Than Words: Rhetorical Devices in American Political Cartoons Lawrence Ray Bush University of South Florida, [email protected]
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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 1-1-2012 More than Words: Rhetorical Devices in American Political Cartoons Lawrence Ray Bush University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Political Science Commons, and the Rhetoric Commons Scholar Commons Citation Bush, Lawrence Ray, "More than Words: Rhetorical Devices in American Political Cartoons" (2012). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3924 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. More than Words: Rhetorical Devices in American Political Cartoons by Lawrence R. Bush A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of American Studies College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Robert Snyder, Ph.D. Daniel Belgrad, Ph.D. Adriana Novoa, Ph.D. Date of Approval: March 26, 2012 Keywords: Art, Communications, History, Humor, Literary Theory, Symbolism Copyright © 2012, Lawrence R. Bush Dedication This thesis is dedicated to Alice Bush, my wife, who has supported me through my graduate studies and has proofread my papers, correcting many of my errors before they were seen by my instructors. Table of Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................ ii Abstract ........................................................................................................ iv Introduction: Rhetorical Constructs ....................................................................... 1 Pictorial Representations ...................................................................................... 6 Structuralism .............................................................................................. 6 Cartoon Theory .......................................................................................... 8 6 Female Representations .......................................................................... 14 The Single-panel Tradition: Satirical Prints ......................................................... 17 13 Text Condensation ................................................................................... 18 15 Bakhtinian Analysis .................................................................................. 22 17 Embedded Panels ................................................................................... 23 18 Political Cartoon Strips............................................................................. 26 20 Split Panels .............................................................................................. 28 22 Long Format Cartoon 29 Long Format Cartoon ............................................................................... 30 Introductions may be in Order: Rhetorical Identification ..................................... 35 25 Caricature Aids: Labeling ......................................................................... 36 Fact-based Humor ................................................................................... 40 Conveying Text: The Jigsaw Puzzle Approach................................................... 49 29 Yellow Journalism .................................................................................... 53 34 Use of Titles ............................................................................................. 55 37 Three Examples ....................................................................................... 57 39 Balloons ................................................................................................... 62 41 Captions ................................................................................................... 68 43 Calligraphy ............................................................................................... 70 46 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 77 Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 80 i List of Figures Figure 1: “The Next Rung by Blanche Ames ...................................................... 11 Figure 2: “Col. Fremont’s Last Grand Exploring Expedition in 1856” .................. 13 Figure 3: “One Look at the Jobbers’ Pets was Enough” by Charles Nelan ......... 21 Figure 4: “…And So the Senate…” by Pat Oliphant ........................................... 26 Figure 5: “I Used to be a Big Shot” by Steve Sack ............................................. 29 Figure 6: “G. O. P. Policy Guide” by Matt Davies ............................................... 29 Figure 7: “Beneath the Surface” by Nick Anderson ............................................ 31 Figure 8: “Who Stole the People’s Money?” by Thomas Nast ............................ 33 Figure 9: “The Feast of the Aldermanic Vultures” by Walt MacDougall .............. 37 Figure 10: “Will the Governor Come to the Rescue?” by Charles Nelan ............ 39 Figure 11: Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau .......................................................... 43 Figure 12: “News Irem” by Geoff Olson .............................................................. 45 Figure 13: “Plants, Animals Seeking Higher, Cooler Climes” by Tony Auth ....... 46 Figure 14: “When I’m President by Mike Thompson ........................................... 48 Figure 15: “Royal Feast of Belshazzar Blaine” by Walt MacDougall ................... 52 Figure 16: “No Wonder We’re Getting Soft” by Vaughn Shoemaker .................. 56 Figure 17: “Say, Whatever happened to Freedom from Fear” by Herbert Block 60 Figure 18: “I Feel Like a Fugitive from the Law of Averages” by Bill Mauldin ..... 61 Figure 19: “I can be at Abbotsbury and Enfield” by William Hogarth .................. 63 Figure 20: “The Foot Race” by David Claypool Johnson .................................... 65 ii Figure 21: Hogan’s Alley by Richard Outcault .................................................... 66 Figure 22: “Stay Tuned for the President’s Plan” by Dick Locher ....................... 69 Figure 23: Pogo by Walt Kelly ............................................................................ 71 Figure 24:”Immigration Policy by Clay Bennett ................................................... 73 Figure 25: “It is Deemed most Fortunate” by Roy Peterson ............................... 75 iii Abstract This thesis argues that literary theory applied to political cartoons shows that cartoons are reasoned arguments. The rhetorical devices used in the cartoons mimic verbal devices used by essayists. These devices, in turn, make cartoons influential in that they have the power to persuade readers while making them laugh or smile. It also gives examples of literary theorists whose works can be applied to political cartooning, including Frederick Saussure, Mikhail Bakhtin, and Wolfgang Iser. Not only do those theorists’ arguments apply to text, they also apply to pictorial representations. This thesis also discusses changes in the cartoon art form over the 250 years that American political cartoons have existed. Changes have occurred in both the way text and pictorial depictions have been presented by artists. This thesis makes some attempt to explain why the changes occurred and whether they have been for the better. iv Introduction: Rhetorical Constructs The rhetoric of political cartoons consists of more than words. It is a complex system of symbols, pictures, and words put together in a way that newspaper readers who understand the intended message of the cartoonist, will better understand the issue that the cartoonist addresses. However, research has shown that not everyone appreciates the cryptic drawings that appear every day on the opinion pages of the newspaper. Affectively engaging with cartoons is a matter of looking at pictures, reading the words, understanding pictorial representations, and keeping up with current events. This thesis identifies the rhetorical constructs in editorial cartoons, and tracks their usage over the course of more than 250 years that American cartoons have existed. Some of the terminology used in this thesis is specialized and deserving of definition. For instance, readers of cartoons are called “skimmers.” This term was coined by Raymond Morris in Behind the Jester’s Mask. He states, “We expect to skim or glance at [the cartoon], grasp its message, laugh or groan, and move on.”1 It is an appropriate term in that someone who peruses cartoons does not merely look at the picture, nor does s/he just read the text. Most cartoons are a combination of illustration and text and are best understood by the person who skims the entire piece in order to grasp its meaning. For lack of a better term, 1 Raymond N. Morris, Behind the Jester’s Mask: Canadian Editorial Cartoons about Dominant and Minority Groups 1960-1979, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989), 3 (interpolation added). 1 “skimmer” refers to those who read cartoons, while “reader” refers to the literate public. Positioning is also important in this thesis. Text may be placed