How to Analyze a Political Cartoon

1. How to Analyze a Political Cartoon Point of View (POV) & SOAPSTone Mrs. McRae & Ms. Herbert Humanities, Fall 2012 AP CA11

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. 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?

7. 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?)

8. SOAPSTone Point of View S – Speaker O – Occasion A – Audience P – Purpose S – Subject Tone

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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?

12. 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?

13. 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?

14. 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?

15. 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?

16. Acknowledgements Duckart, Tracy. “Elements of Fiction: Point of View.” The Cache. Humboldt StateUniversity, 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.