Visual Analysis Paper
Joey Guy
Dr. Taylor
ENG 102
May 21, 2013
Life is only Getting Tougher for College Students
It is no secret that our society is increasing the demand for a college education, as more and more people are going to college each year in hopes of making a better life for themselves. The main purpose to go to college is to expand the minds of students and to offer them the knowledge to attain good, quality jobs that they could not have received without a degree. The blame for expensive university costs can be spread among a handful of subjects, but political cartoonist Jeff Parker’s “Higher Education” places the blame on the public universities themselves. In this cartoon, various rhetorical strategies are used to show the cartoonist’s opinion of universities increasing the already large financial burden of higher education. The cartoon hints that colleges and universities are to blame for raising tuition costs by showing a student standing on top of a mound of debt trying to reach a degree that is being pulled away from him. The political cartoon suggests public university students are subject to the discretion and motives of the university itself by oversimplifying the university’s effect on rising tuition costs and budget cuts, which represents a growing concern the author has for the future. The towering stack of student loans that the student is standing on represents all the money the student has already given to the university. The stacked file folders do not appear to be a concern for the university anymore since they have their money and just want a little more. This use of imagery emphasizes what the student has already given a lot more than he has to give. The clouds in the background shows how high the stack is and again emphasizes the already huge amount of debt a typical college acquires. This is probably a college student who is almost done with school, but has a couple more classes required to get his degree. The cartoonist does not show
Dr. Taylor
ENG 102
May 21, 2013
Life is only Getting Tougher for College Students
It is no secret that our society is increasing the demand for a college education, as more and more people are going to college each year in hopes of making a better life for themselves. The main purpose to go to college is to expand the minds of students and to offer them the knowledge to attain good, quality jobs that they could not have received without a degree. The blame for expensive university costs can be spread among a handful of subjects, but political cartoonist Jeff Parker’s “Higher Education” places the blame on the public universities themselves. In this cartoon, various rhetorical strategies are used to show the cartoonist’s opinion of universities increasing the already large financial burden of higher education. The cartoon hints that colleges and universities are to blame for raising tuition costs by showing a student standing on top of a mound of debt trying to reach a degree that is being pulled away from him. The political cartoon suggests public university students are subject to the discretion and motives of the university itself by oversimplifying the university’s effect on rising tuition costs and budget cuts, which represents a growing concern the author has for the future. The towering stack of student loans that the student is standing on represents all the money the student has already given to the university. The stacked file folders do not appear to be a concern for the university anymore since they have their money and just want a little more. This use of imagery emphasizes what the student has already given a lot more than he has to give. The clouds in the background shows how high the stack is and again emphasizes the already huge amount of debt a typical college acquires. This is probably a college student who is almost done with school, but has a couple more classes required to get his degree. The cartoonist does not show
Cited: Parker, Jeff. “Higher Education.” Fort Myers News-Press 7 Apr. 2012. Web.