Part 1:
Select a political cartoon from the US News and World Report. The link to the website: https://www.usnews.com/cartoons
As you’ll see, the cartoons are organized by topic, so you should choose a cartoon on a topic that interests you.
What is the topic you’ve chosen and what is the number of the cartoon you’ve selected? (For example, in the category “Political Cartoons on Impeachment,” there are 50 cartoons, and I might choose to work with cartoon #5.)
What is the main message of this cartoon? In other words, what is the cartoon trying to persuade its viewers to do, think, and/or feel?
In what specific ways does the cartoonist communicate this message? Here, you might discuss the specific images/drawings we see, any written words that are included, and the placement of words/images together.
Part 2:
Now, find an online article that agrees with the message of the political cartoon. For instance, if my political cartoon is arguing against the benefits of standardized testing, then I should find an article that is also against standardized testing.
Identify the author (first and last name), title of the piece, and when it was published. Provide a link to the article you’ve chosen.
What is the main message of this article? In other words, what is the article trying to persuade its viewers to do, think, and/or feel?
In what specific ways does the writer communicate this message? Here, you might discuss the structure of the article, their use of sources, and the ways in which they organized their information.
Part 3
Both this article and the cartoon are promoting the same main message; however, they are two different genres of writing: one is an illustrated cartoon and the other is a written article. For Part 3 of this discussion, respond to the following:
Every genre comes with benefits and challenges. Based on your analysis of the two genres, describe what you can see as benefits of using the cartoon genre. What did the cartoon allow for that the written article did not?
Describe what you can see as the benefits of using the written article genre. What did the article allow for that the cartoon did not?
Both the cartoon and the article you analyzed are persuasive. Which one do you think is more persuasive? Why?
How do you think genre impacts the persuasiveness of a text?
