PERSUASION IN CARTOONS USING SEMIOTICS

Persuasion in cartoons using semiotics



PERSUASION IN CARTOONS USING SEMIOTICS

Introduction

Political cartoons, different written phrases can articulate a biased political attitude from the scribe to the reader. Because all attitudes are inferred rather than stated, the author cannot be cited for a stance on political objectives. (Herrington, 2005) It is up to the reader to define their own individual attitude to the political topic at hand from their prior knowledge of the discourse surrounding the content as displayed by the cartoon. Political cartoons satire government and celebrities by use of caricatures and exaggerations, while stereotyping the general public, usually drawing on dress, gender, sex and rush to make their issue clear. These cartoons are intended for intelligent individuals that are well immersed in the current discourses and events. They can provide new point of view, reinforce a pre-existing one and even change an opinion of the reader, making these simple cartoons very powerful. (Herrington, 2005)

Discussion

CARTOON ONE

The Courier Mail displayed the cartoon amidst its pages. It contains within it what looks like to be six interlocked targets, surrounding them are three smoking holes in the wall that are obviously mean to represent newly fired gunshots. The targets are interlocked in the same way the Olympic Games logo is displayed, symbolizing the union of countries. (Herrington, 2005)

The myth behind the Olympic Games is that the games are a time of unity, peace and harmony for the world. The simplistic sign of the goal is represented here as three concentric circles. Ironically many people have never seen a gun fired into a wall or hard surface and would not have the prior knowledge to know that smoke would leak from the holes, but the media relies on the fact that their readers have seen a Hollywood movie where a gun is fired to know that these were a product of some kind of explosive device, and the cartoon is simplified further by not even having to show the origin of these shots to understand the implied narrative. (Subrero, 2007)

Recent discourses surrounding the Olympic Games include the threat of terrorism targeting the Olympics because of its mass populations, mass media exposure and how it could turn out to be a place of mass destruction. As stated here on

CARTOON TWO

The second cartoon appeared in The Chronicle on page 20, Saturday May 8th 2004. This cartoon featured a caricature of John Howard talking to a generic man reading a newspaper. It can be split into two halves, as the comic portrays a conversation between the prime minister and a man, whom stands for the typical Australian citizen who reads the newspaper and provides feedback to Howard. (Bingham, 1999)Here the cartoon portrays John Howard as saying he gives 'the president his unconditional support and that I shall follow his lead'. The man reading a newspaper entitled 'Iraq prison pictures' then replies 'Hey, Dubya said "sorry"'.

Myths arise from the cartoon stemming firstly from John Howard's dress; he is drawn in a neat suit and tie ...