What Are the 5 Steps to Analyzing a Political Cartoon?

What are the 5 steps to analyzing a political cartoon?

Political cartoons are interpretive drawings that portray people’s opinions about a current issue, event or problem. They can be funny, but they’re also meant to persuade readers to support a certain view of an issue.

They’re found in newspapers, newsmagazines and online. They’re often on the editorial page, next to opinion essays and between comics. They’re usually simple black-and-white graphic depictions that make their point with wit and humor.

Analyzing a political cartoon requires different skills than interpreting a written source, like a newspaper or magazine article. It involves identifying the key features of a political cartoon and understanding persuasive techniques that cartoonists use to get their point across.

Identify features of a political cartoon

When analyzing a political cartoon, you’ll want to look for specific symbols and objects that represent ideas or concepts. These symbols might be a person’s name, a piece of paper or even something as simple as a skull and crossbones. The more you can identify these symbols, the easier it will be for you to figure out what the cartoonist wants you to think about.

Exaggerate physical characteristics

In a political cartoon, it’s common for the artist to make a person or object seem larger than they naturally are. The purpose is usually to emphasize a certain feature, such as their power or greed. Sometimes they might draw a person with a large, toothy grin, which can be a sign of evil intentions.

Label people or objects

To help their audience understand what each person or object represents, cartoonists often write labels on them. They might write a name, for example, on a person wearing a suit or a briefcase carrying a company’s logo.

Irony is the difference between the way things are and the way they should be or are expected to be. It’s a useful tool in political cartoons because it helps the cartoonist express their point more effectively.

Using these five steps, you can analyze a political cartoon and see if it’s persuasive. Then, you can decide whether or not it’s worth reading more about.

Step 1: Identify the cartoon caption and/or title

Political cartoons can be difficult to understand, especially when they’re new or don’t have much text. But they can be a great way to learn about current events and find out what others are thinking.

Take your time to analyze the cartoon. You may have to read the captions and caption lines a few times before you can figure out what’s going on. You can also ask your friends, classmates or colleagues for advice.

Step 2: Identify symbolism

Almost all political cartoons include symbols that the general public would recognize. They’re used to represent important ideas or concepts, for example, a skull and crossbones could stand for death or danger.

Step 3: Identify exaggerated physical characteristics

The most common technique cartoonists use to make their point is exaggerating the physical appearance of people or things in their drawings. This is because it makes them more memorable and easy to recognize. It’s also often a quick way to get the point across without having to write out a lot of text. For example, a fat politician in a suit might be exaggerated to show the viewer how they’re greedy or untrustworthy.