1.
In the chart below, tabulate on the left column the prominent elements in a typical
Roadrunner cartoon storyline and on the right column, the author’s commentary on
these elements:
ROADRUNNER STORYLINE WHY I LIKE DOING IT
DEVICE/CHARACTERIZATION
The coyote is “luckless”. There is no catharsis or wisdom gained
from his ability to be unlucky.
The Roadrunner is the The Roadrunner is seen as the hero
putative “hero” because it is the prey and it is the one
who’s being chased then ends up
escaping, but the truth is the coyote has
more exposure than the Roadrunner.
The philosophy is “nihilistic” The cartoon is meaningless. Nothing is
gained nor learned from it.
2. What seems to be the author’s attitude towards the Roadrunner cartoons? Does she like
them? What evidences from the text (language use, word choice) illustrate her attitude.
The author was confused about the cartoon Roadrunner and she looks at it as a
meaningless cartoon and that nihilism pervades it. She doesn’t like The Roadrunner and
she has a problem with it. The line “This cartoon holds no catharsis. Nothing is gained.
Nothing is learned, no redemptive wisdom prevails.” is an evidence that she didn’t like
the cartoon and it’s a nonsense to her.
3. What does the author mean when she says that the roadrunner cartoons are the “Moby
Dick of cartoondom?” Look up the story of Moby Dick. What do the cartoon and Moby
Dick have in common?
Moby Dick is the story of Ahab and his quest to defeat the legendary Whale Moby Dick.
Captain Ahab was obsessed to catch the huge whale even though he ends up being
injured. Just like Ahab, The coyote keeps on hunting and chasing the roadrunner
repeatedly even though doing it leads him to his death.
4. Tiempo-Torevillas says that while the Roadrunner cartoons seem to have the features of
a tragedy, they fall flat in trying to be one. How so?
The cartoon have the feature of tragedy because it is about the coyote trying to catch
and kill the Roadrunner but it falls flat because it turns the other way around and the
coyote is the one who’s dying. But then after that, it will be back again and the chasing
repeats. It seems like a never ending cycle of nonsense.
5. In what sense are the Roadrunner cartoons an exhibition of nihilism?
The Roadrunner cartoon is an exhibition of nihilism because the two characters just
repeatedly do what they tend to do. They keep on defeating each other, taking revenge
and what they are doing has no value at all. The cartoon is meaningless and it’s just a
pure entertainment.
6. Identify the topic sentences for each paragraph. Using only the topic sentences, trace
how Tiempo-Torrevillas develops her insight on the Roadrunner cartoons through this
movement of ideas. Do you think it is effective? Why or why not?
First Paragraph: The problems with the narrative structure of
“Roadrunner”. According to the author, this cartoon holds no catharsis,
nothing is gained, nothing is learned and no redemption of wisdom
prevails.
Second Paragraph: The philosophy here is obviously nihilistic. The
author conveyed that this cartoon is meaningless and has no value at
all.
Third Paragraph: The nihilism pervades the entire ethos of the cartoon.
The flow of the cartoon is just about the efforts of coyote come to
nothing and the roadrunner being effortless that reveals nothing about
its character.
Fourth Paragraph: The process of natural selection favoring the prey
over the predator. Even though the coyote is the one who ends up
being the victim, it’s still the roadrunner who’s in favor just simply
because it’s the prey and it’s the one who’s being chased. But then the
prey which is the roadrunner exerted no effort at all in escaping
because its speed is a natural ability.
Fifth Paragraph: The two characters are fulfilling their destinies. The
roadrunner fulfilling his natural destiny, running swiftly and effortlessly
through the cartoon. And the coyote fulfilling his luckless destiny as a
predator. But still, all is nothingness. The coyote remains unfulfilled
and the roadrunner keeps on doing what it does.
The lines were effective because it can make a reader realize a lot of
things about the cartoon Roadrunner, like it can entertain but no
knowledge is gained because it’s meaningless and it has no value.
