Blog 35: Thanksgiving and the Syrian Refugee Crisis Political Cartoon

"Sorry but we're not accepting refugees."
http://imgur.com/gallery/SSh4gAC

Only three more days until Thanksgiving! To start the week off, we have this interesting political cartoon to analyze. Time to roll up my sleeves and analyze.

The political cartoon just recently circulated into social media, during the Syrian refugee crisis. Due to the crisis' proximity to Thanksgiving, alluding to the pilgrims and the Native Americans seems appropriate.

The audience would be the Americans who are oppose Syrian refugees entering the United States. The Thanksgiving theme reinforces the idea that the image is aimed at an American audience.

The message is simply "Sorry but we're not accepting refugees." The author conveys this message using a satirical tone. 

The purpose is to make those opposed to letting in Syrian refugees rethink their view. After looking at the image, the author hopes that the audience will realize that if the Native Americans treated the pilgrims with kindness. We would not be here today if the Native Americans had not accepted the pilgrims (although that point is debatable).

In order to understand the cartoon, readers need a general understanding of the Thanksgiving story, the reason why the pilgrims came to the New World, and knowledge of the Syrian refugee crisis. The pilgrim's voyage on the Mayflower was harsh. Even when the pilgrims reached land, many more died of starvation because they were unfamiliar with the land and came ill prepared for the harsh winter.

If the pilgrims stayed in England, they would be prosecuted due to their religion. That is why they took this arduous journey, for religious freedom.

The author of the cartoon contrasts this with how some Americans are reacting to Syrian refugees. The refugees also fled their homes like the pilgrims, but due to violence. 

After the terrorist attack in France, Americans are justified to think that we should be careful when accepting Syrian refugees, but we also need to extend a helping hand to those who are innocent victims.