
On October 11, 2016, USA News posted a political cartoon that referenced this year’s presidential debate. The picture is a scene of this year’s presidential candidates racing each other as their noses grow. This picture is meant to be a metaphor that critiques their corrupt and out of the ordinary race for presidency. The artist uses the words “Hillary in the Lead” above a drawing of two long-nosed runners to emphasize the irony of the picture. One of the candidates being in the “lead” is irrelevant because it is only a matter of time before a lie about one of them comes up, changing the ratings. Certain qualities of the different candidates are very well portrayed by the artist. The artist uses coherence, color, contrast, and text to help convey the picture’s overall meaning.  

This picture was released to the public by a large news network. This picture needs to be easy for an average person to decipher because it is directed at the entire American public. This picture displays two people running in a race. The artist puts the people side-by-side in running outfits to show that these two people are currently racing on a track. The artist uses the foot race as a metaphor for the political race. The artist clearly shows that these two people are the democratic and republican nominees for the 2016 presidential race; Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The author uses a well-known child’s tale, Pinocchio, to serve as a metaphorical representation for the vast number of lies that the two opponents have told and are trying to hide. It is very clear that the outcome of the foot race between the two people in the picture will be determined by how long the noses are. In other words, the candidate that lies the most without getting caught will win the presidential race. The candidates are both trying to beat their opponent, and the best way to win is to lie. The more they lie the higher in the election polls they rank, and the longer their nose grows in the metaphorical race. He is trying to get the target audience to understand that the only way that the candidates can win is if they continue to cover up all the lies that they tell. This picture puts the political race in perspective and shows how corrupt the two politicians are, ultimately leading to a statement on how corrupt the government is in general. His coherent visual metaphors clearly convey his purpose to the target audience.

On top of the coherent style of the picture the artist uses his choice of color to add more layers to the meaning of his work. His choice to leave the background of the picture white is ironic. Traditionally, white is a color that is often associated with innocence and purity. White is considered to be the color of perfection. The artist ironically chooses white to be the background color to show that this year’s election is out of the ordinary. He uses a very bold red for Donald Trump and light blue for Hillary Clinton. The artist then uses the colors of the two different political parties for their respective candidates. These colors also give us a general sense of what each candidate is like. Donald Trump is represented by a bold, darker shade of red. Dark red is historically associated with vigor, willpower, leadership, and anger, which are most of the main qualities that Donald Trump has in his campaign against his competitors. The shade of red that the artist uses is very fitting because Donald Trump is a very bold, confrontational, aggressive person. The artist uses this bold red for Donald Trump to represent the way that he always seems to stand out. The shade of blue that the artist uses for Hillary Clinton is the same shade of blue that the artist uses for the sky. The artist is trying to show how Hillary is trying to blend in with her surroundings and keep the attention away from her. The light blue, as opposed to a more standard shade of blue, represents Hillary Clinton because it shows how she is trying to stay out of social media’s crosshairs. The colors that the artist uses to represent each candidate are very well thought out and they appropriately summarize the personalities and tendencies of their characters. The well-thought-out color selection gave the audience, if uneducated on the state of the election, a general idea of the personality type that each candidate showcases in the election process. The underlying purpose of the colors used in the picture contribute to the overall meaning of the picture. 

The contrast in the picture is used to show the differences between the two candidates. Donald Trump is depicted in a dark shade that emphasizes his ominous presence in the light of social media. The shade that the artist uses for Donald is the darkest shade of a non-black color in the entire picture. Donald Trump having the darkest shade compared to everything else in the picture is used to remind the audience that Trump stands out as the person that everyone has their eye on. The artist uses Donald Trump as the focal point of the picture to show that Donald Trump is also the focal point of the election. In a crowd of people, he is always the one that will stand out. Compared to Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has a much lighter shade. The artist uses a lighter shade for Hillary Clinton to represent how she tries to stay away from the spotlight. The contrast between Hillary and Donald suggest a difference in opinions and a rivalry between the two. Hillary and Donald are in a race and they are competing to win. They will continue to lie and investigate each other as enemies until one of them crosses the finish line. The contrast in the colors contributes to the overall meaning of the picture by emphasizing how the two candidates oppose each other and are members of opposite sides. The two candidates are trying to win the race, but there is no way to tell who will win until the end.

The artist chose to place the phrase “Hillary in the lead” at the top of the picture above the two candidates. The addition of this short yet effective line of text successfully adds satirical emphasis to the overall meaning of the picture, making it more relatable and enjoyable to the target audience. This phrase is used to shine an ironic light on a candidate’s rise in the ratings. Although Hillary is ahead of Donald in the race, it is all completely irrelevant. In the end, it is just going to come down to who lies more without getting caught. With all the scandals emerging recently, it is very likely that the final decision will come down to who gets caught lying last. The line of text ties the meaning of the whole picture together by sarcastically pointing out that Hillary is in first place, suggesting that it is only an illusion and that there is so much potential for failure. Being “in the lead” is just an illusion. The artist shows that there is no way to tell who is “actually” winning because neither of them are in reality. This illusion of success contributes to the pictures meaning.

There are many features of this picture that help communicate its overall meaning. The picture uses coherent drawings tied together with a satirical line of text to provide an easily understood yet thought provoking testament on the state of this year’s election. The color of the picture helps the audience get a general idea of the conflicting personalities associated with the two characters. The red and blue used in this picture gives the reader an idea of how the candidates act. The picture uses the contrast in the colors to emphasize their dramatic differences in ideals and their resentment towards each other. The artist uses the picture to represent the current presidential race as a race full of lies and cover-ups. The picture uses the noses of the candidates to represent their lies. It shows how easily the outcome of the election can change when lies are told. This picture shows that, in politics, lies give you an advantage. A candidate being “in the lead” is irrelevant because it is only a matter of time until the truth of a lie emerges. If your lies are uncovered your nose will shrink and you will go down in the ratings. If you lie, you will gain a temporary advantage and your nose will grow until your lies get discovered. This concept gives the candidates the illusion of success. The candidates are arguing for very different ideals but their personalities get in the way, so now the whole presidential race has become primarily about hiding and uncovering lies. The artist created this picture hoping to change the way that the public views the election. He is trying to show the public how the election actually works.
