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Hugo Gaitan
Professor Batty
English 113
21 October 2014
Heartless Hitler
In a cartoon published by, Punch or the London Charivan, illustrated by Ernest Howard
Shepard in 1940, Hitler is physically holding earth in his hands in a malicious way. Its obvious
it is Hitler because he is wearing a traditional Nazi uniform, hair slicked to the side, and has the
signature Hitler mustache. His arms cannot fully hug the model earth, but his hands are on both
Western Europe and America. His hands look slightly oversized for his body but it is probably to
add emphasis to his crooked fingers, which makes him look uneasy. He is looking right at the
United States with a look that speaks to me. His face is saying, You will be mine. This
persuaded me to believe that eventually, Hitler would have conquered the whole world.
Germany shall never be encircled was the caption. This proves that if not for his suicidal death,
the entire world and population would be labeled German. As evil and grim Hitler was, I think
this cartoon perfectly exemplifies Hitlers racism towards anyone whos not German. The hatred
of another race is ridiculous considering how we are all one race: the human race.
Hitler is holding Earth with evil intentions, ruthlessness, and without any regret. They are
all attributes nobody nowadays can possibly possess. His concentration and angry facial
expression detail that he is a flat out crazy guy. The idea of exterminating an entire population
(primarily Ashkanazi Jews) is surreal. Killing a population based off physical appearance to
conclude a dominant people is just blasphemous. In Brent Staples article Black Men and Public
Spaces, he demonstrates the struggles of being an African man and having to deal with the

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stereotypes of stealing, murdering, and drug dealing. Although Jews were never known as the
violent type throughout history, Hitler found them as a threat. The concept of being judged by
appearance correlates to Hitlers act of exterminating people because Hitler executed thousands
of people based off their looks.
I had to make myself seem less threatening. Embracing an evil stereotype probably will
probably lead to death, so Staples took the opposite route and tried people making feel safe,
primarily at night, to ensure his safety and a sense of security to whomever was around him at
the time. Hed whistle Beethoven melodies to let people know he was around, shake his keys,
dress appropriately (not as a stereotypical young black thug) as in bright colors like a preppy
school boy, and essentially change his whole personality for the ignorant people around him.
This relates to the bigger picture of the cartoon. Hitler is holding earth, which carries innocent
people being persecuted because his perception of them is evil. Nowadays, its very common to
hear about a white male killing a black man because he seems suspicious or looked like he was
going to commit a crime. An example of this would be the recent killing of Trayvon Martin,
where a white man killed Trayvon, an African American, because he was allegedly wearing a
black hoody, which mad him look like a gangster. The white man, George Zimmerman, got
away with murder and will not serve any jail time. Some might argue he is getting preferential
treatment because he is white.
Along with the cartoon, Ernest Howard Shepard, the author, also left a description
saying, Reproduction of a cartoon showing Hitler trying to reach around a large globe. The
globe seems to be supported by a stand and appears to be spinning. The bottom half of the globe
seems to be scribbled out and has more geographical emphasis on the northern states. This could
be a hint of Hitler thinking he would come out on top. The word Punich is written across the

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globe and though it has no English definition, it is a common last name in the German culture.
Which can only mean only natives of Germany will be allowed to live in the new world that will
eventually be led by only Germans, hence a dominant race. Also, Hitler is wearing a satchel
around his left hip. It appears to be slightly opened and contains an oval-like object. From
observing this photo, one could assume it is a grenade. This could mean that whatever he is up
to, it will blow up eventually because what he is doing is not right.
The fact that there are many unstable elements to this cartoon is intriguing. Hitler is
trying to hold a globe, but does not seem to have a good grip. He is holding it from both sides at
the top, when it would be easier to hold it from the bottom. Also the globes stand is at an angle,
along with Hitlers legs, hair, and arms. Artists tend to use these strategies to persuade viewers to
sense that something is not right. In this cartoon, Hitlers intentions are not right and his
consequences supposedly meaning his grenades, are perfectly placed on his left hip,
resembling something is essentially wrong. As Brent Staples wrote about walking near a woman
at night, he says They set their faces on neutral and, with their purse straps across their chests
bandolier style, they forge ahead as though bracing themselves against being tackled. This is
literally Hitler in the cartoon, he recklessly killed people to get away from what he found
dangerous.
As heartless as Hitler was, nobody could doubt the love he had for Germany. Though it
was not his native land, he managed to climb the ranks from war hero, to chancellor, and finally
a supreme ruler. From the way he sees the world to the way he holds it, there is no doubt his
ultimate goal was to rule the globe. From Europe to America, and everything else in his vision,
he hoped to conquer, but faced the consequences of figuratively blowing up. Evil, prideful,
selfish, and powerful are all words that can come out of this cartoon.

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