unit4

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28 November 2015
Unit 4
Political cartoons are comical pictures used to put a specific political message across. Most of them are meant to mock a certain element of a politician or the political system. The cartoons are a fast and funny way to summarize a political message in a limited space. These cartoons are subject to varied interpretations and reactions from different people depending on their political inclination. The paper discusses the three sources provided in the assignment and how they relate to the role of the government in the society.
Source I is a series of pictures of the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un poking someone in three different occasions before the arm and the stick he uses to poke are separated from the rest of his body. The cartoon is probably talking about Kim’s aggressive relationship with the international community. In 2010, he slew fifty South Korean citizens in two attacks. After these killings, the dictator warned of even further attacks (“Solve a problem” n.pag.). Kim Jong Un has recently ordered for the preparation of missiles and dismissed the peace agreement that existed between the nation and the United States (“Solve a problem” n.pag.). He has also made his plans to bring a nuclear reactor back on line public. So far, the US has remained dormant about Kim’s actions (“Solve a problem” n.pag.). His actions to try and provoke the U.S. are probably what are being represented by the three pokes. The international community is said to have reached a critical point regarding Kim’s actions.

The fourth picture showing part of his arm chopped might be a pictorial representation of the bad fortunes Kim might attract if he continues to provoke the international community. The North Korean government, under Kim Jong Un’s leadership is seen to be playing a provocative role within the international community. This role might soon land them in trouble with other countries like the U.S. which have a role to protect their citizens from any form of threat. What the North Korean government, under its leader, ought to be doing is to maintain peaceful relations with other countries and all shall be well with them.
Source II talks about the position of the U.S in the Israeli-Syria conflict. According to the source, it is very important for the U.S to gather more evidence against the actions of any party before they intervene. A rushed intervention for Syria might have serious direct consequences on the U.S citizens (“In Syria” n.pag.). The United States have to be very cautious about this; especially since they have made a similar mistake with Iraq in the past (“In Syria” n.pag.). This mistake cost the country several lives. This source indicates that the role of the U.S government is first to protect its Citizens then the international community later. The role they have decided to play as depicted by the source is indeed the true role they should be playing as a good government elected by its citizens.
In Source III, the word “security” has been made up of letters cut from four related words namely: justice, liberty, equality and freedom. From a superficial perspective, the source could be interpreted to mean that for security to be achieved, elements of liberty, freedom, security and justice have to be incorporated. However, if looked at from a deeper perspective, the picture could mean that government gives more importance to its security functions at the expense of the other four functions. It is general knowledge that for justice, liberty, freedom and equality to prevail, some rules have to be in place. Once the rules are in place, certain aspects of liberty will be taken away; one will not be able to act feely and do everything he pleases. This is because he might be charged and jailed. The jailing is effected by a robust judicial system whose liberty is also confined within the set of rules. Once the person is jailed, his freedom again depends on the laws in place to ensure the country’s security. According to this source, the government favors certain roles it considers more important as security and uses other functions to help in the execution of this role.
Works Cited
“How Do You Solve a Problem like North Korea? Three Viewpoints.” NBC News. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
“In Syria, the U.S. ‘red Line’ Continues to Shift.” The Globe and Mail. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.