Trayvon Martin

Team Member Name: Emily Lindley

Publication: Political Discourse Date: June 2013

Cartoonist: J. Palmer U.S./International

Title of cartoon: Now it's Zimmerman who is defenseless Cartoon: # 5

http://politicdiscourse.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/now-its-zimmerman-            who-is-defenseless/

What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?

In the cartoon George Zimmerman is standing on “the right to bear arms” while shooting a gun towards the direction of Trayvon Martin who is laying on the words “right to live, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. The Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence are being used as defenses for both cases regarding the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The term "stand your ground” is Zimmerman’s defense logo in his Florida case and is associated with his trial.

The context used labeling and analogy by the reference made from the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights second amendment to visualize the shooting incident between Martin and Zimmerman.

Tone of the cartoon:

1) Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon? The framing style is negative. The framing with value-laden words and phrases is one of the most common framing devices consists of choosing a particular word or phrase that is subtly loaded (McManus). The law stand your ground is being used out of context when trying to defend Zimmerman.

2) What evidence can you give that shows the cartoonist supports one side or the other? Martin did not show a motive for being dangerous or opposing as a threat as demonstrated in the cartoon. He was wearing a hooded jacket while walking down the streets at the night.

3) What “reality” is constructed/framed about your issue? This cartoon shows the reality of what happened between the Zimmerman and Trayvon shooting in Florida. It demonstrates the demographics of race and prejudice issues circulating in today’s society.

Analysis

On the night of February 26, 2012 Martin Trayvon was walking in the neighborhood which George Zimmerman was actively patrolling as the neighborhood watch captain. Trayvon was 17 years old and that night accused of being a suspicious figure. Zimmerman shot Trayvon claiming he was doing so in self-defense and uses the Stand Your Ground law as the reasoning behind his actions.

The Stand Your Ground law is essentially a revocation of the duty to retreat.  Stand your ground laws generally state that, under certain circumstances, individuals can use force to defend themselves without first attempting to retreat from the danger. The purpose behind these laws is to remove any confusion about when individuals can defend themselves and to eliminate prosecutions of people who legitimately used self-defense even though they had not attempted to retreat from the threat ("stand your ground laws," n.d.).

The persuasive technique of a.nalogy combine different approaches to the cartoon between the document references used for the individuals cases and racial controversies that tend to alternate the way certain situations are handled. The second amendment is included as a justice for the right  to bear arms in any personal situation when citizens feel threatened.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/22447698115678230/

• Cartoon Analysis Worksheet: Attach to cartoon.

Team Member Name: Chris Glaittli

Publication: EdSteinInk Date:April 5th, 2012

Cartoonist:Ed Stein  U.S./International: US

Title of cartoon: Dangerous Weapon   Cartoon# 6

What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?

The action taking place in this cartoon is the seeing a man laying on the ground shot dead by a gun lobbyist who felt threatened. The dead man appears to have been protesting in favor of gun control in urgency because his the the words “sane” and “now” seem to be a little bit darker than the rest of the sign. The gun lobbyist, and killer, appears to look bored and not even looking at the dead victim but more into the viewers eyes as if stating that even though we didn’t see what caused him to shoot the protester, apparently it was justifiable to shoot him because he “felt threatened”.

When analyzing this cartoon with the Cartoonists’ Persuasive Guide, I feel as though Ed Stein is using a combination of symbolism and analogy.  “I felt threatened” was the sentence that George Zimmerman used when he was tried for the murder of Florida, teenager Trayvon Martin. According to the CNN’s Fast Facts, on February 26th, 2012, George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman called the police to report a suspicious person in the neighborhood. “He [Zimmerman] was instructed not to get out of his SUV or approach the person” (CNN, 2014). Ignoring the police’s instructions, Zimmerman exits his car and moments later shots were heard and 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is dead and Zimmerman claims he shot Martin in self-defense. The symbolism behind this cartoon is that although we didn’t see what exactly had happened, the gun lobbyist claims he felt threatened and felt the need to shoot the protester dead which is very similar to the Trayvon Martin shooting which has very similar aspects; no one saw what happened and we only have one persons words to use. According to the guide, an analogy is “a comparison between to unlike thing. By comparing one complex issue or situation with a more familiar one, cartoonists can help their readers see it in a different light.” (Library of Congress, 2012). Almost everyone knows that a gun lobbyists and a gun control advocates are not best friends, Stein made the situation familiar to use to display the what the gun control debate looks to him. The usage of the Zimmerman quote and how the gun control advocate is dead in this cartoon implies that the cartoonist is not in favor of the gun lobbyist or what he symbolizes.

Tone of the cartoon:

1) Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?

As stated above, the side that is being supported is in favor of the gun control. Although the dead gun control advocate doesn’t display any sort of label like the gun lobbyist does, the advocate symbolizes or represents the entire group of people who have 1. viewed or at least heard of the Trayvon Martin case and 2. believe that Zimmerman was guilty ( on July 13th, 2013, the six woman jury found George Zimmerman not guilty (CNN, 2014)).

2) What evidence can you give that shows the cartoonist supports one side or the other?

Ed Stein released a small explanation of his cartoon and he actually agrees with my analysis above that this cartoon did incorporate with the Trayvon Martin shooting. “This country seems forever trapped the surreal nexus of race, guns, and fear that ended Martin’s life” (Stien, 2012). As evident by who is still standing in the picture and who is dead, Stien does support or at least believes that the Trayvon Martin shooting, and other shootings in the past, could have been prevented if there were, as the sign in the cartoon states, “Sane Gun Laws Now!”.

3) What “reality” is constructed/framed about your issue?

The reality is that these gun control advocates are cannot or will not fight fire with fire, or in this case, guns with guns. Ed Stein says it best in his statement about his cartoon when he said, “As if this carried openly by virtually everywhere almost everywhere, weren’t insane enough , a number of states now allow gun-toting paranoids to shoot at will, so long as they claim they felt threatened” (Stein, 2012).

http://thebigslice2013.org/guns-r-us-by-bill-day/

Team Member Name: Christopher Campbell  

Publication: The Pragmatic Progressive    Date: February 10, 2013

Cartoonist: Bill Day                 U.S./International: U.S.

Title of cartoon: Guns ‘R’ Us                    Cartoon# 7

What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?

In 2005, Florida enacted the “Stand Your Ground” law, which enables people to use deadly force if they feel threatened (“Florida had first,” 2013; CNN Staff, 2013). When George Zimmerman was going through his trial for killing Trayvon Martin, this law was brought into public discussion. Zimmerman actually did not use the law as a defense, but the jury, which found him not guilty, was instructed with language from it.

When the law was initially passed in Florida, it was lobbied for by the NRA, and there are versions of it in 25 other states (Ono, 2012). Following the Trayvon Martin shooting, Michael Boomberg, the mayor of New York City, said “In reality the NRA’s leaders weren’t interested in public safety. They were interested in promoting a culture where people take the law into their own hands and face no consequences for it” (Forer, Katersky, & Giusto, 2012)

Tone of the cartoon:

1) Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?

This cartoon implies that under the “Stand Your Ground” laws, as lobbied by the NRA, will lead the United States to become a place that emphasizes guns. It does not see this as a good thing. It is critical of the controversial law. The framing supports the side that is against stand your ground and for stricter gun control.

2) What evidence can you give that shows the cartoonist supports one side or the other?

The cartoon depicts a store shaped like the United States of America where people go buy guns. The sign says “Guns ‘R’ Us A Subsidary of the National Rifle Association.” The slogan at the entrance of the store says “Stand Your Ground.” The store is depicted with dark colors and a scary-looking ventilation system on the top, which make it clear that the cartoonist does not like the idea of this place. There is a smiley face in the front of it, which is possibly a depiction of how this is supposed to look like a happy place. However, the dark colors suggest otherwise.

3) What “reality” is constructed/framed about your issue?

The constructed reality in this cartoon is that the “Stand Your Ground” laws will lead the country to become a place that emphasizes guns.

Analysis: This cartoon uses symbolism, labeling and irony at the same time.

It labels the United States as a gun owned by the National Rifle Association with a slogan that says

“Stand Your Ground.” This is symbolic of the fact that “Stand Your Ground” laws

have come to 25 states after it was initially passed in Florida, and it will eventually pass to other areas. There is also symbolism in the dark colors, which represent this as a bad thing.

The smiley face is a bit of ironic symbolism that contrasts the dark colors of the store itself. It is a way of saying the NRA wants this to look like a happy place even though in reality it is not.

http://blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/johncole/index.php/2014/02/21/one-nation-under-a-gun/

Team Member Name: Christopher Campbell

Publication The Times-Tribune.com John Cole Cartoons  Date: February 21, 2014

Cartoonist: John Cole        U.S./International: U.S.

Title of cartoon: One Nation Under Gun  Cartoon# 8

What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?

Though this cartoon was published one year after “Guns ‘R’ Us,” this one has the same context. It refers to the “Stand Your Ground” laws which was first passed in Florida in 2005 (“Florida had first,” 2013). Since then, there have been versions of it in 25 states (Ono, 2012).

Before this law, someone who was in a fight was required by law to at least try retreating (Vedantam, 2013). However, “Stand Your Ground” makes it so whenever a person feels threatened, he or she can use deadly force in self defense without having to retreat.

A study by Mark Hoekstra, an economist at Texas A&M, found that rather than increasing safety, the amount of homicides in the states that have “Stand Your Ground Laws” is actually higher (Vedantam, 2013; King, 2013).

Tone of the cartoon:

1) Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?

This cartoon is pretty critical of the “Stand Your Ground” laws and the fact that it has spread to different states after it was initially passed in Florida. The framing is definitely supporting the side that is against those laws.

2) What evidence can you give that shows the cartoonist supports one side or the other?

The cartoon depicts all of the states with a bullet hole and a gun replacing the state of Florida labeled “Stand Your Ground.” There is a dialogue bubble over the gun saying “I felt threatened.” The implication is that Florida shot the rest of the states.

3) What “reality” is constructed/framed about your issue?

Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” laws will eventually spread to other states. This will increase violence throughout the nation.

Analysis: 

This cartoon uses symbolism and exaggeration to prove the point that the “Stand Your Ground” law initially passed in Florida will increase nationwide violence.

The fact that the gun is in place of Florida is symbolic of the fact that it was the first state to pass the law initially. Since then, there have been variations of the law passed in other states. This is exaggerated in the cartoon because it is 25 states that have it (Ono, 2012), not the whole country.

The bullet holes are symbolic of violence. The cartoon suggests that “Stand Your Ground” being adopted by the whole nation will increase in violence. As discussed above, a study was done that showed an increase of homicides among states with the law (Vedantam, 2013; King, 2013).


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