Question

What do you think the cartoon Fig. is trying to express? (Keep in mind that the telegraph, which permitted instant communications for the first time, was then a recent invention.) Analyse different elements of the drawing.

Answer 1

1. Speed of Communication: Before the invention of the telegraph, sending messages between countries could take several weeks or even months. The cartoon might show people feeling surprised or amazed that messages could now travel “faster than the wind”. It could show a person in London using a telegraph machine while someone in India or America receives the message almost instantly.
2. Transformative Power: This cartoon might illustrate the telegraph as a powerful technology that continues to link previously remote sectors of the globe. It might depict a world being “shrunk” – the Earth seems smaller when people are able to communicate from continent to continent.
3. Colonialator: From a colonial perspective, the telegraph made it easier for the British and other empires to control their colonies. A cartoon could show a British officer in London sending orders instantly to an officer in India. The officer in London might be smiling confidently, showing how the telegraph gave the British greater control over distant territories.