Comparing Two Political Cartoons

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Political and editorial cartoons are created as a way to visually bring a topic to the public's attention. These cartoons often times satirize a political figure, event, or problem occurring at that time. These illustrations are meant to simplify an event while also allowing the viewer to see the creators opinions and attitude toward that event, often times these opinions are biased ones. The cartoons chosen begin with the debate that Americans had over the war in Iraq. The controversy started with whether or not the United States should go to war at all. Back when it was published in 2003 the United States and Iraq went to war in order to remove Saddam Hussein from power, and it seems as though the citizens of the United States were more outspoken than ever about opposing the war. The two political cartoons shown below, by Adam Zygl and Mike Lane, offer two very different perspectives on the price people were paying for this war. The first shows the burden the American taxpayer at home had to …show more content…

There is a man strapped to a huge sack of debt, along with President Bush sitting on top of it. Zygl chooses to use the word "debt" so profoundly on the sack so that the reader translates whatever is happening to the man in the picture as also happening to the American taxpayer. The taxpayer is portrayed as very frail and weak. It can be seen when looking closely that there are sweat marks drawn around the timid mans petrified expression. What is most notable about the cartoon is that the taxpayer is wearing clothing that is patriotic. The message was being worn. The frail little taxpayer can barely carry the huge cost of war, but he is doing it in the name of patriotism, love of his country and the ideals it stands for, and in fact, because the big man in the suit, the government, asked him

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