Political Cartoon Assignment “Political cartoons use caricature, symbols, humor, ridicule, and exaggeration to make arguments and comment on political events

Even before the American Revolution, political cartoons had the power to shape public opin" rel="nofollow">inion. Some political cartoons are funny. Others are satirical. Some are ferocious. Frequently, political cartoons spark outrage. In 2006, cartoons published in" rel="nofollow">in a Danish newspaper, which caricatured the prophet Mohammad, touched off violent protests across the Muslim world. Political cartoons use caricature, symbols, humor, ridicule, and exaggeration to make arguments and comment on political events. Entire political arguments can be summed up in" rel="nofollow">in a sin" rel="nofollow">ingle lin" rel="nofollow">ine in" rel="nofollow">in a political cartoon. Often, political cartoons are criticized for bein" rel="nofollow">ing one-sided and unfair. But an effective cartoon makes readers thin" rel="nofollow">ink.” - from Digital History Attached you will fin" rel="nofollow">ind two political cartoons. The first is by SJ Ray (SJ Ray, Plague of Japanese Beetles, December 1942) and the second by Dr Seuss (Dr Seuss, Honorable Fifth Column, Feb. 13, 1942). In this assignment you are to write a two to three page analysis of the two cartoons. Imagin" rel="nofollow">ine that you are seekin" rel="nofollow">ing to explain" rel="nofollow">in the meanin" rel="nofollow">ing and significance of these cartoons to someone with virtually no understandin" rel="nofollow">ing of the time period. Your paper should address the followin" rel="nofollow">ing questions: What related issue do both cartoons deal with? (Pay attention to the subject matter as well as the dates in" rel="nofollow">in determin" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing this.) What are the ideas, symbols, and message of each cartoon? Most importantly, as historians, what can these cartoons tell us about the past?