When having to choose a topic for this week I was not motivated. I was not sure where to even start. I think that this affect is because I am at the beach and while at the beach I am sitting here doing homework. So I decided to open up the book and start. When I saw the topic of editorial cartoons also known as political cartoons, I was intrigued. The first thing that comes to my mind was year 2004 when I was in eighth grade. This was the year that all of us knew we were about to start American History. We all had heard stories from previous students and how they did not like the class. We all knew it was going to be a difficult class with a difficult teacher. So as I braved the class there was one thing that I did enjoy doing. Every week she would give us a magazine and at the end of each magazine there was always a political cartoon that we had to evaluate and answer questions on. I always liked that because it made me think and I found a chance to think critically on our world. They were typically on things that had happened in the past, but they were still enjoyable. As an eighth grade student I found that they were a great tool to help teach us stuff in regards to history. I think that they serve a great purpose as a tool for teachers to use in a class room.
I chose to answer prompt number six on page 366 in the Exploring Language book. The editorial cartoon can also be known as political criticism. They support and criticize political views through satire means. It is a way to communicate visually instead of verbally. They always tend to leave a strong impression whether it is a humorous one or not. They use powerful symbols and metaphors. As a communication medium they are a way to get a message across but in a easy let down way. To me I relate this to when people will say something but then they add a just kidding at the end of their statement. They are trying to get a message across without getting people hurt too much. I think that the editorial cartoons can be looked at in the same way. It is like saying their message then adding a just kidding at the end, knowing that it eased up the tension but that the message was loud and clear. I also believe that they are bad. I think that this makes people look at our problems in our government less seriously. When you look at our government now and all of its issues, it is a serious problem. One that should not be taken lightly. When people look at the cartoons people think that our problems are not that serious and they think that it is funny. I do not know if editorial cartoons are the best idea but personally I like them. I do find them entertaining.
Hello kterry! I also think that this weeks prompt was quite intriguing. I think that images can provoke at lot of language, through it may encompass little. It does sort of sugar coat situations and make them seem light hearted. Event though the issue may be serious some of these cartoons are geared toward easing there opinion on the viewer. I do think that sometimes these cartoons are used to make light of a situation that has publicized to death. Good or bad sometimes we do need to ease up on things perhaps to be more clear headed about the subject. Sometimes its just plain funny to laugh at something that you maybe shouldn’t. But I do think they can have a negative impact too. As you said, sometimes when we make light of too much we lose the true meaning of the issue. I also think propaganda is another thing that hurts the credibility of political cartoons. Funny until they push their political views upon viewers. At the end of the day these political cartoon stir our emotions and get us thinking. Perhaps in disgust or even in agreement, but either way they do the job. They gain attention and disperse the issue. Anyway great blog! I enjoyed :)
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