Everyday in American news all around the country, we are constantly filled with political information. Some of this information being good, and some being bad. The media is what helps shape our opinions about different things. It could make us think twice about a certain politician in an election, make us lean more towards one candidate, or help us better understand their views on different things. Sometimes the media makes a bigger production that would should be made. For instance, when Michael Jackson died, yes he was the King of Pop, but do we still need to be watching about his life? We also can learn things from the media. We can learn that we actually do have feelings about certain subjects that we never knew we had. It can also help to bring a country together after a huge loss or a national disaster. It can make us proud to be an American, mad at what our country is doing, or raise awareness about a national crisis. The media is what shapes the American culture today. We learn how to dress, talk, and act from the media. Americans are constantly being drowned in what the new trend is, what the celebrities are doing, and anything in between. We can see that the media has had an impact on the comic with Dick Cheney. As Americans we believe that what are country is usually right and for the better, and back it up no matter what. When Dick Cheney, said that torturing was legal, and he wouldn't take back what he did, the American public was furious. How could a national leader let something like this happen and be ok with it? He happened to tell the American public before he said that torturing is legal, that Americans don't torture. So when he said to the media that torturing was made legal and that he wouldn't go back and change anything, the media jumped on him. Not only did it appear on nearly all of the American news channels, but was on for weeks, months. Allowing the American public to make their own opinions on the situation. Most of them did not approve. The media is what probably inspired this comic. A lot of effects and inspiration goes into the making of a comic. Such as developing a visual heiarchy, dialogue, and facial expression. All of these go into the developing a comic that would get the attention of the audience.
Visual heiarchy is what our eyes are drawn to in particular piece of work. In this case, we are immediately drawn to Dick Cheney sitting on the doctor bed. You can see that he looks nervous for what is about to happen. By the way he is sitting, slumped over, gives the impression of embarrassment, or being scared. After his posture we notice his facial expression. In his face you can see a few different emotions that he is emitting. He looks scared. We can determine this by the way his mouth is slightly towards one side and a little bit open. We are drawn to Mr. Cheney, because this is what the comic is about. Not the doctor, but the fact that Cheney tortured to get information. So it would not make sense to have the doctor be the visual heiarchy. The way he is positioned in the picture helps us notice him right away. He is in the middle, which is where the eye mostly looks. He is sort of centered, because the eye does not see the individual details of a picture right away, but the picture as a whole. So centering Dick Cheney, and the expression on his face, makes him the visual heiarchy. Next would be the doctor on the right, who is the one speaking. After would be the doctor on the left, and the tools he is holding in his hands. 
The dialogue of a comic, or any piece of work for that matter, is a major factor as to how the audience views it. The doctor says here, "Don't worry we don't 'torture!'" This makes the comic funny, if you know the background of the Dick Cheney hypocrisy. The author, Daryl Cagle, was trying to make light of a huge dilemma our country was facing at the time. If someone did not know the background of the Cheney hypocrisy, they might be confused, and not understand the irony in the comic. If the doctor had something else such as, "Well at least you don't have cancer!" It would make the whole comic completely different. People would then probably think either Dick Cheney has cancer, or thought he had cancer. Same goes for the other doctor, if he were to speak. The comic would be different than what the author attended. Also, if Cheney were to say something along the lines of, "I thought I was just getting my flu shot." This would also, make the comic different. It would then be the doctors being the bad guys. Instead of the play on Dick Cheney about torturing. Also the word torture is emphasized my quotations, making it seem like the doctor is being sarcastic, or really stressing this word. He may be yelling it. We don't know, we can only assume.
Facial expression describes how we feel and what mood we're in. They are a result of the motions or positions of the facial muscles. They are not something that can be taught to us in school, but something that we learn as we are young. If someone is smiling, we can assume that the person is happy. If a person is frowning, we can assume that they are upset, and so on. In the comic, we see that Dick Cheney seems to be scared and embarrassed. We can tell this by his posture and also the way his mouth is slanted towards one side and half-way open. Also, they way his eyes seem to be big, like he doesn't know what is going to happen. If he had a huge smile on his face, we would assume that he was happy, which would then result in the loss of the irony. The doctor on the right seems to not be bothered by what they are about to do. He looks as if he's sad, or not amused at Dick Cheney has done. As does the doctor on the right. This facial expression, could describe the looks of the thousands of Americans that were greatly disappointed in Cheney with the torturing. The fact that the doctors look is almost monotone makes the comic a little more humorous. It gives them the sense of they don't care what they're doing, it's legal. If they were to have frowns or look saddened, we could assume that they don't want to be there or go through with the procedure. We can only assume how people feel, for we are not that person. Only that person knows how they feel, and can disguise it easily. But with the knowledge that we've grown up with, facial expressions are a good indication of how people feel. Which is a major factor in any piece of artwork. 
The media may give loads of information that we do not want to hear, but at the same time we form an opinion about it. We assume things of people that we don't even know. So maybe it is wrong of us to be upset with Dick Cheney, but we are all entitled to our own opinions. Maybe it was wrong of us to accuse so many innocent people guilty because the media tried to get the public to blame them. It is the media that has caused many controversies. It is the media that makes people that become obsessed with fame. It is the media who puts people on the news for the rest of the nation to see. It is the media who can make us Americans feel privileged. It is the media that can make the country come closer together after a national disaster. It is the media that drives all of us crazy with its reports of how the economy is still down. It is the media that makes us want to turn off our television for the rest of the night. It is comics and political cartoons that add a little comedy and saneness to the media's constant need to put depressing things on TV. So read the comics, laugh, enjoy life, because as soon as you turn on the news you might need a little laugh.
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