It depicts a grandfather telling his grandson of the “Battle of 1943”, a battle in which he did not fight in but instead stayed home, complaining of a fuel shortage. There is a calendar stating that it is 1973 in the background, showing that thirty years have passed since his battle. There is also his grandson on the grandpa’s lap (the grandpa is in a chair and has long beard) looking quite unimpressed at the grandpa’s story. There isn’t much symbolism item-wise in this cartoon other than the calendar displaying the date, and the grandfather’s cane, implying that he is frail and unable to properly walk.
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The main point that the cartoon is trying to make is in the words the grandpa is saying. When he replied to his grandson that he chose not to fight in the war and stay home, his grandson seems much less impressed in the story, in contrast to a seasoned war veteran telling his grandkids the tales of actual war battles. The words do help to clarify the cartoon’s symbols of the calendar and the cane by showing the time lapse in the story being told to the present time in the cartoon. This source taught me that it was looked down upon by the media (and most likely the public) to not join the war effort if you could.
That is shown in history with the absence of a draft during WWII because so many men wanted to fight for their country. The cartoon also taught me that Dr. Seuss was very involved with the war effort, creating hundreds of cartoons and advertisements to try and entice young men to fight for America. This political cartoon leaves me with the question of why people in the 1940’s were so willing to go and fight, knowing well that they could die. It isn’t a trait that you would find in many soldiers or veterans today, which is intriguing considering the war occurred only seventy years ago.
The cartoon also leaves me with the question of how many able-bodied men chose not to join the war effort, and if they were shunned to a high degree for not doing so? Subject- This source is about an old man choosing not to join the troops during WWII, and it is portraying him as a lazy embarrassment. Circumstances- This cartoon was created in 1943, in America as a type of propaganda for the war. Author- The author of the political cartoon was Theodore Giesel, or Dr. Seuss. Reason- This cartoon was created to try and encourage men to join the war effort by using propaganda techniques.
Audience- The main audience this cartoon is aimed at is men most likely ages 18-30. Bias- Giesel’s point of view in the cartoon is that if you are able to join the war but you don’t, then you are lazy and can’t tell great American war stories. Significance- The significance of this cartoon is being that it shows how pressured men were to enter the war, as well as how honored they would be if they did. This cartoon revealed to me just how public it was because a renowned children’s book author created it, someone whom you wouldn’t usually expect to create war propaganda.
