Signs of the Times Rhetorical Analysis Essay PDF

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Katie Gamble Maks Borden Word 111 10/2/19 Signs of the Times Rhetorical Analysis Essay

In May of 1754, Benjamin Franklin published a political cartoon called “Join, or Die.” in an effort to unify the colonies during the French and Indian War. The Join or Die cartoon is a picture of a snake broken into parts that symbolized the American colonies with the words “Join or Die.” at the bottom. The image is based off a message Franklin was trying to express to other colonists and to England that the colonies should join together with England to fight against the French and Indians. This cartoon didn’t have as much effect during the French and Indian War as he would have liked, but it really took off years later in the Revolutionary War and Civil War. It did have significant importance at the time and is known as a masterpiece of early political messaging. It is considered an effective cartoon. One criterion to be successful is that it uses good symbolism to get people to take action. The image is very symbolic of the message Franklin is trying to get out. The symbol of the snake cut in pieces shows that if the colonies

don’t join together, they will die. Another criterion to be successful is the context needs to be right. This cartoon was published during the beginning of the French and Indian War and the colonists were worried about defending themselves against the Indians and French, so the colonists would understand the importance of joining together to defend themselves. Another criterion to be successful is that the form needs to be good to reach the people Franklin was trying to reach. Franklin knew a lot of colonists couldn’t read, so he kept it simple and just three words. This way the cartoon was able to be understood by most people who saw it. Also, the cartoon was carved into a woodcut so that it could be printed many times. This was a popular printing tool at the time. This also helped getting it to as many people as possible. The “Join or Die.” cartoon was a very successful wartime sign designed to get the colonists to move to action and try to unite their governments. The success of this cartoon really came during the Revolutionary War, ten years after it was first published. But it is considered an effective wartime sign. It is also considered to be one of the first American political cartoons.

The content of this image is symbolic of Franklin’s message. In the image, Franklin used a snake broken up into 8 pieces. Each piece represented 11 of the 13 colonies: New England colonies (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island), New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Franklin didn’t include Georgia as part of the snake because it was a newer colony and he didn’t think Georgia would really make an impact to the colonial defense. Also, he didn’t include Delaware because they were represented by the Pennsylvania governor. Franklin was trying to unite colonists to combat the French and their native American allies, and to persuade the British government to support a unified colonial government in American. In today’s time we might think that a snake

is a negative or scary image, but back then it could have been a sign of regeneration or renewal, because they shed their skins. Franklin was trying to get the idea of a renewal of the colonies by getting them united. Another part of the symbolism was that there were opinions in years after Franklin published this image that it represented a map of the colonies. The curving of the snake shows the colonies locations on the eastern seacoast of North America. Starting with the head as being the New England Colonies being the northern colonies then continuing down the snake is down the east coast to South Carolina. The image is one of the first major political cartoon dating back to 1754 the writing is in black for the fact that they didn’t have color at the time.

The context for the image is that it was created at the beginning of the French and Indian War. The French were at war with the British and were fighting in the colonies. The French had teamed up with the Indians and kept attacking the colonists. So, the colonies planned to meet at the Albany Congress conference in Albany, New York to figure out how to protect themselves from the Indians. Benjamin Franklin was the publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette at the time and he came up with this political cartoon. Benjamin Franklin also was just chosen to be a delegate for the Albany conference where colonies were coming together to talk about the military threat from the French and their native American allies. Franklin presented the idea of a unified colonial government where they could levy taxes and form a military, governed by representative from each of the colonies and headed by a President General appointed by the British monarch. Franklin wrote “The confidence of the French in this undertaking seems wellgrounded on the present disunited state of the British colonies, and the extreme Difficulty of bringing so many different governments and assemblies to agree in any speedy and effectual

measures for our common defense and security.” “They presume that they may with impunity violate the most solemn treaties subsisting between the two crowns, kill, seize and imprison our traders, and confiscate their Effect at pleasure ( as they have done for several years past) murder and scalp our farmers, with their wives and children, and take an easy possession of such parts of the British territory as they find most convenient for them” Franklin concluded with warning that the British present in north America was at stake. (https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-story-behind-the-join-or-die-snake-cartoon) “Frank lin intended for the cartoon to be used in the French and Indian war. The colonies accepted the cartoon, but the British didn’t. Franklin sent it to Richard Partridge, a Quaker merchant who acted as colonial Pennsylvania’s agent in London. (https://www.history.com/news/ben-franklinjoin-or-die-cartoon-french-indian-war) But it might have backfired because the British may have thought the colonies were going to unite against them. The plan was approved at the Albany Congress, but the British Parliament rejected it. However, the cartoon had a huge impact during the Revolutionary war. Ten years after it was published colonist in America protesting Great Britain’s Stamp act. The snaked was a representation of the colonies coming together as one united force to oppose the unfair taxation from the stamp act. It was used in many ways during the Revolutionary War. Paul Revere used a version of it and so did many other newspapers from other colonies. It was also later used in the Civil War on both the Union and Confederate side.

The image’s form was probably very appropriate for the time. For example, the image is one of the first major political cartoon dating back to 1754 and the writing is in black because they didn’t have color at the time. The cartoon was drawn with only three words printed in large

font at the bottom of the image. This was important because a lot of colonists couldn’t read and may not have been able to understand the image if there were a lot of words in it. And, by just having three words, there was a very clear and powerful message to Join or Die. The word “Die” also may have made people more scared and that made the message more powerful. If they were afraid that they might die, they would be more likely to Join together. The image was created from a woodcut which means it was carved out of wood and printed from the woodcut. This is how drawings were usually printed back then. There are only 2 original copies of The Pennsylvania Gazette with the cartoon in it. One is held in the library of congress and the other was auctioned off for $50,000. “Join or Die” was one of the first American political cartoons and it was a very powerful one. It was very symbolic of the times by representing the colonies as parts of a snake. The snake could only survive if its parts were joined together. The message was simple, and the colonists could understand it. If the colonists didn’t join together, they would die. The context was also very important. The colonies were involved in a war with the French and Indians and they feared for their lives. They were looking for a way to defend themselves against the attacks by the French and Indians. The form was also important. It was made from a woodcut, which was a good way to make lots of copies. Also, since a lot of colonists couldn’t read, the drawing only had three words and could be understood by most people who saw it. “Franklin’s cartoon made such a powerful impression on Americans that it took on a life of its own.” (https://www.history.com/news/ben-franklin-join-or-die-cartoon-french-indian-war) Even though it didn’t unite the colonies during the French and Indian War, it did accomplish its goal for helping the colonies unite in the Revolutionary war. It was also used during the Civil War. This is a sign of a good cartoon because its message is very powerful.

Works Cited

Franklin, Benjamin. “Political Cartoon .” All Things Liberty , https://allthingsliberty.com/2018/01/join-die-political-religious-controversy-franklins-snakecartoon/. Kiger, Patrick J. “How an 18th-Century Political Cartoon Went Viral.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 23 Oct. 2018, https://www.history.com/news/ben-franklin-join-or-die-cartoon-frenchindian-war. Staff, NCC. “The Story behind the Join or Die Snake Cartoon.” National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.org, 9 May 2019, https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-story-behind-the-joinor-die-snake-cartoon....