Cartoons can be used in various different ways and are often used by cartoonist when they want to make an argument about a controversial issue. I believe that in this particular cartoon the artist is addressing the events that occurred in Ferguson, Missouri. The artist portrays a cop that has his gun drawn on three African American individuals. In the image there is also a member of the media that has a camera on his shoulder that is recording what is taking place. In the image there is also a text bubble in which both the officer and the three individuals are both saying, "don't shoot," which is extremely ironic. In this image the author is trying to argue that the cops have gone over the top and are afraid of what the media will see and the continuance of race perceptions in America, and in order to do this the author uses perspective, text, and color. 

The cartoonist uses perspective in order to get the bulk of the argument across. The police officer is wearing a mask and a bulletproof vest while the three African American individuals are dressed in business attire and have no form of protection from the officer. By doing so the author is trying to argue that the cops are quick to pull their guns and assumes that a majority of people, particularly African American, are out to cause trouble. Each of the three individuals have their hands in the air and are not trying to cause any problems yet the cop still has the gun drawn. The cop could easily keep order and peace in this situation without having his gun pointed at these people. I think by portraying it in this fashion that the author is trying to say to the viewer that cops have become too quick in pulling their guns in todays times and need to try to keep order without being so extreme. Police today are not happy that they are viewed as killing people without it needing to be done. The cartoon works mostly by putting the figures in their respective positions. The cop is looking back at the man with the camera on his shoulder rather than looking at the people that he is trying to control. This shows that the officer is more worried about what other people see him doing rather than doing his job of patrolling and keeping people safe. The perspective that author is presenting says that cops are extreme in their ways and are concerned about how they are publically perceived. I see the author's main point being that if the cop was keeping people safe and not focused elsewhere that people would view them in a better way. The perspective that is presented shows that the author feels that cops' motives have drifted away from doing their job.

Another main component of cartoons is often the text. In this cartoon there is only two words in one speech balloon, yet this is a very powerful component of this cartoon. The fact that both the police officer and the people are saying, "don't shoot" is very ironic. Obviously it is normal for the people with the gun pointed at them to ask the cop to not shoot. However, the cop is saying, "don't shoot" because he does not want the media to capture what he is doing. The cameraman is most likely recording for television, which means that millions are going to see what the cop does. The media is a very important part of today's times and obviously police officers should be aware of this but it should not be their concern when trying to do their job. The author's point is that if a cop did need to shoot someone that they might be to worried to do so because they are worried that people would see it and they would get criticized for it being unnecessary. So many videos have come out of cops doing excessive things such as in Ferguson and in Brooklyn, and then these cops lose their jobs and receive hate from the public. I think the author is trying to argue that in some cases cops do need to draw their guns and they should not be worried about if the media sees it, but rather should be be worried more about protecting others. Also, these cops' should not be concerned because their decisions are all justified because they are on duty. The cop asking the media not to shoot raises many questions, but mainly about cops fears of what they can and cannot do. 

Many cartoons that are published today are often in color, which can play a major role in the meaning of the image. The viewer often overlooks color, which results in them not getting full understanding. In the image, both the officer and the news member are white, however all three people that have the gun pointed at them are black. I believe that the author is trying to say that race continues to be a major issue today in the world. The author's decision to portray all three people as black could be argued that it is because Ferguson has a large black population. Most viewers, however, would question this decision and ask why the author had to make all three African American and not even one could be white. I think that the author is trying to make the point that America today sees criminal activity as a race issue and that is not the case at all. I think the author made them black and dressed in business attire to show how big of an issue race still is in the United States. The author's main goal of presenting the three individuals as African American is to get people to eliminate this thought and get people to realize how irrational this misconception is. When these events occur and multiple races are involved, controversy arises and major issues arise. Color in this image really does impact how most people will think and see why this perception should change.  

A simple cartoon can be looked at and not be thought about much at all, but this image raises many questions about issues in America today. What occurred in Ferguson was tragic, but I think this author is trying to make an argument that will make Americans realize that things need to change and a teach a lesson from it. The author is arguing that police need to focus more on their jobs and doing it right and not focus on what the public is going to think. The author is also directing this at the American public by saying that we need to quit bringing race in to criminal activity. This simple image raises many questions, and I believe that is the goal of the author. This cartoon addresses both major issues that came out of Ferguson and how we need to make change in result.  

