Comic Analysis Second Draft

Madeline Allen

Keaton

02/25/13

English 112

Public School vs. Private School

The first comic is two students talking about the differences in public school and private school. It’s is split up into two pictures. The first part shows the boy throwing all his papers, books and pencils in the air saying “WOOHOO! Summer 2012! And I don’t have to go back to school until October!” and a girl responds to say “How is it that private school kids have so little SCHOOL? Three-week vacations, five-month summers...” The second part of the picture is a zoomed in view of the boy who says “What did you think we were paying for?”

Clearly this picture is mocking school, public and private. For many reasons, other than choice of diction and syntax, this picture makes private school seem easy.

First: their clothing. The boy is dressed in a nice and neat uniform, his shirts un-tucked but he still has on a tie and his hair is gelled neatly. He has a messenger bag, that’s probably leather. The girl is in what looks like sweat pants which are her school colors of course, and a t-shirt with a paw print in the center or it. Her hair is pulled up into a pony-tail and she has a book bag on her back. Their clothing obviously depicts the difference between public school kids and private school kids.

The choice of syntax the girl uses in this comic is so subtle that it almost goes unnoticed when first read. She says “so little SCHOOL,” suggesting that kids who go to private schools do very little school at school. After that the boy replies with “What did you think we were paying for?” So that’s a little confusing, are they paying the school, to go to school less? His hand is extended out with his palm facing upward as if to motion “it’s no big deal.”

The background of this comic is all red and it’s very unclear as to why. Red is vibrant, and catches the eye, making more people drawn to the comic so that they will read it.

The main idea of this comic is that private schools are very expensive, and do go to less school days than public schools. The comic’s purpose is to make you think: Is private school really the right choice for my child?

The Second comic leans to the other side. Public schools deal with a very important problem, lack of funding. In this picture it shows a man in a suit busting through a classroom door saying “Good morning! Due to state budget cuts your teacher has been removed. Who would like to teach class today?” The children are all looking around with huge and confused eyes. They look shocked.

The children are in desks and they are in rows facing the teacher’s desk. This is the most popular format of a class room. This makes it relatable to many more people. The desk at the front of the room shows the sad empty chair sitting at the front of the class. The very black blackboard is right behind it, this also makes it more relatable. It stands out against the very white floor.

The man is dressed in a nice suit with a red tie, which suggests that he was the principal. Maybe even the Superintendent? His face is smiling brightly, like what he is saying to these children isn’t terrible at all. The face that stands out most is the kid in the front of the classroom. His head is turned away from the principal, with his eyes and mouth wide open. Anytime one cannot hide their reaction, especially if it’s a reaction from someone of authority, they turn around. This poor boy, at the front of the room, most likely inferring that he’s the teacher’s pet, just found out his favorite person on this earth will no longer be teaching him.

Even though this picture is fiction, and there would likely be a substitute, the words that the principal says are meant to stand out, the key words being “State Budget.” State budgets for education are often a popular topic come election time. That is because the majority of children are in public schools, and everyone, including parents whose children go to private school, pay for public school.

It’s unclear if the creator of this comic is someone who is for private schools; however those who look at it can easily be led to believe that if their child goes to a public school their education may not be properly funded. In a private school that will never be the case. You’re paying what is usually a high amount to make sure your child gets everything he may need.

It all comes down to what you want for your child, and how much money you are willing to spend to make sure their school lives up to your standards.