This political cartoon illustrates American imperialism. The cards are representative of the American colonies acquired at the time. The cards are not just number cards, they are the highest ones in the deck, the most prestigious illustrating the impact/influence of these colonies and how America carefully chose them, aligning them in sequential order. The deck gives the viewer the impression that these colonies are at our disposal, to use at anytime we feel necessary, and that imperialism is merely just a game for the United States, it is a way to assert their dominance and prevent themselves from being taken over by other dominant powers in the world.
The first thing that the viewer sees when they look at this political cartoon of American imperialism is the giant eagle with its over exaggerated wingspan. The eagle is a symbol for the United States and the abnormally large wings illustrate America's omnipresence. Their ability to have colonies all around the world. The eagle is also representative of how America approached imperialism, the hungry look on the eagle's face depicts a powerful, dominating force looking to seize and capture all the colonies that they can.
This political cartoon is of Teddy Roosevelt. The viewer would only be able to know this from the big stick he is carrying on this little boat through the Panama Canal. The big stick is both large and a symbol of Teddy Roosevelt's Big Stick Policy, his foreign policy. The enormity of both him and his stick in comparison to his tiny little boat illustrates his dominance over the creation of the Panama Canal. He is clearly the center of the political cartoon, and there seems to be no civilization in sight or in the canal itself. This is because at the completion of the Panama Canal, World War I was currently taking place in Europe. People were too busy fighting the war to fully celebrate the accomplishment, which is probably why his face is very sad in the picture.
Comments
Post a Comment