How do you analyze a political cartoon?

What I  already know about analyzing political cartoons:

These cartoons are usually filled with literary devices such as symbols, metaphors, and irony

Looking for these things in the cartoons will make them easier to understand. Sarcasm typically seems to be a theme in political cartoons, and generally the angle of the cartoons in disapproving of the political matter being expressed.  If you don't understand the event being referenced in the cartoon, then you won't understand what the cartoon is trying to communicate to you (the audience).

What I didn't know/ What I learned: 

Exaggeration is often a very large part of political cartoons, and labels are given to things so the audience knows exactly what the cartoonist is discussing.

Going forward:

As I continue analyzing political cartoons, the following will be by analysis process:

1. Look at the illustration as a whole
2. Look a little bit closer at the individual parts of the cartoon.
3. Find devices that carry the cartoonist's message
4. hypothesize what the image is about and what the author's angle is

Cartoon 1:



This is a cartoon depicting 3 children holding hands and the American flag. The caption reads "Hurrah for the fourth of July! We're coming in on independence day celebrations, too."
The cartoonist is making a negative statement on the US "adopting" territories.

Cartoon 2:

Uncle Sam is opening the gate to the Philippines for other countries to come in and stay.

Cartoon 3:



Uncle Sam not knowing that to do with the Philippine islands.



I analyzed each of these cartoons by using the process I wrote earlier in my post which seemed to be useful, because I was able to understand the cartoons rather easily.

Sources:

Guide to analysis