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How to analyze a political cartoon: SCAMS! S = Subject C = Caption A = Actions M= Message/ theme S = Symbols
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| U.S. History
Name
_____________________________ Skill: Analyzing Political Cartoons Political Cartoons as Text Question : If evidence equals quotes from the "text," how do I analyze political cartoons for their evidence?Answer: SCAMS! S = symbols What do the symbols in the cartoon represent? Cartoonists will typical use symbols to represent something or someone else. C = caption What is the title of the cartoon? After analyzing the cartoon with for all of the SCAMS, you should be able to figure out why the author chose that caption and what it means. A = activities What is happening in the cartoon? Look for movement, actions and dialogue. These provide clues to the message and what the symbols represent. M = message Ask yourself these questions to decipher the meaning: What is the author’s point of view? What is the theme of the cartoon? What is the purpose for making this cartoon? S = subject What is the topic of the cartoon? Sometimes it helps to start with this question first.
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