Marcelle

 






 * "A picture may paint a thousand words,

but a cartoon provokes, protests and entertains - all at once."**

Protest cartoons

>
 * 1) What is protest and which forms can it take?
 * 2) a short history of protest cartoons
 * 3) Are cartoons a good means of protesting? [[image:protesting.jpg width="378" height="302" align="right"]]
 * 4) Why are cartoons effective and are they more effective than written text?
 * 5) Do cartoons achieve their aim?
 * 6) Interview

 Introduction:



My questions were hard to find in the internet as they are not statistics questions, rather there are quite a few opinion related questions. Where better to get opinions about cartoons than from a cartoonist himself. Luckily we have a cartoonist right here in Nelson, Mr Mike Moreu. Have you ever seen cartoons in the Nelson Mail? Well Mike Moreu draws them. I interviewed Mike and now I have got some valuable answers to my cartoon questions.

 <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 160%; COLOR: rgb(18,95,151); FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Protest and which forms it can take

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Protest is an expression or declaration of objection, disapproval, or dissent, often in opposition to something a person is powerless to prevent or avoid. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Protest can take many forms: <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">It can be <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">**pictorial** eg. posters <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">**Cartoons are a form of pictorial and literary** <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">**protest.** <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
 * physical** eg. a march
 * literary** eg. a letter to the editor
 * violent** eg. damage to people or property <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 160%; COLOR: rgb(18,95,151); FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center">

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 160%; COLOR: rgb(18,95,151); FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center">

A short history of protest cartoons

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">A cartoon is a piece of art, usually humorous in intent. Cartoons were once called "sketches of life and character". The usage of the tem cartoon comes from 1843 when Punch magazine applied the term to satirical drawings in the magazine, particularly sketches by John Leech. The new title "cartoon" was intended to 'be ironic, a reference to the self-aggrandising posturing of Westminster politicians.'

Modern cartoons, found in magazines and newspapers, generally consist of a single drawing with a caption immediately beneath or a speech bubble. Editorial cartoons are a type of gag cartoon found mostly in news papers and news websites. Although they also employ humour, they are more serious, often using irony or satire.

//" I'm docced glad we're in the heavies aint you, Charley? It would be a horrid to be sent out to the cape like those poor light bobs."// <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

These two cartoons show the major change in cartoons through time. Though they are both related to war they are so different as cartoons are always based on issues we have at present.

On the left is a cartoon drawn by John Leech in 1851 and on the right is a cartoon drawn by Tom Toles just recently.

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 160%; COLOR: rgb(18,95,151); FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Cartoons as a means of protest <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 200%; COLOR: rgb(33,237,152); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(230,20,10); TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(245,10,10); TEXT-ALIGN: center">

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 260%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">"Humour is a valuable key in the struggle to win hearts and minds."



<span style="FONT-SIZE: 260%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> Cartoons are everywhere, they get seen everyday everywhere in the world, you could say they are the biggest  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 260%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">form of protest around.

Cartoons are a good means of protesting as they enable viewers/readers <span style="FONT-SIZE: 260%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">to come to their own conclusion, to act  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 260%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">ually formulate the meaning of the cartoon by   <span style="FONT-SIZE: 260%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">themselves and not getting told someone elses opinion.

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 260%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 260%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 160%; COLOR: rgb(18,95,151); FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center">The effectiveness of protest cartoons instead of written text <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 160%; COLOR: rgb(18,95,151); FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center">

Cartoons are extremely effective if they are done well. They are more effective than written text as they easily get the viewer's attention, they are quickly received by their audience and portray a lot of information in a small space, fast. They are also more effective as people do not enjoy reading as much as they enjoy getting a visual representation. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 160%; COLOR: rgb(18,95,151); FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center">

Protest cartoons achieve their aim


 * <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center">I believe protest cartoons do achieve their aim, they are trying to cause awareness just like any other form of protest and that is exactly what they do. They are also the most publicised form of protest around, which allows their message to be seen by many people.

What more could any protestor want! **



<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">    <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 160%; COLOR: rgb(18,95,151); FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center"> Interview with Mike Moreu

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Marcelle: Are your cartoons a form of protest?

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Mike: They certainly can be! They can also be observations and reflections on the issues or news events, as well as light hearted commentary. I try to find subjects that I'm passionate about, and often those are the ones concerned with justice and social inequality, so in those cases I'm usually strongly protesting about something.

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Marcelle: Have cartoons always been a form of protest? <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Mike: Depends on what you consider a cartoon. Are the prehistoric Lascaux cave paintings cartoons? They had more to do with magical beliefs than protest. But if you're refer ring to political cartoons as we know them, then the earliest published ones were a form of subversive commentary that even illiterate people could grasp. In that respect, you could say that political cartoons have always had a strong protest theme. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Marcelle: Why did you choose to draw cartoons instead of writing text copy? <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Mike: First of all, because I can draw and I enjoy the challenge of expressing myself in that medium. But why cartoons? Probably because I'm not good enough to be a serious painter, nor am I interested in writing alone. There are a lot of writers, and making yourself stand out from them is probably more difficult than making yourself stand out as a cartoonist. The downside is that there are fewer paying cartoon jobs and breaking into the business is more difficult. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Marcelle: Why are cartoons effective? <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Mike: Good cartoons are effective when they visually grab the reader's attention and succinctly convey some sort of message. Often humour is an effective way getting a point across, but other strategies include sarcasm, irony, shock, etc. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">The brevity of a cartoon is its strongest feature, provoking an immediate, visceral reaction. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Marcelle: Do cartoons achieve their aim? <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Mike: If they're done well, with a lot of thought behind the message and careful attention to the artwork. All cartoonists try. I sure do. One measure of this is the number of letters a cartoonist may receive on the editorial page; another is the requests from readers who would like a copy of a particular cartoon. I get a lot of both, so hopefully that's an indication that people either like my work or they've been inspired enough – either angrily or happily – to comment on what I'm saying. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Marcelle: How big is the danger that people will misinterpret your cartoons? <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Mike: That's always a big possibility, and it's one of the things any artist has to get used to. Humour is a very subjective thing, and some people simply may not like the way you express yourself. Oh well. A cartoonist just has to draw what pleases him (or her) and hope there are enough similar people out there to "get it." If you're lucky, that's a lot. If not, well, you can always study what's popular among your targeted readership and try to understand why. Some people naturally have a sense of humour, but telling jokes, writing well and drawing good pictures can all be learned to a large degree, depending on how hard you're willing to try. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 85%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Marcelle: Do your cartoons contain your view of things or a general view that  society may hold?

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 85%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Mike: They always contain my views, and where those overlap with general views that society holds, then you could say they contain both. Most importantly, my cartoons contain messages that are a reflection of what I'm thinking, as opposed to what someone tells me to draw or what I think people want to read. That's the reason I sign my name, and why I alone can be held accountable for the things that appear in print. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 85%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 120%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center">"Every joke is a tiny revolution" George Orwell



<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 85%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 140%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: center">climate change



<span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 85%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: rgb(230,25,25); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif">__<span style="FONT-SIZE: 130%; COLOR: rgb(230,40,40); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif">Reference: __

www.John-Leech-archive.org.uk www.truthdig.com www.stuff.co.nz www.guardian.co.uk Mike Moreu