Reading Response #2

In Shitty First Drafts the author uses her style of writing to convey the point of her article. The author divided the article into spaced paragraphs and in doing this she is making it easier for the reader to follow her ideas and train of thought. First, the author starts out by telling the reader how writers “really” write and the process and doubts all writers experience before they begin writing. Then the she goes on to tell about “shitty first drafts” and uses an example from her own life to show the reader how helpful writing a shitty first draft can be. The way the paragraphs are spaced allows the reader to follow the exact process the author goes through when writing. Also the diction the author uses, like “shitty” and “childlike,” impart a light tone to the article, which the author uses to entertain the reader and keep them interested.
I completely agree with the author. Sitting down to write a paper or essay is a very daunting process. Usually what I do, like the author of Shitty First Drafts, is procrastinate until I absolutely have to write and then I churn out a “shitty first draft” and sometimes even a shitty second draft. The act of just sitting down and doing something makes writing so much easier.


In the cartoon, the author is trying to get his viewers to see the twisted views of Dick Cheney through humor and animation. The author illustrates Dick Cheney to be a vampire-like, decrepit, old man living in a dark manor with bats around him. Then the author has Dick Cheney talk about the war in Iraq and give illogical reasons for it. The cartoon itself is of Dick Cheney trying to justify the war with twisted logic while standing in front of a map of the Middle East and war-torn Iraq. The author uses stereotypes and witty humor to successfully mock the Vice President and the “reasons” for fighting the Iraq War.
This cartoon has a wide ranging audience. Anyone who likes, cartoons, politics, or just to laugh would watch this. The author made the cartoon to entertain as well as show his opinions of the war and the presidential administration. Though people may find this cartoon offensive, it was made to bring humor to a serious and dark subject, as well as to be informative. People who disagree with this cartoon could send hate mail to its creator (and since it is on the internet and people can do so anonymously I am sure it has received its fair share) or one could make their own cartoon the uses the same techniques to counter-argue this one.


In the cartoon of a little girl holding teddy bear saying that Britney Spear is her role model the author is making a joke about celebrities and the impact they and their portrayal in the media has on children. Britney Spears has a highly publicized, sex driven image in today’s media. The fact that a young girl would aspire to be like her would be “terrifying” for any parent to hear. This cartoon shows the author’s opinion through humor, arguing that some of today’s “role models” are anything but.