Rhetorical Analysis #1

The comic I have chosen to analyze is from the Gazette's homecoming issue. It is titled "The University of Western Ontario's only real Homecoming tradition".
The first panel is of a beer funnel and stick people with the caption 'chug! chug! chug!'.
The second panel is of one stick person leaning over a toilet with the other stick people saying 'puke! puke! puke!'.
The third panel is of one stick person passed out with drool coming out of his mouth and a beer bottle in his hand with the other stick people saying 'sleep! sleep! sleep!'.
My argument for this particular comic strip is that it endorses the idea of Western as a party school. By stating that chugging, puking and sleeping are the only real traditions, it belittles the other traditions that happen throughout the university on homecoming weekend.
This comic strip is also published in the gazette which is a news paper published for the entire student population. Although this tradition of homecoming being centered around drinking may be true for the majority of the population there may be students who choose not to follow this 'real' tradition. Consequently, this comic strip is applying a stereotype of one type of western student to all western students in a news paper meant for all of the student population.
The stick people within the comic strip all appear to be male. If read literally this comic strip would essentially be stating that the real homecoming tradition is for the male population to drink till they puke, and then puke until they pass out with no females anywhere in sight.
The purpose of this comic strip however is obviously meant to be funny for those students who partake in this particular sort of tradition on homecoming. I think that this comic is simple and to the point and that is what makes it worth a laugh while you are flipping through the pages of the gazette. It is really a harmless cartoon meant to poke fun at the stereotype that western has about its partying habits. It is also touching on the issue of more and more students forgetting that homecoming weekend is actually about the alumni and the events held for their benefit; although I'm sure witnessing the students at the football game who have already partaken in this particular tradition has become entertainment for the alumni themselves, as they are most likely thinking to themselves 'I remember when that was me'.
This cartoon touches on the lack of participation in other homecoming events by hyperbolizing what actually occurs. By stating that all Western students do is chug, puke and sleep, the cartoon is also poking fun at the students who do spend the day drinking as it seems a little more ridiculous when put into the context of just three words.