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Lucas Reynolds

Ms. Barr

IB English 11

10 October 2022

Conveying the Issue of Gun Violence

Many political issues catch the public’s eye at certain times. This statement is

especially true when said issues involve civil rights. Though many civil rights issues exist across

the nation, the issue of gun violence has become particularly relevant. Over recent years in the

US, many acts of violence have been committed with firearms, which leaves the question: how

can the nation reduce the risk of these violent acts? While many people may agree that gun

violence is an issue, people have different views on solving this immense problem. Authors

incorporate many rhetorical strategies to convince people of their argument, as seen when

comparing written articles with political cartoons. Written articles use professional writing and

research to convince people of their views, while political cartoons rely on humor and

exaggeration to convey their message to the people.

Many articles utilize effective writing and extensive research to back up their arguments

and receive support from the readers. In the article, “Addressing the root causes of gun violence

with American Rescue Plan funds: Lessons from state and local governments,” Hanna Love and

the other authors write a detailed research article. The article contains links to learn more about

specific topics and detailed instructions on her proposed plan to prevent gun violence. Love

suggests that to impact how many violent acts are committed with firearms, a new plan by

president Biden should use its money to help poorer communities rather than funding more

carceral systems (Love et al.). Places with structural disadvantages such as poverty, racial
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segregation, etc, are more likely to have problems with gun violence (Love et al.). This is why

Love proposes the idea of using money to better the community - so that the root of the violence

can be addressed. This type of writing proves to be effective because it shows examples of the

process and the results as well.

Political cartoons tend to portray humor and exaggeration to get their point across. In the

political cartoon “At Home With The Judge Who Compared An AR-15 To A Swiss Army

Knife,” Mike Thomas draws a man holding an assault rifle as he attempts to open a bottle by

shooting at it. The judge exclaims “see? Just like a bottle opener on a swiss army knife!” while

the background is full of bullet holes and broken furniture. This drawing includes

over-exaggeration to prove its point by taking an idea that Thomas sees as ridiculous: firearms

being as harmless as a simple tool, and creating a situation to show the opposite. This way of

supporting an argument has a more humorous tone than a serious one focused on research. This

is effective because it catches the viewer's attention and conveys a message with a single image.

Even though these two sources agree that gun violence is a relevant issue in the modern

day, they convey their arguments through different means. The article written by Hanna Love

discussing the roots of gun violence carries a very professional tone and applies extensive

research to assure the reader that the argument is sound. The political cartoon has a more

humorous tone and utilizes exaggeration to catch the viewer's attention and explain everything

with an image and few words. When compared to each other in this particular instance, the

article addresses the issue more effectively than the political cartoon. The article states that gun

violence is an issue and proposes a plan to fix it. The political cartoon only addresses the

problem. Though these methods of supporting their arguments are very different from one

another, they still effectively explain the importance of the problem.

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Articles will often have a more professional tone and support their arguments through

extensive research, while political cartoons rely on humor to be effective. As gun violence

continues to be an issue in the future, more people will use these methods of pointing out issues

to the public. Whether or not these methods of convincing the nation are effective is entirely up

to the reader.
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Works Cited

Love, Hanna, et al. “Addressing the Root Causes of Gun Violence with American Rescue Plan

Funds: Lessons from State and Local Governments.” Brookings, Brookings, 16 Aug.

2022,

https://www.brookings.edu/essay/addressing-the-root-causes-of-gun-violence-with-ameri

can-rescue-plan-funds-lessons-from-state-and-local-governments/.

Thomson, Mike. At Home With The Judge Who Compared An AR-15 To A Swiss Army Knife.

USA Today, 15 June 2021.

https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/opinion/cartoons/2012/12/20/editorial-cartoons

-on-gun-control-debate/1783343/