are used in this cartoon?

Try analysing the cartoons below about school desegregation in the US in 1960s

Some background to help you understand the cartoons:

Before the 1950s, public schools in the United Schools were segregated i.e. white students and black students went to separate schools.

In 1954, the US Supreme Court ruled that schools in the US were to be desegregated i.e. white and black students were to be educated together.

The impetus behind the school integration movement was the realisation that schools for black children were badly funded, and that black children were being disadvantaged by the segregation of schools.

Although school integration was aimed at promoting more equal outcomes and improving the quality of education for African-Americans, what happened in reality was that the pace of change/improvement remained very slow, and there was white flight i.e. white people started leaving the public school system, choosing to enroll their children in expensive (and often all-white) private schools, thus depriving public schools of funding, and defeating the purpose of school desegregation.

Groupwork 20m In your prior presentation groups of 5 6

people:1) Draw a political cartoon about

globalisation2) Provide short explanations about the

techniques used in your cartoon. Use your handout Political cartoons analysis guide to help you.

Deadline: T2W1