Writing a Critical Commentary

Writing a Critical Commentary
 Sample 2:
 I found this cartoon at: http://raquelgfernandez.blogspot.com/2012/02/political-cartoons.html . The source
appears to be Raquel Fernandez.
 I chose this cartoon because it expresses a frustration that many college graduates have today that they
will not be able to find a good job upon graduation. In the cartoon, the person on the left apparently chose to join
the army rather than try to get a job, while the person on the right has graduated only to find a hostile
employment market.
 The interesting thing about this cartoon is that is seeks to satirize two phenomena with only one
cartoon: The phenomenon of the tough job market and the phenomenon of recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The author is saying both that the job market is tough and that the military is very busy; hence the idea that the
military could be a more attractive option than the workforce for new graduates.
 In my opinion, the author tries to do too much with this cartoon. While the author is clearly trying to
attack the fact that there are wars being fought by the US, the military has always tried to compete for young
people, whether in war or peace time. That it’s “easier to find a war than a job” is not really a good reason for
someone to join the military rather than to look for a job. The military has always been an option. If anything, the
fact that there are wars going on makes the military a less attractive option than the marketplace. Therefore, I think
the cartoon falls kind of flat and is a little to confusing to make both of the points it tries to make effectively.
 Note: Both samples can be made improved. In sample 1, more
quotations from the article can be given. Sample 2 was not properly
sourced at the end of the assignment.