During Barrack Obama’s election he made huge
promises to America in exchange for electing him to be the next president. Once
elected, many Americans believe he did not holdup his end of the bargain.
Throughout his presidency there countless political cartoons published poking
fun at him. In 2011, before the next election but still during the time Obama
was still in office, Walt Handelsman published a political cartoon that used
caricatures, humor, and labeling to mock President Obamas presidency. Obama is
drawn with emphasis on the stereotypical parts of an African American man such
as an enlarged nose and ears. Because Handelsman uses humor to persuade the
audience, he is using pathos as a rhetorical appeal of persuasion. The over
sized shoes that the President cannot even come close to filing are used to
mock the fact that he promised too much to America and can not longer keep all
of his promises. Labeling is used on the huge shoes saying “The Obama Promise”
and also on the paper he is holding saying “The Obama Presidency”. All of the
promises that Obama had made but not followed through on is the topic being
addressed in this cartoon. Because the shoes are so large for Obama it is
humorous because he has “big shoes to fill” with all of his promises. I think
the cartoonist is critical of Obamas presidency because he is mocking the very
small amount that Obama has accomplished when he has promised so much. The
audience that Handelsman is addressing is every American citizen who can vote,
but most importantly the Democrat ones. Because Obama is a Democrat I think the
author is trying to persuade the political party to question how much Obama has
actually accomplished in retrospect to how much he has promised. The timing of
this cartoon is crucial because it was before the presidential election, which
gave Americans time to question Obamas effectiveness.
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