Hum9

Name: Joel Tatlow HR: 9-36

Political Cartoons
Political cartoons are often called editorial cartoons because they express an opinion about people or current events in the news. While cartoons may have a humorous element, they are often a serious commentary on issues and events in a visual form. You will find two elements in political cartoons: Caricature or satire of an individual or event poking fun at people/events in the limelight Allusion, which hints at a situation or theme, but does not state the obvious How to Interpret Political Cartoons Editorial cartoons are loaded with symbolism and satire. If you see something in a cartoon, it is significant in some fashion. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Remember the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, why). Read any captions, titles, speech bubbles or words in the cartoon. Look for faces or people from the real world. Think of current events. You will likely need some background information to better understand the political cartoon. Look for labels or things that are obviously identified. Consider size, shape, shadow, and line as they relate to meaning (e.g. dark spaces, shading, thick lines, etc.) Look for the commentary on a real event. Look for whether the artist has a positive or negative opinion of the current event/person. Has the situation been exaggerated? What bias is expressed through the cartoon?

Your Tasks 1. Play the editorial cartoon bingo. Use the following website to find your cartoons: www.cagle.com or www.mackaycartoons.net . 2. Select one cartoon from the same website and answer the questions below. Be sure to hand in a copy of the cartoon with your response. a. What is the event or issue with your response? b. Who is portrayed in the cartoon? c. What symbols are present in the cartoon? What do they represent? d. What is the cartoonists opinion about the person/issue/event? e. Do you agree or disagree with the cartoonist? Why?

Part 1

a) The event portrayed in this cartoon is the Green Party trying to get seats in the House of Commons in an election. (Didnt really understand this question). b) Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada is the only one portrayed in this cartoon c) I think that the hill that the Elizabeth May train is going up represents election time, and her battle for Green Party seats in the House of Commons. There is a little sign pointing up the hill that says seats, so she is. The 9 % on the side of the train represents that she may be actually getting somewhere. I think I can speech bubbles surrounding her indicate that she will keep trying for seats. The circus part of the train indicates that it might be a bit of a lost cause for Elizabeth May to keep trying for seats. d) I think the cartoonists view of the person Elizabeth May is that she has a lot of work to do before she ends up winning an election, and that her trying may be a lost cause, with only 9 percent support. e) I agree with the cartoonists POV. Elizabeth May has a platform that is almost entirely based on the environment. I dont think I would ever vote for the Green Party because of that. Elizabeth Mays election race may be also made fun of, as she is not getting anywhere. I too believe that she has a lot of work to do before she gets enough seats, but I think she may be able to do this in possibly 10 years, with some modifications to her platform.