Dire Satire
Rhett Stubblefield John Wilson IV Period 4
Horatian Satire
This comic is portraying Horatian Satire because of the brevity and wittiness of the cartoon. It proves a point with a very gentle ending. The purpose of the cartoon is to bring about a change and raise awareness about the weapons of America falling into the wrong hands. The first person seems to be a drug cartel saying he got the gun he is holding from Obama. The one in the middle is doing the same thing and is dressed to appear like a terrorist. And the one on the end seems to be a normal American holding a cell phone that, in context, seems to be provided by the government. The American is also wearing clothes that resemble the logo Obama used in his campaign. This shows that, even though he supports Obama, he receives the thing that is not ideal for this situation. This is a serious issue and this cartoon demands correction. Despite the severity of the topic, the cartoonist provided a light and gentle humorous effect.
Parody
This cartoon is a parody of the popular animated movie, Despicable Me. Instead of the human head of the character in the movie, the cartoonist portrayed him with an elephant head. The elephant head most likely represents the Republican Party of American politics. The little yellow men in the movie are called "minions". In the cartoon, they probably could be referred to as the same thing. They are saying things that a Republican leader might tell the smaller and less powerful people to say. The caption also plays a part in the parody, taking half of the title of the movie and adding in "congress" to describe his view of the government. Some of the minions also seem to be wearing things that may resemble some of the major people in Congress or in the Republican Party. This is a parody, primarily, because it takes off of something famous and , in this instance, pop culture. It also brings about a point, which is, that Congress is run by Republicans and its "minions".
Hyperbole
This cartoon is a hyperbole because the limbs of the characters are literally torn off. The first man, in a tie, is seen hobbling out of Congress claiming they tore him apart. He has his arm and leg missing, exaggerating the saying "tore me apart". The second man, in the red shirt that says "tax payers", is seen saying "I feel your pain". The leg and arm of this man are also missing. He is talking to the man labeled "IRS" which refers to the money ax payers pay out to the IRS. The missing limbs on the red shirted man could also be a play on the phrase "it cost me an arm and a leg". This cartoon shows wittiness and a play on popular phrases. It could be categorized under satire as well. I believe it is a hyperbole primarily because of the literal severing of the limbs by Congress.
Farce
This carton is a farce because of the joke that is embedded into the comic. The large man is Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. The familiar man on his finger is President Obama of the United States. This is a comic regarding the Ukrainian-Crimea-Russian Crisis that has been in the news recently. You can see Putin is extremely large in comparison to Obama in size. This is probably because Putin has recently been found to look stronger and more grounded than Obama regarding the presiding issues. Obama is wrapped around Putin's finger which is a play off a popular saying. Also, Obama's quote in the comic is a joke off of something he said to the media and is played off of here in the comic. The cartoonist is portraying Obama as frail and submissive to a large and powerful Putin. The improbable situation and the underlying comedy are some of the elements that make this comic a farce.