A Proposed Schema for Analyzing the "Other" in Visual, Political Satire: The New Yorker Cartoon on Barack Obama

Author

Safiyya Hosein, Lynn University

Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Granting Institution

Lynn University

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Program

Communication and Media

Department

College of Communication and Design

First Advisor

Valeria Fabj

Abstract

This thesis will provide an image schema for analyzing the Other in satirical imagery. It will also strengthen previous theories in visual communication that argue that imagery, specifically satirical imagery, may also function in the form of visual ideographs. The case study that will be conducted to illustrate this argument will be an analysis of the controversial July/2008 New Yorker cartoon entitled The Politics of Fear which satirized Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as "fist-bumping" terrorists in the White House. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework or analysis tool for deconstructing the Other in visual, political satire and is a response to the existing fragmented methods of analysis. In a broader sense, this thesis is meant to build on theories that contribute to the existing debate that argues for incorporating imagery into rhetorical studies.

Recommended Citation

Hosein, S. (2008). A proposed schema for analyzing the "other" in visual, political satire: The New Yorker cartoon on Barack Obama [Master's thesis, Lynn University]. SPIRAL. https://spiral.lynn.edu/etds/19