Imagery in Ben Garrison s Political Cartoons

Political Cartoon Analysis

A 2019 political cartoon by Ben Garrison depicts Joe Biden and his son Hunter holding bags of money while standing on a crater marked “Ukraine.” Interestingly, this cartoon was published well before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022—and yet Garrison seems to see already in 2019 what is in store for Ukraine under a Biden Administration. The caption at the bottom of the comic reads: “When the smoke clears.” This paper will describe the techniques the cartoonist uses to communicate his message. Garrison uses imagery, symbolism, and irony to reveal the cartoon’s message about power, corruption, and cover.

The cartoon creator uses the technique of exaggeration to make his point. In fact, political cartoonists often use exaggeration to make their point (Shaikh et al.). This is because exaggeration can be used to communicate a message more effectively than a literal depiction. For example, a cartoonist might depict a politician with an excessively large head to suggest that they are power-hungry. Alternatively, they might draw a politician with a small head to suggest that they are not very bright. Exaggeration can also be used to make a point about someone\\\\\\\'s physical appearance. For example, a cartoonist might depict a overweight politician as being morbidly obese, or they might depict a bald politician as being completely bald. By using exaggeration, political cartoonists can communicate their message more effectively and make their point more clearly.

In Garrison’s cartoon, the creator exaggerates the corruption narrative surrounding the Bidens and their role in Ukraine by showing Joe and Hunter standing over what is either a crater or an enormous volcano. In their hands are big bags of money marked “Abuse of Power” and “Graft” so that the reader doesn’t miss the artist’s point. The point is, of course, that Biden abused his power as Vice President under Obama by meddling in Ukraine’s affairs and by getting his son a special appointment to a company in Ukraine that paid handsomely. Garrison essentially writes large with big letters so that no one can miss his point.

What we learn about the characters in the strip is that they enjoy being corrupt and have yet to be held accountable: they are holding their booty up as though to show their prize without any guilt, and they are smiling widely as no shame is brought down on them by those in power. All around them are calls to “investigate Trump” or to “impeach Trump,” signifying that all the public (led by the media) cares about is Trump—and they could not care less what the Bidens are doing that is unlawful.