Stereotypes as a Reduction: Cartoons and Crossing a Divide

ACTFL 2010Kenneth Reeds

Salem State University

Klein, Thomas. “Facing History at South Boston High School”. The English Journal, Vol. 82, No. 2 (Feb. 1993) pp 14-20.

“Fifteen students sat in clusters by race and gender on my first day” (16)

Sen, Amartya. Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny. New York and London: W.W. Norton and Company, 2006.

Manolito does not have the multiple identities of a human. He has been reduced to a single-faced character which represents capitalist greed.

Manolito does not have the multiple identities of a human. He has been reduced to a single-faced character which represents capitalist greed. Stereotypes function by reducing a person to a single identity and charging that identity with a meaning that spreads to the person as a whole.

Critical Thinking: What message does this cartoon convey?

Critical Thinking: Identify at least two things which support that message.

Critical Thinking: Identify at least two things which could be used to counter the argument.

Critical Thinking: Are the complexities of the issue represented fairly in the cartoon?

A lesson plan in the most general of terms:

•Establish the idea that each individual has many identities. •Using cartoons as examples, demonstrate that some characters are more human in that they have multiple identities while others are reductions only representing one.•Encourage critical thinking of a cartoon by having students respond:• What message is the cartoon trying to present?• Identify at least three things that could support that message.• Identify at least three things that could be used to counter that

argument.• Are the complexities of the issue represented fairly in the

cartoon?•In order to help keep the discussion within the limits that you would like, it is worthwhile to employ two or more cartoons to delineate the extremes of the conversation (example in upcoming exercise).

Kenneth Reedswww.kennethreeds.com