TOW # 13 "Interrogation COLOR" Randall Enos (VT)

            In the spirit of Christmas, Randall Enos, an illustrator of 46 years, presents a political cartoon that includes none other then Santa Clause himself. In this visual text Enos uses diction and humor to illustrate the ongoing investigations of the CIA’s illegal interrogation techniques that may or may not have led to the death of Osama Bin Laden.

            Although the first thing a person sees when looking at this drawing is the big red Santa, the diction Enos uses is the most important part of this visual. In big white letters he writes, “Santa’s enhanced interrogation techniques!” Without this text the audience would have no idea what Enos was trying to present. Therefore, his audience must have needed a previous knowledge on the current event. Humor is integrated within the diction when you connect it with the rest of the drawing. By saying “Santa’s” interrogation techniques Enos is comically connecting Santa’s use of such techniques to get little kids to tell them what they want for Christmas, with the illegal interrogation methods of the CIA to obtain information from prisoners. Also, humor in this political cartoon is obvious when Enos drew a huge red and pink Santa along with a crying baby on his lap, and by doing this I believe Enos was trying to show how naïve the world must be to think that extreme measures aren’t sometimes used to obtain necessary information. By using Santa and a crying baby I think Santa definitely represents the CIA, but the baby could represent the prisoners being interrogated as well as the American people.  

            With his use of diction and humor I believe Enos achieved his purpose of highlighting an important current event and expressing his feelings on the subject.