TOW #3 - A Cartoon Drawn by Dr. Seuss

Before and during World War II, Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, created an array of racially charged political cartoons. At the time, there was widespread suspicion that Japanese citizens were disloyal to the U.S. and were spies for Japan. Because of this, many, including Seuss, held a prejudice against and a fear of Japanese citizens.  Though he was not as popular at the time as he is now, he had been creating and publishing cartoons since he attended Dartmouth College in 1925. Before his children’s books, Seuss composed cartoons like this mainly for adult audiences, specifically Americans. In this cartoon, Dr. Seuss aims to depict all Japanese citizens as dangerous and traitorous. Seuss shows a long line of Japanese citizens along the states of the west coast (where the Japanese population was the highest). His depiction of them standing in line waiting for explosives, stereotypes the Japanese citizens as dangerous and a threat to the safety and security of all Americans. With this depiction, Seuss appeals to pathos by playing on the fear of the Americans. In addition to the explosives, at the top of the booth, Seuss writes, “Honorable 5th Column,” which is defined as an organization that aims to undermine the larger group that it is in, often for the larger group’s enemy. This, including the words “Waiting for the Signal From Home…” along the top appeals to logos because it was not uncommon for first generation of Japanese citizens to have loyalties to Japan. These loyalties made it plausible that there were Japanese spies. Also, the man on top of the booth seemingly looking towards Japan, reiterates the idea that the Japanese citizens were loyal to Japan and awaiting its orders. For the time period, Dr. Seuss was effectively spread the idea that Japanese citizens were dangerous spies. His appeals to pathos and logos were very effective and made it very plausible that what he was portraying was true. However, Seuss failed to recognize all of the facts surrounding the subject. There were many reports and investigations that conveyed how Japanese citizens were not threats to American security and were loyal to the U.S. While, Dr. Seuss did accomplish his purpose during WWII, he fails to now.