Assignment/Activity Title Cartoon Analysis Year 2013-2014

Skill Analyzing, esearc!ing, "riting #ort$olio Category %e&ia '

Comm(nications
For the cartoon analysis, I decided to analyze cartoons about Russia taking Crimea. It was such a surprising and
significant event that I was curious how cartoonists would interpret Russia and Vladimir utin. It was en!oyable going
through the newspaper searching for cartoons dealing with my topic. "ome cartoons I found went over my head, but for
the most part, I understood the message behind the cartoons and found many of them to be very humorous. If I could redo
the pro!ect, I would have not only looked at the #ashington ost or Cagle, but other sources like Russian news forums.
$lthough the ma!ority of the cartoons portrayed utin in a negative light, I think that if I had analyzed cartoons about
Crimea originating from Russia, I would have come across differing opinions about utin and him taking control of
Crimea. I also would have spaced out the time between analyzing the cartoons all at once. If I had done this, I may have
taken more time looking at each drawing and may have found more similarities and differences between the cartoonists
and their works.
#hen analyzing the cartoons, I came across trends in the opinions of the cartoonists. $lmost all the cartoons
portrayed utin easily obtaining Crimea. %e is drawn to look evil and powerful with control over everyone. For instance,
one cartoon shows utin as a cartographer redrawing maps to make other counties part of Russia. &very cartoon that
portrayed the '" and (bama depicted them as weak bystanders doing little to nothing to stop Russia. "everal cartoonists
draw (bama off in the distance, merely watching as utin claims Crimea. (verall, the cartoons show little sympathy for
neither utin or (bama, but point out that the '" must take greater actions to prevent Russia from gaining too much
power. It was interesting to see how one small image like a political cartoon could inspire !ust as much emotion and
thought about the issue than any article. )his pro!ect emphasized to me how important editorial cartoons are to shaping
public opinion and that it*s not !ust editorials that spark controversy. )his relates to the world around me because there are
always going to be more than one perspective on an issue, especially from those from different countries and
backgrounds, so it*s important to realize this and keep an open mind about multi+national issues. )his pro!ect also made
me wonder about the relationships between countries, and how the '" and (bama are depicted in other places. I imagine
that in Russia, the cartoons about this incident show utin in a much better way.
$lthough I may not have the capabilities to become a good cartoonist due to my lack of artistic talent, I realized
that it would be e,tremely interesting and en!oyable to work on analyzing politics through images such as working with
cartoonists. )his pro!ect pointed out one of my weaknesses that I am not strong in analyzing cartoons with comple,
messages, so I realized that I should look at more cartoons like those of )om )oles so I not only become better at
analyzing images, but so I can keep up with the news even if I do not have time to read the full newspaper everyday. $s a
result of this pro!ect, I think about the issues from different points of view and analyze what other countries might think
about the actions of the '". I also have a much greater appreciation for artists like )om )oles who have the abilities to
analyze events, think of a funny or amusing way to show depict their opinions, and draw it all out.
"tudent "ignature -ate
)eacher "ignature -ate
$dvisor "ignature -ate
How have you changed as a result of this assignment?
Why is it important to include this piece in your portfolio?
How and where does this fit in with your prior knowledge?
How do you think that others will react to this product?
What process did you use to complete the product?
What did you learn by doing this assignment?
How does the portfolio product illustrate the connection(s) you've made between yourself
and the course material?
In what ways would you do things differently if you could do it over again?
What did you discover about yourself?
How does it relate to your future?
How does it illustrate your strengths and/or weaknesses?
What obstacles and challenges did you have to deal with and how did this struggle
change you?
How does the portfolio product show that your perspective on the world has deepened?
How does it relate to your understanding of the world around you?
Which of your accomplishments makes you feel most proud?