The United States was a country founded on the basis of freedom. Imagine living in a nation in which The First Amendment did not exist. Where there was not freedom of speech or press where censorship reigned with a king. This picture is that of France for the entirety of the nineteenth century. During this era, Honoré Daumier was a renowned political and social cartoonist. The King and his police persecuted the lithographer Daumier, among numerous other French artists, for his political activism, including jail time and heavy fines. Honoré Daumier was a master of political and social critique. Looking at an overview of his commentaries there appear strong parallels that can be drawn to current American politics. Daumier uses a range of stylistic choices to promote critiques that are multi-dimensional which contain various overt and more subtle satires, meanings, and messages. Learning from and referencing Daumier, I created a political cartoon that mimics his style.
Honoré Daumier (1808-79) was an artist from the people for the people. Daumier was raised in a lower-middle class fam...
The idea that art can be a service to people- most importantly a service to poor and disenfranchised people is one that may be disputed by some. However, Elizabeth Catlett and other artists at the taller de Graffica Popular have proved that art could be made to service the poor. Catlett in particular is someone who has always used her art to advocate for the poor and fight injustices. While her activism and political views were very impactful, they were also very controversial. Catlett`s art and activism influenced African American and Latin American art by changing the narratives of Black and Brown working class women. In their books titled Gumbo Ya Ya, The Art of Elizabeth Catlett, African American Art: The Long Struggle, and Elizabeth Catlett: Works on Paper authors Leslie King-Hammond, Samella S. Lewis, Crystal Britton, Elizabeth Catlett, and Jeanne Zeidler speak of the work of Catlett. In a paper titled -----, ---- also speaks of the work of Elizabeth Catlett and her legacy as an activist.
From the opening sentence of the essay, “We are free to be you, me, stupid, and dead”, Roger Rosenblatt hones in on a very potent and controversial topic. He notes the fundamental truth that although humans will regularly shield themselves with the omnipresent First Amendment, seldom do we enjoy having the privilege we so readily abuse be used against us. Freedom of speech has been a controversial issue throughout the world. Our ability to say whatever we want is very important to us as individuals and communities. Although freedom of speech and expression may sometimes be offensive to other people, it is still everyone’s right to express his/her opinion under the American constitution which states that “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press”.
One key to the first amendment of the United states constitution is the right to free speech. Freedom of speech is what separates America than other countries around the world that forbid freedom of speech rights. Freedom of speech has been in our constitution since the year 1791. When James Madison “the father of the constitution” wrote the bill of rights he saw potential and that it would make the country more freedom filled than other countries. The land of the free is what the United States is nicknamed and it 's because of our rights to express ourselves as freely as we desire.
Use of Satire to Target Religion, Military, and Optimism in Voltaire's Candide. In his work, Candide, Voltaire uses satire as a means of conveying his opinions about many aspects of European society in the eighteenth century. Voltaire successfully criticizes religion, the military, and the philosophy of optimism. Religious leaders are the targets of satire throughout Candide.
Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was one of the most successful painters of her time. Over the course of her life, spanning from 1755-1842, she painted over 900 works. She enjoyed painting self portraits, completing almost 40 throughout her career, in the style of artists she admired such as Peter Paul Rubens (Montfort). However, the majority of her paintings were beautiful, colorful, idealized likenesses of the aristocrats of her time, the most well known of these being the Queen of France Marie Antoinette, whom she painted from 1779-1789. Not only was Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun the Queen’s portrait painter for ten years, but she also became her close, personal friend. She saw only the luxurious, carefree, colorful, and fabulous lifestyle the aristocracy lived in, rather than the poverty and suffrage much of the rest of the country was going through. Elisabeth kept the ideals of the aristocracy she saw through Marie Antoinette throughout her life, painting a picture of them that she believed to be practically perfect. Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun’s relationship with Marie Antoinette affected her social standing, politics, painting style, and career.
The censorship of ideas is seen, not only on American soil, but in other countries, both now and in history. In a world where governments are to be respected, to think in a contradictory manner is anything but safe. All throughout history, ideological governmen...
David Bernstein is to be congratulated on so clearly, vividly, analytically and accurately showing seriousness of these new threats to free speech and civil liberties in the US. The Cato Institute also deserves credit for publishing the book since in Bernstein’s words ‘authors who take politically incorrect positions . . . face a particularly difficult time finding publishers among leading trade presses’ (p. ix). Cato at least is still the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, was a popular American writer and cartoonist ironically known for his work with children’s books rather than wartime propaganda. His work was published throughout the wartime era by PM Magazine. As one of the few primary sources, this visual provides a foundation for criticism throughout my paper. The content provides an interesting vantage point, such that focusing more on the details enables the viewer to observe the sly innuendos of racism. Furthermore, the cartoon serves as a foundation in which it can be compared by its content and message to other works, such as the cartoon by Austin.
Candide begins in the German town of Westphalia, where Candide, a young man, lives in the castle of Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh. A noted philosopher, Doctor Pangloss, tutors the baron on philosophical optimism, the idea that "all is for the best . . . in this best of all worlds." Candide, a simple man, first accepts this philosophy, but as he experiences the horrors of war, poverty, the maliciousness of man, and the hypocrisy of the church, he begins to doubt the voracity of Pangloss's theory. Thus, philosophical optimism is the focus of Voltaire’s satire; anti-war and anti-church refrains also run throughout the novel.
This paper will discuss Ralph Steadman as an illustrator, but more specifically as a political cartoonist in post World War II Britain. His deeply set animosity for certain political figures and his caricaturization of them is a purely geographic feature. Steadman’s involvement in England’s top satirical publications boosted his credibility enough locally to garnish him better paying illustration jobs in the United States. These jobs not only brought better pay, but a new cast of politicians and elite society members for Steadman to poke his jokes at, thus further solidifying his reputation as the next great satirist from a long line of English caricature artists. In particular I am going to discuss other British cartoonists that share Steadman’s feelings towards the socially “elite”. This will help illuminate similarities between the artists and their common contempt for high society as well as prove that Steadman’s location of upbringing molded his satirically based career. Among these additional British illustrators are Gerald Scarfe and John Tenniel; both had also illustrated the pages of the weekly satire Punch (Fig.1)(Fig. 2). Scarfe’s style was extremely similar to Steadman’s and both Steadman and Tenniel are well known for their illustrations of Alice in Wonderland (Fig. 3)(Fig. 4). Thomas Nast is yet another illustrator who focussed on political cartoons in the British satirical publications of Punch and Private Eye (Fig. 5). Nast’s wit was not only responsible for the iconography that has become known as the modern day idea of Santa Claus, but one of his more famous illustrations was responsible for aiding in the capture of Boss Tweed (Fig. 5). Punch and the satirical ora that surrounde...
Mad Magazine, The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live. In our society, satire is among the most prevalent of comedic forms. This was not always true, for before the 18th century, satire was not a fully developed form. Satire, however, rose out of necessity; writers and artists needed a way to ambiguously criticize their governments, their churches, and their aristocrats. By the 18th century, satire was hugely popular. Satire as an art form has its roots in the classics, especially in the Roman Horace's Satires. Satire as it was originally proposed was a form of literature using sarcasm, irony, and wit, to bring about a change in society, but in the eighteenth century Voltaire, Jonathan Swift and William Hogarth expanded satire to include politics, as well as art. The political climate of the time was one of tension. Any criticism of government would bring harsh punishments, sometimes exile or death. In order to voice opinions without fear of punishment, malcontented writers turned to Satire. Voltaire's Candide and Swift's Modest Proposal are two examples of this new genre. By creating a fictional world modeled after the world he hated, Voltaire was able to attack scientists, and theologians with impunity. Jonathan Swift created many fictional worlds in his great work, Gulliver's Travels, where he constantly drew parallels to the English government.
Voltaire was born on November 21, 1964. In his life he published over 50 stories, including one of his most famous novels, Candide. Voltaire is a big satirist. Satire in the dictionary is defined as, “The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues”(New Oxford American Dictionary). The story Candide is filled with satire against optimism, although, this is a target among many others. Voltaire also satirizes religion, politics, and war. His religious satire is present throughout the entire work. There are several examples of this mockery along with the reasons for Voltaire’s sarcasm.
Throughout history and in current times, Benjamin Franklin has been greatly revered and admired by a large majority of American citizens. In the attempt to achieve prosperity, a multitude of people have strived to emulate Franklin’s lifestyle. Accordingly, this emulation was the source of Mark Twain’s disdain toward Benjamin Franklin, which Twain expresses in his satire, “The Late Benjamin Franklin.” Correspondingly, in “The Late Benjamin Franklin,” Mark Twain displays hostility toward Benjamin Franklin through the utilization of a derisive and mocking tone as well as the elements of satire. The ridicule and degradation of Franklin that is displayed in Twain’s satire highlights Twain’s belief that Franklin’s accomplishments are exaggerated upon, placing unrealistic expectations on all males, including Twain.
Candide: A Satire On The Enlightenment. Works Cited Missing Candide is an outlandishly humorous, far-fetched tale by Voltaire satirizing the optimism espoused by the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. It is the story of a young man’s adventures throughout the world, where he witnesses evil and disaster. Throughout his travels, he adheres to the teachings of his tutor, Pangloss, believing that "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. " Candide is Voltaire’s answer to what he saw as an absurd belief proposed by the Optimists – an easy way to rationalize evil and suffering.
The Effective Satire of Voltaire's Candide In Candide, Voltaire sought to point out the fallacy of Gottfried Leibniz's theory of optimism and the hardships brought on by the resulting inaction toward the evils of the world. Voltaire's use of satire, and its techniques of exaggeration and contrast, highlight the evil and brutality of war and the world in general when men are meekly accepting of their fate. Leibniz, a German philosopher and mathematician of Voltaire's time, developed the idea that the world they were living in at that time was "the best of all possible worlds. " This systematic optimism shown by Leibniz is the philosophical system that believed everything was for the best, no matter how terrible it seemed. In this satire, Voltaire shows the world full of natural disasters and brutality.