TOW #3 - Political Cartoon

Cartoon by Jack Ohman/Tribune Content Agency

Source: US News

Jack Ohman, the cartoonist for The Sacramento Bee, is the artist of this political cartoon that highlights the issues in America concerning gun control.  While no one is necessarily new to this issue, Ohman has found a way to be shocking, familiar and persuasive while using barely any words.  In his political cartoon, Ohman uses a simple "multiple choice" question to make the point that America always seems to find a new issue with the country, other than guns, after a mass shooting has occurred.  The context of the cartoon comes after a shooting occurred at an African American church in Charleston, South Carolina.  National outrage ensued after people blamed the shooting on the fact that the Confederate flag still flies in many places in the South, and it promotes violence against minorities.  In the cartoon, Ohman is making the point that after a shooting, no one blames the violence on the gun, but rather on something that seems to be only partially responsible for the issue.  Another example would be that after most shootings, mental illness is used as an excuse for the violence.  Ohman wants to highlight the fact that people always find a way to defend gun use, and gun violence, and that this is not okay in America.  In his cartoon, Ohman uses a couple of rhetorical devices.  First, he establishes ethos by using an event that people are familiar with, such as the Charleston shooting.  He also establishes ethos by being slightly sarcastic in his work.  By using the words, "completely and totally unacceptable", Ohman is exaggerating the idea of people being completely dismayed by the Confederate flag.  His sarcasm helps Ohman to connect to the reader and establish his credibility.  Another rhetorical device he uses is allusion.  Ohman doesn't just make up a random mass shooting scenario, he uses one that people are familiar with.  He doesn't explain what the Charleston shooting was, he just alludes to the fact that this is what he is talking about.  The audience that the cartoon was made for would likely be a liberal audience that favors gun control.  Although Ohman is arguing for a serious point, the cartoon itself is not very serious, and likely conservative people, or people in favor of lesser gun control, would not take seriously the cartoon.  As someone who is in favor of more gun control, I would say that Ohman does a very good job of making his point.  The sarcasm hits hard and makes the viewer understand and agree with the point the artist is trying to make.