interpreting political cartoons 13 - pbworkscoachlott.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/69964729/political...

Name oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Date oooooooooooooooooooooooo Class ooooooooooooooooo

Interpreting Political Cartoons 25

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Constitutional Freedoms

In 1993 director Spike Lee released the movie, Malcolm X, profiling the life of the contro-versial religious leader and civil rights activist Malcolm X. A riveting speaker, Malcolm Xembraced religion while in prison, dedicating his life to the Nation of Islam. After his release,he campaigned with strident, often inflammatory language for a separate African Americansociety. In 1964 he broke away from the Nation, as his views about integration began tochange. He rejected the idea that all white people were evil. He made his disagreements withthe Nation of Islam public. He was assassinated the following year. With the release of themovie, Malcolm X recaptured public attention. African Americans believed that the causeschampioned by Malcolm had not yet been resolved. “X” became a symbol, appearing on base-ball hats, T-shirts, and posters, demanding attention to the rights African Americans stillsought, even though almost 30 years had passed since Malcolm X’s assassination.

The cartoon on this page gives one view of civil rights activism. Study the cartoon and

answer the questions that follow:

Source: Cartoon by Walt Handelsman. Tribune Media Services. Reprinted with permission.


26 Interpreting Political Cartoons

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Analyzing the Cartoon

1. What symbols are used to portray the demands of the African American citizen, and what do you

think the demands are? ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo



2. Look up the meaning of “status quo” in the dictionary and explain why the white citizen is wearing a

T-shirt with those words and asking “why?” oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo




3. Explain how the cartoonist uses the last three letters of the alphabet symbolically in the

cartoon. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo



4. According to the cartoon, how has the government responded to the concerns of African

Americans? ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo



5. What stereotypes are used in portraying the two men? ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo




6. Although the cartoon is disparaging about the situation of race, the cartoon does exhibit some positiveaspects of race relations in the United States. What positive elements do you see in this cartoon?




Critical Thinking



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Citizenship and Equal Justice

Our nation’s history was shaped by immigrants seeking better living conditions, but theUnited States has not always been supportive of its foreign-born citizens. Resentment andviolence toward immigrants, laws and quotas to limit their presence, and continued social and economic discrimination have all had their place in United States history. Despite theseobstacles, however, people worldwide have continued to look to the United States as the land of opportunity.

By 1996 the foreign-born population of the United States was approximately 25 million.Many of the new arrivals were illegal aliens, entering the country without legal permits. Illegalaliens often find employment and partake of government benefits like free schooling and medical treatment without having paid the taxes that support these social programs. Recentlegislation at state and national levels was designed to withhold services from illegal aliens,but such legislation is fraught with controversy.

The cartoon on this page gives one view of United States immigration. Study the

cartoon and answer the questions that follow:

Source: Cartoon by Michael Ramirez. Copley News Service. Reprinted with permission.


28 Interpreting Political Cartoons

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Analyzing the Cartoon

1. Who do you think the people behind the lectern are? ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo




2. What do the loudspeakers and microphones on the stage symbolize? ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo




3. Why does the cartoon include the flag of Mexico on the lectern? oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo




4. Irony is a statement in which the intended meaning is the opposite of the stated meaning. How is irony

used in this cartoon? oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo



5. Above the stage are circled numbers with slashes through them representing state propositions effectingimmigration. Using available reference tools, research California’s Proposition 187 of 1994. Explain why the proposition was introduced, what it intended, and the support and opposition it received.





6. Why do you think the cartoonist chose a child to question the definition of illegal?





Critical Thinking

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