Cartoon.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

This cartoon comments on the news item on p. 4. Often, cartoonists rely on our previous knowledge of a subject. Here, the figures are given brief identification--but anyone who knows Major League Baseball will understand the cartoon's message. Study the cartoon, then answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Who is the big man on the left? What former record is he best known for?

2. Who are the smaller players at right?

3. Why are these individuals grouped together?

4. What does the comment spoken by A-Rod mean? How does it mix different meanings of size and importance?

5. What is the cartoonist implying about the big man's accomplishments by comparing him with the others? Do you agree with this comparison? Explain.

ANSWERS

1. Hank Aaron, for many years an outfielder for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves. Until August 2007, he held the record for most home runs, at 755.

2. They are Roger Clemens, Alex (A-Rod) Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire, recent stars of Major League Baseball.

3. All four are top players who have been accused of taking steroids. A-Rod has admitted doing so.

4. A-Rod is saying that the more he and his fellow players take steroids to get physically larger, Hank Aaron gets larger in stature or reputation. [You may wish to engage your students in a classroom discussion about how difficult it is to repair a reputation once it has been damaged.]

5. The cartoonist suggests that Aaron, by not cheating with steroids, was the better player--and perhaps the better person. Although there is no mention of asterisks--for instance, giving one to Bonds's new homerun record, which surpassed Aaron's--the cartoonist implies that Aaron's accomplishments are more legitimate than the others'. Students may agree or disagree with the cartoonist's message but should support their reasoning with examples.