Activity: Political Cartoons

You have seen Political Cartoons, sometimes called editorial cartoons, before, but maybe you just didn't quite understand why they are supposed to be funny. Many Americans feel this way as well.

The White House is participating in a Library of Congress publication on Political Cartoons. Each branch of the government, as well as other government agencies will be creating its own Political Cartoons for the publication. The purpose is to teach average Americans how to analyze Political Cartoons and use current events and opinions in the Political Cartoons they contribute to the publication. Once completed, copies of the publication will be distributed for free to visitors taking a tour of the White House.

You will be choosing or creating the Political Cartoons for the publication. This lesson will help you learn how to analyze Political Cartoons.

Analyzing Political Cartoons
Check out the political cartoon below to explain symbolism, exaggeration, labels, and irony. 

Option One:  Analyzing Political Cartoons
Visit Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Indexand view the pages of cartoons to find  ONE dealing with the President or a current Presidential issue.
Remember your citation for the cartoon you choose:
1.      Identify the cartoonist
2.      Identify the date of the cartoon
3.      Identify the web site address
4.      You may also capture an image of the cartoon and include the image with your submission.

OR

Option Two:  Create Your Own Political Cartoon
Your cartoon should include examples of Exaggeration/Caricature, Symbolism, Labeling/Captioning and Irony/Humor. Your cartoon should express your opinion.  You can create your political cartoon using the draw feature of a word processing program, using images on a slide in a presentation program, or drawing it by hand and scanning the image. For help creating your cartoon, see Web 2.0 Tools.

After completing either option above, please use the cartoon to answer the following analysis questions:

1.      What is the Symbolism in the cartoon?
2.      What is the Exaggeration/Caricature in the cartoon?
3.      What is the Labeling/Captioning in the cartoon?
4.      How does the cartoon demonstrate Irony/Humor?
5.      What is the Bias, Opinion, Message and or Point of View of the cartoon?
6.      What emotion does this carton evoke?
7.      Do you Agree or Disagree with the message of this cartoon?

Please contact your instructor if you have any questions concerning this assignment.

View the Grading Rubric before beginning the Assignment.

Assignment 05.04 The Media and Politics - Political Cartoons

1. Complete the reading for this lesson, while taking Cornell Notes.
2. Locate a current political cartoon OR create your own political cartoon.
3. Answer the analysis questions on the political cartoon you found on the web or created.
4. Submit the following for assignment 5.04 Media and Politics in the assessment area:

           -A copy of the political cartoon you found on the web OR Citation, (i.e. Web address, Cartoonist and Date) and your
            analysis of the political cartoon.
           OR
           -A copy of the political cartoon you created and your analysis.

For complete directions on how to submit work and attach files in the assessment area, please go to the Course Information area.


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