What does this Leunig cartoon tell us about Identity? (1 Viewer)

Aerath

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Sorry for bugging you all again - however, I'm just wondering what sort of things I can write about that particular cartoon, in regards to the Area of Study of Identity. Any ideas are welcome. :)

Don't have many ideas at the moment - it's just the signs, the light and the solitude and isolation of the individual - however, I'm not exactly sure how they contribute to his identity.

Thank you in advanced.

PS: You can also view the cartoon by looking here.
 
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Rhanoct

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i've used that cartoon before but it was the journey AoS... for identity all i can suggest is waffling on about:

-'what if?' can you really understand the entirety of your being (identity) if you don't contemplate what you could have been like if something was different? (if he took the brighter path) From that you could go into how your perception and understanding of who you are can change over time and link it to your texts.

I dunno, I haven't studied Identity before so I don't know what the main features are... was that cartoon prescribed or did you find it as a related? If it's the latter, maybe you should try finding something that conveys the notion of Identity clearer.

Z_Z;
 
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You are what choices you make, and whether you decide to regret them and wonder what could have been instead of moving forward.
 

Aerath

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Rhanoct said:
I dunno, I haven't studied Identity before so I don't know what the main features are... was that cartoon prescribed or did you find it as a related? If it's the latter, maybe you should try finding something that conveys the notion of Identity clearer.
I'm using it as a related text. I've sorta been searching for a while, haven't found anything better, so I'm guess I'm stuck with that.

But thanks for your reply. :)
 

Sarah182

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The cartoon suggests a yearning for something that a person does not have. This is exemplified through the use of lighting and also stance of the character. He is looking toward a brighter and much more desirable road, however they are stuck with what they have. Also the juxapostion of the character in the middle of the image suggests they are torn between two different paths.
The text shows that as people, we must make the best with what we have and the situations we find ourselves in. We cannot constantly be stuck wondering "what if".

I'm ok with the techniques and stuff but not so much what it suggests about identity sorry.
 

bored of sc

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Cool cartoon!!! :)

The cartoon person is in despair. They don't have a clear path, goal or meaning in life. They are all over the place. This is symbolised in the sign "The Life you lead" which points in opposing directions, implying contradictions within his current identity. These two arrows go into darkness - the obvious symbolism here that these lifestyle choices are negative ones. This juxtaposes with the arrow leading into the alleyway (spelling) of a bright light. This suggests that they should have walked the path less travelled and it is through such a decision that they may have found a clear sense of meaning and direction in life. The irony of the text is that the alleyway is bright lights. Stereotypically alleyways are darker, foreboding places but in this case it is enticing due to its brightness. This shows that one shouldn't just give up on things due to face value (face value of alleyway being scary and negative) but give it a try and one might be surprised by the light at the end of the tunnel of darkness. The persona is walking the dominant path of normality. They could have done, could have been so much more in their life. But due to their tradintionalist ways, they failed to capitalise on the opportunities that could have lead to a lifetime of happiness.

Techniques I found in the cartoon include focal point, juxtapostion, facial expressions, body expressions, written text (past and present tense); layout, size, shape and positioning of subject (person), shades (balck and white), irony etc (can't think of any more).

Interesting - the shadow coming of the boy is much larger than his actual body (can only see shadow of legs). This suggests that if the boy lived the life down the alleyway he would have been something 'bigger'.

I don't know! Don't trust me; I suck at english.
 

The Kaiser

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It could represent that our identity is shaped by the choices we make. It could be linked to "Rhapsody on a Windy Night" in the sense that identity is shaped within the soul and this is linked because the cartoon shows that a personal identity is shaped within the paths you take within your soul. Which is linked to how we perceive our personal identity. (Or something like that) :)

But yeah it really is more of a "Journey" Text.
 

Aerath

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Ms Boukatos said I could go for it. :p

Thank you so much for your ideas guys. Eric - you better not do this text. :p
 

Aerath

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Pfft - people weren't doing my work. I just got some ideas and wrote my own speech and stuff, bitch. :p
 

Aplus

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The signs, 'The life you could have led' and 'The life you led', allude to the decisions which one makes during the journey of their life. These decisions influence a person's situation in terms of the physical and the emotional. The reason that we are all in the situation we are now, is due to the decisions that we have made as individuals in our past. These decisions reflect the type of people that we are. They represent our beliefs, values and contexts. They represent who we are as people living in society. As individuals, our decisions shape our identity.
 
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bohemianindian

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I just wanted to throw in the use of intertextuality in its allusion to "the road not taken" (Robert Frost)
 

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