Satire is a work which uses humour, irony or wit to highlight vices and pretensions of individuals, institutions, communities or ideas. In Nate Beeler’s cartoon of North Korea’s first “smart phone” and George Orwell’s Animal Farm, both author and illustrator utilize satire to comment on the nature of tyrannical leadership adopted under communist ideals and how it is detrimental to society.
Beeler’s cartoon depicts a plump man namely the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un holding a red old-fashioned phone with a female figure holding up the phone along with various other items. In the top left corner a stamp reads: “News item: North Korea produces its first smartphone…” along with the automated conversation Kim holds with ‘Siri’ when he asks: “Siri who is the coolest dictator and all-time NBA career point’s leader?”, ‘Siri’ replies “Why, you are, Dear leader!” prompting Kim to heap praise “Smart Phone”, make up the textual aspect. The cartoon has many symbolic elements such as the woman which represents the citizens of North-Korea and doubles as a ‘smart-phone’ with the items she is holding representative of the apps on a normal smartphone. The actual…show more content… The cartoon alludes to the current dictator of North Korea who controls the country under communist ideals, all the while sparking fear in other nations by creating nuclear-weapons at the expense of his citizens’ welfare. Similarly Orwell’s animal farm tackles the similar issue of totalitarian dictatorship in a communist environment where Stalin was brutal in his ways, utilizing a secret police to carry out murders and executions to those that opposed him or expressed dissent. Both texts criticize communistic societies and their leaders, who misuse their power to oppress not only individuals but the nation as a