One of America’s first political
cartoons was the “Join or Die” cartoon, which depicts a snake cut into several
pieces. This cartoon was put into newspapers all around the English Colonies in
order to heighten a sense of unity amongst the culturally diverse colonies at
the time. Using the hyperbole “Join or Die,” and the metaphor of the separated
snake, author Benjamin Franklin stresses the importance of Colonial Unity during
the French and Indian War in the cartoon.
“Join or Die” is an extreme measure,
but was necessary for Franklin to stress colonial unity in the colonies because
unity would have meant a victory for England in the war, and essentially a
victory for the colonies to remain where they were. Franklin uses this
three-word phrase as a call to action for all of the colonies in the mid
1700’s. Franklin urged them to unite under one common goal to ensure the
survival of the colonies. If unity was never achieved the course of history
would have taken a whole other route, and like people say, if England never one
the French and Indian War, we would be speaking French right now. In the
cartoon Franklin wants the colonies to unite like parts of a snake to help win
the war.
The metaphor of the colonies uniting
like the body parts of a snake helps get the message across that Franklin wants
unity, in order to win the war happening in the North America at the time. The
analogy is that like a snake, the colonies can be a deadly force if unified.
However, also like a snake, if it is cut up into pieces, it can be divided and
conquered. This message was essential to an English victory because England had
to fight wars in other places and needed the colonies to rise up and fight for
their land.
This cartoon is one of the first
examples of colonial unity seen in colonial America. Using hyperbole and metaphor,
the figurative language helped send out a message for colonial unity, ultimately
leading to a victory in the war.
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