Political Cartoon: Donald Trump

America is on the cusp of a modern revolution, a revolution that has been bubbling under the surface for decades, but has recently come to light due to the election. Before the election was over, it was obvious that no matter who won, history was going to be made. If Bernie won, he would have been our first Jewish president. If Hillary won, she would have been our first woman president. When Trump won, election history was made, and he is still making it. Controversy surrounds Trump and his presidency. This controversy is showcased in the media every day, in every form. Media is a one of the primary tools used in an election. It is used to broadcast opinions, commercials, etc.. The main result of all of this political flooding in the media …show more content…
The author of the political cartoon I’ve chosen to analyze expresses their opinion of Trump through their representation of him. The author also uses the visual text to make greater social commentary on Trump and the implications he has on society. In the political cartoon there is the most obvious visual, which is the signifier, and the message it is sending, which is the signified. The signifier in this context is the portrait of Donald Trump with the wall inside his mouth paired with the clipboard that lists Trump’s platform. The signified in this context is the message that the platform Trump is running on should be blocked. The message is signified through the icon, index, and symbols within the photo. An icon has, “a physical resemblance to the signified, the thing being represented” (Bradley). An index “ shows evidence of what’s being represented” (Bradley). A symbol “has no resemblance between the signifier and the signified. The connection between them must be culturally learned” (Bradley). The index, icon, and symbols that can be seen in a picture will differ from person to person. When analyzing the political cartoon I determined that one icon is the “Build the Wall” slogan which represents Trump’s goal of building a wall between the US and Mexico. I also determined that one index represented in the picture is the paper Trump is holding that is titled “Trump ‘Platform’”. …show more content…
People speak out through the news, and social media, and television. Practically everywhere you look someone is talking about politics. There are seemingly an endless supply of political cartoons Now that my research is complete and I have educated myself, and will continue to, I believe that the side that provides the most, and more solid evidence, is the side in favor of the claim that Trump is not presidential. Based off of my evaluation and analyzing of the political cartoon I chose I would believe that the artist would share the same opinion as me. It is hard to believe and take worth in the words of someone who hasn’t proven himself to be reliable and set in his mind on his opinions. It is also hard to take worth in his humanity when most of what we see and hear from him is rooted in hate. As a country we must think carefully about the representation we are portraying of our current president and in result what representation we are portraying of ourselves. I am not negating how offensive and atrocious our current president it. But, whether we like it or not he’s here to stay so it is our responsibility to do what we can to make the country and world a better place. It is important to not fight hate with more hate. It is only through discussing and understanding each other that we can move to a level of conversation and rhetoric appropriate to the “greatest country in the