Comprehensive Assignment #8 : Political Leanings

           Through reviewing my work on the comprehensive assignments, it appears I have several common themes throughout these works; the first is the theme of disappointment and failure of government.  This theme is very apparent in political cartoons two, five, and seven.  In these satirical political cartoons I depict disappointment in the way government treats the Bill of Rights, the cost of the campaign process, and finally the hindrance that bureaucracy can sometimes cause. While they are not excessively harsh cartoons, the definitely portray a feeling of resentment and disappointment in the current governmental system dealing with these key events.  The theme of activism and change are also a common theme especially depicted in political cartoon one and six.  In the first one it is showing depicting the positive effects of a united nation rather than individual states. This portrays the theme that activism can lead to positive results.  In cartoon six, the same theme is represented by showing how it is the right and job of the individual to voice their opinions, concerns, and questions to their representatives, and thus again showing how activism can lead to positive results.

            These political cartoons tend to portray more conservative political leanings.  This can be noticed in several of the cartoons, but especially cartoon number two.  This cartoon especially examines the failure of the government to uphold some of our Constitutional Rights, such as the Second Amendment Right, which is very much a conservative viewpoint.  Cartoon number seven also demonstrates conservative leanings, because conservatives often feel that government is too large and overpowering, and has too much control over citizen’s daily lives, which is represented by the bureaucracy in this cartoon. Throughout these comprehensive assignments, I believe that my political leanings were fairly accurately portrayed through these cartoon, and through these assignments I was able to take a stance on several key issues in government.  

Comprehensive Assignment #7: Political Cartoon

Government Bureaucracy 

    This political cartoon, depicts the Capital building covered in "red tape."  Red tape is a symbol for excessive bureaucracy and the adherence to formalities and excessive rules, while the Capital building is a symbol of the United States government.  This is a common assumption associated with government, while the President appoints the majority of bureaucratic positions, Congress often creates regulatory agencies when they see the need for them.  Therefore, many Americans often feel that laws and government changes are often hindered, slowed down, by having to follow such strict acts of formalities.
    This satirical political cartoon, would likely be found in a newspaper or on the internet accompanied by an article which discussed the lack of action of Congress or the President based upon formalities and excess rules.  Which are vital processes, but can often become overwhelming for the public to understand.

Comprehensive Assignment #6: Letter's to Representatives

Political Cartoon: Letter's to a Senator

 

     This cartoon depicts a women on the laptop, with books and research spread out beside her.  It is implied that she is writing a letter to her Senator.  Two thought bubbles appear above her head; the first one is one of her as a super hero, representing the empowerment she feels through the process of having the right to send her opinions, concerns or questions to her political representatives.  The next thought bubble is a depiction of Lindsey Graham, actually reading her letter.  The expression on the depiction of Lindsey Graham was intentionally left vague, because as a political leader there is often the debate of whether they are to lead or follow the public's opinion.
      I drew this cartoon as a representation of my experiences in this weeks assignment.  Through this assignment I felt a sense of empowerment by having the opportunity to have contact with my Senators and Representatives.  I choose to draw a representation of Lindsey Graham, because I have not received a response from him as of today, but at the same time it has only been a couple of days since I sent my e-mail.

Comprhensive Assignment Week 5: Political Campaign Cartoon

        This is a satirical political cartoon, depicting a man representing a political candidate handing over a stack of gold bricks to a women who represents a campaign manager. Beneath the drawing, the caption states, "For this amount we can run you a nice word of mouth campaign!" It is apparent that the women is making this statement to the man, or political candidate.  His expression is grime, it is obvious that he was expecting the campaign to be much larger than just word of moth with the amount of gold he brought it.
         This political cartoon represents the grim reality of running a political campaign; in order to run for any office it requires a great deal of financial responsibility, much more than the average person would presume.  This type of political cartoon may be found in a newspaper or other media outlet, criticizing the outrageous amount of money that is necessary to run a well organized and far reaching campaign.

Reflections on "Public Knowledge of Current Affairs Little Changed by News and Information Revolutions"

      This study seeks to demonstrate that while technology has rapidly exploded and news outlets have become more widespread and more accessible approximately the same numbers of people are aware of current national and international events as in the 1980s.  According to this study they determined that education proved to be the highest indicator of political current event knowledge, and men tended to score higher than women as well as people over the age of sixty-five.  Income also showed to be a factor, with higher income people having a great knowledge base than those with less income.  If broken down these factors become logical, those who receive a formal education are more likely to have a broader knowledge and more of an interest in politics.

             This study also made the connection that people who were more informed about politics were more involved in the government and took part in voting more often than those who were less informed.  This is a vital connection, because it shows that people who know what is going on feel like they are a part of it and thus participate in it.  This article demonstrates to me the need to follow current events to have a better understanding of national and international events, political policies, and even political figures; it is obvious with more access to news media than ever before it is vital to stay connected to what is occurring in our nation and around the world.

            After taking this quiz I scored nine out of thirteen correctly, and it really opened my eyes to how little I know or can identify particularly with political figures. The quiz is available at http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/the-news-iq-quiz/ and the article can be found at http://www.people-press.org/2007/04/15/public-knowledge-of-current-affairs-little-changed-by-news-and-information-revolutions/ 

Comprehensive Assignment #2 : Political Cartoon

Political Cartoon: Bill of Rights 

        I drew a political satirical cartoon; within this cartoon, a doctor, sharing similarities to Obama, is shown to be weighing the Bill of Rights.  Under the cartoon, it is written “Too much weight, some of these have to go,” implying that “the doctor” feels that some of the Amendments are not useful anymore and should be discarded.

            The audience of this cartoon would be geared toward more conservative politically minded individuals, who may feel that Obama and has infringed upon The Bill of Rights.  An example could include Obama’s platform on gun control, which many conservative minded people feel is an infringement of their Second Amendment Rights.   This cartoon in itself is a prime example of the Bill of Rights, because it demonstrates the fact that Americans have the Right to express and voice their opinions even if they shed a negative light on the government and or political leaders. 

Comprehensive Assignment #1: Political Cartoon

Comprehensive Assignment #1:  Political Cartoon

        This political cartoon was intended to be present in an American newspaper at during the height of the Federalist/Anti-federalist debate.  It is done in black and white with a rustic background, in order to imitate the political cartoons of the time period. 

            In this depiction, there are two men each holding a set of documents.  The first man is holding tightly to a set of documents labeled “The Federalist Papers.”  By holding them all together is symbolic of the Federalist’s view of a united union.  The man depicted on the right, portrays a man trying to hold on to thirteen papers entitled “Articles of Confederation.” It is apparent that he is unable to hold them together; rather they have fallen and have become ripped and torn.  These papers become symbolic of the thirteen states under the “Articles of Confederation,” falling apart from each other in disintegration.  This cartoon illustrates strong Federalist propaganda, and encompasses the main documents vital to each faction’s side.