What action is taking place in this cartoon? What is the context?
In this cartoon President Obama (left) and John Boehener (right) are pulling on a door in opposite directions causing a “door jam”. Boehener is the House of Representatives speaker of the house. He also led the GOP in a government shutdown even when he was advised not to. (Babingtion October 17, 2013) The door jam symbolizes the stand still of the government shutdown. Neither side giving up made for a long lose-lose tug-of-war match.
Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?
It is unclear which side the cartoonist is picking in this case. Looking at it you are lead to believe that he is showing a neutral stance and making both parties look a bit childish.
What evidence can you give that the cartoon supports one side or the other?
Like I said above there is no clear side that this cartoon favors. However, the evidence I can give of this belief is:
-There was no exaggeration for either of the characters in the cartoon. (Library of Congress, 2012)
-The one symbol used in this cartoon was the door. Both people in the cartoon are pulling on the door. This would imply that both parties believe that they are in the right and aren’t willing to give up that point of view. (Library of Congress, 2012)
What “reality” is framed/constructed about your issue?
The reality constructed here is the fact that two parties (GOP and Democrats) are unwilling to give up what they believe in.
Analysis:
Overall, this cartoon did a good job displaying a clear message to the viewer. That message is not one sided and shows both the GOP and Democrats in a negative light. The conclusion drawn here is that both sides will not give up their position; therefore, we will be in a stand still with the government perpetuating us in to a government shutdown.
Team Member Name: Mike Woodfield
Publication: The Cagle Post
Date: 10/22/2013
Cartoonist: Randy Jones
US/International: US
Title of cartoon: “Door Jam”
Cartoon #2