In class, we have been looking at cartoons and the message that they send. I looked at a few cartoons that were drawn in the early 1900s that dealt with the foreign affairs of the United States. In 2009, the cartoons could be about Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, China, North Korea, and as in this political cartoon, Cuba. America and Cuba have not had the best relationship, but Obama is hoping to change that. Although Obama is open to talk with Cuba and help their relationship progress, Cuba is hesitant. In a recent Chicago tribune article, it claims that "many say it will be hard for Cuba to ignore decades of mistrust." America has not been honest to Cuba through out their whole relationship, but Obama wants to reach out and make America's relationship with Cuba a friendly one. In this political cartoon, we see the hand of Uncle Sam reaching out to shake the hand of Cuba's. You could interpret this photo in two ways. Initially, I thought that America wanted to heal the wounded relationship, but Cuba is hesitant and that is why their hand is in shackles. The chain is holding Cuba from shaking Uncle Sam's hand, which means Cuba is not ready to compromise with America. But, when I began to think about it further, this could also be interpreted as America reaching out to Cuba to grab the American political prisoners that Cuba has taken captive. I came to that conclusion because the hand is in shackles and the clothing looks dirty as if it were a prisoner. Regardless of interpretation, this political cartoon illustrates an opinion and argument without words. Do you feel that a political cartoon "speaks" more to you than a newspaper article?Just to fill you in, the Tribune believes that "both nations are now trading their warmest words since Washington broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961." America is on the right path by trying to mend the broken relationship with Cuba.
2 comments:
I love political cartoons and I look them up every couple weeks to see what new ones catch my eye. I read the newspaper too, but its always more fun to think about the cartoons because, like you did in this blog post, there are so many ways to interpret what the artist is trying to get across. Its not always easy to figure it out, and it makes the reader think outside the box. I think that political cartoons speak just as well if not better to the masses because its up for interpretation as well as making a statement.
Who is the artist of that political Cartoon?
-Somer
Post a Comment