BOW: Peter Kuper (editorial / political cartoon)

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Editorial Cartoons

Editorial cartoons in newspapers are graphic representations of the ideas and opinions of their creators. The purpose of editorial cartoons is similar to that of written editorials; they are intended to provoke thought about current political issues.

In the United States, a cartoon is called a comic strip or a gag cartoon; in other words, a cartoon used to sway an audience. A cartoon used to explain or illustrate a story, article, or nonfiction book, or to form part of an advertisement, is called a cartoon illustration.

How to understand cartoons

look for exaggeration

look for irony

pay attention to stereotypes

read all dialogues and captions

look for allusions to contemporary events

analyse the perspective the artist has on the issue

identify the argumentative or persuasive tools 

pay attention to colours, shapes, textual features, e.g. juxtaposition

Tone

• The tone of a cartoon can indicate the illustrator’s attitude and stance towards the issue.
• Background: The North Koreans are well known for their possession of nuclear weapons.
  
• Analysis: Although North Korea has made significant technological advances with their nuclear weapons, it is ironic that their other tools of war remain underdeveloped, perhaps since the Middle Ages as the catapult implies.

Cartoon by Mark Knight from “The Herald Sun” newspaper

Context

The context of a cartoon is important. Most of the time, cartoons are attached to articles and usually draw upon a point contended by the writer of the article.

Does the cartoon support or oppose the article? 

Does it focus on the past, present or future? Which aspect of the article does it relate to?

Does it add further information?

However, there are times when you  have to analyse a cartoon alone, where it is not accompanying an article. In this case you will have to understand the background, the situation and the issue that is represented.

Goal

To unite the colonists to combat the French and to convince the British government to advocate unification of the colonies in America.

Audience

the eight disunited British colonies. 

Symbolism

a snake cut into eight pieces which symbolisd the British colonies

Benjamin Franklin’s Plan for Unification

Twenty years before the United States declared its independence from Great Britain, a group of colonial representatives from nine colonies met in Albany, New York during the onset (beginning) of the French and Indian War. The Albany Congress of 1754 brought together colonial and Indigenous leaders in an attempt to strengthen relations while defending the northern border from the French threat in Canada. Representing Pennsylvania was Benjamin Franklin, who used the gathering as a chance to make a proposal that would end up dominating the entirety of the conference.

 For the first time in early American history, the idea of unification among the British colonies was openly debated among a body of colonial representatives.

BOW: Peter Kuper    -   Praise for the System

"Cartooning is an art that can be universally recognized and appreciated. The purest of this form is the wordless comic, where the cartoonist creates a strictly visual language. If done properly, it is capable of displaying a range of ideas and emotions that people all over the world are able to understand. It is comparable to the early days of silent films when actors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton only had gestures and facial expressions to tell their stories and convey complex feelings. Pantomime cartooning shares this limitation, yet the challenges are even greater. Not only are there no words to lean on, but there is also no movement. Every action and emotion in the story has to be conveyed through static images alone. Over the years there have been a few geniuses in this specialized art form. One of them is Peter Kuper. Long may his pencil, pen and brush silently flow."

   

Peter Kuper   is an American alternative comics artist and illustrator, best known for his autobiographical, political, and social observations.

Besides his contributions to the political anthology World War 3 Illustrated, which he co-founded in 1979 with Seth Tobocman, Kuper is currently best known for taking over Spy vs. Spy for Mad magazine. Kuper has produced numerous graphic novels which have been translated into French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Slovenian and Greek, including award-winning adaptations of Franz Kafka's Give It Up! and the Metamorphosis.

Cartoon nr 1

Cartoon nr 2

Cartoon nr 3

Cartoon nr 4

Choose one cartoon created by Kuper (slides 8 - 11). Identify the context of your cartoon, describe its basic elements (exaggeration, symbolism, analogy, labelling, irony), and comment on textual features. Write down your notes in your exercise book; upload a picture of your notes in Lesson Up.