WP2 Pre-writing 1

This comic strip is "Calvin and Hobbes" by Bill Watterson. This particular comic shows Calvin complaining about doing his homework and eventually giving up on it to go play outside. I picked this because I love "Calvin and Hobbes" and because I think this comic strip is something most people, especially college kids, can relate too. I'm always putting off homework to go do something more fun, and this strip shows that is a universal ideal, applying to everyone in all levels of schooling.

The first panel shows how overwhelmed Calvin is by his homework. He has books and papers all over his desk, and his facial expression is clearly unhappy. The second panel reiterates this theme by showing the same scene from a different angle. Again, it is possible to see how much homework Calvin has to do, and by looking at the way Watterson drew him, he is not enthusiastic about it. As stated in chapter 15 of Compose, Design, Advocate, we can relate to the body language because we have bodies that function in the same way as the characters in the strip. The audience can relate to the level of frustration Calvin is feeling while he is stuck sitting at his desk doing homework.

The third panel shows a different scene than the first two, but it is clearly connected to the first two because it includes the same characters, and because in the second panel, Calvin says that he wants to go play outside, it is implied that is exactly what he did. Going outside and sledding is much more fun for Calvin, and the audience can see this by the smile on his face. The sled they are on appears to be "flying," implying a sense of freedom and adventure, very different from the confines of the desk and the homework.

The text in this strip is interesting, because Calvin is obviously talking to Hobbes, the tiger, because there is no one else around. However, Hobbes doesn't respond to anything Calvin says, which puts more emphasis on Calvin. Usually, Hobbes is the voice of reason for Calvin, but in this one, he doesn't try to talk Calvin out of not doing his homework. This supports the idea that, as Calvin says, "Childhood is short and maturity is forever." Since Hobbes accepts this, the audience is more likely to as well. Also, because the audience is able to relate to Calvin's situation, they feel more inclined to agree with him.

I think Calvin brings up a good point. It's usually not a good idea to blow off homework, but it's true that you have forever to be grown-up and mature. People have to be mature and responsible through most of their adult lives. Calvin embodies the inner-child in everyone, reminding us as the audience that it's good to take time to have fun and "be a kid."