Cartoon

• Engels
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)

Goals for today 

Collecting terminology to analyse image and cartoon 

Using note expansion to construct a clear understanding of the focus of the text 

Constructing a thesis statement and an introduction 

Considering an example response and the examiners' comments 

Rate the word 1 to 4

1. I do not know the word, and I have never seen it before. 

2. I've heard or seen the word before, but I'm not sure what it means. 

3. I know the word and can recognise and understand it while reading, but I probably wouldn't feel comfortable using it in writing or speech. 

4. I know the word well and can use it correctly in writing or speech. 

Abstain 

Word of the day

Abstain (v) - to stop oneself from doing something, to refrain. To hold off from

Write three antonyms for abstain 

A growing number of people are attempting a "Dry January" during which they abstain from alcohol to see if it improves their health. 

continue, accept, embrace, encourage, use, want, meet, face 

panel, bleed, splash, frame/ frameless panel, voice-over, emanata, exaggeration, speech bubble, hatching, foreground, midground, background, iconic, realistic, font, layout, formatting, (situational) irony, allusion, colour, caricature, expression, symbolism, negative space, gutter, punch line, camera angle, point of view, labelling, public opinion, bias, topical, satire/satirical, juxtaposition, uniformity, dialogue, cartoon, simple, complex, subjective, objective, universal, specific, abstract, concrete, graphic weight (contrast in blacks and whites or colours)

Use these terms to annotate your cartoon

What is the effect of these style and technique choices?

narrative arc, exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement/resolution, chronology, time and sequence transitions, colloquial vocabulary, juxtaposition, allusion, exaggeration, symbolism, voice-over, speech bubble, thought bubble, logo, hyperlinks, search bar, 

Use these terms to annotate your cartoon

What is the effect of these style and technique choices?

1. The protagonist is initially characterised as an outsider to mainstream society because _________________________________

2. The protagonist is initially characterised as an outsider to mainstream society, but _____________________________________

3.  The protagonist is initially characterised as an outsider to mainstream society, so _____________________________________

Use these terms to annotate your cartoon

What is the effect of these style and technique choices?

Complete these sentence stems 

Take notes answering these questions: (bullet points not full sentences)

Who? .......................................

When?....................................  

Where? ................................

Why ? ....................................

Note expanding 

• Who? Gabby Schulz strip cartoonist
• When? 21st century cartoon online
• Where? Online publication Gabby's Playhouse 
• Why? to warn the audience about the dangers of surveillance and influence from "corporates and state interests" via their smartphones. 
• Expand this kernel sentence using the answers above. Start your sentence with "when?": strip cartoonist warns 

Note expanding 

• Published in the 21st century, the online cartoon by Gabby Schulz, called "The 21st Century" and published on the website Gabby's Playhouse, warns the audience against the dangers of surveillance and influence from "corporates and state interests" via their smartphones. 

Consider the techniques (words and pictures) that you annotated on your paper 1. 

1. Circle the 8 techniques that you feel show most clearly "the protagonist and his world." 

2. Why does the author wish to characterise the protagonist in this way? Purpose (audience) 

3. Write your thesis statement (remember to focus it on answering the guiding question) 

3:51

The name of the extract is stated

The author or originating source is given

The text type is clearly identified without elaboration

where the text appeared is stated

When it was produced is stated

The content is discussed: what does the text actually say (briefly)

The intended audience/reader is stated (if definable) 

The purpose(s) is stated

The social, cultural and temporal context is addressed (if available)

The thesis: what you find most important about the text (without elaboration) (main idea/main theme)

The structure of your analysis is stated 

Introduction

Text 1 is a strip cartoon with the title "The 21st Century". It was created by Gabby Schulz and appeared on the website Gabby's Playhouse in the section 'webcomics'. The strip cartoon warns the audience to be wary of the technology that smartphones offer. Our protagonist is an unemployed man in the United States who receives a smartphone and,  gradually becomes aware of the dangers of surveillance and mobile phone addiction He is "dazzled' and manipulated by this new technology.  The artist successfully persuades and entertains a socially critical audience by vividly portraying the main protagonist and his world. This is achieved through the use of visual elements, figurative language and satirical humour. 

T.S: In order to convey a critical stance towards smartphone usage, Schulz employs several visual and textual techniques to animate the protagonist and bring his fictional world to life. 

1. ...........................................................

2. ..........................................................

3. .........................................................

4. ........................................................

This results is a protagonist who, through his immediacy, visualises and illustrates the artists critique on 21st century life. 

• identify the text type as a strip cartoon on the Internet, its possible purpose (to critique or

entertain), and target audience as smartphone users in the 21st Century

• refer to the context of the evolution of smartphone technology and of surveillance issues

• make some observations about the personal situation and social background of the comic

strip’s main character from what he says and from the way he is represented

• make some comments about the protagonist’s attitude to the smartphone and his assessment

of its advantages and disadvantages

• make some observations and comments about some of the graphic features of the comic strip,

for example: the cartoon’s graphic style, the progression shown through its images, the colours

used, the contrast between the world of nature and that of technology and details like the scene

in the forest, the panoptic eye in the clouds, the precipice, hell

• comment on some of the humour in the text, referring to some of the comparisons and

metaphors

• refer to and comment on some of the exaggerated or non-realistic aspects of the text

• make some concluding assessment of the cartoonist’s views or his message

4 - 5 mark from 7 

make more detailed comments about the text type as a webcomic, referring perhaps to the

masthead as well as to the cartoon strip; the cartoonist’s possible purpose (to comment on

society or even as a call to action); and target audience as mobile phone users in the 21st

Century

• show more extensive appreciation of context, particularly of the surveillance issues to which the

comic strip’s character refers

• make more detailed observations about the way the protagonist is represented in word and

image, including his deterioration as he uses a smartphone, and the story structure of the comic

strip

• recognize the ambivalence apparent in the evolution of the protagonist’s attitudes and opinions

• analyse a range of graphic features such as speech bubbles, monologue, and narration;

hyperbole or exaggeration; flashback and symbolism; comic conventions such as emanata; as

well as making comments about the presence of frames depicting the natural world as well as

those focused on the technology

• characterize the spoken style of the comic strip character, commenting on his choices of diction,

comparison or metaphor and simile, his use of humour and irony, juxtaposition or oxymoron,

and tone

• reflect on the purpose of the comic strip, the views it puts forward, and the message its author

conveys

6 - 7  mark from 7 

Read the example paper 1 and grade it using the assessment criteria in Teams paper 1 

Criterion A - Understanding of the text - 5 marks

The analysis of the text should show an understanding of the text's purpose, its context (where this can be deduced) and a target audience. One's analysis of the text needs to be supported by relevant examples from the text. 

5 out of 5: This is an excellent response. There is very good understanding of the text and context. A bit more could have been done with the audience (it’s implicit), but the comments are supported by really relevant references to the text.

Criterion B - Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features- 5 marks

The analysis of the text must show an awareness of how stylistic features, such as tone, style and structure, are used to construct meaning. A good analysis comments on effects of these features on its target audience.

4 out of 5: The understanding of the writer’s choices and the effects is good, but not yet very good. Why? The candidate could be more precise in their vocabulary, in what they are arguing. It’s a bit repetitive at times and lacks the nuance and subtlety that excellence has. Is this a language issue? Yes, but it’s also an issue about unpacking the writer’s choices. There’s just not enough here. 

Criterion C - Organization and development - 5 marks

The analysis must contain coherent arguments that are well-developed. The analysis must be organized effectively.

4 out of 5: At the higher end of a 4, the candidate has a well-organized and mostly coherent argument.

Criterion D - Language - 5 marks

The language of the analysis must be clear, varied and accurate. The register of the analysis must be appropriate, meaning it contains formal sentence structure, good choice of words and effective terminology.

4 out of 5: The grammatical accuracy wanes near the end. There are just a few too many comma splices and errors that stop this from garnering top marks. It’s so close, but not there yet. As well, the vocabulary could be more sophisticated at times.