Notes & Activities Vocabulary _______________________________________________________________________
Notes & Activities:
A cartoon is a piece of art, usually humorous in intent.
There are several different types of cartoons:
A single-panel gag cartoon consists of a single drawing with a typeset caption positioned beneath:
A comic strip consists of a short series of cartoon illustrations in sequence:
An editorial cartoon is more serious in tone and uses visual metaphors and irony to satirise social or political situations. They often include speech bubbles and, sometimes, multiple panels: [See Satire notes]
A graphic novel (e.g. Tintin) is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in a comic format:
A humour magazine , like MAD, offers satire on all aspects of life and popular culture, politics, entertainment and public figures. (MAD's format is divided into a number of recurring segments such as TV and movie parodies, as well as freeform articles. MAD's mascot, Alfred E Neuman, is typically the focal point of the magazine's cover, with his face often replacing a celebrity or character that is lampooned within the issue):
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Activity 1:
1. Create your own cartoon character.
2. Use your cartoon character to illustrate your favorite joke.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cartoon Analysis:
When analyzing a cartoon, it is important to look at the following aspects:
Setting:
Where and when is the cartoon set? What is the particular social context? Characters:
What actions and emotions are communicated through body language? What emotions are communicated through facial expressions? What does the body language suggest about the relationships between characters? Action:
What is happening in the cartoon? How is the action portrayed? Language:
What words have been used? How has punctuation been used to suggest emotion? Stereotypes / Symbols:
Has the cartoonist made use of stereotypes? Has the cartoonist used any symbols to represent something else? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Activity 2:
The illustrations have been taken from Tintin and the Picaros by Herge.
Cartoon 1:
How does the cartoonist indicate that Snowy is annoyed? How does the cartoonist indicate that Professor Calculus got a fright?
Cartoon 2:
How does the chief feel in frame 1? How is this conveyed? How does the cartoonist convey the chief's pain in frames 2 and 3?
Cartoon 3:
What does the punctuation in frame 1 tell us about what is going on? Why do you think the cartoonist colored it red? Why has Nestor got multiple arms in frame 2?
Cartoon 4:
What emotion does Colonel Sponsz feel? How is this conveyed? Characterize the relationship between Tintin and Captain Haddock.
Cartoon 5:
What gives us the idea that Tintin is whispering in frame 1? What do the symbols / letters / numbers in the thought bubble mean? What is happening in frame 3. How is this indicated?
Cartoon 6:
How can we tell that Tintin is running in frame 2? What gives us the impression that Tintin stopped suddenly in frame 3?
Cartoon 7:
How is sound and motion conveyed?
Cartoon 8:
What do the motion lines in frame 1 indicate about the violence of Captain Haddock's actions? What indicates that he fell backwards quickly and with force in frame 2?
Cartoon 9:
What gives us the impression that music is being played? How does the cartoonist highlight the object that Tintin is pointing out?
Cartoon 10:
Look at the facial expressions and body language of Tintin and Professor Calculus. What do they tell us?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Activity 3:
Discuss the humor in a selection of the following cartoons and see how the cartoonist brings the joke across:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
_______________________________________________________________________
Caricatures:
A caricature is a drawing of a public figure that shows exaggerated features for easy identification and/or ridicule.
Caricatures can be insulting or complimentary and can serve a political purpose or be drawn solely for entertainment.
Caricatures of politicians are commonly used in editorial cartoons, while caricatures of movie stars are often found in entertainment magazines.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Activity 4:
Compare the photo of the person to his caricature by Zapiro. In each, state which physical attributes have been emphasized?
Nelson Mandela:
Jacob Zuma:
Desmond Tutu:
Bill Clinton (former President of the USA):
George W. Bush (former President of the USA):
Tony Blair (former Prime Minister of Britain):
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Activity 5:
Study yourself in the mirror and decide which physical attributes a cartoonist would emphasize. Using this information, draw a caricature of yourself.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
_______________________________________________________________________
Vocabulary:
You will never be able to master a subject if you don't have the vocabulary to support it. So, please learn the following words (contained in these notes). You will be examined on them.
