Guiding Question:

How does this comic strip use language and visual elements to convey meaning and
appeal to their target audience?

Abhinandan Bhattacharya
Sample Response:
Components for a powerful Introduction paragraph:

1. Short hook that introduces the topic - Keep in mind that when we say
short, we mean short! A sentence or two should suffice, and this
should easily transition to the next portion of the introduction.

2. Author and Audience - This is NOT a commentary like in the old

version of the course. But, showing knowledge of some of the basics,
such as who wrote the text and for whom, will help students
demonstrate deeper understanding.

3. Text Type and Year - We spend a lot of time studying different text
types in this course, so why not encourage students to share this
knowledge with the examiner? Adding the year is a nice bonus.

4. Purpose - Again, this task does NOT call for entire paragraphs about
audience, context, text type, and purpose, but surely our students
need to understand the purpose of the text if they will successfully
answer the guiding question. Students should embed this into the
introduction; they won’t be sorry.

5. Final transition - We’ve already mentioned that Criterion C looks at

transitions between paragraphs as well as within paragraphs. So,
make sure there is a clear linking word between the thesis/point of
entry statement and whatever precedes it.

6. Thesis/Point of Entry - If the students already crafted a rudimentary

outline and thesis in earlier steps, this is a simple transfer from their
planning page to their official response.

Self-realisation is quite instrumental for character building and man has always
benefitted from such moments of introspection and reflection. The present comic strip
by noted American artist, Bill Watterson conveys a similar message with an objective
to educate and spread awareness about the adverse effects of smoking mostly
targeting the adolescents and youngsters who, otherwise, consider themselves to be
know-it-alls. To achieve this, Watterson employs techniques like paneling, caricatures,
body language, juxtaposition through framing and speech bubbles, emanata, and
linguistic devices like diction, lexical choices, and humorous tone that effectively
emphasize the larger intent of this comic strip, besides enlightening the young and
grown-up minds alike by refining their perspectives on common issues around us.

Abhinandan Bhattacharya
 Highlighting protocol for strong Body paragraphs:
1. Rich idea
2. Key language from the GQ
3. Textual references
4. Authorial choices
5. Author/audience relationship
6. Transition words
7. Evaluative language

It is typical of Watterson to use a broad rectangular panel at the beginning to

immediately embed the ethical norm and cleverly remind the readers of the legal
eligible age to even buy a cigarette, let alone smoking it. The use of synthetic
personalization in ‘you have to be eighteen’ has an effect of breaking the fourth wall
with an imperative tone warning the young people, especially teenagers, who are at a
socially vulnerable stage to get influenced by such temptations. Interestingly, the
speech bubble issued from the toy tiger, Hobbes, presumably a close companion and
a figment of Calvin’s imagination, represents how the animal kingdom is cognizant of
codes of conduct and it is the human world that requires timely reminders of the
detrimental effects of indulging in such stuff. However, this thoughtful attempt is almost
immediately and vociferously negated in the next panel with Calvin’s furiously defiant
body language, screaming like a maniac, obviously enraged by the realization that he
has to wait till he is eighteen years old to give in to his whims. Watterson’s use of the
speech bubble hovering like a cloud of disbelief in this panel is indicative of the differing
perspectives between the ignorant and the wise. The spatial recognition through the
use of white space between Calvin’s irate face and his speech bubble might imply the
time gap required for his maturity and wisdom, thereby, supporting his claim that he
would ‘know better’ by eighteen.

Watterson’s genius in using Calvin as a representative and voice of teenagers and

youngsters has been effectively brought out through lexical choice, diction and
caricatures. Placing Calvin with a candid stance depicted by a confidently happy stride
with his mouth wide open where he asks his mother for a cigarette using the modal
verb ‘can’ instead of ‘may’ suggests the brazen attitude of teenagers who are more
often than not cocksure with their approaches and expectations. This attitude of Calvin
could also be interpreted as being cheeky and frivolous, as he had initially thought it

Abhinandan Bhattacharya
might infuriate his mother. Contrary to his expectations, when his mother gladly allows
him to ‘smoke outside’, he is taken by surprise as that was not what he had anticipated
at all. However, the one-word question tag ‘ok?’ suggests the tone of concern as
smoking inside the house could lead to a mishap or some accident. Watterson uses
the next two panels to successfully convey how the curiosity for experimenting harmful
things meets with a realization that teaches us a lesson for a lifetime.

Interestingly enough, the ear-to-ear smile on Calvin’s face is limited till the fifth panel
after which he realizes the truth behind his mom’s ‘pretty cool’ status smartly attributed
by him in response to Hobbes’ amazement at his mother’s permission to let him
smoke. The sixth panel is a juxtaposition to the third one as they appear to be mirrored
against one another both in terms of Calvin’s expressions and body language as well
as the difference between his inquisitiveness from asking for a cigarette to a disgusting
realization and repulsive reaction after taking the first drag of cigarette evidently shown
by the gasp ‘EEEEEE?’ so much so that the emanata in the seventh panel displaying
his pitiful condition provokes the audience to feel his suffering and sympathise with
him as he is a little kid. By positioning Calvin as a victim in the center of the panel with
the action words ‘Blaaugh’, ‘Gag’, ‘Hack’ and ‘Cough’ surrounding him like combatants
and adversaries, Watterson implies the deleterious effects of giving in to impulsive,
childish caprice under the pretence of being a defiant but unprepared risk-taker. The
bulging eyes, the cloud of grey smoke billowing out of Calvin’s mouth, his wriggled
tongue, his shock-infused spiked-up hair and his body being lifted from the ground as
if he is thrown off balance create an atmosphere of foreboding and worry. Furthermore,
the use of yellowish-green colour for ‘BLAAUGH!’ creates an effect of toxicity resulted
from poisonous gases. This is also a clever technique used by Watterson to showcase
an initial transformation within the character, thereby, communicating to the teenagers
and youngsters to respect and adhere to the legal bindings on activities that require
age appropriation or adult supervision.

Colour scheme plays a significant role in the manner visually charged texts are read
and interpreted for meaning and effect. Watterson’s use of fiery orange for Calvin’s
hair suggests his obdurately go-getter mindset which is in conjunction with the dark
red shirt implying danger and involvement of risk. The mild lavender colour gives a
pastel effect to the mother’s clothes who exudes dignity, compassion and neutrality in
her disposition. Moreover, it is noteworthy how the colour palette used for the speech

Abhinandan Bhattacharya
bubbles has layers of meaning and interpretation. The deliberate choice of white
speech bubble for the mother suggests some degree of open-mindedness coupled
with the virtues of patience and unbiased outlook that elders, especially parents might
want to exercise while dealing with their teenage children’s whims. There is an evident
contrast with the green speech bubble of an exhausted but agitated Calvin in the
penultimate panel implying a release of his own frustration recently laced with the toxic
gas as a result of his first attempt with smoking a cigarette. It is quite funny to see him
lying feet upward with a comic illustration of star, moon and the planet Saturn hovering
above his feet which serves as a poetic justice to our little hero fallen to his fate driven
by a surge of hubris. Watterson drives home the message through the alliterative ring
in ‘learn a little lesson’ that perhaps it is alright to learn from one’s first-hand experience
and mistakes and not to brood over the wrong decisions that all of us tend to make at
some point in life.

However, the dark humour in the last panel when Calvin says, ‘Trusting parents can
be hazardous to your health.’, jolts the readers completely from the supposed belief
and realization based on the ‘little lesson’ learnt till the previous panel. The humorously
condescending tone suggests the inflated egos of youngsters who prefer not to
acknowledge their own shortcomings but suspect the good intentions of their elders,
particularly their parents. Watterson’s choice of words alludes to the statutory warning
on cigarette packets, ‘Smoking is injurious to health’ which, in this case, has been
funnily attributed to ‘parents’ by Calvin.

Highlighting Protocol for a powerful Conclusion paragraph:

Concluding transition
Refocus main claim and GQ
Synthesize not summarize
Final Transition
Link to topic of introduction (circular structure)
End strong

Therefore, to wind it up, Watterson’s use of an array of visual and linguistic elements
in this comic strip has not just explored the subtle frailties of human beings, especially
the youngsters, by way of understanding how their choices could lead them to a path
of self-discovery and self-realisation, but also helped convey some value messages
to the target audience to appreciate the social and legal code of conduct and respect

Abhinandan Bhattacharya
the norms laid out. Conclusively, the authorial choices like illustrations, panels, diction
and lexical choices, body language, speech bubbles, colour scheme and use of
humour have enriched the meaning altogether and lent a definitive purpose to the
overall text.

1290 words

Abhinandan Bhattacharya