Funny Papers
Understanding Editorial Cartoons
“A good editorial cartoonist can produce smiles at the nation’s breakfast tables and, at the same time, screams around the White House. That’s the point of cartooning: to tickle those who agree with you, torture those who don’t, and maybe sway the remainder.”
– Newseum web site introduction to David Horsey exhibit
Editorial cartoons tell a story using cartoons, literary elements (irony, symbolism, satire) to convey the feelings of the people in a clever, concise manner. Your job today is to interpret the message the author/editorial cartoonist is conveying, describe and discuss the message, pull out the literary element(s) and discuss the quality of the cartoon.
Then, you will create your own editorial cartoon.
What You Need to Do
- Open a Word document
- Go to Today's Best at Daryl Cagle's website – pick out three (3) editorial cartoons – you need to understand what the cartoon means in order to use it
- You need to not use the same cartoon as individuals next to you – you cannot use the one above
- Save the image as a .jpeg to put into your Word document and Tri2 folder
Set Up EACH Cartoon in the Following Manner
| Cartoon image goes here | |||
Cartoonist Name |
Paper where published - should be in the cartoon or you may need to look up the cartoonist online to see | Title of the Cartoon- you make this up | Subject |
Main Idea |
Explain what the cartoon means to you (might be New Tax Bill, Iranian Conflict, the New Year, Social Media, etc.).
|
||
Symbolism - Irony - Satire or... |
Describe your examples (it might have both Irony and Satire - they always have some sort of symbolism - that info goes here | ||
5 W's |
Who - What - Where - When - Why - describe the individuals in the cartoon, etc. (ie - Trump, Mueller, Jerusalem, Seoul, etc... | ||
Overall Opinion/Interpretation of Editorial Cartoon |
So what do you think - was it well done? Describe your overall opinion here - use a minimum of 2 sentences | ||
Main idea – The main idea is not usually stated in words. It is communicated through the drawing.
- The main idea is the meaning the cartoonist wants you to walk away with after you’ve examined the cartoon.
- For this you will need to interpret the cartoons and write down what you think the cartoonist is trying to say.
- Include the Cartoonist - Paper - Place - Title - Subject
Symbolism – A symbol is anything that stands for or represents something else.
- A conventional symbol is one that is widely known and accepted, such as the United States flag symbolizing freedom.
- A personal symbol is one developed for a particular cartoon by a particular author.
- Look through your cartoons and communicate all the symbolism you find within the editorial cartoon.
Irony – Irony is the contrast between what is stated and what is meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.
- In verbal irony, a word or phrase is used to suggest the opposite of its usual meaning.
- In dramatic irony, there is a contradiction between what a character knows and what the audience knows to be true.
- In irony of situation, an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, or the reader, or of the audience.
- Explain the type of irony and what is ironic about it on the right.
Satire – Satire is writing that ridicules or criticizes individuals, ideas, institutions, social conventions, or other works of art or literature.
- The writer of satire may use a tolerant, sympathetic tone or an angry, bitter tone. Satire can be used in prose, poetry, and editorial cartoon
- Explain the satire used in your cartoons, how it was used and what type of tone.
Now, it's your turn
After you complete your editorial cartoon interpretation, you will make your own editorial cartoon:
- Rules - it can be about anything - it can't be mean - it can't be inappropriate - you have to link it up as an image also (jpg - not psd)
- You have to use all the same categories as those listed above in the table
Save this assignment as Funny Papers in your 2nd Tri folder - when finished upload your Funny Papers doc (three editorial cartoons in the one Word doc) to our Synergy Dropbox.
- Resources for Today's Work - Daryl Cagle's Cartoonist Index Homepage
- jteacher.com An online resource for journalism educators and students
