Example Explication
These cartoons dramatize the conflict between consumerism and the
natural environment. The cartoonists address the issue of human activity and
connects it with human ignorance and greed. The cartoonists suggest that
governments are ineffective and that not all people care.
Krieger’s cartoon illustrates the Premier of Alberta, Ralph Klein, holding
a copy of the Kyoto Accord to which he has set fire. Ralph Klein is noted for
siding with big business. Ralph is looking straight at the viewer and smiling
like he can be trusted to make decisions for the public good. However, the
cartoonist presents a caricature of a little man with an alcoholic flush. While
Ralph is smiling, he is still ridiculous with his big ears and big face. His nice
suit clearly represents wealth. The cartoonist characterizes a corrupt public
government which will not regulate business. The dark smoke coming from
the burning Accord is suggestive of the negative impact of emissions cause
by people’s search for wealth.
The two cartoons by Harrop also represent human ignorance. In the first
cartoon, irony is used to construct the message. Arctic ice is melting because
of global warming which will result in habitat loss and the extinction of
polar bears. The newspaper, however, mistakes ice for ice cubes, which is
evidenced by the small ice cubes in the picture. The world leaders are shown
to be ignorant of environmental issues when they recommend sending
refrigerators to the Canadian Territory of Inuvik. The irony is increased by
the fact that refrigerators and CFCs release more greenhouse gas. The direct
mention of Inuvik suggests that Canada will feel a greater impact than the
rest of the world. In the second cartoon, the large SUV is contrasted to the
smaller sized environmental activist with his simple sign. The contrast of
size shows that ignorance and greed for social status is very powerful, while
concern for the world is small. SUV’s are known to burn much more gas
than other vehicles, thereby increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the
air. The fact that the people in the car don’t know about the greenhouse
effect again reveals the callous attitude of “me first” consumerism.