INTRODUCTION Political cartoons could be defined as illustrations or cartoon strips that contain a social and/or political message in them. Political cartoons are often based on the current events around when they were written. The Bill of Rights is a formal statement from the United States Constitution that lists the first ten amendments. These amendments define the fundamental rights of U.S. citizens but many of the amendments are still debated about today making them perfect material for political cartoonists. These illustrations are very helpful in raising awareness on flaws in the more controversial amendments. THE FIRST AMENDMENT The cartoon below by depicts a courtroom set-up to debate U.S. gun control laws but the courtroom is empty. This is due to the fact that a member of the NRA has used caution tape to block off the entrance to the courtroom, letting no one enter. I think that the cartoonist is trying to show how although we as U.S. citizens are guaranteed free speech rights, corperations (like the NRA) try to stop people from speaking out and voicing their opinion in fear of impediments like more gun control. This cartoon was probably made in light of the rise in controversies over gun control since the 70s and could also be applied to the second amendment, which we will learn more about on the next page. THE SECOND AMENDMENT The next cartoon I have shows a man defending his actions of shooting another person by saying that he felt threatened. He argues that Florida’s Stand Your Ground law gives him the right to do so and that the victim would also agree but the twist is that the victim is actually dead and would not be able to say otherwise. I think the artist created this illustration to emphasize how ri... ... middle of paper ... ...or political artists. Obviously I did my share of creating a few comics and then explaining the ideas behind them but having said that, the comics I created were all meant for younger kids to be able to understand. Also, they didn’t necessarily show the reader that I had much more intelligence on the topic than most other people. I have learned that to be a political artist a few things you need to have down are: an education in politics, skills in the drawn arts, and a good brain for creating scenarios that involve social and political issues. I don’t think I would ever pursue a career in something like this but to anyone who has done this before and maybe does these things as a hobby I say Bravo. Political cartoons are a great way of getting your message out about an issue you care about are more fun to look at and analyze then reading a long written editorial.
The political cartoon “It’s Okay--Were Hunting Communists”manages to sum up the events and political chaos of "The Red Scare"(751, Government and Law). Specifically, the artist is able to mock President Harry Truman, Senator Joseph McCarthy, and The Committee of Unamerican Activities(HUAC). The artist use of facial expression and symbolism paints a picture for the audience, and their feelings towards these issues. The use of this political cartoon also take historical events, and helps to illustrate the meaning and consequences of these events.
The Constitution lays out the rights and obligations of the newly formed United States government. But, what of the rights and obligations of its citizens? Starting in 1791 only two years after the Constitution was ratified the Constitution began to evolve and this process continues to this day. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. This Bill of Rights outlines the protections which citizens have from the government of the United States. The question raised in the title of this paper is; Are the Bill of Rights, written well over 200 years ago still relevant today? Of course they are and probably even more so. To illustrate this fact we will examine each of the ten amendments rewrite each one using common everyday language of today and if possible discuss why this was important in 1791 and why we may or may not need this document in writing today. In restating each amendment I will try to write it as if it is a brand new document, which is a stretch to say the least. With out the struggle of the colonies through war and abuse by the English Monarchy would one have the foresight to see how a government may take for granted the rights of its citizenry?
This is an image by Daryl Cagle titled, Hawaii Missile Alert, where he posted on his website concerning the false alert sent out in Hawaii of a missile attack. In this cartoon, we can see two women and a child receiving an alert of an incoming alert before and after the election of Trump, and the contrast between the two reactions. The cartoon was illustrated in a hope to raise the awareness of the danger Trump’s presidency has caused. We can see the use of the pathos to do this all throughout the cartoon.
The United States was a country founded on the basis of freedom. Imagine living in a nation in which The First Amendment did not exist. Where there was not freedom of speech or press where censorship reigned with a king. This picture is that of France for the entirety of the nineteenth century. During this era, Honoré Daumier was a renowned political and social cartoonist. The King and his police persecuted the lithographer Daumier, among numerous other French artists, for his political activism, including jail time and heavy fines. Honoré Daumier was a master of political and social critique. Looking at an overview of his commentaries there appear strong parallels that can be drawn to current American politics. Daumier uses a range of stylistic choices to promote critiques that are multi-dimensional which contain various overt and more subtle satires, meanings, and messages. Learning from and referencing Daumier, I created a political cartoon that mimics his style.
Since the mid-nineteenth century, American newspapers have used political cartoons to provide a unique commentary on current events. From 1884 to 1912, Teddy Roosevelt was the subject of many of these cartoons. As his political career progressed, so did his portrayal in these drawings. These changes not only show the evolution of Roosevelt, but also of the Republican (and later the Bull Moose) party.
The cartoon is called “The Crooked House of Clintons” and the artist Ben Garrison is trying to inform the viewers of how corrupt Hillary really is with this cartoon. When you first look at the cartoon you see the FBI knocking on her door and to the right, you’ll see her daughter Chelsea depositing money into Hillary’s campaign in a cartoon version. The whole point of this cartoon is to show what Ben Garrison’s point of view of the presidential candidates. To the left you’ll see money in a washing machine being cleaned and hanging out on clothesline to dry. When you look to the second floor, you see Bill is upstairs fooling around with his intern Monica Lewinsky. On the third floor, you see Hillary is watching from the window and saying” It’s my turn you, @#$%*.” as all of the corruption goes down in her crooked house of Clinton. On the roof you see radical Islam is pushing gays off of the top of her house as a symbol that
Dr. Seuss used his creativeness in the form of political propaganda to inspire Americans to fight against the Axis Powers in World War II. This propaganda was in the form of political American people in these cartoons that show his perspective of Hitler’s character, his leadership, and the extent of his threat to the United States.
In the political cartoon 5A, the first reaction you have is to laugh without knowing the deeper meaning behind it, and I guess that’s most people reaction if they don’t read the captions. In my opinion this cartoon represent two events of our country’s history, the “Democratic Split” and “The Nomination of Lincoln”. The main characters in this political cartoon are Abraham Lincoln, Douglas, and John C. Breckinridge. The chief symbols in this cartoon is the two rodents that’s split at the tail. Another chief symbol is the way Abraham Lincoln is carrying the two rodents on a stick, like they are very poisonous and the need to be gotten rid of. The split tail rodents represent the Democratic Party and how they are breaking apart and not working together. It represents how the Democratic Party is corrupt. The way the “Old Abe” is carry these two rodents is how anyone in NYC today reacts to the rats in the subway station, ‘They need to get rid of’; and that is what I think the artist of the cartoon was trying to portray, that Abraham Lincoln had to get rid of the pest that’s corrupting our nation.
I’ve always been a fan of art and activism. Together, both create a powerful voice that builds community and initiates change. Even through my years of activism through writing, I love discovering other ways voices of marginalized people are heard using artistic expression.
The artists behind the cartoons more than likely would not openly say what they put into their cartoons. They are shielded by their comical art, which allows them to share their full and true opinion in the form of humorful art. If the artist openly expressed their thoughts like they do in their cartoons in public, they might be looked down upon by their peers, or even end up fighting with their peers over which opinion is correct. With the help of comical drawings, people are able to express their opinions freely, and without the worry of others opinions. It shows that lightening up the mood through humor is something that can help to make the idea more acceptable or drive the audience to be more open to what to what the author or artist is trying to say. The importance of humor when it comes to politics is a great one. Humor in politics is almost a necessity when you want to keep from a major argument over controversial topics, yet there is a time and place for the humor to be used. If used in the right time and place the humor can be almost unrecognizable, but will still do its job of lightening the
True, he may not be the inventor of pen and paper and he is certainly not the first to make caricatures. His techniques were fairly common at the time with the brush and ink wash technique. He was inspired by some illustrators like John Tenniel to adopt new styles according to Paine (135-6). In fact, he did not create many of the icons in politics today. All he has done is popularize them in the American culture. The Democratic donkey or Uncle Sam were not created by Nast (Dewey 14-8), but he has made them commonplace. Even though he did not invent some of the caricatures we see today, is it not an achievement to make those icons memorable? Is not the fame of the piece just as important as how the piece actually stands artistically? To turn relatively unnoticed pieces and symbols into the cornerstone of politics is an achievement in itself. Not to imply that fame is in direct correlation to artistic value, but while it is a shame that many artists never come to light, the ones that do change the way one would see the world. The artist has made the public look inside the eyes of the artist. It is a shame to know that one would never see through the eyes of many artists, but one can see through the “Father of the American Cartoon” who created the depictions of the Republican Party and one can also see through the eyes of the forgotten
homas Nast was a political cartoonist in the 19th century. Nast was born September 27, 1840 In Germany.(biography.com) Nast used comedy as a way to get political points across to readers. He was known for exposing the corruption going on with “boss” Tweed. Tweed was a corrupt politician that bribed his way to the top, which made him more money in the long run. Tweed was ok with articles being ran about him because the vast majority of his constituents were irish immigrants and could not read.(blog.mcny.org) They could understand Nast’s cartoons though. Nast’s cartoons played a major role in incriminating Tweed. Because of Nast, we in the 21st century now have media like South Park as a way to get across deep messages in humorous ways. South
We live in the 21st century, where most Americans mind their own business but take for granted our God given rights. Not only God given rights but also those established by our founding forefathers. This paper will illustrate and depict the importance of the original problems faced when adopting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It will discuss the importance of the first amendment, the due process of the 4th, 5th, 6th, and the 8th amendments. Last but not least the importance of what is known as the “second Bill of Rights” (14th amendment).
This paper will discuss Ralph Steadman as an illustrator, but more specifically as a political cartoonist in post World War II Britain. His deeply set animosity for certain political figures and his caricaturization of them is a purely geographic feature. Steadman’s involvement in England’s top satirical publications boosted his credibility enough locally to garnish him better paying illustration jobs in the United States. These jobs not only brought better pay, but a new cast of politicians and elite society members for Steadman to poke his jokes at, thus further solidifying his reputation as the next great satirist from a long line of English caricature artists. In particular I am going to discuss other British cartoonists that share Steadman’s feelings towards the socially “elite”. This will help illuminate similarities between the artists and their common contempt for high society as well as prove that Steadman’s location of upbringing molded his satirically based career. Among these additional British illustrators are Gerald Scarfe and John Tenniel; both had also illustrated the pages of the weekly satire Punch (Fig.1)(Fig. 2). Scarfe’s style was extremely similar to Steadman’s and both Steadman and Tenniel are well known for their illustrations of Alice in Wonderland (Fig. 3)(Fig. 4). Thomas Nast is yet another illustrator who focussed on political cartoons in the British satirical publications of Punch and Private Eye (Fig. 5). Nast’s wit was not only responsible for the iconography that has become known as the modern day idea of Santa Claus, but one of his more famous illustrations was responsible for aiding in the capture of Boss Tweed (Fig. 5). Punch and the satirical ora that surrounde...
Greenberg is a notable cartoonist, responsible for a great number of works. One of his cartoons, named