Sample 1
Student Sample English 102 Cartoon Analysis Commented [SL1]: This is a properly formatted MLAstyle heading. Notice the page # in the top-right, along with the student’s last name.
February 25, 2014
Commented [SL2]: While it isn’t a requirement, you can opt to include your cartoon here by simply pasting the image in. This can give your reader a clearer idea of what the cartoon is doing, so including the image is recommended.
Heavy Lifting: A Political Cartoon Analysis In the wake of the economic crisis of 2008, the European Union (EU) took a much harder fall than America did. The political power-players in the EU have all contributed some efforts toward stabilizing the Union and keeping all the countries within it as close to financially solvent as humanly possible. Especially obvious in the wake of the Greek crisis, Germany has emerged as the most adept leader for this situation and is the country best positioned to provide the
Commented [SL3]: Here is why this is a good title: The first part is catchy and interesting, while the second part is a more straightforward description of the essay’s purpose. Try creating titles like this in your own writing! Commented [SL4]: Always follow dependent, introductory, and subordinate clauses/phrases with a comma. This will set it apart from your main clause and add clarity. Commented [SL5]: Always spell out an abbreviation the first time it’s used, and follow it with the abbreviation in parentheses. Then you can simply use the abbreviation from that point on if you choose. Commented [SL6]: Another example of placing a comma after an introductory clause.
necessary financial support. Illustrating the strength of Germany in a political cartoon, Tom Janssen draws a large woman holding up a massive, blue barbell while a smaller man clings to
Commented [SL7]: Be sure to state the author of the cartoon somewhere in your introduction
the side; importantly, his feet do not touch the ground, and he contributes nothing to the heavy
Commented [SL8]: This resource from the Purdue OWL will show you why this semicolon is used correctly.
lifting other than adding his own dead weight. Tom Janssen uses symbols, including the blue barbell with twelve stars, the heavy female figure, and the smaller male figure, to represent the
Sample 2
differences between Germany’s and France’s contributions to keeping the EU united and solvent in the wake of the economic crisis. First, the barbell itself has a two-fold symbolic element. The end of the barbell has a ring of twelve gold stars representing the EU flag, which is a blue field with a ring of twelve gold stars. On the actual flag, these stars signify the unity, solidarity, and harmony of the European
Commented [SL9]: The compound possessive is needed here because each of these subjects is making its own contribution. If their contributions were the same, then you would say “Germany and France’s contributions.” Read more about this here. http://writingtips.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/possessive -with-two-nouns/ Commented [SL10]: This is the topic sentence of the ¶. Be sure to have clear topic sentences, and then support that topic sentence throughout its ¶. The topic sentence should be previewed in your thesis statement, as you see here in this essay.
people. And in case the reader misses the symbolism, Janssen also blatantly labels the barbell as the EU. The literal weight of the barbell represents the metaphorical weight the economic crisis put on many of the countries in the EU. In addition to the symbolic barbell, Janssen also depicts Germany as the large, imposing
Commented [SL11]: This is an effective transition into this ¶’s topic sentence.
woman seen in the cartoon. She bears a striking resemblance to Angela Merkel, the current Chancellor of Germany. Her large size represents the economic clout and political strength Germany brings to the European Union. It is Germany’s robust economic engine that has held the rest of the EU together despite the economic crisis. Merkel has also shown herself to be the lynchpin of negotiation with struggling EU countries. It is through her tireless efforts that countries in dire straits, such as Greece and Spain, can access the liquid capital they need to keep their countries running without overly taxing German resources to the point that Germany also broaches financial ruin. The problems and policies she must manage are large and complex. Held up by Merkel’s strength, the President of France, François Hollande, is the smaller figure in this cartoon. France is currently beleaguered by budget woes and falling manufacturing outputs. Janssen specifically chose Hollande because he has publicly sided against German policy despite not having much success with translating his philosophies into
Commented [SL12]: This sentence is very long, but the student has balanced this with shorter sentences before and after. Always strive for a good balance of sentence variety. Commented [SL13]: Effective transitions will bridge the previous topic into the next one, as you see here.
Sample 3
success in his own country. Considering only Hollande’s side of the story, one would assume that France is making the most substantial contributions to the Union; however, the numbers do not lie, and the artist is making that point very clear in this cartoon. Overall, Tom Janssen uses easily recognized visual representations to make his point. In fact, he even labels German and France right there in black and white. There are no hidden meanings or double entendres present. Janssen clearly illustrates his opinion that Germany is single-handedly holding up the entire European Union with her resources and political clout.
Sample 4
Work Cited Janssen, Tom. "Holding Up the EU." [Cartoon]. Washington Examiner 27 May 2014. Web. 5 June 2014.
Commented [SL14]: Please remember to use hanging indentation, per MLA guidelines. This means that the first line of each Works Cited entry is flush-left, while subsequent lines of each entry are indented. Commented [SL15]: Did you know that StraighterLine has a special tool that can help you with this citation list? Try it by clicking this link: http://www.thesladvisor.com/citation-generator/
