Filing for Dissapointment

Shanna Gatesman

English 103

Filing For Disappointment

One in six U.S. citizens are living in poverty, according to the new census data. Currently the United States unemployment rate sits at a disappointing 9.1 percent, that means fourteen million citizens are out of work. According to Shaila Dewan of the New York Times this is not an accurate percentage, in reality the number is at least double. The original percentage fails to include those who have run out of President Barack Obama’s extended unemployment benefits and also those who have given up the search for jobs since not many exist. Last year 7.9 million jobs were lost and many will never be recovered to their original strength. The unemployment downfall has caused a political uproar and editorial cartoonists are taking advantage. In Mike Luckovich ‘s recent editorial cartoon many rhetorical strategies including color, the continuing use of the word “labor”, and the downhearted people represent that unemployment is a nation wide epidemic that has stricken every race, gender, socioeconomic class, ethnicity, and age.

Mike Luchovich began his career in 1984 and currently works for The Atlanta Journal Constitution. He has won the Pulitzer Prize twice once in 1995 and again in 2006. He is the author of two books, most recent Four More Wars was published in 2006. Luckovich is syndicated in 150 newspapers. His editorial cartoons range in topics but always have a piercing style and lively color scheme. In the cartoon the colors of the background are dreary yet the people are given a much lighter hue. The dull background represents the American peoples overall outlook and feelings toward todays job market. This is also supported by the rugged texture of each character’s attire blending into the surroundings. However, brightening the characters seems to show that Americans have not given up hope in their job search, the ambition and drive is still within them.

In the editorial cartoon Luckovich does not only rely on words and colors but he also portrays strong visual emotions in his images. There are six people shown in his cartoon, four have their faces turned away and two are visible. Both of the faces the audience can see have sorrowful looks upon them. The faces that are not seen have the same looks; we know this because of the characters body language. Each person hunches and looks downward with a saddened body position. The people in the cartoon are of all different age, gender, size, race, and social class to portray unemployment is affecting all citizens. The cartoonist has drawn the characters to represent real life, everyday people. With this, a particular mood