Symbolism in Literature and Political Cartoons

Symbolism allows people to communicate beyond the limits of language. A symbol is a person, place, or object that stands for something beyond itself.

What do these pictures symbolize?

Political Cartoons: Serious Fun! Political cartoonists are idealistic crusaders who “reprimand” the world and people for falling short. What does it mean to be idealistic? Who would you consider a crusader? Have you ever been reprimanded?

Cartoonists’ Persuasive Techniques Symbolism- using an object to stand for an idea Caricature- exaggerating a physical feature or habit (big nose, large ears, etc.) These highlighted features say something about the person’s character, actions, or beliefs

What do you think this caricature is trying to say about President Obama? Do his clothes convey a hint about the message? What about the guitar?

Techniques continued Irony- the difference between the way things are and the way things are expected to be example: putting a crown on a US president is ironic. What does the crown mean? What does it say about the president when he wears one?

How is this cartoon ironic? Look at the people in line. Where are they? What is the caption?

Sarcasm is a form of irony; when irony turns to sarcasm it becomes mockery or bitterness.

Labeling- used for clarity and emphasis Exaggeration- overstating or magnifying a problem

Analogy- a comparison between two unlike things that share some characteristics

Metaphor- uses an object to note a similarity to something else. Using a tiger to represent one nation invading another nation is metaphorical. Tigers and nations are different, but what do they have in common that makes this a good metaphor for a political cartoon?

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

On the far away island of Sala-ma-sond, Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond. A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat. The water was warm. There was plenty to eat. The turtles had everything turtles might need. And they were all happy. Quite happy indeed. They were...until Yertle, the king of them all, Decided the kingdom he ruled was too small. "I'm ruler," said Yertle, "of all that I see. But I don't see enough. That's the trouble with me." --Yertle the Turtle

Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches Had bellies with stars.The Plain-Belly Sneetches Had none upon thars. Those stars weren't so big. They were really so small You might think such a thing wouldn¹t matter at all...."...And, really, it's sort of a terrible shame, For except for those stars, every Sneetch is the same. --The Sneetches

Steps in Analyzing a Political Cartoon 1.Identify the characters, symbols, and objects. 2.Look for clues and details that would give further meaning. 3.Identify the main idea by reading the captions and putting the message into your own words. 4.Identify any bias the cartoonist might have.

Why does the man think that it’s “excellent” that he can’t read the man’s essay? What clue does the sign on the wall give you?