Leila Rosala 1

Women’s Rights: Ending the Stigma Around Females With Power

The first female Vice President in office, the first female Secretary of State, the first

female in the Supreme Court are all outstanding accomplishments of women who have combated

the stereotypes of men holding the power. Even today with some of the stereotypes being pushed

aside, there is still this skepticism around the idea of women being fully accepted. Over time,

women have been at a disadvantage in regard to their rights. Women had to be at home with the

children and not have any say in politics. In the early 1900s, women in the United States

acknowledged their potential and began protesting and advocating for their right to vote. This is

known as Women’s Suffrage, which is represented in my first cartoon by Clifford K. Berryman

from 1912. Berryman was a well known political cartoonist during this time who would create

cartoons for the Washington Post. His cartoon of Theodore Roosevelt along with women and

men protesting served as an important banner during protests (“Votes for Women…”). Following

women’s suffrage, women gained the right to vote in 1920, but progress was still needed. In the

late 1900s, Madeleine Albright was the first female secretary of state appointed by Bill Clinton.

Madeleine Albright is depicted in my second artifact from 1993 by cartoonist Leo Cullum. Leo

Cullum is a popular political cartoonist for The New Yorker. Cullum’s cartoons contained

humorous aspects in order to get the audience to laugh, but also covered serious political issues

(Grimes). Each of my artifacts I plan to analyze represent different time periods, but have the

same goal of criticizing those who undermine females with power. Both of the cartoonists each

use ethos, pathos, and well-known commonplaces to convey these ideas.

An appeal to ethos is prevalent in each of my artifacts through the use of representing

important political figures. Each holding different positions, but still holding significant roles in

politics. First in my cartoon by Berryman, he highlights Theodore Rooseelt in the top left corner.
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Theodore Roosevelt served as president of the United States for a total of nine years. During this

time in office, he implemented numerous plans and left a major influence on presidencies that

followed. Before holding office, he served as New York governor where he established a bill that

punished men who abused women. This was a huge step in regard to respecting women in

society. In the future, however, when Roosevelt took his position as president of the United

States, he did not maintain a similar mindset about women’s suffrage that he held before office

and after office (Pruitt). The political cartoon by Berryman was created in 1912 when women’s

suffrage was at its peak. Roosevelt was running for a third term in the Progressive Party and he

used his favor towards women’s rights as his main campaign. Berryman's incorporation of

Theodore Roosvelt prompts the audience to feel inclined to support the women’s suffrage

movement. Since Roosevelt has held numerous roles in politics and has established plans for our

country, the audience can trust Roosevelt and his views.

In Leo Cullum’s cartoon, he includes former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright.

Albright’s position in office was highly controversial and received both positive and negative

reviews on her role. As Secretary of State is typically a predominantly male held position,

Albright broke some historical stereotypes and paved a new way for women in politics (Banes, et

al.). In Cullum’s cartoon, he represents Albright in a confident and unbothered manner. Her

ability to hold the title as the first female Secretary of State speaks to her credibility. Although

she is not directly speaking, her expressions serve to provoke the audience to believe that she has

this strong persona. She is dressed in professional clothing and seems to be sitting in a lounge

area in her work office. Cullum’s incorporation of these details eliminates common stereotypes

of how women should be perceived.

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Both artists include aspects of pathos in order to provoke the audience to feel a certain

way about their cartoons. The first artifact by Berryman illustrates women in the top right corner

standing with confidence. These women seem to be protestors, as one of them is holding a poster

that has the words “We’re what?” written across. During 1912, women were protesting in order

to receive publicity. The women knew that with this publicity, their message would become

widespread throughout America (“Suffragists Rally on Independence Square…”). The women’s

presence in the poster depicts a strong and powerful standpoint, which prompts the audience,

especially women, to feel empowered by their confidence. Contrastingly, there are animals right

below the women with a poster above them stating “We’re the animals”. This comparison

between women’s protesting and animals causes the viewer to feel appalled by such an

inappropriate comparison. Being compared to an animal has a negative connotation, which

further increases the feelings of anger towards the representation of women. It is as if the women

are on the sidelines of society, like the animals, where they sit and observe.

The animals in Berryman’s cartoon sit in between the men and the women in the cartoon.

As I mentioned before, the animals can be seen as being compared to the women, but the men

could also be seen as being compared to the animals. The men in the cartoon are in a large group

as if they are part of a stampede. During this time period, men even formed protest groups

against Women's Suffrage (Lange). This relates to a pathos appeal as the typical male viewer

may be enraged by such a representation.

While Berryman uses visual aspects to convey a pathos appeal to the audience, Cullum

takes a speech approach in order to provoke emotion. When looking at Cullum’s cartoon, the eye

is drawn to the words at the bottom which state, “A woman Secretary of State? Maybe when they

find ice on the moon.”. These ignorant words prompt most to feel anger, as this statement is not
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accurate at the time. Albright did receive this position and was successful while in office. It can

be assumed that the white male is saying these words, and is completely unaware. It is also

important to point out that years after Albright’s holding of this position, there was ice found on

the moon. The fact that this statement made in the cartoon was debunked is ironic and it proves

how anything is possible (Tabor) . It is important to keep an open mind, as we never know what

may happen in the future.

The last point that highlights the discussion of women’s role in society are the

commonplaces included in the cartoons. In Berryman’s cartoon, the men are holding a sign that

has the words “We’re the people” written. These words are similar to the first words of the

constitution which state, “We the people of the United States…”. The constitution established the

framework for our government, as it is meant to serve the rights of the people of the United

States. These words, however, do not have the same meaning as the words in the poster that the

men are holding. This idea of serving the people is completely disregarded, as women are not

included in it.

Consequently, Cullum uses a sarcastic phrase that is not typically said in society. Yet, the

viewer can get a proper understanding of the goal Cullum is attempting to make. The words,

“Maybe when they find ice on the moon” are obviously sarcastic. The man depicted in the

cartoon clearly does not believe that the female will ever receive a role as Secretary of State.

This invalidates her success, which causes the audience to feel upset by the lack of support the

man has.

In the end, it is important for the public to recognize and support women in any high

position, especially those that have been possessed by men in the past. It is crucial for society to
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advance if each individual took the time to educate themselves on the matter and be more aware

of these issues. Both artists are Clifford K. Berryman and Leo Cullum have created cartoons that

express messages that criticize those who are not in favor of women’s rights and

accomplishments. Through the use of ethos, pathos, and commonplaces they achieve their goals

of encouraging the viewer to feel a specific way about their message. The cartoons each take

place during different times and cover different ideas, but they come together with their ultimate

goal. With the first woman as Vice President of the United States, it is clear that some progress

has been made since Women’s Suffrage. Unfortunately, it is the stereotypes similar to the one

demonstrated in Cullum’s cartoon that prevent society from being fully accepting of women’s

success. One day the United States MIGHT come to a full agreement that men are equal to

women, but what year will that be? Hopefully we find out one day.
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Works Cited

Barnes, Tiffany D., et al. “Analysis | Even after Albright, Foreign Policy Leaders Are Still

Mostly Men.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Mar. 2022,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/28/madeleine-albright-remembered/.

Grimes, William. “Leo Cullum, New Yorker Cartoonist, Dies at 68.” The New York Times,

The New York Times, 26 Oct. 2010,

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/arts/26cullum.html.

Lange, Allison. “Opposition to Suffrage.” History of U.S. Woman's Suffrage, National

Women's History Museum, 2015, http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/naows-opposition.

Pruitt, Sarah. “How Teddy Roosevelt Supported Women's Rights.” History.com, A&E

Television Networks, 4 Apr. 2022,

https://www.history.com/news/teddy-roosevelt-womens-rights-suffrage.

“Suffragists Rally on Independence Square, 1911 and 1912 (U.S. National Park Service).”

National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 24 Feb. 2021,

https://www.nps.gov/articles/independence-suffrageralliesindependencesquare.htm.

Tabor, Abigail. “Ice Confirmed at the Moon's Poles.” NASA, NASA, 17 Aug. 2018,

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/ice-confirmed-at-the-moon-s-poles.
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“Votes for Women: ‘Let the People Rule.’” Massachusetts Historical Society. Founded

1791, New York: National American Woman Suffrage Association,

https://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=4179&pid=41.