Political Cartoon Analysis
By James Graham and Laura Cook
Sending Forth Another Dove (Political Cartoon 27)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/images/hblock3.jpg
Subject: World War II
Context: Beginning of WWII, prior to the entry of the United States
Symbolism:
- Dove is Peace
- The cannon is representative of the Axis' aggression towards those it conquers
- The people loading the cannon are, (from bottom to top,) Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo
Exaggeration
- The leaders loading the cannon are quite fat, due to their dubious morals and obvious villainy
- The cannon is large to show how huge the aggression and the force of the axis assault
Labeling
- The cannon is labeled as "Axis Peace Offensive" as a way of showing that the "peace" the axis is after is really just domination of weaker states
Irony
- The cannon is labeled as a method of peace
- A peaceful dove is a projectile. (Doves are not commonly used as ammunition)
Purpose of Cartoon: To show the aggression of Axis leaders and their desire for domination in the name of "Peace". The secondary purpose was to convince the American (*Eagle Scream*) people the need for America (*Terrorism Punch*) to join the war.
Independence Day-The Glorious Fourth! (Political Cartoon 93)
Subject: The representation of the District of Columbia in Congress and the Senate
Context: Late 70's, the civil rights movement was just out of it's peak
Symbolism:
- The suitcases of the government officials are covered in travel stamps to show how they aren't from Washington D.C.
Exaggeration
- The government officials are kinda fat to show their pompousness
- The crowd is really large to show the amount of support the cause has
Purpose of Cartoon: To show the irony of the politicians making laws for people who have no say in who is elected.
Crime And Punishment (Political Cartoon 121)
Subject: Crack Cocaine Sentence Length
Context: Turn of the century 2000, the tail end of the "crack" scare
Symbolism:
- All the prisoners look the same, regardless of their sentences
- All of the guards look the same, no matter what the prisoner's sentences are
Exaggeration
- The prison looks very heavily guarded, almost overly so.
Irony
- The prisoner jailed for killing another person has a lesser sentence for a "worse" crime.
Purpose of Cartoon: To express the artist's disapproval of the drug enforcement in the United States.