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CARTOON WORKSHEET

The document outlines key elements to analyze cartoons, including body language, caricature, intention, and various visual and verbal clues. It discusses how humor is created through techniques like irony, puns, sarcasm, satire, and ambiguity, emphasizing the importance of linking these concepts to both visual and verbal elements. Additionally, it highlights the use of font size and punctuation for emphasis in cartoon illustrations.

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9 views2 pages

CARTOON WORKSHEET

The document outlines key elements to analyze cartoons, including body language, caricature, intention, and various visual and verbal clues. It discusses how humor is created through techniques like irony, puns, sarcasm, satire, and ambiguity, emphasizing the importance of linking these concepts to both visual and verbal elements. Additionally, it highlights the use of font size and punctuation for emphasis in cartoon illustrations.

Uploaded by

kimbap.queen09
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CARTOON

WHEN STUDYING CARTOONS LOOK AT:


• • Body language: the positioning of a person that provides non-verbal clues
about their mood and attitude.

• • Caricature: features or actions of a person are exaggerated to help the reader


work out who is being represented. E.g. Nelson Mandela may be drawn in a Madiba shirt
or Prince Charles may be drawn with big ears.

• • Intention: what is the cartoonist trying to achieve? Is the cartoon meant to


amuse, make a political statement, or ridicule someone?

• • Speech bubble: Or a line between the speaker and the words to indicate who
is speaking.

• • Thought bubble: look like clouds – indicate unspoken thoughts.

• • Caption: title, brief explanation or comment accompanying and illustration.

• • Comic strip: sequences of drawings telling a humorous or adventurous story –


found in newspapers, etc.

• • Frame: one drawing in a comic strip.

• • Movement: indicated by means of vertical, curved and diagonal lines. Speedy


action is indicated by streaky lines, or by the action going out of the frame.

• • Punctuation: clever use is made of punctuation to create meaning.

• • Stereotypes: An exaggerated preconceived generalisation about the typical


behaviour, attitudes, dress, etc. of various types of people.

• • Verbal clues: some parts of the drawing may be used to help the reader
establish what the cartoon is about.

• • Visual metaphor: in a metaphor two things are compared. In a visual


metaphor, a picture stands for or represents something else.

• Parody: An imitation of a piece of writing used to ridicule the original or create a


satirical point.

HOW IS HUMOUR CREATED IN CARTOONS?


This is a typical exam question.
• When answering a question referring to ‘humour’, you must bring in a TECHNICAL
ELEMENT – either IRONY OR PUN OR SARCASM OR SATIRE OR AMBIGUITY, etc.

• Link this technical concept to the VISUAL and VERBAL ELEMENT in the cartoon.
Please note, again, that you MUST discuss both the visual (picture) and verbal (words)
elements.

• A typical question could be framed as follows: Discuss the humour in the cartoon by
referring to both the visual and the verbal elements. (3 marks)

When analysing cartoons, you must be able to identify the following:


IRONY:
Using words that are the opposite of what is really meant, often to be humorous, e.g.
The name of Britain’s biggest dog was “Tiny”, or you laugh at a person who slipped
stepping on a banana peel, and the next thing you know, you’ve slipped too.
PUN:
There are words which sound alike but have different meanings, e.g. The life of a patient of
hypertension is always at steak or a horse is a very stable animal or the past, the present and the
future walked into a bar. It was TENSE. (anxious/tense in English language lesson)
SARCASM:
• • This refers to harsh or bitter derision (mockery or ridicule) or irony.
• • The intention is to mock someone in a hurtful manner.
• • People use it to say the opposite of what's true to make someone look or feel
foolish, e.g. The talent-show judge who rolls his eyes at your dancing, smirks, and says,
"You ought to be on America’s Got Talent" is a sarcastic person or When someone's
being sarcastic, sometimes it's the tone, facial expression, or body language that let you
know — like when our talent-show judge says exaggeratedly, "Great job! I almost
confused you for Beyonce," as he gives you a thumbs-down.

SATIRE: Using humour, irony or exaggeration to criticise a person or a group and make
them appear funny or silly so that other people will see their faults, e.g. when something
bad happens: That's just what I needed today! Or when someone does something
wrong: Very good; well done!

AMBIGUITY:
The use of language or images to suggest more than one meaning at the same time.
Ambiguous words or statements lead to vagueness and confusion, and shape the basis
for instances of unintentional humour, e.g. Each of us saw her duck – It is not clear
whether the word “duck” refers to an action of ducking, or a duck that is a bird.
The passer-by helped dog bite victim – Is the passer-by helping a dog bite someone? Or
is he helping a person who has been bitten by a dog? It’s not clear.

• ANTI-CLIMAX: • This refers to an event, period, or outcome that is strikingly less


important or dramatic than expected. • A sudden and unexpected ending happens,
EXAMPLE - He lost his family, his car and his blue pen or a soccer derby that is billed as
one of the greatest, fizzles out into a dull, unentertaining tame draw.

Font size and Punctuation:


• • Fonts are changed for emphasis. Important words are written in BOLD for
emphasis or to indicate that someone is speaking loudly or is angry.
• • Refer to this aspect of font when there is a distinct change. E.g. one word in the
sentence is written in bold, capital letters. When a character is shouting, the words would
also be printed in bold lettering with exaggerated exclamation marks. (!!)

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