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| Benjamin Franklin's "Join or Die" |
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| Thomas Nast's self portrait |
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| The "Brains" |
Right now, I am studying political cartoons, also known as editorial cartoons. They were sometimes used to tell messages to people who could not read. A well known political cartoon is Benjamin Franklin's "Join or Die". The different parts of the snake symbolize the thirteen colonies. The meaning of "Join or Die" is that all the colonies have to unite against England or they will all perish. A major political cartoonist was Thomas Nast. He was considered to be the father of American Cartoon. He created many cartoons, and a number of them are very famous, such as the "Brains", as shown. The Harper's Weekly, a magazine, was one of the place's where Nast could show his work. There are still political cartoonists today. An example of a modern day political cartoon is Doonesbury. There is also Edison Lee. Another example of a modern political cartoonist is Jack Ohman. "Revenue Enhancement" is a example of his work. The political cartoons date back very long ago, and still exist today.
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| Revenue Enhancement |
Sources:
- http://cartoons.osu.edu/nast/images/nast_self_car.jpg
- http://www.phinallyphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/myers160190f9-9161-4f70-beca-072b02c6a77c.jpg
- http://www.phinallyphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/myers160190f9-9161-4f70-beca-072b02c6a77c.jpg
- http://media.oregonlive.com/ohman_impact/photo/10591126-large.jpg
Hi Sage,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that cartoons were used for people that couldn't read and I also didn't know there was so much history behind the political cartoons that we see today in the newspaper. One question though in the post the "join or die" picture, only has 8 segments so am I just not interpreting right or is there something i'm missing? Great post I learned something!
Great post,
Colin Mitchell
Hi Sage,
ReplyDeleteI thought this was very interesting! If I get a hold of a newspaper I always look at the comics, but I didn't know that people started making comics that long ago! I have one question though. Some comics were made so people who couldn’t read could get messages. Did people have trouble interpreting the message? I mean, the one that has the snake. If you couldn’t read the "Join or Die" it would look like a cut up snakes. Could all the people read simple phrases like Join or Die?
Thanks!
Keep posting,
Shintaro Davis
Hi Sage,
ReplyDeleteI like the theme of your blog a lot. On first sight, you wouldn't really think that it ties in with Revolutions, but when you think about it, it really does. Why did the Join or Die picture not have thirteen segments? Was it because eight colonies had joined at the time the picture was made?
Ryan
Hi Sage,
ReplyDeleteI like how you are researching a topic that many people would not think to research. People fought with England for a very long time, so how do you think Join or Die affected the colonies and politics in that era?
Hi Sage,
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic, I like how you chose a comedic yet meaningful topic. I didn't know that there was such range between the cartoon's themes. Some were serious, some were funny, but all of them had their own message. I wonder why Benjamin Franklin referred to the colonies as a snake? Did it have a higher meaning?
Keep it up,
Sahil
Hey Sage,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I liked how you chose to write about a topic that is humorous and we see almost every day in society. I didn't know that they were used for communicating ideas to people who were illiterate. Why was Benjamin Franklin's "Join or Die" portrayed as a snake?
Great Job!
-Coleman S.
Hi Sage, good job on the blog! I liked how you chose to explain what those political cartoons were talking about. Do you know who made the first political cartoon?
ReplyDeleteFrom,
Nick