PROCESS

1. Read the question

2. Read through the text: what is it about? – 5 minutes
Identify PATMID
3. Use your highlighter to identify anything relevant to your answer. You are looking for
devices/techniques you can analyse.
Remember that you must make specific references to the devices in your answer.
4. Make notes around your highlighting: tone; structure; devices etc – 15 minutes
5. Plan your answer – 5 minutes
6. Write up your answer - 50 minutes

COMIC STRIPS – FEATURES

 Panels - comics are divided into multiple panels which tell the story and help to move it
along
 Splash panel - acts like a title page
 Gutter - the space between the panels. Sometimes we as readers must fill in the gaps.
 Borders
 Colour
 Punctuation
 Blank space - how big? Where? Why?
 Font
 Images
 Characters & characterisation
 foreground/background,
 Action, gesture, expression
 Dialogue / description
 Close ups / camera angles / shot
 * Emanata - things that emanate from characters to show something about them e.g a
question mark above someone's head shows confusion.
 Anthropomorphism
 Speech bubble & thought bubble
 Sound effects - onomatopoeia
 Captions
 Symbols
 Punchline - final line of a joke
 Simple or complex style and structure

EXAMPLE

1. Read the question

2. Read through the text: what is it about? – 5 minutes
Identify PATMID

ODGOVOR:
- School setting
- Teacher pupil interaction
- Intelligent and precocious pupil who is outsmarted by his teacher
Purpose - entertain

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Audience - adults (cartoon strips would be part of a newspaper)

Text type - comic strip

Mood - light hearted

Ideas/meaning/content - education / current affairs / social issues

Devices – annotated

3. Use your highlighter to identify anything relevant to your answer. You are looking for
devices/techniques you can analyse.
Remember that you must make specific references to the devices in your answer.
4. Make notes around your highlighting: tone; structure; devices etc – 15 minutes

What is shown?
How is it shown?
What is the effect?

5. Plan your answer

My plan: this is what you know

1. Contrast between Calvin & teacher

2. Change in Calvin from panel 1 to panel 4
3. Development of Calvin's character in panel 2

How you know

1. Contrast between Calvin & teacher: size, position in panels.

2. Change in Calvin from panel 1 to panel 4: language, facial expression, he is the only
character.
3. Development of Calvin's character in panel 2: language, action, he is the opby character.

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 6. Structure your answer

Introduction: context of text (text type, author, title, sources, overview)

• What is it about? What is the purpose? Where is it from? Who is it aimed at? What is the
form?

1st point in response to the question. What is being presented or shown? HOW?
Analyse.

2nd point in response to the question. What is being presented or shown? HOW?
Analyse.

3rd point in response to the question. What is being presented or shown? HOW?
Analyse.

Conclusion: give an overview of the text and how it meets its purpose.
Evaluate how effectively it meets the purpose and conveys the message

Top tip:
• Use linking phrases to make transitions between your points.
 Use academic phrases to develop your analysis and discussion of the text (use the
essay companion)

PAPER 1

The cartoonist Waterson uses only 4 panels in this short comic strip to tell the story. This type of
comic strip would usually appear in newspapers and its purpose is to entertain and provide a break
whilst reading through more serious matter. This particular comic strip introduces the two characters
in the first panel. This establishing shot sets the scene as being in a school environment and
immediately introduces the idea of hierarchy as the teacher is larger than the protagonist, Calvin,
and takes up more of the space in the panel. The comic strip tackles the subject of education in a
humorous way and exposes the immature and naïve views of Calvin when faced with his teacher's
reprimand in panel 3. It could be argued that this panel acts as the climax as it quenches the
enthusiasm of Calvin and by panel 4 he is no longer assertive and confident and instead has been
reduced to a petulant child who appears to be sulking. In the end, the joke is on Calvin as he realizes
that in order to achieve all that he wants in life, he must work for it which is not an attractive
prospect to him at such an early stage in his life. By the end of the comic strip and adult reader
would not only laugh at the change in Calvin's attitude but may also find light relief in the knowledge
that this attitude is one that can be seen in many different sectors, not just education. THESIS
STATEMENT

Waterson begins by creating a clear contrast between the two characters: Calvin and his teacher. We
can immediately sense the authority and power dynamic in panel 1 as the teacher occupies more
space than Calvin and is looking down at him. This initial expectation that the teacher is in charge is
undermined by Calvin's assertive response to her question, 'You have a question Calvin?' Humour is
created here because the reader does not expect the question that Calvin subsequently asks. This is
due to the fact that the question is not only irrelevant to whichever lesson he is engaged in, but also
because his question could be perceived as impolite in the face of an older authority figure. In
addition, the fact that Calvin is clearly very young, evidenced by his size and short spiky hair, further

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increases the humour as he has now unexpectedly taken charge of the conversation. In addition, his
question is far too sophisticated for a child of his age and the language used is extremely formal.
Furthermore, the tone created by the phrase 'what assurance do I have, is quite demanding and
definitely not in keeping with our expectations of a student/teacher interaction. By using adult
diction, coming from a child, Waterson skilfully creates an imbalance in the terationsmp and aisrupts
our expectations as reauers.