Political Cartooning

What is a Political Cartoon? Political: that which is concerned with public affairs or government Cartoon: a sketch or drawing that interests or amuses by portraying persons, things, political events or situations etc. in an exaggerated way Political cartoons seek to evoke some sort of emotional reaction in order to make you think about a particular topic. Cartoonists most often use humour to state their point.

The following SSTIC acronym may help you better understand how political cartoons are made. Try to use these terms in the analysis of the cartoons you encounter. S – Symbolism – many cartoonists use symbolism in their cartoons S – Size – the size of items in the cartoon can sometimes imply a certain meaning T – Text – even though cartoons are visual, reading the text is crucial to understanding I – Imagery – using a well-known image to evoke a certain understanding C – Color – sometimes certain color can create a tone or mood to the cartoon

The Canadian Flag is a powerful symbol of Canada Text provides underlying meaning to the cartoons.

Hockey is a well-known image of Canadian identity.

Dark color to set a serious and depressing mood to the cartoon

Exaggerated size of Ralph Klein is to make a point about the size of Alberta’s economy.

CARICATURE - distorting a person's figures, but still keeping that person recognizable.  

STEREOTYPING - showing all persons of one group (religious, racial, national, etc.) as looking or acting the same.  Teachers are often shown in cartoons wearing glasses down on the nose and having hair in a bun held together by a pencil. SATIRE - pointing out something wrong and ridiculing it.

EXAGGERATION - overemphasizing a situation or portraying it as "bigger than life."  A cartoonist might show a problem as a bottomless pit.