Two Forces

John Tenniel, "Two Forces," Punch, 29 Oct, 1881, etched print on paper, Drew University Archives Special Collections 

“Fenianism” was a revolutionary republican movement that began in Ireland in the 1860s. The Fenians were made up of Irish people who sought to end British rule over Ireland through physical force, using tactics such as raids on police stations. (Curtis 37) British cartoonists responded to these attacks with pieces like this one, Two Forces, drawn by John Tenniel. In it, a personification of Britain wielding a sword protects Hibernia, drawn as a beautiful maiden, from a brutish-looking man about to throw a rock labeled “Fenianism.” Note how the Irishman is caricatured with ape-like facial features, compared to the more human-looking depictions on the right; this was a common trop at the time in British political cartoons, including several penned by Tenniel, depicting Irishman as ape-like and brutish in order to criticize their resistance to British rule. “In Tenniel’s hands those who dared to defy British authority in Ireland were made to look like denizens of the jungle.” (Curtis 37) Cartoons like these dehumanized British imperial subjects in order to justify their subjugation. Another aspect of this piece is in how it portrays Irish people’s relationship to their land. Ireland itself, here depicted as the woman “Hibernia,” is shown as under attack by the movement seeking to free her. Britain, meanwhile, is shown as her protector, a look of anger on her face as she wields a sword (“Law”) against the ferocious Fenian. This portrayal argues that Ireland is better off under British rule, rather than the self-control of the Irish people themselves.