This post will aim to analyze a political cartoon that was released after a group of white nationalists held a protest in Charlottesville, VA. This event resulted in injury for over a dozen people who were protesting the protest, who where hit by a speeding car.
This cartoon was created by Walt Handelsman from the Tribune Content Agency.
This cartoon was created by Walt Handelsman from the Tribune Content Agency.
In this cartoon, a man depicted as the American patriotic symbol of Uncle Sam walks by a memorial statue. Uncle Sam looks despondently at the statue which reads, "United States Civil War 1861-".
Being that this cartoon has been created in the wake of white nationalists trying to preserve statues of confederate soldiers, the writing on this cartoon statue infers that the Civil War in some ways is still being fought to this day.
Depicting Uncle Sam in this position instead of a random passerby creates a deeper meaning of symbolism in what this cartoon says. The United States as a country has witnessed severe tragedy through its history of systemic racism and slavery of African Americans. The country likes to think that the worst of these unjust practices are behind them. However, it is in moments like these where someone dies because people are fighting to keep a statue of a racist historical figure, that Americans are reminded that the issue of racism is still very prevalent in present day America.
The cartoonist's opinion can be interpreted as feeling sorrow for the widespread racism that still exists today. This cartoon proves a valiant effort in persuading its audience simply due to the fact that every American is aware of the Civil War, and stating that the Civil War is still in progress today can prompt anyone who sees this to stop a think. This has all the more power in its meaning since this cartoon was released after the events in Charlottesville, VA, and that the entire premise of this cartoon is based off of what is written on a statue.
Being that this cartoon has been created in the wake of white nationalists trying to preserve statues of confederate soldiers, the writing on this cartoon statue infers that the Civil War in some ways is still being fought to this day.
Depicting Uncle Sam in this position instead of a random passerby creates a deeper meaning of symbolism in what this cartoon says. The United States as a country has witnessed severe tragedy through its history of systemic racism and slavery of African Americans. The country likes to think that the worst of these unjust practices are behind them. However, it is in moments like these where someone dies because people are fighting to keep a statue of a racist historical figure, that Americans are reminded that the issue of racism is still very prevalent in present day America.
The cartoonist's opinion can be interpreted as feeling sorrow for the widespread racism that still exists today. This cartoon proves a valiant effort in persuading its audience simply due to the fact that every American is aware of the Civil War, and stating that the Civil War is still in progress today can prompt anyone who sees this to stop a think. This has all the more power in its meaning since this cartoon was released after the events in Charlottesville, VA, and that the entire premise of this cartoon is based off of what is written on a statue.