Specifications for Political Cartoon essay analysis Process: 1. Look at the American Studies website to find the link to the cartoons that you might like to analyze. You will be focused on 1942. Choose 4-5 different cartoons (by date), so you have options when you sign up. No two students will be analyzing the same cartoon. 2. Choose one of the approved Dr. Seuss cartoons from 1942 3. Print the cartoon that you choose. You may want to make 2 copies. You will turn in a clean copy of your cartoon with your essay. 4. Analyze the cartoon using the context of the publication, the WWII events depicted in the cartoon, Seuss agenda, and the propaganda techniques. This will take time remember that you need to prove your ideas with facts from acceptable sources no encyclopedias, blogs or wikis. 5. It will help if you begin your analysis using the worksheet. Works Cited at the end of the essay Adequate development in a paragraph The topic (which is introduced by the topic sentence) should be discussed fully and adequately. Again, this varies from paragraph to paragraph, depending on the author's purpose, but writers should be using paragraphs have at least nine sentences. Paragraphs that are less than nine sentences are incomplete. Some methods to make sure your paragraph is well-developed: Use examples and illustrations Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence, details, and others) One per paragraph Examine testimony (what other people say such as quotes and paraphrases) Use an anecdote or story Define terms in the paragraph Compare and contrast Evaluate causes and reasons Examine effects and consequences Analyze the topic Describe the topic Offer a chronology of an event (time segments)
Essay assignment: Question: Analyze the political cartoon based on how it reflects the publication date and the country s perceptions and feelings. Include specific propaganda techniques used in the cartoon and why they are effective. Thesis statement: Dr. Seuss cartoon, published, 1942, depicts through. Paragraph one: Context of time and events and how they are represented in the cartoon Paragraph must have one strong proof (quote, statistic, study, etc.) that proves the thesis statement. The proof must be cited correctly in the text from a source in the Works Cited. Paragraph two: Explain propaganda techniques used in the cartoon and how they promote the cartoonist s agenda Paragraph must have one strong proof (quote, statistic, study, etc.) that proves the thesis statement. The proof must be cited correctly in the text from a source in the Works Cited. It may be appropriate to use a quote from the cartoon s caption in your analysis. This does not count as your proof, it is just an example. You do not have to cite the cartoon in your essay. Works Cited at the end of the essay Adequate development in a paragraph: The topic (which is introduced by the topic sentence) should be discussed fully and adequately. Again, this varies from paragraph to paragraph, depending on the author's purpose, but writers should be using paragraphs have at least nine sentences. Paragraphs that are less than nine sentences are incomplete.
Essay example: The Dr. Seuss cartoon depicts the United States propaganda against the people of Japanese descent following the attack on Pearl Harbor. This cartoon is published February 13, 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The cartoon shows thousands of caricaturized Japanese lining up for blocks of TNT. There is an obvious implication that the TNT will be used against the United States. The caption, Waiting for the signal from home, supports that home for the Asian Americans is Japan, not America, because the man on the roof is looking away from the United States, toward Japan. The West coast states, California, Oregon, and Washington are identified to further promote the idea of where the real threat resides with the Japanese people who are living on the coast. The more subtle reference to the fifth column compares the Japanese people living in America to the Nazi secret police who would infiltrate the soon to be occupied towns in Europe. People in the towns would start to trust these Nazis who were planning the town s demise. This reference by Seuss is that the Japanese people may seem trustworthy, but they are really terrorists, just waiting for the right time to attack the United States. The way that Seuss draws all of the Japanese people smiling reinforces the idea that they can t be trusted and that they are not sincere. The fact that they are being issued blocks of TNT suggests that they will happily participate in terrorist attacks. No specific charges were ever filed against Japanese Americans, and no evidence of subversion was ever found (Danzer, 801). Unfortunately, most American people were more than willing to believe the racist propaganda of cartoonists like Seuss. It would take several decades for the United States to issue a formal pardon to the Japanese Americans and to pay restitution for their internment. Dr. Seuss drew many editorial cartoons during WWII that were against racism; however this cartoon is an example of Seuss prejudice, or blind spot when it comes to the Japanese. By 1942, Seuss cartoons are no longer editorial, but propaganda. Seuss is working for the United States war department as a propagandist. Seuss s cartoon has the Japanese people in America all looking the same. Stereotyping the Japanese-American people as short, myopic and buck-toothed, suggests that they don t look anything like white Americans. The cartoon s agenda is that Americans can t trust any Japanese people, even Japanese-Americans. This cartoon promotes the kind of propaganda that gave public support for article 9066. On February 19, 1942, thousands of Japanese people in America, 2/3 of them American citizens, were sent to internment camps for the remainder of the war. Putting the Fifth Column label on the shed is Seuss method of transfer. If the American people knew about the Nazi fifth column, then they will associate those Nazi spies with the Japanese Americans. Seuss cartoons were not the only forms of racist propaganda. Newspapers whipped up anti-japanese sentiment by running ugly stories attacking Japanese Americans (Danzer 800). This quote establishes that supposed unbiased journalism was influencing public opinion and was fueling prejudice and supporting the desire for avenging Pearl Harbor. Works Cited Danzer, Gerald A. and others. The Americans. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2005. Print.
Analyzing an Editorial Cartoon What is the cartoon s title or caption? Who drew the cartoon? When and where was it published? (This establishes context) What is familiar to you in this cartoon? What questions do you have about this cartoon? Editorial cartoonists combine pictures and words to communicate their opinions. What tools does the cartoonist use to make his or her point? Analogy to another historical or current event, references to popular culture, art, literature, etc. Important people and objects shown in the cartoon: Are symbols used? If so, what are they and what do they mean? Are stereotypes used? If so, what group is represented? Is anyone caricatured in the cartoon? If so, who? Briefly explain the message/agenda of the cartoon: What groups would agree /disagree with the cartoon s message? Why? Which propaganda techniques can you find? Where are you finding these techniques? Be specific Glittering Generalities Card Stacking Name Calling Testimonials Bandwagon Lesser of Two Evils Simplification (Stereotyping) Assertion Transfer Plain Folks Pinpointing the Enemy Do you think this cartoon is effective in its message? Why? The Opper Project 2007
Evaluation: In order for an essay to be eligible for credit, the essay must Meet the contract deadline Be typed Have a thesis statement and two paragraphs Include proof and documentation Include a clean copy, separate page, of your cartoon with the publication date In order for an essay to be eligible for ranking above a 2, the essay must include Valid thesis statement Paragraphs with at least 9 sentences ((quotes/proof count as one sentence, no matter the length) Proof in each paragraph with error-free documentation, including the Works Cited 4 3 Valid thesis statement that correctly answers the question or addresses the assignment Clear examples that support the thesis, answer the question/assignment and are in correct context Strong explanation that explains, clarifies, and evaluates Transitions between paragraphs and within paragraph Relevant proof (quote, text, and/or statistic) that is correctly documented from an acceptable source in Works Cited Works Cited at the end of the essay in correct format Each paragraph has only one documented proof Each paragraph is a minimum of 9 sentences (quotes/proof count as one sentence, no matter the length) Correct mechanics, punctuation, usage and grammar Valid thesis statement that correctly answers the question or addresses the assignment Examples that support the thesis, answer the question/assignment and are in correct context Adequate explanation, but has some summary, instead of focusing on analysis Transitions between paragraphs and within paragraph Relevant proof (quote, text, and/or statistic) that is correctly documented from an acceptable source in Works Cited Works Cited at the end of the essay in correct format Each paragraph has only one documented proof Each paragraph is a minimum of 9 sentences (quotes/proof count as one sentence, no matter the length) Few errors in mechanics, punctuation, usage and grammar, but they do not distract from the essay 2 (essays with errors in two or more criteria may receive a 1 or 0 ranking) Valid thesis statement that correctly answers the question or addresses the assignment Some examples support the thesis, answer the question/assignment and are in correct context. This essay needs more examples that support the thesis statement clearly. Explanation is present, but there is a significant gap in how the examples are addressing the thesis. More of the explanation is actually summary than analysis. Transitions between paragraphs but there are few effective transitions within the paragraphs. Paragraphs are more of a list than expository writing Relevant proof (quote, text, and/or statistic) that may have documentation errors from an acceptable source in Works Cited Works Cited at the end of the essay in may have format errors Each paragraph has only one documented proof Each paragraph is a minimum of 9 sentences (quotes/proof count as one sentence, no matter the length) Mechanics, punctuation, usage and grammar errors may be significant and take away from the essay s intent. 1 (essays with more than area marked from these criteria may receive 0 credit) Thesis statement either restates the question or does not answer the question or the assignment This essay is more of a report that defines and summarizes a topic with little focus Transitions may be chronological, if present at all Instead of having a quote that proves, the quote only exists. It may be out of context or incomplete. Errors in documentation or source is not in Works Cited Errors in the Works Cited Each paragraph has only one documented proof Each paragraph is a minimum of 9 sentences (quotes/proof count as one sentence, no matter the length) So many errors in mechanics, punctuation, usage and grammar that this is difficult or impossible to read 0 Essays that are plagiarized, incomplete, do not meet the requirements, do not meet the deadline, or do not address the assignment are not eligible for credit.
Point vampires Using a conversational tone (Well, let me explain what I m trying to tell you) instead of an academic tone Defining instead of explaining Repeating/rewording instead of explaining and clarifying No proof No citation or incorrect citation No Works Cited or incorrect format Using You, your, yours, we, our, us = bandwagon (no propaganda in your essays) Remember that writing imperative sentences include an understood (you) as the subject don t use these. If your sentence begins with a verb it s imperative. Misusing There= pointing in a direction Their= possessive, belonging to more than one person They re= contraction--they are Errors in Agreement: Subject-verb Pronoun-antecedent Singular Everyone, anyone, no one, nobody, anybody, everybody, somebody, either, neither, each, someone He, she, him, her, his, hers Person, student Plural All, many, several, They, their, them People, students Apostrophe errors: Apostrophes--The apostrophe has three uses: to form possessives of nouns to show the omission of letters to indicate certain plurals of lowercase letters
Forming Possessives of Nouns how and when to use the apostrophe To see if you need to make a possessive, turn the phrase around and make it an "of the..." phrase. For example: the boy's hat = the hat of the boy three days' journey = journey of three days If the noun after "of" is a building, an object, or a piece of furniture, then no apostrophe is needed room of the hotel = hotel room door of the car = car door leg of the table = table leg Once you've determined whether you need to make a possessive, follow these rules to create one. add 's to the singular form of the word (unless it ends in -s): the owner's car James' hat (For plural, proper nouns that are possessive, use an apostrophe after the 's': "The Eggles' presentation was good." The Eggles are a husband and wife consultant team.) add 's to the plural forms that do not end in -s: the children's game the geese's honking add ' to the end of plural nouns that end in -s: two cats' toys three friends' letters add 's to the end of compound words: my brother-in-law's money add 's to the last noun to show joint possession of an object: Todd and Anne's apartment Showing omission of letters Apostrophes are used in contractions. A contraction is a word (or set of numbers) in which one or more letters (or numbers) have been omitted. The apostrophe shows this omission. Contractions are common in speaking and in informal writing. To use an apostrophe to create a contraction, place an apostrophe where the omitted letter(s) would go. Here are some examples: don't = do not I'm = I am he'll = he will who's = who is shouldn't = should not didn't = did not could've= could have (NOT "could of"!) '60 = 1960
Don't use apostrophes for personal pronouns, the relative pronoun who, or for noun plurals. Apostrophes should not be used with possessive pronouns because possessive pronouns already show possession they don't need an apostrophe. His, her, its, my, yours, ours are all possessive pronouns. However, indefinite pronouns, such as one, anyone, other, no one, and anybody, can be made possessive. Here are some examples: wrong: his' book correct: his book correct: one's book correct: anybody's book wrong: Who's dog is this? correct: Whose dog is this? wrong: The group made it's decision. correct: The group made its decision. (Note: Its and it's are not the same thing. It's is a contraction for "it is" and its is a possessive pronoun meaning "belonging to it." It's raining out= it is raining out. A simple way to remember this rule is the fact that you don't use an apostrophe for the possessive his or hers, so don't do it with its!) wrong: a friend of yours' correct: a friend of yours wrong: She waited for three hours' to get her ticket. correct: She waited for three hours to get her ticket. Proofreading for apostrophes A good time to proofread is when you have finished writing the paper. Try the following strategies to proofread for apostrophes: If you tend to leave out apostrophes, check every word that ends in -s or -es to see if it needs an apostrophe. If you put in too many apostrophes, check every apostrophe to see if you can justify it with a rule for using apostrophes. For more reviews about writing, grammar, mechanics, etc. please use the OWL website from Purdue University. It is very clear, interactive, and perfect for American Studies. If you are looking for documentation format, please use the 2009 MLA format on the website. The site s address is: http://owl.english.purdue.edu