Comparing and Contrasting Cartoons
Both of the following two texts, a cartoon strip and an extract from a memoir, share similarities and differences regarding the theme and context, audience, purpose as well as certain formal and stylistic features.
The first extract is a cartoon strip written in 1986 by Cathy Guisewite.
The cartoon features four panels with three female characters with narrations and speech bubbles to emphasize dialogue and the message regarding women’s rights and sex stereotyping. The context of the cartoon is to show the inequalities between genders. This is evident, when the women begin to associate boys with certain stereotypes such as “strong” and “tough”. Therefore indicating that women and girls today are portrayed to be the opposite. The first example of sex stereotyping is seen in the first panel of the cartoon when the first women asks the mother “is it a boy or a girl?” with the mother responding, “This is our baby’s chance to get to meet people totally free from sex stereotyping.” Therefore indicating that the mother is against sex stereotyping. Another example of sex stereotyping is featured in the second panel when the woman begins to associate boys by certain stereotypes such as phrases “look at that strong fist” and “mischievous sparkle”. The use of these phrases further emphasizes the fact that even today boys and girls are associated with certain words in order to define them as human beings in our society today. This stereotyping is continued even into the third panel of the cartoon when the woman yet again begins to use stereotypes by using the phrase “what a kicker! You have a tough strong.” The strong use of the emanata in order to emphasize the strong emotions shown by the mother is used in the last speech bubble of the third panel when she angrily replies, “Girl, she’s a girl! A tough strong girl.” This outburst is quite important in the cartoon as it shows that the mother has had enough with gender stereotyping. This is shown by the strong use of
The first extract is a cartoon strip written in 1986 by Cathy Guisewite.
The cartoon features four panels with three female characters with narrations and speech bubbles to emphasize dialogue and the message regarding women’s rights and sex stereotyping. The context of the cartoon is to show the inequalities between genders. This is evident, when the women begin to associate boys with certain stereotypes such as “strong” and “tough”. Therefore indicating that women and girls today are portrayed to be the opposite. The first example of sex stereotyping is seen in the first panel of the cartoon when the first women asks the mother “is it a boy or a girl?” with the mother responding, “This is our baby’s chance to get to meet people totally free from sex stereotyping.” Therefore indicating that the mother is against sex stereotyping. Another example of sex stereotyping is featured in the second panel when the woman begins to associate boys by certain stereotypes such as phrases “look at that strong fist” and “mischievous sparkle”. The use of these phrases further emphasizes the fact that even today boys and girls are associated with certain words in order to define them as human beings in our society today. This stereotyping is continued even into the third panel of the cartoon when the woman yet again begins to use stereotypes by using the phrase “what a kicker! You have a tough strong.” The strong use of the emanata in order to emphasize the strong emotions shown by the mother is used in the last speech bubble of the third panel when she angrily replies, “Girl, she’s a girl! A tough strong girl.” This outburst is quite important in the cartoon as it shows that the mother has had enough with gender stereotyping. This is shown by the strong use of