Cartoon Analysis 3i2wk

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2-9-16 Cartoon Movement http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/27376 Rafat Alkhateeb The issue that inspired this cartoon is the modern world’s need for technology and social media and how it is destroying everyone’s wellbeing. No specific person is depicted in this cartoon but there are multiple symbols. The main one is the Facebook symbol that the giant hand is holding as a cigarette. It represents social media and the decaying hand along with the burning ashes coming up from the Facebook cigarette represent the addiction to staying connected online. Alkhateeb’s point of view in this cartoon is against social media. He clearly wants people to stop using it as much. This specific cartoon does not expressively establish any political bias however. The shading of the giant hand gets darker as it comes closer to the cigarette, which provokes feelings of worry among the audience.

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1-15-16 Cartoon Movement http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/26701 Rafat Alkhateeb The event that inspired this cartoon is the notable drop in oil prices around the world; it is becoming cheaper and easier to acquire. No person is specifically portrayed in this cartoon, but there is a large symbol. An oil tank here is depicted as a common office water tank to represent just how abundant and cheap oil is and easy it is to access. There is not a very strong point of view in this cartoon because Alkhateeb makes no reference as to whether he thinks this cheap oil is good or bad. He just observes the fact that it is happening. The emotional reaction that the audience is supposed to feel is amusement. The humor in this cartoon is evident. It is not a serious depiction of anything very grim and thus the audience would be humored. It is notable that the oil tank is shaded much darker and looks much bigger than the rest of the picture. This seems to indicate that oil is very powerful and even though it is so cheap, it should not be underestimated.

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1-29-16 Cartoon Movement http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/27136 Rafat Alkhateeb The issue that inspired this cartoon is the ever increasing refugee crisis and how the UN is doing very little to help it. There is not a specific person portrayed in this cartoon but there are a number of symbols that get a clear message across. The welcome mat for immigrants hiding a deadly pit represents the false sense of security that the UN brings and how immigrants are actually falling to their doom by following the UN. The door with the UN flag on it clearly is a symbol for the UN’s refugee aid. The point of view in this cartoon is that the UN is not helping immigrants get to safe places. Alkhateeb’s political biases are slightly shown because of the deadly pit associated with the UN door. The emotional reaction intended for the audience here is surprise because one does not see the pit at first. At second glance the audience notices it and is surprised by Alkhateeb’s brusque message.

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11-26-15 Cartoon Movement http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/25648 Rafat Alkhateeb The issue that inspired this cartoon is the shamefulness of abusing one’s partner when they are supposed to be in a nurturing relationship. Two people are portrayed in this cartoon as husband and wife. The wife is beaten up and bruised which symbolizes the abused and the husband is whistling and cleaning his hands with a bloody handkerchief, representing the ab. The fact that his mustache falls off his face represents the loss of adulthood and maturity as soon as one abuses his/her loved one. This is a powerful cartoon that invokes emotions of surprise, fear, and sadness among the audience because of its blunt message. Alkhateeb’s point of view is shown through the expressive red colors in the wife’s blouse and face and the husband’s handkerchief. He is clearly against abuse and finds it shameful and disgusting. No political views are shown but his social views are very distinguished.

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9-3-15 Cartoon Movement http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/23058 Rafat Alkhateeb The event that inspired this cartoon was a Syrian infant’s dead body washed up on the Turkish shore. He was a refugee that underwent terribly harsh conditions to try to reach safety but instead met a grim death. Many cartoonists used this tragic event to spark controversy among the public because it is such a frightening and harsh image to look at. The dead toddler is depicted in this cartoon and symbolizes all refugees and their struggle to get to safe countries. The barb wire fence represents the exclusion that first world countries give to fleeing immigrants. Alkhateeb’s point of view in this cartoon is that developed countries need to open their gates to let in more refugees so that no one has to end up like this Syrian boy. His political biases are also expressed through the fence that separates the dead boy from the rest of the world.

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2-2-16 Cartoon Movement http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/27205 Rafat Alkhateeb The issue that inspired this cartoon is the constant deforestation that takes place in the world. Much like most of his cartoons, Alkhateeb does not depict any specific people, but he does create major symbols in the cartoon. The trees blending into buildings represent the change that the world has gone through in the past few decades from an abundance of trees and wildlife to an abundance of cities and urban life. Alkhateeb’s point of view in this cartoon is that deforestation should stop happening at such an alarming rate. The fact that the trees are colored in the image but the buildings are not show that the trees matter much more than the dull and lifeless buildings.

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1-22-16 Cartoon Movement http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/26899 Rafat Alkhateeb The issue that inspired this cartoon is very similar to the first cartoon’s inspiration: people are too obsessed with their phones and technology in general. Alkhateeb of course does not depict any specific celebrity as he usually does not. The big symbol here is the phone with a mouse trap attached to it. Alkhateeb means to show that anyone who unlocks this phone will get trapped. This is a symbol for how technology is trapping humans and making them become too obsessed with their devices. His point of view is very clear because of the menacing trap and the “swipe to unlock” label right under it. The emotion that is invoked by this cartoon is amusement because of the clever use of a mouse trap to symbolize the technology trap.

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12-29-15 Cartoon Movement http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/26362 Rafat Alkhateeb The issue that inspired this cartoon is the abundance of terrorism and violence around the world and how it will all carry on for many years. The only big symbol in this image is the TnT replacing the 6 in “2016”. The fact that the 6 is already lit represents that 2016 is going down the exact same warpath as past years and will not be stopping at any time soon. It is a powerful cartoon because of its simplicity. It invokes the emotion of nervousness among the audience because there is only one thing that is off putting about the cartoon and it is not the center of the image, which creates a sense of subtlety. There is no person depicted in the cartoon as that seems to be a major pattern in Alkhateeb’s works. His political biases are slightly shown in this cartoon because of the negative connotation associated with the 6 as a bomb.