Year 11 The Truth Part 1

Analysing Political Cartoons:

1. Newspapers, Facebook articles.

2. It was written as a satirical response to Donald Trumps election as
the 45th President of the United States of America in 2016.

3. On a denotative or basic level, it has been written for the broad

public who have an interest in politics, as a piece of satire. More
specifically it could have been written for an American audience as
there are many American icons in the cartoon such as the Statue of
Liberty and the Empire State building, suggesting that there will be
an effect on America as a country. More specifically still, the colour
blue is the colour of the American Democratic party, therefore the
cartoons audience could be American democrats whose candidate
Hillary Clinton lost the election.
4. A political cartoonist who is satirising the President elect in a major
daily newspaper.
5. The point of view is from the American democratic party and
democrats in general who appear to be appalled and shocked that
Trump won the 2016 election. This idea of being in shock or dismay
is suggested by the wide eyed expressions of the Statue of Liberty
and the American Bald eagle in the cartoon.
6. The text exaggerates the shock and disbelief that Donald Trump, the
rank political outsider, maverick billionaire, reality TV celebrity and
rogue businessman won the 2016 US election when he was not
expected to against the politically astute Hillary Clinton. The blonde
hair pieces, that adorn many of Americas famous icons (Statue of
Liberty, Bald Eagle, Empire State building, Flag) symbolise Trumps
victory over the odds and that his style of personal politics (frank
and brash manner, politically incorrect language at times, lockerroom brogue etc.) will now adorn American life for the next four
years and come to project a trashier side of American diplomacy
and ethical behaviour to the world.
Furthermore, Trumps blond wig also connotes the idea that he will
be ushering in a new era of trashiness, cheapness, falseness and
fakery in the White House as the new American President, lowering
political and governmental standards because he has been through
six corporate bankruptcies and has been characterised as being
nothing more than a short-term money-grubber in his prior business
dealings.
7. The people represented in the text are Americans and democrats
who are surprised by Trumps victory in the 2016 election. Donald
Trump is also represented, although he is caricaturised just by his
hair-piece, the famous blond wig which constructs him as being
false and vain and only self-interested.
8. Trumps supporters (the so-called Trumplicans) are left out of this
text. The views of the Republicans are not represented.

9. Gaps in the knowledge surrounding this cartoon are the reasons for
Trumps victory how many Americans thought that Trump would
drain the swamp of political /lobby group nepotism and greed, and
make dramatic reversals to Americas economic woes.
10.
The cartoon wants you to sympathise with the losers of the
2016 election -the democrats who thought they were a shoo-in, who
won the popular vote by 3 million counts, but lost the electoral
college vote which made Trump president. The text wants to make
the reader feel shock and horror to, at Trumps victory and for the
Americas future under this controversial figure.
11.
Anti-Trump supporters, democrats, and members of minority
groups (LGBTQIA, African-American, Latino, Mexican etc.) stand to
benefit from this satirical poke at Donald Trumps electoral victory
that evokes a feeling of shock and horror that he has become the
new president.
12.
Ultimately, Donald Trump is disadvantaged in this visual text
as he does not have a right of reply to the emotion generated, his
views on becoming president are silenced and because there are
gaps in the knowledge of why he was elected by the people of
America.
13.
Documentaries, street art, graffiti, the wall of wailing in New
York subway etc.)
14.
Fallacies in the text include ad hominem as Trumps character
is being assailed, hasty generalisation that he will have a major
impact on the American way of life and appeal to pity, as the
cartoonist positions the reader to feel sad, shocked and horrified
about Trumps victory.