This cartoon appeared in the British magazine
‘Punch’ on 19 February 1919.
The caption reads:
German Criminal to Allied Police: “Here, I say,
stop! You're hurting me!”
Whispering: If I only whine enough I may be
able to wriggle out of this.
What is the message of this cartoon?
To answer this question,
you have to work in three
steps:
1. What you see
(Denotation)
2. What you know
(Connotation)
3. What it means
(combine Denotation and
Connotation)
What you see
Two policemen (a French and a
British) are arresting a German
criminal.
What you know
Police are normally GOOD
people who protect us, even if
they sometimes have to use
violence.
What it means
The Allies are morally IN THE
RIGHT in what they do with
Germany.
What you see
The German criminal looks a
violent, nasty character; he has
done something very bad.
What you know
Criminals are usually BAD people
who do bad things for which
they need punishing.
What it means
Germany was to blame for all
the loss and damage of the War
– and should be punished.
What you see
The policemen are tying up the
German criminal with ropes
labelled ‘Armistice terms’.
What you know
If criminals are not punished
they will carry on with their
crimes.
What it means
The Allies are RIGHT to be strict
with the Germans, who are
dangerous and evil.
What you see
The German criminal is
complaining – but only to
wriggle out of his punishment.
What you know
His words are as evil as his
deeds – they are not true.
What it means
The Allies can ignore Germany’s
complaints about the Armistice.
This cartoon appeared in the British magazine
‘Punch’ on 19 February 1919.
The caption reads:
German Criminal to Allied Police: “Here, I say,
stop! You're hurting me!”
Whispering: If I only whine enough I may be
able to wriggle out of this.
Finally, always remember
to look at:
Origin
(Who drew the cartoon?)
Date
(When was the cartoon
published?)
Origin
An artist in the magazine Punch.
Details
Punch is a British political
magazine.
This tells me:
The cartoon shows how the
British felt about the Germans
after the war.
This cartoon appeared in the British magazine
‘Punch’ on 19 February 1919.
The caption reads:
German Criminal to Allied Police: “Here, I say,
stop! You're hurting me!”
Whispering: If I only whine enough I may be
able to wriggle out of this.
Date
19 February 1919
Details
After the peace conference had
started.
This tells me:
This was how the British public put
pressure on Prime Minister Lloyd
George to ‘make Germany pay’.
This cartoon appeared in the British magazine
‘Punch’ on 19 February 1919.
The caption reads:
German Criminal to Allied Police: “Here, I say,
stop! You're hurting me!”
Whispering: If I only whine enough I may be
able to wriggle out of this.