REHUGO 5

Charlene Asuncion
Mr. Soeth
AP English 3
February 23, 2011

REHUGO Analysis- Visual: Political Cartoon

A. Cartoon attached- artist: Len Hawkins




B. The visual comments on the societal trend that community today is often characterized by many of the problems it faces as opposed to previous years, in which communities faced minute issues and focused more on unity. The image depicts the changing role of a community center because of the prominence of negative issues such as drugs and violence.

C. The cartoon is extremely effective in expressing the prominence of problems and issues in today’s society.The visual presents a community center on which posted on the front wall are upcoming events associated with problems in the community such as drugs and violence. In addition, the windows of the community center contain metal bars, symbolizing a prison house. Ironically, a community center is meant to positively bind the community together, however, this cartoon shows a community negatively bound together by problems such as lack of respect, drugs, and violence very similar to a prison. Initially, community centers were places of socialization and intermingling through activities and hobbies for better unification among citizens. The image depicts the communities of today which are focused and overwhelmed with unfavorable issues. The visual reveals how much communities have changed in the last few decades in terms of the prominence of negative issues by the expressions and reactions of the two elderly men, who are in appall and dismay of the change in the purpose of the community center. Community centers were merely a place for “jumble sales” but now have become prisons, or places dawning on problems.

D. It is a fact that there is a much larger prominence of communal issues and problems today than ever before. The image presents that drugs, violence, and morale have become such a predominant problem to the extent that our community centers are revolved around these issues. Communal affairs have changed dramatically in the last decades due to several factors such as increased population and negative influence from the media. In order to address this problem, state government should provide more funds to prevent predominating issues. For example, the government should fund drug education and prevention programs in schools like D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). Also, the state governments should advocate the use of community centers for unification among citizens via activities and hobbies or local decisions. Community centers should provide a welcoming atmosphere for each individual in the community and make them feel a part of the environment in which they live.

MLA Citation for image:
Hawkins, Len. Did You Remember When They Just Held Jumble Sales. Digital image. Cartoonstock.com. Cartoonstock, 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. .