Turay 1

Kayla Turay

Mrs. Stultz

AP Lang/Comp; Period 1

17 April 2017

Satirical Cartoon Analysis: Adios Dora!

Throughout history, the U.S. has become infamous for its volatile social and political

conditions for racial minorities From the civil rights movement to present day Arabic paranoias

due to ISIS. America has discriminated against these minority groups because it does not want to

acknowledge internal problems so instead, it uses these marginalized people as the go to fall guy.

In an image distributed by Fox News, the photo criticizes US morals hypocritical actions of

America specifically those of the recently named 45th president: Donald Trump. In order to

prevent further corruption of Americas youngest generation, these antithetical attitudes must be

corrected. To reach this goal, America as a whole must recognize that there is an issue and

combat it with more tolerance and empathy in place of futile isolationist behavior. With only a

quick glance, the photo shows the beloved children's television character Dora the explorer with

a black eye along with a bloodied lip and nose; she stands if she is getting a mug shot with a sign

that reads, Illegal border crossing resisting arrest. This indirect satire convenes hostility

towards those of Latin descent especially Mexicans because that is doors race. This observation

is crucial since it shows how Mexicans in those believed to be or being disparaged in the US due

to political tensions. Going more in depth, the political tensions stem from the anti-Mexican

sentiments in America whenever the economy or job market suffers fingers are pointed at Latin

descents who typically filled undesirable and underpaying jobs that real Americans did not

pursue. Nevertheless, it is commonplace to hear, They're taking our jobs! or, Go back where
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you came from Tito! With these presently dormant sentiments, Donald Trump's campaign and

presidency cause them to reemerge with promises of deportation and a wall to stop illegal

immigrants from entering the all powerful United States of America. People with these

feelings blindly rallied behind Trump and vowed to, Make America great again! Referring

back to the context of the photo, it is common knowledge that door is a role model for my small

children, not a menace to society. The connotation of the image is basically ridiculous portrayal

of a golden calf of one's youth. Upon examination, it is glaringly obvious that the true

significance of the situational irony within the photo is held in societys expectations of Dora to

continue to represent good morale for their children while the cartoon conveys what Mexicans

tolerate in the U.S. due to their race specifically. Consequently, the people's perceptions of Dora

do not reflect their views towards Mexicans. This proves that innumerable amounts of people in

Americans have despite their intentions, set a double standard for Mexicans that makes their

lives an ongoing turmoil. This image was circulated with the intention to call for attention and

action in response to the Americas nearly bipolar behavior towards Mexicans. A blunt, sarcastic,

and critical tone is employed to effectively communicate the seriousness of the topic despite the

seemingly humorous cartoon. The target audience consists of Americans that have not attempted

to improve relations with Mexicans like bystanders and especially politicians who tend to initiate

these racially charged issues.

The image provided by Fox news utilizes a number of contradictory symbols in order to

reinforce claims of American hypocrisy. The photo thoroughly validates the argument by relating

it back to major political issues. It is also easy to decipher as it connects with Donald Trump's

notorious plans to decrease the U.S. budget for education which would include education

educational programmings such as Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, and Cat in the Hat. While
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the image lacks statistics, it makes good use of stereotypes and outside evidence that is widely

known to back its assertions. The wise usage of these resources will bring much-needed public

attention and support to end Americas outlandish habit of using Mexicans and Latin descents as

economic and social scapegoats.