The Purchase of Alaska

Political Cartoon Analysis

This cartoon is about the Purchase of Alaska. You can see this because of the labeling that says "Russian America" which is exactly what Alaska was, new Russian land bought to become part of America. The cartoonist is trying to tell us that buying Alaska, spending millions of dollars, was a mistake.  This is shown through his depiction of Alaska, a big chunk of ice. In other words we just wasted millions on an iceberg. Another's opinion might be that we are expanding the country all the same and that it was all worth it  in the long run. Some people might think that there is an unseen value to Alaska. This cartoonist uses labeling and symbolism. Labeling was used in saying that the block of ice is Alaska and saying that the wheel barrel is the treaty that bought the block of ice. Symbolism is used when it shows how big Alaska is and how heavy Alaska is compared to how small its value is. This cartoon supports my view on imperialism in the fact that Alaska was bought peacefully. The treaty between Russia and America demonstrates this.