Through a slightly humorous but sarcastic comic, Stephen Collins uses his artistic abilities to address an issue regarding "Dry January". Dry January is a tradition most commonly practiced in the UK in which individuals attempt to give up consuming alcohol for the entire month of January. Through out his cartoon, Collins creates a caustic diction by referring to the consequences of Dry January as "Benefits" in his title. He develops this diction in order to successfully allow the reader to understand the paradox and feel guilty for even attempting Dry January when they know alcohol will win.
The short comic represents a paradox itself. The illustrator uses this rhetorical device to describe two contradictory truths. The paradox that the effects of alcohol withdrawals are part of a beneficial part of the month of January cause a greater impact on the reader because it makes them think twice about the contradictory truths. The bags under the eyes of the first cartoon portray the bitter-sweet journey that awaits for the character. The sarcastic tone remains consistent through out the piece, emphasizing the claim that Dry January develops nothing but negative aspects to an individuals general lifestyle. For instance, in the fourth picture, Collins admits that the character is "financially better off", yet the character cannot attend social events without the presence of alcohol. The cartoon character also shows an immense urgency to get the month over with so that she can finally have another sip of alcohol, as depicted in the second to last picture. This assists the illustrator in conveying his purpose to the audience: People refer to Dry January as a month to benefit human health, but in reality it drives people crazy and makes it harder for them to function on a regular bases. Collin's goal is to call out those who continue to attempt Dry January. The audience can relate through the appeal of pathos because they have most likely been through the experience themselves. The stress, withdrawal, and anxiety resulting from the absence of alcohol are expressed by the character through the captions within the pictures and facial expressions through out the comic. By appealing to the emotional side of the audience, Collin can easily convince the reader to agree with his argument.
0 Comments
|
words from author stefg:"I don't know everything, but I know everything about what I do know." Archives
May 2017
Categories |