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The comic is effective in portraying the reality
of the death penalty’s relationship with the American society. The metaphor of the “McDeath Penalty” makes
an effective comparison between McDonalds, a popular American restaurant, and
the death penalty, a form of capital punishment that America still carries out
today despite much opposition. Most
people often think of the death penalty as something rare and medieval but this
comic shows that the death penalty is just the opposite. It is as modern and as common as a McDonalds
fast-food restaurant. The “McDeath
Penalty” sign with the big McDonalds arches makes the viewer recognize the
reality of the death penalty’s relationship with America because it portrays
how real and present the death penalty actually is. Its part in the American society is just as
big as McDonalds’. The startling fact of
“over 1000 executed” invites the viewer to reflect on the question “Makes you
proud to be an American, doesn’t it?” stated by the seemingly average American man
in the lower corner. The presence of
this man in the image along with the question he asks, enables the viewer to
relate to the image not only as an American, but as a common person as well. This relationship with the image, combined
with the given detail of “over 1000 executed”, causes the viewer to think
poorly of America and its position on the death penalty because it is portrayed
as such a common and modern occurrence by the image. In result, the viewer not only forms a
negative opinion on the death penalty as intended, but also, and more
importantly, recognizes the harsh reality of America’s relationship with the
death penalty.
Elizabeth-
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you focused in on the different phrases and words in the cartoon such as "McDeath Penalty" and "Makes you proud to be an American". You did a really good job of explaining how those phrases and the cartoon show the underlying issue of how commonly the death penalty is applied in America just as common as buying a burger at McDonalds.
-Kaitlin