Assignment – Interpreting Political Cartoons
We anticipate that this assignment will take you 2.5 hours to complete (this may vary by student). This includes time for research, reading of outside materials, critical thinking, writing, revision of text, and reflection on the topic. You should expect the assignment to be graded and returned with feedback from your instructor no later than Sunday at 11:59PM following the due date.
In the Gilded Age, political cartoons provided important commentary on the major economic, political, and social issues of the day. Cartoon artists employed symbolism, exaggeration, labeling, analogy, and irony to express their viewpoint.
To understand how to analyze political cartoons, make sure to complete the “Analyzing Primary Sources” activity in section 4.3 of your textbook, and then visit the Library of Congress’s Political Cartoon Analysis page. Once you have a good idea of how to analyze political cartoons, choose one of the cartoons below and respond to the following:
1. Identify the character(s) in the cartoon.
2. Identify the symbols and actions the artist employs in the cartoon.
3. Explain the cartoon’s message, intended audience, and if the artist was persuasive to their intended audience.
The combined answers should be one page, including your reference list.
