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Questions

1. Define the idiom “make light of”

2. Editorial cartoonists often use humor to make light of a serious situation. Which comic device does cartoonist Gary Varvel use to make light of a serious situation? Explain your answer.
a) hyperbole
b) pun
c) parody
d) understatement

3. Describe the two news stories Mr. Varvel combined to create this cartoon.


Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the answers.

Cartoon by Gary Varvel, garyvarvel.com

Answers

1. to make light of: to treat [something] as though it is not serious or important, when in fact it is. (from collinsdictionary .com)

2. a) hyperbole: Hyperbole is a figure of speech (or editorial cartoon) in which an author, speaker or cartoonist purposely and obviously exaggerates to an extreme. It is used for emphasis or as a way of making a description more creative and humorous. It is important to note that hyperbole is not meant to be taken literally; the audience knows it’s an exaggeration. (literaryterms .net)

The cartoonist did not use:

b) pun, which is a “play on words” – a type of humor using a word or phrase that has two meanings

c) parody, which is a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing; a work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule

d) understatement, which is a figure of speech in which statements are purposely understated. It may be used to indicate the speaker’s nonchalance (or obliviousness) regarding an often important or otherwise remarkable situation. It often results in irony where, for instance, the speaker’s response to an event does not match how the viewer expects the speaker to react.

3. The first news story used in the cartoon – Two assassination attempts have been made on President Donald Trump’s life:

  • Prior to a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S. authorities informed the Secret Service of a plot by the Iranian government to assassinate Trump. Due to inadequate planning, not following protocol or just being inept, incompetent or bumbling idiots, agents allowed a shooter to position himself on a roof of a building close to Trump. Trump was shot on the ear. A supporter attending the rally was killed, and two others were shot. The Secret Service leadership and the FBI are withholding/slow-walking facts about the assassin and the plot from the Congressional committee investigating.
  • In the second attempt on Trump’s life (on Sept. 17), a gunman was able to hide in the bushes at Trump’s golf course for 12 hours prior to being caught – after an agent spotted him and shot at him. The would-be assassin escaped, but a citizen who thought he looked suspicious getting into his vehicle took at photo of the man’s license plate and gave it to authorities, who them apprehended him soon after. The Secret Service admitted they did not sweep the course before Trump began his golf game. Accusations have been made that the Secret Service through incompetence or intentionally did not adequately protect the former (and possibly next) President of the United States.

The second news story used in this cartoon:

  • On September 17, pagers used by hundreds of Hezbollah terrorists exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria, killing dozens and wounding thousands more. (Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track the group’s movements. As a result, the terror organization was using pagers to communicate.)