Political cartoon.

Misunderstanding is a theme that is popular with cartoonists. By poking fun at a misunderstanding, cartoonists can comment on one side or the other, or make a point about two sides at once. Which does this cartoon do?

1. What event is about to take place?

2. What theme did the boy's parents plan for it? Why?

3. What is the boy's reaction? What are the arriving guests likely to think?

4. What comment does this cartoon make about communication between different generations?

5. Does the cartoonist sympathize with one side more than the other, or fairly evenly with both? Explain.

Answers

1. a birthday party

2. a Yogi Bear party; they didn't know what Yu-Gi-Ch is, so they misunderstood their son's request

3. very displeased; probably surprised and/or disappointed

4. That parents and children often have different "cultures"; the cartoons (and other things) that one generation grew up with are very different from what the next generation knows

5. Answers will vary. Some students may say with the son, because he didn't get what he expected; some may say with the parents, because they meant well and tried to do the right thing; some will say with both, because both sides have lost something in the misunderstanding.