Cartoons for section 1
Cartoons are a staple of the section 1 paper of the GAMSAT. While on the surface cartoons may appear simple or superficial they are included in GAMSAT to test your ability to read deeper and draw out the underlying significance. For this reason many of the cartoons included in section 1 are political or satirical and require you to have some familiarity with visual techniques as well as current affairs or historical events. Political cartoons use images and text to convey a message about a contemporary social or political phenomenon. The best way to get comfortable with these kinds of cartoons is to regularly read them. Good places to start are the New Yorker, the Guardian, and newspapers like the Sydney Morning Herald. The more broadly you read, the quicker you’ll get at interpreting cartoons and the more comfortable you’ll become with this visual medium.
In addition to practice it is helpful to familiarise yourself with the common techniques utilised by cartoons. We’ll spend a bit of time going through some key techniques using examples.
Technique 1 – Symbolism
As a visual medium cartoons will frequently use visual symbols to represent ideas or events. Symbols are quickly recognisable visual images that are imbued with broader significance. For example in “The Incredible Carbon Tax Machine” by John Tiedemann (2011) below the piggy bank is a symbol for public funds.
Technique 2 – Caricature
Most political cartoons involve caricature which is a deliberate distortion and unflattering emphasis on a person’s physical appearance. This helps give the cartoon its humour so that we laugh at the cartoon before we even look at what it is saying. For example in “The Incredible Carbon Tax Machine” Julia Gillard is caricaturised by her exaggerated pointed nose and red hair.
Technique 3 – Stereotyping and exaggeration
Cartoons often rely on stereotypes and exaggeration both for their humour, and also to make a point clearly. Over-simplification is also often a major element in getting a message across. For example, in Brown Warrior by John Spooner (2007) John Howard is shown stereotypically dressed like a hippy environmentalist with a bandana and cargo shorts however, this stereotype is then subverted as he has chained himself to a coal power station rather than a tree.
Technique 4 – Captioning
Cartoons often include words and written explanations to make the meaning clear and explicit. For example in “Brown Warrior” the caption plays on the expression “Eco warrior” to imply that John Howard acted to protect the coal industry.
In addition to these specific techniques pay attention to the intended tone, visual style, subject matter and audience of the cartoon. Considering these factors can help you quickly get the gist of a cartoon so that when working through the multiple choice questions you can at least rule out some of the clearly erroneous answers. And as always; practice, practice, practice! Make sure you check out all of the section 1 cartoon practice questions in the Acamedica prep course. Good luck!
“The Incredible Carbon Tax Machine” by John Tiedemann (2011)
Brown Warrior by John Spooner (2007)
