Satire in Political Commentary
CARTOON EDITION by Cameron Cerf
Here, we can easily see simple Horatian (humorous and casual) satire at use. The cartoonist is uprooting the white patriarchy in American business and politics, by pointing out the blatant racism of considering America to be post-racial, when in fact, we are still in a tinderbox of civil rights and social justice.
This cartoonist also uses Horation satire, but steers it in the subcategory in which incompatible elements are juxtapositioned known as incongruity. We see an executive politician, debating with his staffers on how he can make the best long term decision without immediate repercussions. These two different outcomes are most often incompatible, therefore this cartoon is expanding on that discrepancy, making this an incongruous cartoon.
This cartoon uses a cynically invasive method of attack: Juvenalian satire. Drawing a connection between dogs and politicians, and the modern systematization of scandal on top of scandal by covering up what one says again and again, this cartoon can be categorized as Burlesque, meaning that is exaggerating a practice or commonality (hyperbole), but is modified in its intent to bring about change.
This clever cartoon makes use of Juvenalian satire by drawing a comparison between freeze tag- a stop and go game played among children, to 'highly qualified' elected officials. Again, we can see the biting cynicism used by the cartoonist, who uses sarcasm by this appropriation, falling just short of using invectives toward congress.
CLICK ME TO VIEW SOURCE MATERIAL AND OTHER CARTOONS
Created by the talented cartoonists at The New Yorker