Cold War Political Cartoon Assignment
Your assignment has 2 parts:
A good political cartoon must have five basic features:
How do I begin to create a political cartoon?
First you must ask yourself, “What is the issue I want to write about?” A good way to decide is to look over your notes. What issue stands out to you? Meaning, was there something that shocked you, something that you think is not right, something that seems hypocritical, something that you think needs change, something that is emotional, etc? You should write down your statement and then ask yourself “why do I feel this way and what should be done?”
Please note:
It is very tempting to copy cartoons that have already been done. Some students believe that they can take an idea from an artist, change a thing or two, and then claim it is their own. This is plagiarism and will result in a “0” on your assignment. You must come up with an original idea.
- Create a political cartoon on any event or issue that occurred during the cold war. You will draw your original political cartoon on a regular sheet of blank A4 paper.
- A one-page written analysis of your political cartoon, including the reasons why your theme/topic was important during this era and the significance of the overall message/idea in relation to the Cold War.
A good political cartoon must have five basic features:
- It must be simple.
- People must be able to understand it.
- The cartoon must be timely.
- It must evoke emotion. A good cartoon should make people laugh or make them mad.
- Always, the cartoon must give a point of view. The cartoon may be looking at the truth, but it usually is coming from a specific viewpoint.
How do I begin to create a political cartoon?
First you must ask yourself, “What is the issue I want to write about?” A good way to decide is to look over your notes. What issue stands out to you? Meaning, was there something that shocked you, something that you think is not right, something that seems hypocritical, something that you think needs change, something that is emotional, etc? You should write down your statement and then ask yourself “why do I feel this way and what should be done?”
- Do not forget about symbolism, metaphors, exaggerations, labeling, analogy, & irony.
Please note:
It is very tempting to copy cartoons that have already been done. Some students believe that they can take an idea from an artist, change a thing or two, and then claim it is their own. This is plagiarism and will result in a “0” on your assignment. You must come up with an original idea.