EC - Editorial Cartoons Module Overview

Editorial Cartoons Module Overview

Introduction

Join, or Die Snake

Benjamin Franklin in 1754 drew and published one of the most well-known editorial cartoons, "Join, or Die," in the Pennsylvania Gazette. He went on to draw several other cartoons that were meant to persuade colonists to rebel against England. His most famous cartoon became a symbol of colonial freedom during the American Revolutionary War.

Do you know that Paul Revere was also an editorial cartoonist? One of his most famous engravings is a portrayal of the 1770 Boston Massacre, based on a painting by the Bostonian artist Henry Pelham. The distribution of Revere's cartoon helped to fuel resentment toward the British army and government.

Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere both strove to make a point about an editorial issue or event by creating images that they hoped would change people's minds without them even realizing it. This doesn't mean that editorial cartoons can't be funny, but their main purpose is to persuade. Editorial cartoons make readers think about current events and sway their opinion towards that of the cartoonist.

Essential Questions

  1. In what ways are editorial cartoons distinct and different from comics?
  2. What is the purpose of editorial cartoons?
  3. What are the elements of editorial cartoons?
  4. What are some tools that cartoonists use?

Key Terms

  1. Symbolism - The use of simple objects, or symbols, to stand for larger concepts or ideas.
  2. Exaggeration - Drawing attention to the physical characteristics of people or things in order to make a point.
  3. Labeling - Calling attention to a specific object or people to make it clear what their stance is on the issue.
  4. Analogy - The comparison between two unlike things.
  5. Irony - Difference between the ways things are and the way things should be, or the way things are expected to be.
  6. Satire - The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
  7. Parody - The imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.
  8. Caricature - A picture, description, or imitation of a person or thing in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
  9. Pun - A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.
  10. Stereotype - The oversimplified mental picture of characteristics supposedly shared by many people in a group.

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