THE STUBBORN ELEPHANT
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY PUTS UP A FIGHT
Team Member Name: Autumn Seeholzer
Publication: Cartoon a Day
Date: October 5, 2013
Cartoonist: Bryant Arnold
U.S./International: U.S
Title of cartoon: “Government Shutdown Cartoon Republican Elephant”
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
In this cartoon we have the elephant, represented as the Republican Party saying, “We don’t care if 800,000 government workers are furloughed...a shutdown is the only answer!” This cartoon is referring to the fall 2013 potential government shutdown in which the House and Senate went back and forth debating mainly over the Obama Care (Time Inc., 2013).
Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?
The side supported in this cartoon would be the Democrats. This is due to the persuasive techniques used by exaggeration and stereotyping.
The exaggeration is used in a way that the elephant depicted, the Republican Party, has a very upset looking face along with being an elephant and not a person. The stereotyping comes into play in the way that it generalizes that all Republicans are in this same state of mind and do not want to give up until their side is accepted as the winner and they do not care what happens to others around them, not even if jobs are lost.