Blog Post 15: Statement of Purpose

I chose this comic for it’s true but funny outlook of the life of snowmen. Although we know that this comic is unreal, we also know that it is true in ways; this is the point I would like to make. For example, we know that this comic is not real because obviously snowmen cannot talk, or move and that rabbits cannot control a hairdryer or walk on two legs. This comic serves a sense of truth though in the fact that we know why the rabbit is after the two snowmen and why the snowmen are frightened of the rabbit. First off, rabbits are known for their love of carrots and this is, of course, what this specific rabbit is after. The female snowman even quotes the reason for their hostage, “It’s not worth it Roy! Let’s just give him our noses & let him go!” We know that carrots are the symbol for noses on snowmen, and know exactly where to look for them on the face.

The snowman has been invented many upon many times again. We all have a different perception of what we consider a snowman to be, but we all know the general idea of how they are made. A simple snowman can be made into a wide variety of things; an outdoor decoration, a drawing, a cartoon, etc. In this comic, the first thing I am drawn into is the male snowman, which is holding the broom. He is in the center of the comic where the snowmen are the vectors of attention. Secondly, I notice the rabbit with the hairdryer. The setting of the scene is also important when analyzing a comic; and this one is simple in explaining itself. As I look at this comic, I can only assume that the season is most likely winter. Because of the illustrations given of the snow, bare trees, snowmen, lights hanging from the house in the background, etc., we are drawn to make this conclusion.

As for the snowmen themselves, why is it that we can automatically assume there is both a male and female? There are a couple of things that give away their gender roles, and more importantly their actual gender. The hats that the snowmen are wearing are both different. When we look at these, we know that the snowman to the left is the female and the snowman to the right is the male. As you may notice, the female snowman is wearing a more frilly hat with flowers associated with more feminine colors (i.e. pink, yellow). The male snowman is wearing a taller hat which has more masculine colors (i.e. dark blue). The gender roles come to play as we look at the specific actions in which are being made. The female snowman has a frightened/worried look on her face while holding up her arms (which we have associated with sticks), while the male is holding a broom and defending himself with anger.

Just by simply viewing this comic, we can learn to point out that happens to be socially constructed such as gender and their roles. We can also pin point what time of year this is taking place just by the illustrations that are given, even though it is not a real situation. So, all in all we know that comics are not real but they are easily interpreted with true facts society makes.