Signe Wilkinson Cartoon Description and Analysis

Isadora Germain
Period 2

January 31, 2016

Signe Wilkinson is critiquing the current policy decisions being made in todays political
climate. Presidential candidates arent focusing on the real enemy. Instead of putting time and
money into preventing the Zika virus from spreading and becoming an epidemic, various citizens
believe we should focus on building a wall separating the United States from Mexico. This plan
does virtually nothing to prevent the dangerous virus. By putting funding into issues with little
effect on us, we are putting citizens at a risk that could easily be avoided with the proper funding.

Signe Wilkinson Cartoon Description and Analysis

Isadora Germain
Period 2

January 28, 2016

Signe Wilkinson is pointing out the blatant racism that exists in the United States today.
The current event in Flint, Michigan causes the tap water to be extremely dirty and unpotable.
Flint is primarily populated by black people. Wilkinson is drawing the connection between the
high black population and horrible conditions, labeling it as another form of modern-day racism.
In the mid-1900s water fountains were segregated, the water in the Colored water fountains
tended to be of a lesser quality. This unfair segregation was fought and finally made illegal by
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but this cartoon shows that the effect of segregation is still
somewhat present. By using a historical allusion to the segregation of blacks and whites, the
cartoon becomes more powerful and memorable.

Signe Wilkinson Cartoon Description and Analysis

Isadora Germain
Period 2

January 14, 2016

This cartoon effectively uses symbolism by using Uncle Sam to represent the actions of the
United States as a whole. Uncle Sam is depicted contemplating how he will effectively counter
the messages ISIS is spreading. Outside of Uncle Sams office, there is a large crowd of Syrian
refugees. One of their shirts reads Fleeing ISIS. Signe Wilkinson is commenting on the great
need for an anti-ISIS message and how we can easily get it from the refugees fleeing ISIS
attacks. Wilkinson is critiquing the incessant bashing of these refugees by certain political
leaders, and how the Syrian refugees could be very helpful for the stability of the country in the
near future.

Signe Wilkinson Cartoon Description and Analysis

Isadora Germain
Period 2

January 7, 2016
Portrayed in this cartoon are two images, the stereotypical gun owner and a gravestone
labeled gun victim. Underneath each image are two constitutional rights, the right to bear arms
and the right to remain silent. The right to bear arms is found in the 2nd Amendment, and the
right to remain silent is found in the 5th Amendment. Wilkinsons use of right to remain silent
is ironic because she is not using it the way it is stated in the Constitution. Instead she is using it
to express how the victims of gun violence are silenced, and therefore cannot protest their
injustices. On the graveyard is a large number which represents the great number of people who
have died as a result of uncalled for gun violence. Signe Wilkinson is critiquing Americas
current gun policy by showing the double meaning to one of our basic rights, the right to remain
silent. This cartoon clearly shows how the right to bear arms and innocent deaths go hand in
hand. Wilkinson is asking the audience to reconsider the effect of guns, and if it outweighs the
great number of lives lost.

Signe Wilkinson Cartoon Description and Analysis

Isadora Germain
Period 2

December 18, 2015

Signe Wilkinson is commenting on the recent event involving Justice Antonin Scalia, a
white Supreme Court Justice, and his argument that black students benefit more from slower
track schools. He argued that when black students are forced into more advanced schools they
dont feel comfortable. Scalia believes that black students benefit more from slower track
schools. The cartoon depicts Justice Antonin Scalia telling Clarence Thomas, the sole black
Supreme Court Justice, to imagine where hed be if only hed gone to a slower-track school.
Justice Thomas, who attended Yale Law School, is evidence that black students do benefit from

Signe Wilkinson Cartoon Description and Analysis

Isadora Germain
Period 2
more advanced education. This cartoon points out the racism and irony in the U.S. Supreme
Court.

November 22, 2015

Signe Wilkinson is expressing her opinion about the current danger and racism in the gun
industry. The cartoon depicts a consumer buying a gun in a gun store, a sign in the store reads,
Quick Background Checks: Except for Syrian Refugees! Outside of the store there are outlines
of dead bodies each labeled with a big number, showing the large amount of deaths caused by
gun violence and the lack of background checks. Signe Wilkinson is very liberal in her views on
gun control, based on this cartoon she thinks the gun industry is corrupt and greatly influenced
by racism.

Signe Wilkinson Cartoon Description and Analysis

Isadora Germain
Period 2

November 29, 2015

This cartoon portrays Donald Trump standing at the top of the Big Wall that hes used to
strengthen his presidential campaign. Trump has a pair of binoculars in his hands and is looking
into Mexico, proud that he has seemingly stopped the flow of illegal immigration. Behind Trump
is a large crowd of immigrants trying to flee the country, they are holding a sign that is labelled
We Want to Go Back. This cartoon shows how the presidential hopeful is turning his back on
the real problems that America is facing. Wilkinson is showing how Trump is directing his
attention and his supporters to issues that have no real importance. Signe Wilkinson is very
liberal in her cartoons, and does not support Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Signe Wilkinson Cartoon Description and Analysis

Isadora Germain
Period 2

November 25, 2015

This cartoon shows the classic statue called The Thinker thinking about how poverty will
come to an end. Next to the statue are a group of protestors objecting the current unfair minimum
wage, the statue seems oblivious to the protestors. Signe Wilkinson is conveying her view on the
minimum wage, she believes that poverty could be ended through the raising of it. Government
today is overthinking how to treat the problem, when there is a simple solution. The broader
message in this cartoon shows how the government seems to make decisions without concerning
the people these decisions will actually affect. This is a major problem in the United States and
will keep creating more problems until it is addressed.

Signe Wilkinson Cartoon Description and Analysis

Isadora Germain
Period 2