Political Cartoons

A form of rhetoric that I recently found interesting is political cartoons. When I was in high school we had to read and interpret a lot of them. I found the assignments interesting but I did not pursue that interest. It seems like every day I see something about the upcoming presidential elections on television/news. Although the presidential elections are important, I would like to learn more about it in other ways besides through public broadcasting. So based on this quest for info I searched the internet for political cartoons. I used this site for my quest for knowledge, http://www.time.com/cartoonsoftheweek.html. This site was the best choice. Not only did I use political cartoons to find out about the election, but I read about several other issues. Political cartoons are informative and persuasive. Through a picture accompanied with text a powerful message is conveyed. The cartoonists are creative and passionate about their work as a writer would be about their writings. Sometimes they even use humor in their drawings. There is a intended purpose of every political cartoon, however, they can be read/ interpreted in many different ways. In order to effectively read and understand a political cartoon, you must be open-minded and willing to think critically and analytically. The message is not always obvious. Look for the deeper meaning.

-Tawana Daniels