Power in Art: The Watchdog Role of Editorial Cartoonists
Educator resources
Editorial cartooning
Learn about the history of editorial cartooning as a unique and powerful form of opinion journalism and practice analyzing cartoons from the 1700s to the present day.
Learning objectives
- I can identify the primary elements of an editorial cartoon and explain how they work together to express an opinion.
- I can summarize how editorial cartoons have held people in power accountable.
- I can distinguish between functional and harmful representations of groups in political cartoons.
- I can analyze and interpret an editorial cartoon.
- I can describe why diverse voices and perspectives are important in editorial cartooning.
- I can explain how modern forms of graphic political expression compare with editorial cartoons.
Essential questions
- What makes political cartoons an effective and powerful form of expression?
- Why do they elicit strong responses, including from those in power?What can a cartoon do or express that text cannot? What can a cartoon/drawing express that a photo cannot?
- Are memes modern-day editorial cartoons — or are they different?
- How can graphic political expression influence civic discourse and engagement?
