Social Commentator

You are a social commentator from the early 21st century. A social commentator is someone who explores the issues of the day and can note connections between politics, sociology, economics. You put forward your opinion of the meaning of these connections either through the media (e.g. through a column) or writing books. Generally, you do this to bring attention to a particular social issue or problem.

You are to design a cartoon that will explain to students of the 21st Century what was happening in 1950s Australia.

Other tasks

After you have completed your tasks, you are to work with the Journalist and Historian to create the front page of an newspaper from the early 21st century commemorating the anniversary of the Petrov Affair of 1954.

Resources

To understand the Australian political, sociological and cultural landscape of the 1950s, you are to explore the following cartoons of the time and their interpretations:

• ‘Nearer, Clearer, Deadlier’ (Making History Red Menace? – Source 4, p.11). Warning: 811kb pdf.
• Cornered (Making History Red Menace? - Source 6, p.14). (pdf)
• Diplomatic Bag
• Like a Shag on a Roc