Political Cartoon #1 This political cartoon is centered around the growing difference in societal roles, amidst the 1920s, between women and African Americans. After a brief glance, one will notice the large man in the middle of the cartoon. This man is used to mock Lady Justice by virtue of the patriarchal society, at the time. Thus this figure is given the name, Mr. Society. Next, in the figure’s left hand, one can see that there is a woman alongside books about law, and medicine. The women, her short haircut, and the books about law and science indicate the growth of women in society and in regards to fashion. Moreover the yellow background, on the left side of the cartoon, is indicative of the optimism associated with …show more content…
Thus, it was fitting that the initial hiring of Fall was one that coincided with said optimism and seemed to be poised for success. This optimism is once again depicted by the yellow background. However, the skewed process of appointing cabinet members, wrongdoing which is highlighted by the color of black, eventually brought about true corruption and greed. Thus, the right side of the cartoon has a green background, as the color green symbolizes greed. Further, many time periods are ostensibly characterized by a certain emotion. For instance, many viewed the Gilded Age as a prosperous time period due to the growth of the industrial economy, civil reform, etc. However, this feeling of exuberance masked the true social ills at the time. Likewise, in this case the optimism of this time period does not indicate this decade was free of any ills. Specifically, in a political regard, this came about through the corruption of the Harding Administration as seen through the Teapot Dome Scandal. The cartoon depicts this as the optimistic color of yellow eventually evolved into greed, which is depicted by the green background. Clearly, the reasoning behind the selection of the topic of this cartoon stems from the overwhelming feeling of optimism associated with the time period, which similar to the Gilded Age may be a mask for the plights of the time