Category - Media
Topic - Political Cartoons
Issue - How to interpret political cartoons
Tiptoid -
Ever been upset with an issue in politics? Ever thought there should be a better way of understanding an issue than the way newspaper articles and news shows present it? Well there is a way, and you might have a laugh at the same time.
Everyday, political cartoonists draw cartoons which represent important issues going on in the world. Their intent is to reflect a point of view on the issue. The only problem with these cartoons is that they are sometimes hard to understand. We will show you some ways to interpret political cartoons and become more media literate at the same time.
Political cartoons are usually found in the editorial section of the newspaper. The cartoonist is paid to create cartoons that are funny yet have a deeper meaning. To figure out the meaning, you first need to identify the issue.
The cartoon below deals with the war in Iraq . See if you can interpret its meaning.
http://www.cagle.com/news/MarchMadness07/2.asp
The cartoonist view in this cartoon is that the war is like a basketball game, and that President Bush is the coach. The white dove, who is sitting on the bench, represents peace. Since the dove is clearly not playing in the game, peace cannot happen until the coach lets the dove at least have the opportunity to play in the game.
We hope this example, and common sense, will make the task of interpreting political cartoons easier for you, and even more fun. Besides, we all should try to look at the lighter side of life whenever possible, don't you think?!
Glossary -
editorial section - found in most newspapers, contains letters to the editor and political cartoons
literate - having or showing knowledge of literature, writing, etc.; to have the skill to notice, analyze, assess, and create
Find Out More - http://cynthiasparks.tripod.com/interpreting_a_political_cartoon1.htm
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Submitted by - Bill Miller and Sukjoot Singh
Site Managers - Chris Ricci and Yelser Deleon
April 2007