February Week 2 Analysis - Sorry its a bit late, been busy with school. Might not be the best analysis as i kinda rushed it :/
Mark Knight’s first cartoon, featured in the Herald Sun, is addressed towards the recent issues surrounding the MYKI system. Through his depiction, Knights wishes to comment on the ineffectiveness and the Government’s lack of understanding of how flawed the system is. Furthermore his portrayal of a man needing to thoroughly investigate a problem which the “commuters would have known” highlights the inability of the Government to fix such a problem. In using emotive language with negative connotations such as “anchor” and “very expensive”, Knights wishes to convey downbeat thoughts about the system. Moreover the use of mentioning the cost of the system, appeals to the hip pocket nerve of the reader and is an attempt to evoke emotions of outrage towards such a needy project. Being a part of the Herald Sun, the use of placing this scenario in the busiest part of Melbourne, the city, Knights wishes to induce emotions of fear that this issue affects the reader. Additionally, his clear label of the transport minister’s name at the forefront of the image strikes the attention of the reader almost immediately and gives the reader a name of which to associate this problem with. The fact that this man almost appears bumbling and out of place within the station is used to symbolise that he, along with the Government, is out of touch with the public. There is a similarity between his position and that of MYKI’s in our society and the reader is most likely to pick up on these vibes in looking at his cartoon.
Mark Knight’s cartoon, featured in the Herald Sun, addresses the corruption amongst the ticket inspectors and their recent abuse of power. The innocent, wide eyed man portrayed at the centre of the image is quite effective in highlighting the vulnerability of the general public and how his apparent weakness is symbolic of the lack of power that we would have if confronted by these inspectors. Moreover his preference of buying the on “sale” items is not dissimilar to that of reader. It is most probable that someone reading such a newspaper as the Herald Sun would not be that well off so in portraying a man like that rather than a millionaire, the issue almost becomes a whole more significant in their eyes since it concerns them. The stern, ominous figures depicted in the background staring at the little man further evoke emotions of fear and insecurity within the reader. In associating the ticket inspectors with these dark figures, they are most likely these feelings of angst and apprehension with the issue and even when dealing with them in real life. Knights depicts what should be a busy station as desolate and empty in order to make the reader aware that when we are out in the real world, there is no-one to help us. The sarcastic comment at the bottom of the article sums up the thinking of Knights. Who will “inspect the inspectors”? In putting this into the image, Knights aims to rid all of trust in the inspectors so that the general public begin to question the system and why nothing is being done about it.
Mark Knight’s cartoon, featured in the Herald Sun, addresses the recent spending on the national broadband network due to be put into place. The specific mention of the “36 billion” spent; clearly visible at the top of the image is aimed to create a negative mindset of the reader from their first glance as the importance of money is well evident in most people. Furthermore the deliberate mentioning of the intended use of this expensive project almost symbolises his attempt to convey to the reader the thought that this whole thing is useless. In doing so, Knights wishes to link the negative connotation that comes with such explicit material with this new plan. The sarcastic comment at the bottom of the article sums of the whole idea of the image; the costs seemingly not match the benefits. The intended effect of image in making it quite comical is to make the issue seem so ridiculous that the reader begins to wonder exactly why they are paying money for such a thing. Moreover in portraying this bystander as a footy fan, specifically a St Kilda fan, in a Victorian newspaper, a state which thrives on sport, further increases the feelings of fear for what this move could do for the purity of the readers beloved game. The readers may ow start to question how many more Nick Riewoldt incidents this project will result in. Furthermore the onlooker portrayed in the background, with a clearly shocked expression almost ridicules the whole idea; how something seemingly so bad and expensive is being introduced. It is almost representative of what Knights believes should be the reader’s reaction after viewing this picture.
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