Transcript How to Analyze a Political Cartoon

Quickwrite
 Please write until the teachers ask you to stop about the
cartoon you are handed. Try to analyze it as best you
can.
 Write your response on the BACK of the cartoon.
Point of View (POV)
 What are the types of POV?
 First Person – A dead giveaway is the use of the pronoun “I.”

Think about who is telling the story. Are they watching it happen or are they
making the decisions?
 Third Person Omniscient – A dead giveaway is the use of the pronouns “he,”
“she,” “they,” etc.

The narrator knows everything that is happening, even if it is not happening to
him/her. He/She will most likely know the significance of the story or events in the
story. This is the most flexible POV and allows the widest scope.
 Third Person Limited Omniscient – Like tpom, BUT this narrator only knows
what ONE character feels, thinks, etc.

The narrator knows more about the character than the character knows about
him/herself.
 Third Person Objective (or Dramatic) – A dead giveaway for this POV is the
use of extensive dialogue. This POV is similar to tpom and troml, but the
narrator can only say what is happening – he/she cannot see into the minds of
any other characters.

This POV is like you are watching a movie – you the watcher (reader) are allowed to
make your OWN inferences; the narrator won’t make them for you.
POV Hints
 Ask yourself these questions:
 Who tells the story?
 How much is this person allowed to know?
 To what extent does the author look inside the
characters and report their thoughts and feelings?
Why is knowing POV
Important?
 To know whether the events in the story are interpreted
by the narrator or by one of the characters. If it is
interpreted by one of the characters:
 How does the character’s mind and personality affect
his/her interpretations?
 Is the character perceptive or imperceptive? (able to
figure out what’s going on, or not?)
 Is the character trustworthy?
POV Importance Cont’d
 Know whether the writer has chosen his POV for
maximum revelation of his/her material or for another
reason:
 Has the author has chosen his/her POV mainly to
conceal certain info until the end of the story, thus
maintaining suspense?
 Did the author deliberately mislead the reader by
presenting events through an untrustworthy character
for some reason? (like making a climax more exciting or
allow the reader to have an “ah-ha” moment when the
truth is finally revealed?
POV Importance Cont’d
 Know whether the author has used her/his selected
POV fairly and consistently:
 Do the person whose thoughts and feelings we are
admitted have pertinent info that he/she does not
reveal?
 Is the POV consistent? Why isn’t it? Is there an artistic
reason? (Like for a bigger BANG! at the end?)
SOAPSTone
 Point of View
 S – Speaker
 O – Occasion
 A – Audience
 P – Purpose
 S – Subject
 Tone
Point of View
 Ask yourself these questions:
 Who drew the cartoon?
 (speaker, writer or artist)
 How much is this person allowed to know?
 First person, Third Person Omniscient, Third Person
Limited, Third Person Objective
 To what extent does the artist look inside the characters
and report their thoughts and feelings?
 Is the artist speaking FOR the characters? Think about
the time period.
S - Speaker
Questions to ask yourself:
 Who is the speaker/writer?
 In a cartoon, you would ask, who drew this cartoon?
 What details does he reveal?
 Why is it important to know who the speaker is?
 His profession, views, etc.
Occasion
 How does your knowledge of the larger occasion and
the smaller occasion affect how we view and analyze
the text/cartoon? (This requires you to recall your
background knowledge)
 Is there a smaller occasion? Perhaps a smaller event that
relates to this cartoon? Do you think that is what
inspired the artist to draw it?
 Is there a larger occasion? Perhaps a general feeling in
the US that would lead the general public/people to
agree or disagree with the artist?
Audience
 Who is the audience? What are their characteristics?
 Think about where the cartoon may have been
published.
 How is the audience related to you as the
reader/viewer?
 Does this relation compare/contrast to the American
Dream? How/ How not?
 Why is the cartoonist addressing (drawing for) this
audience?
Purpose
 What does the author hope to accomplish by his
expression of his opinion? Is he trying to persuade the
general public in one way or another?
 How should the audience respond?
 How does the cartoonist WANT the audience to
respond?
Subject
 What message is the cartoonist trying to portray?
 In other words, what is he trying to say?
 What are his main ideas/arguments/points?
Tone
 What attitude does the cartoonist want us to have
towards the Chinese? The Blacks? The Indians?
 Think about if you were living during this time, or think
about your ancestors – would this cartoon influence
them to believe the cartoonist? Why/Why not?
 How does the cartoonist’s attitude enhance the
effectiveness of his drawing?
 Think about what you are passionate about – are you
more likely or less likely to be able to communicate your
ideas and beliefs better or worse?
Acknowledgements
 Duckart, Tracy. “Elements of Fiction: Point of View.”
The Cache. Humboldt State University, 18 Aug.
2007. Web. 7 Oct. 2012.
 Morse, Ogden. “SOAPSTone: a Strategy for Reading
and Writing.” AP Central. College Board, 2012.
Web. 7 Oct. 2012.