Scott Stantis created this political cartoon for the Chicago Tribune in September regarding the refugee crisis in the Middle East. Europe had been the destination for many fleeing refugees who had lost everything due to the crisis. Because of its location, it was a perfect place for desperate refugees to go. However, as many Serbian refugees were planning to cross over the border to get to Croatia, the connection and flow ended abruptly when Croatia ended road links to Serbia. This ended the Serbians' ability to find refuge in the European countries that they thought would become safe shelters. The illustrator of this political cartoon, Scott Stantis, is an editorial cartoonist for the Chicago Tribune. The audience of this cartoon would be Croatians because he is trying to emphasize the abruptness of Croatia's decision to take back its invitation to the refugees from the Middle East. Stantis accomplishes this purpose through the use of contrasting colors and irony. The brick wall in the cartoon represents the Croatian decision to end their invitation to refugees into the country, where refugees were once welcomed. The welcome mat in front of the brick wall represents how welcoming they first acted towards the refugees. The irony used by Stantis in the cartoon between the welcome mat and the brick wall shows the abruptness of Croatia's decision to close its borders when they originally made a decision to allow refugees into their country just a day prior. The contrast in the yellow color of the welcome mat and the black color that represents European territory emphasizes how abruptly and quickly the decision was changed. By revealing the effects of this decision on the refugees, Stantis accomplishes his purpose. The cartoon helps the audience understand that the change of decision led many refugees to having doors slammed in their faces. The severity of this decision is shown to be devastating for the refugees who have no where else to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment