A Multi-modal Critical Discourse Analysis of Selected English Political Cartoons

Assist. Lectu. Hanan Najim Abd Ali

doi:10.31185/eduj.Vol60.Iss2.4518

Authors

Assist. Lectu. Hanan Najim Abd Ali College of Languages / University of Baghdad

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31185/eduj.Vol60.Iss2.4518

Keywords:

political cartoons, multimodal discourse analysis, representational , interactive , compositional.

Abstract

This study analyses six political cartoons selected based on their relevance to current Iraqi political issues, specifically the period between 2005 and 2015, from American online newspapers (calgecartooms.com). The selection criteria included the cartoons' satirical elements, visual rhetoric, and their ability to engage with themes such as power dynamics, social issues, and public opinion. It sheds light on how these cartoons can function as mediators of meanings between the cartoonists and the readers. The data is examined using multimodal discourse analysis (MDA), which combines language study with the analysis of other visual elements, like colors, gestures, and images, to understand meaning (O’Halloran et al., 2011). The Visual Social Semiotics framework proposed by Kress and Van Leeuwen is applied for data analysis. According to Kress and Van Leeuwen (2006, p. 1), who built upon Halliday’s functional socio-semiotic theory of language (1975, 1978, 1994, 2004), visual texts serve as resources for encoding interpretations of experience and enacting forms of social interaction. They identify three functions of meaning that act as semiotic modes of communication: representational meaning, interactive meaning, and compositional meaning. Moreover, the study attempts to demonstrate how cartoons portray surrounding circumstances, particularly political events, and examines their role in reflecting the main issues present in our daily lives and their impact on readers' beliefs and attitudes.

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