|
A political cartoon is a comment or opinion on a person, event or series of
events, expressed in pictures. The cartoonist uses caricature (exaggerated
drawings) to make a comical or satirical point. The humour is often bitter
or "black" humour. Cartoon pictures may be interpreted on more than one
level.
Three steps in Interpretation of Political Cartoons
- IDENTIFY the key elements in the cartoon
- What is the date? Is the date significant in some way?
- People, places, events, structures?
- Are symbols used?
- Does the cartoon have a caption or title?
- DESCRIBE THE ACTION
- What is happening in the cartoon?
- How are the characters behaving?
- Who is happy, sad, angry, worried, etc.
- ANALYSE
- What is the cartoonist's point of view or attitude?
- Is the cartoonist sympathetic, critical, opposed or supportive of
the events or people portrayed in the cartoon?
- Is there more than one level of meaning in the cartoon?
This material has been produced by UNITEC Institute of Technology
under contract to the Ministry of Education.
|
