Editorial+Cartoon+Tonks

Killings hit just as hard at home and over seas.



http://www.cagle.com/news/VirginiaTechShootings/16.asp - This is link to the picture, it's the last one on the page. Step1- The issus in this cartoon is that one mother is wondering if her child will come home from over seas while the other is wondering if her child will even come home from college. There are just as many killings in a war then here at home. There are two mothers, not anyone that needed to be mentioned because its every mothers fear nowadays. There wasn't really symbolizing except the newpapers for portraying important news. Only exaggeration was the womens faces, they're pretty stretched. The artist labeled the newspapers, one for the Virgina Tech Massacare, and the other for the War in Iraq, two important things that were going on. Analogy was between the Iraq War and VT University, two totally different things, but both have such terrible killilngs. I think the cartoonists opinion was that there are such terrible things happening in different countries as well as here in the States. Even though there is War in another country, people are still getting killed by murderer's in mass numbers. I totally agree with the artists opinion. There are so many things to be worrying about now. We have a war going on thats killed hundreds, and now we have school shootings that have killed so many. Mothers all around are worried about the war, while others are wondering if the VT Massacare can happen at their child's college...This isn't exactly a 'funny' cartoon, but it still portrays a strong message. Step 2- Killings hit home just as hard as killings over seas.

Step 4- Why are political cartoons so popular? What do these cartoons contribute to public debate? What do they detract from it? Are there any subjects that are too sensitive to editorialize through cartoons—issues that can be written about but not drawn? What are they and why are they too sensitive? I think political cartoons are so popular because they focus on a lot of things people are curious about, and people like to watch other people make fun of some things people are taking so seriously when sometimes they needn't be so serious. Take when Mit Romeny called Obama, Osama. I mean some people are taking this way too seriously and making it into something so big, so some people created cartoons to make it funny and express that it was a simple mistake that shouldn't be so popular like it is. They contribute to the mistakes people make and turn them into something that they can make fun of and other people will find funny. I think they detract some of the more serious issues. They take some things that are too serious and sometimes they shouldn't be make fun of. I think they sometimes do take things that are too sensitive to make into cartoons. For example- I dont think 9/11 should ever be made into a cartoon because it was something that affected our whole country, and it was just too horrible. Another thing would be any serious deaths. Anyone too famous that has died shouldn't have a cartoon made after them until its been many years and people have practically forgotten about it, but it's still not right to make fun of someone's death.