Primary Source Cartoon Kit about Abraham Lincoln A political cartoon is a cartoon that makes a point about a political issue or event. You can find them in any daily newspaper, but they won’t be in the comics section. The use of political and editorial cartoons in the classroom can have multiple benefits. One wonderful quality is that the political cartoon can be used for multiple skills such as social studies and language arts. Political cartoons can be very funny, especially if you understand the issue that they’re commenting on. Their main purpose, though, is not to amuse you but to persuade you. A good political cartoon makes you think about current events, but it also tries to sway your opinion toward the cartoonist’s point of view. Cartoonists use several methods, or techniques, to get their point across. Not every cartoon includes all of these techniques, but most political cartoons include at least a few. Some of the techniques cartoonists use the most are symbolism, exaggeration, labeling, analogy, and irony. Exaggeration - Sometimes cartoonists overdo, or exaggerate, the physical characteristics of people or things in order to make a point. Labeling - Objects or people are often labeled by cartoonists to make it clear exactly what they stand for. Symbolism - Cartoonists use simple objects, or symbols, to stand for larger concepts or ideas. Analogy - An analogy is a comparison between two unlike things that share some characteristics. By comparing a complex issue or situation with a more familiar one, cartoonists can help their readers see it in a different light. Irony - The difference between the ways things are and the way things should be, or the way things are expected to be. Cartoonists often use irony to express their opinion on an issue. To review these methods of identifying these aspects
look at its No
Laughing Matter found in the Features and Activities section
of the Learning Page, you can
test yourself by drag and drop the proper term on the cartoons.
The cartoon analysis uses Adobe
Flash technology, so you will need Flash player installed to
use the analysis. Here are political cartoons you can use with your students when you are discussing Abraham Lincoln and how people of the time viewed/thought of him and his ideas.
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