WRITING POLITICAL HUMOR

Poli 311.01 (W,IT)

Professor Sammy Basu


Bonus Assignment:

political cartoon
Due: Tuesday Apr 24

 

1. Draw a cartoon that responds politically to one or more of the headline stories in  New York Times within most recent week: http://www.nytimes.com/todaysheadlines. 
Your cartoon must meet the following specifications in form and content:

Form:

á      Use the predictable one- or four-square panel, or try to rethink the arrangement of the space available to you.

á      Use standard reliance on well-drawn figures, shapely voice/thought bubbles, sensible fonts, and careful cross-hatch shading, or try to cultivate a distinctive visual style, one that takes advantage of the aesthetic possibilities of black and white.

á      Draw complex images, or try to suggest visual complexity with just a few lines, i.e., make the viewerÕs eyes fill in the blanks.

á      Use visual consistency, or try to mix genres, e.g. consider pasting Ôfound objectsÕ from the newspaper into your cartoon.

Content:

 

á      Caricature or exaggeration

o     Perhaps depict a famous politician or otherwise render a stereotype.

á      Incongruous juxtaposition

á      Irony

o     Get cognitive! i.e., Try to go beyond relief, release, and superiority techniques by arranging your imagery so that having arrived at the unexpected element(s) the viewer is compelled to re-view the elements that set up the humor.

á      The message

o     Have one!

 

2. Written Analysis: (300 words)

Explain your use of incongruity, and any other humor techniques

Explain your message.

Include a link to the news story, event, etc that prompts or motivates the cartoon.

 

3. Post online:

Scan the cartoon (best place to access a scanner is Multimedia Workroom in the Smullin Basement but also try Smullin Computer lab, Writing Center, and perhaps TIUA lab), then Post cartoon together with the written analysis as the ÔbonusÕ assignment on your website, and send me the link.