Annotate the given text:

Guiding Question: Discuss how different features are used in the strip to convey the artists’ message.

Contextual Details:

The comic strip by Stephen Francis and Rico Schacheri was published in the Guardian in July 1992.
The comic depicts Madam and Eve coming to terms with the new South Africa as the Apartheid era
drew to a close.

ANC -African National Congress

1. C: as stated above, the context of the comic strip unfolds a seemingly serious, but rather
ridiculous worry of the White when the news about the Apartheid elimination in the new
South Africa.
2. A: Though the primary audience seems to be the overall population who resides in South
Africa, but the British is the second to none, as the text was published by the Guardian, who
delivers a daily newspaper in the United Kingdom.
3. M: Sarcastic yet there is a sort of humorous element, which could represent the practices of
the (white) politicians who wouldn’t take things seriously when the matters have no effect
on them.
4. P: The authors aim to bring an awareness to the mass media and reconnect the society and
the people who have been segregated under the Apartheid.
5. Bold text: the authors’ intention to stress certain keywords, such as work and own, can be
seen as an approach to convey a strong message and ensure an unconscious absorption on
an associated problem.
6. Setting – the significance of the setting, assumably South Africa, would strongly connect the
primary audience to the text and tightly grasp their attentions.
7. Borderless sections – perhaps suggest that one’s state of mind is limitless and can never be
bounded, as these sections concern with an emotion-revealing scene, linking to the concept
of social revolution.
8. Ellipsis: (…) as one of the literary devices is present to create a moment of hesitation and
recollecting of thoughts before the characters make their statements, whereby maintaining
the excitement in regards to their discussion.
9. Colour of the title: creator choose to display ‘&’ in black colour, implying the goal of the
creators to incorporate all people from all ethnicity in the society.
10. Panel structure: the overall structure of the comic is easy to follow as the creators utilize an
F-pattern and the text consists of three rows, which implicitly contributes to the 3*3 perfect
square format.
11. First and second frames in the last row: creator centralizes the lamp and it was viewed by
the characters from an opposing position, therefore illustrating how a diverse public would
address the issue from a different point of view.
12. Symbol: lamp symbolizes the issue in the society; the rights that were taken from Africans
during the apartheid
13. Emanata: it was used several times within the text to bring up a lively ambience to the
audience and make the characters as realistic as possible.
14. The shift of Eve characterisation: seems to be superior in from the middle and very last
panel, however, she goes back to the same state in the final. The conveyed message can be
taken to mean that the author’s opinion towards this issue is that it can never be eradicated
despite the cancellation of Apartheid.
15. The shift of Madam characterisation, which seems to be superior, at ease and unbothered in
the beginning of the comic, however, as she discussed the ‘rumour’, her self-confidence is
lowered. Yet, she returned to a stable and usual state in the end of the comic.
16. Exclamatory sentence and situational irony: the usage of this sentence type subtly acts as a
situational irony, where the character (Madam) seems to be surprised, as though she began
to realise the societal issues when the practice (Apartheid) will be abolished – mirror the
ignorant audience who were benefited by the segregation.
17. Physical appearance: the difference in the character’s clothing depicts a racial issue that has
been deeply rooting the society and unequal opportunity as madam is fully decorated with
luxurious accessory.
18. Various shifts in the camera angle from cowboy shot to equally include the characters in
different posture (sitting and standing) to a higher level in the first panel of the second row,
which captures only the facial features to explore and put a light on the emotions thoughts
of Madam, and, finally, an eye level - a neutral perspective but engaging the audience due to
the connection in the line of sight.
19. Sudden change in the character’s height (Madam), after her realization in the second last
panel, the height of the madam increases from the previous panel, suggesting that the
power is returned to Madam, possibly interpreted as the White.
20. Adoption of black circular segment as a black ground in the left-most panel of the second
row highlights the fears of the used-to-be superior class before the victory of the ANC, also
increment the effect of an emboldened dictions in the speech bubble.