TOW # 3 Visual Text

This political cartoon is a quick and witty example of how the NFL is treating the numerous unanticipated cases of domestic abuse by players within the league. Steve Benson, the illustrator of this cartoon, is a Pulitzer-prize winning cartoonist for The Arizona Republic. Benson is targeting an audience of NFL fans and non-fans alike. In addition, Benson may also be trying to reach particular people within the NFL, like Roger Goodell, to show them how people are perceiving the NFL as ones who support child and wife abusers. This particular drawing shows Adrian Peterson, running back for the Minnesota Vikings, who was charged with child-abuse of his 4-year-old son with a tree branch, as well as, Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, welcoming him back to the game. This cartoon is in response to Peterson being taken off of suspension and granted permission to play in Sunday night’s game. When looking at both Goodell and Peterson their faces seem almost zombie like. Benson uses this to label them “monsters”. By doing so Benson is persuading the reader of his purpose to condemn the NFL’s monstrous actions allowing charged abusers back into the game, also, Benson is hyperbolizing Peterson’s evil actions towards his son. “It’s not like ya killed the kid!” is what Benson has Goodell saying to Peterson; this serves the same purpose as the zombie faces. However, Benson may also be addressing the fact that the man charged with killing Peterson’s other son has been released from jail. The stick being held by Peterson in the drawing is somewhat alluding to the actual stick that Peterson used to beat his son. Again, trying to exaggerate the indifference the National Football League is showing by allowing Peterson to play. Although I find the actions of both Peterson and the NFL horrible I do not believe Benson proves his purpose as well as he could have. I think he could have appealed to pathos, the audience’s emotions more in order to convince them.  

Source:  http://www.usnews.com/cartoons