Group names: Amber Parker, Laura Curtis, Eric Torina, Swetha Iyer, Adharsh Ramakrishnan

Satirical Illustrations Analysis

Pawel Kuczynski

Instructions:

● Box 1: Type your name

● Box 2: Type the name of the illustration and paste the actual illustration into the box
● Box 3: Individually identify the rhetorical situation (SPACE). Then, identify the specific rhetorical
choices/strategies used (CAT). Remember to support your answers with evidence from the illustration!
● Box 4: Write a clear thesis for the illustration. What choices/strategies contribute to the meaning and
purpose of the artist? Remember what you have learned about good versus better, and if necessary, use
the thesis template on slides 2-3 on canvas.

Student Name: Laura Curtis

Illustration 1: Dark Industry

Rhetorical S: Pawel Kuczynski is a polish cartoonist who creates satirical, observational,

Situation: and ideological art. He was born in 1976 in Poland. He has won many awards
for his artwork that aims to capture the issues of modern society and how
they affect us socially, culturally, economically, and politically. His art is
meant to be very provocative.
P: The author’s purpose is to show how the issues and evil of modern industry
and how it powers the modern political evils. He is trying to show the
connection between industry and the factories and the world of problems that
we face.
A: The author is trying to reach everyone who is politically, socially, and
environmentally conscious. He knows that those people are most open to his
purpose and ideas and is using satire and powerful imagery to reach them. He
 also spreads his images on social media and on the internet to increase his
audience and reach as many people as possible.
C: This art was created in 2015 around the time industrial production was
rapidly falling, drastically affecting the stock market. A major pipeline was
proposed and fought over for a long time. Many people became more
politically aware as the 2016 presidential race drew closer.
E: I think that the exigence was the rise of politicians like Donald Trump, who
were businessmen run by industry. Their gain of power, while not something
completely new, came to the public eye in 2015 and 2016 and showed how the
corruption of industry and business fueled the corruption of politics.
C: Emperor Palpatine is a very recognizable figure from pop culture. This
allows the author to really show the evil he is trying to convey in politics by
using this supreme evil overlord. Also, the factory represents industry and is
literally powering this evil politician. The colors are very muted and dark
making is very sombre and almost ominous.
A: The imagery and colors are meant to appeal to people’s emotions. The
colors call to the sombre nature and fear of the future. The imagery draws the
reader in by using something familiar and then makes the pitch of fear by
showing things that are evil (the Emperor and the billowing factory) to show
in clear terms the fear and evil present in the world. This appeals to people to
make a change by appealing to their emotions.
T: The tone of the painting is very concerned and worried. It is trying to appeal
to the audience’s fear of what is going on with their leaders and producers. It
is sombre and scary to push the audience to become aware of the world and
what is happening.

Thesis: Pawel Kuczynski uses sombre colors and easily recognizable images of a billowing
factory and Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars movies to appeal to the fear
and uncertainty of his audience in order to push them to become aware of the
political issues around them and call for changes in the corrupt political system.

Body Paragraph Kuczynski uses easily recognizable images in his artwork in order to draw people
in and easily convey his message. In Dark Industry he employs this tactic. In the
drawing, Emperor Palpatine is clearly depicted being powered by ugly factories
that blow torrents of smoke into the sky. The use of such a recognizable and
popular character pulls people in and piques the interest of his audience. This
allows him to convey his message to a larger audience. People are drawn to what
they recognize and are comfortable with. Additionally, the use of the archetypal
Star Wars villain allows Kuczynski’s audience to do most of the legwork for him.
People will automatically connect the Emperor with evil; this allows him to easily
share his message because people already hold a lot of the information that
supports his purpose and ideas. The audience will easily make the connections he
is leading them to. This use of popular culture allows for a larger audience and a
greater understanding of the central message of the work.

Student Name: Amber Parker

Illustration 2:

Rhetorical S: Pawel Kuczynsky was born in Szczecin, Poland in 1976. His cartoons focus
Situation: on political and social issues. A lot of his artwork focuses on technology and
media and the effects it has on people. He focuses on capturing issues in
society and commentating on them, rather than focusing on the good parts of
society. He has chosen to focus on the negative, so it is important to keep that
in mind when analyzing his artwork.
P: In this particular cartoon, the illustrator is trying to highlight a problem in
society, specifically one with the relationship between technology and
people. I think he is trying to show the way that people escape things through
the use of technology. His purpose is to showcase this phenomenon, making
it known to the audience that this is a problem. He is more so focusing on
calling out the problem in order to get the audience to recognize it. The
solution to the problem comes after that.
A: Kuczynsky is trying to reach the audience that is effected by this problem.
The intended audience are the people who experience this problem in their
daily lives, the people who do escae reality through the use of the internet
and media. He intends to make them aware of what is happening, so, in order
to do that, his target audience is the people that are effected. This is shown
because he shows the issue in an abstract way. This makes it so that it is
easiest for the people who actually know the problem and have experience
with it who recognize what the cartoon is all about.
C: This piece takes place in the modern world, hence the cell phone. The cell
phone looks new and modern, meaning that this cartoon is commentary on
something recent. With the development of technology like that shown in the
cartoon, people have changed. This cartoon is showcasing some of the effects
of that change. Modern society has a lot to deal with, but so many have found
it easiest to escape reality through the internet, whether that be through
social media, through movies, or something else. They escape through the
internet. The recent development of this technology and the new habit that
many have of escaping like this has built the content aorund this cartoon.
Without this context, the cartoon would not make sense. It takes some
maturity and some understanding of the modern world in order to fully make
sense of what it is trying to say.
E: This cartoon doesn't have an exact exigence, but based off what it is trying
to say, it has something to do with the realization of what is happening in
society. Many of Kuczynsky’s cartoons focus on social issues, specifically
dealing with technology and social media. So, it is safe to assume that the
exigence for this piece and others like it has to do with an increasing
awareness of what is going on, and wanting to give others the courtesy of also
knowing what is happening so they can work together to fix these issues.
C: Color palette, simplicity, abstractness, symbolism. The sort of muddy color
palette present throughout most of the illustration (the only colorful and not
muddy parts is on the phone and beyond the wall) shows the contrast of
reality and whatever fantasy the people escape to. The simplicity shifts the
audiences focus to the center of the illustration, showing them what really
matters. The abstractness of some of the symbolism, the fact that there isn't
any words or anything to explain kind of leaves some of the interpretation up
to the audience, letting them personalize it and relate to it in their own way.
Makes the message more effective. The symbolism of the wifi symbol claiffies
some of the message. The use of this symbol highlights a direct connection
between the message in the illustration and the exigence.
A: Pathos- the color palette makes it appealing, showing the contrast. Brings
emotional appeal to the illustration because the audience can see what is
 going on and how it effects people. I don't think there is much logos present in
this illustration. The symbolism has some because it establishes the fact of
connection and directness. The wifi symbol is logos on a way because it
directly associates it with something real. The ethos in this piece is mostly
from the professionalism of it. The illustration is clean and professional, giving
credibility to the illustrator in the eyes of the audience.
T: The tone is more of an observational tone. It's just highlighting an issue,
not exactly saying if it is good or bad, but just pointing it out. It's not harsh or
outright saying that escaping reality through the internet is bad, more so just
showing that it is a thing that happens. The audience can then decide if it's
good or bad and then what they want to do about it.

Thesis: In the illustration shown above, made in the age of new technology and pressing
problems, Pawel Kuczynsky symbolizes modern issues, conveys observation of
this modern issue, and urges viewers see these issues themselves in order to
educate the audience of possible issues present in todays society, ultimately
moving them to decide to do something about it themselves.

Revised thesis: In the illustration shown above, made in the age of new
technology and pressing problems, Pawel Kuczynsky symbolizes the modern
issue of being too reliant on technology, conveys an observation of this issue, and
urges viewers to personally and individually understand this reliance in order to
educate the audience of the full extent and reach of this issue across the globe,
ultimately moving them to decide to wake up and move towards a less
tech-reliant world.

Body Paragraph In this illustration, Pawel Kuczynsky illustrates his observations on the issue of
escape through technology. First of all, he does this through the perspective of
the illustration. The illustration is from a third person perspective. We see the
person climbing over the wall from an outside perspective, we can see almost the
full picture. However, what we do not see is what is behind that wall. It is just as
blocked for us as it is for the person in the illustration. By drawing this from a third
person perspective, it feels as if the audience is watching. However, even though
the audience is watching, they still don't know everything. This accomplishes the
goal of educating the audience by showing them issues they may or may not
experience from an outside perspective. People are more likely to recognize
issues if they see it from the outside, or if they see it in someone else. So, by
making this piece feel like an observation, the audience is more likely to notice
what Kuczynsky is highlighting. It puts the audience on the outside, rather than
showing them what it feels like inside that situation, something many of them
likely already feel.

Student Name: Eric Torina

Illustration 3:

Rhetorical S: The artist of this cartoon was Pawel Kuczynsky. He was born in Poland in
Situation: 1976, and he is an artist of political and satirical cartoons. He usually focuses
his drawings on societal or political issues, as well as global problems. He is
very accomplished, and he has won many awards for his work.
P: In this cartoon, the artist is trying to highlight the issue of addiction to cell
phones and technology. He is showing how the temptation of being on cell
phones and technology has made it difficult to enjoy other activities, such as
reading. He is trying to bring this issue to the attention of the audience, and
show how this issue might be affecting their own lives.
A: The audience for this cartoon is anyone globally who might be getting too
attached and reliant on their electronic devices. There is no writing, and it is
not addressed to a specific person or a specific group of people. However, it
was uploaded to the internet for a global audience to access. It was meant to
show everyone how their addiction to their devices is affecting their other
interests and hobbies.
C: This cartoon was made relatively recently, when many new technologies
such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets were created and improved upon.
 Also around this time, social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram
started growing in popularity. For the first time, instead of being used as a
form of communication, phones were being used for entertainment.
E: The exigence for this cartoon was the widespread use of smartphones, and
the effect that they had on society. People started to get more attached to
their phones and electronics, and this took a toll on the participation in other
activities such as reading a book. The artist saw this happening, and started
to challenge these changes and addictions through his drawings.
C: There is only one person in this image, and he is positioned towards the top
of the drawing, which gives the appearance that he is farther away. The
closest object to the middle of the image is a cell phone. This particular cell
phone is also larger than the others in the image, which gives it the
appearance of being closer and important. The majority of the drawing is
filled with empty blue water, which can be a metaphor to represent the
expanse of the internet, which can draw people in. The man depicted is sitting
on a float trying to read a book, while he is being circled by cell phones in the
same way that sharks would circle a potential meal, which can be a metaphor
to represent the way that phones tempt and draw people away from their
lives.
A: The artist uses imagery to interest the audience, and to convey the
message that he is trying to send. The author also uses metaphors, such as
phones acting like sharks, to convey meaning and feelings of fear to the
audience. So, the artist was using pathos to reach the audience and convey its
purpose.
T: The tone of this cartoon is somewhat subtle. There are not too many things
going on at once, and it does not feel urgent. But, it gives the ominous feeling
that eventually something bad will happen.

Thesis: In the satirical cartoon drawn by the polish political cartoonist Pawel Kuczynsky,
he uses imagery and metaphors to demonstrate how phones and technology are
affecting our everyday lives and activities, ultimately moving the audience to limit
and monitor their use of electronics.

Body Paragraph Pawel Kuczynsky uses metaphors in order to show the audience the true dangers
of addiction to technology. In the drawing, phones are depicted as “swimming”
around the person on the float in the ocean. The phones are moving and
behaving in the same way that sharks are generally thought to behave when they
are circling a potential meal. The phones in the cartoon are also tilted at an angle
so that one of their corners are pointing up, mimicking the dorsal fin of a shark.
By using this metaphor of phones circling their prey, the artist is showing how
phones pose a danger and distraction to the normal lives of people. He is saying
that much in the same way that sharks circle their prey, people are the prey of
phones. Phones draw people in, and when people become addicted to their
technology and devices, they often neglect other aspects of their lives. The artist
is also using the fear and stereotypes often associated with sharks to show the
true nature of phones. All of this would move the global audience to monitor and
limit their use of electronic devices because it shows how electronics such as
 phones pose danger to their typical way of life and their productivity.

Student Name: Adharsh Ramakrishnan

Illustration 4:

Rhetorical S: Pawel Kuczynsky, a polish cartoonist, was a political art satirist and philosopher
Situation: who spoke up on cultural, social, economic, and political issues. He has won over
100 awards for his art because of his ability to capture problems with modern
society.
P: The purpose of this cartoon is to show that people are relying on their phones
and other electronics too much. In this cartoon, we can see that all 4 people are
praying for the wifi to get better so that they can go back to being on their
electronics. Even though a dinner table is supposed to be a place where families
can have conversations, this family does not seem to talk to each other and only
focus on their electronics. This cartoon was made to show people that they are
getting addicted to their phones and that this can lead to families not caring for
each other.
A: I think the audience for this cartoon is anyone who owns an electronic device
or in other words, everybody. In this cartoon, we can see that all people are
affected by this problem whether it's kids or adults. This cartoon was meant to
 show everyone that being on their phones too much can lead to addiction and
less caring in the family.
C: This political cartoon was created in 2018. Even though major video content
such as YouTube and Instagram were already created, they especially became
popular. Many other games were also created such as Fortnite which got a lot of
kids involved in gaming. This really caused an addiction toward these electronic
devices. Newspapers also started to go online which made the adult population
interested in electronics. Since major streaming networks became popular, the
addiction of phones/other electronics increased.
E: The exigence for this cartoon was the advancement of different types of social
media. Things such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube skyrocketed during
2017 and 2018. This really sparked an interest for people to start using their
phones for basically everything. Nowadays, we can basically find anything we
want on the internet and because of that, we don’t need people or books to help
us out as much anymore. Because of this increase in advancement of social
media, people started to get more addicted toward their phones/electronics.
C: A dining table is typically seen as a place where a family can enjoy dinner while
having a nice conversation; however, in this cartoon all members of their family
are all on their electronic devices praying for the internet which shows that the
family isn’t interested in having conversations with one another but rather
interested in their phones/electronics. The dining table acts as a metaphor where
it would typically be used for conversations and talking but now it’s being used
where people can go on their phones.
A: The dark background as well as their hand gestures that suggest that all of
them are praying show us emotions that the characters are feeling. We can infer
that all of them are struggling because the wifi is down and they aren’t able to use
their electronic device. The artist also uses logos when he shows that since they
are getting addicted so much to their phones, they don’t care as much about the
family anymore.
T: This cartoon uses a very subtle but dark tone to convey the idea that
phones/electronic devices can be dangerous. The dark background creates a
scary tone but the lack of urgency in the family shows the subtle tone. By using
this tone, he is attempting to persuade the audience by showing them that they
are more worried about their cell-phones rather than their loved ones.

Thesis: By using a dark background and showing the family praying for wifi, Pawel
Kuczynsky attempts to convey his idea that individuals are being more addicted
to their electronics and that individuals are starting to care less about their truly
loved ones.

Body Paragraph Pawel Kuczynsky shows that phones are causing humans to be addicted to them
and making them forget about more important things such as families. In the
cartoon, we can see that all members of the family are attracted to their specific
electronic device and they all seem to be praying for the wifi to be fixed so that
they can continue being on their electronic device. This really shows how big of a
problem this issue has become. A dining table is supposed to serve as a place
where a family can eat and talk about things that happened. This allows families
 to get closer to themselves while having a nice conversation at the same time;
however, in this political cartoon the family is not concerned about having a
conversation and interacting with each other and are rather concerned with the
wifi problems that are on-going in their house. This shows that all of the
members of the family are addicted and this is happening everywhere in the
world. If this continues, it can lead to a lot of addiction and people will tend to
care less about other people which can become a huge problem. Things such as
depression and suicides occur becuase of the lack of help and by keeping our eyes
on a screen for the whole day, we are not helping people which could lead to
some mental problems.

Student Name: Swetha Iyer

Illustration 5: Blinders

Rhetorical S: Pawel Kuczynski is a political satirical, and philosophical cartoonist born in

Situation: Szczecin, Poland, in 1976. His artworks focus on cultural, social, economic, and
political issues and try to capture the problems with modern society. His art
targets global subjects and personal problems, for which he has won over 100
awards for his cartoons.
P: The author hopes that the viewer will see that they become like a trained
donkey who will only follow what their phone ‘dictates’ them to do when they use
their phones. In that way, he is trying to show that people are so focused on their
 phones that the world around them blinds them.
A: The author wants to reach the audience of all people on their phones by
publishing this image on social media and the internet, where many people are
likely to see it and see the message that he is conveying.
C: This piece was created in 2016 when there was a political shift, especially
within the United States. At the same time, Kuczynski also made many other
cartoons about Twitter and Facebook, which became where most people started
to go to be more involved with politics after President Trump took office.
E: I think that the exigence of this piece is that people were forced to become
more and more invested in what they saw on social media, that they become
blinded to what is happening around them and start only focusing on their
phones. This also comes with a rise in social media influencers and politics moving
to social media platforms that dominated not just the United States but also
countries worldwide.
C: Donkeys are often seen as stupid creatures, and comparing a person to a
donkey is referencing them as stupid. There is also the fact that when people use
donkeys for plowing and carrying loads, they often have to be led in certain
directions by humans. In this, Kuczynski relies heavily on metaphors, saying that
humans are donkeys and are mindless, stupid, and blinded by technology.
Interestingly, this donkey is harnessed to show that it is being led along by
something, most likely technology, but that part of the image has been put off.
A: By using the imagery to convey the metaphor, it leads the audience to be
offended and, in turn, try to prove that they are the opposite of what the picture
is showing, which makes them achieve the purpose of having people stop being
blinded by their phones. He also uses the imagery to create logos in that he
shows that people are so obsessed with tie earphones that one day they will just
become mindless and only ever focus on their phones.
T: He uses a very condescending tone in this painting because of the imagery. He
is confronting the audience with the idea that they are mindless donkeys led by
their phone, looking down on them.

Thesis: Pawel Kuczynski mocks humans who only focus on their phones in order to show
that people today are blind to the world around them because of their phones
and other technology.

Body Paragraph Pawel Kuczynski mocks humans who only focus on their phones to Take, for
example, how the donkey is harnessed to something and its eyes are covered by
phones which act as blinkers with a smile on his face. THis helps convey his
message through the imagery of the donkey, the blinkers, the harness, and the
smile. Firstly, the donkey is made to represent a human, but while the donkey
stands in for a human, the symbolism of the donkey is still applicable. Donkeys
are often thought of as stupid and mindless creatures, so this donkey represents a
human who is either stupid or mindless. The donkey also has blinkers covering its
eyes, and the literal purpose of blinkers is to prevent the donkey from looking
anywhere but straight ahead. The substitution of the phones as blinkers
symbolizes how the use of phones and other technologies has blocked out the
world and has made them focus solely on technology. The harness is something
used to keep the donkey from straying away, and while it is unclear who is on the
other side of the harness, it can be assumed the harness represents society and
how it pushes people to rely on technology heavily. Finally, the smile on the
donkey’s face represents content with the situation and how the donkey is
comfortable with its current position and has such a limited worldview. All of this
imagery combined pushes people to understand how they have become
increasingly reliant on technology and have forgotten about the world around
them. As such, they have become mindless people, and they have no intention of
trying to break free from this reliance. Today, many people have no
understanding of the pain and hurt people worldwide are facing because they are
so focused on how they look on social media and how the world sees them. This
leads to indifference to serious issues because they are not part of the
‘mainstream’ and, in the end, are further isolating people all around the world and
allowing many of these issues to continue. All of this would move the viewer to
step away from using technology and open their eyes to the world around them
because then they become mindless and indifferent to much of the suffering that
is occurring around them.