IB DP Language A Language and Literature – Sample text analysis – editorial cartoon

Text: De Adder, “Covid battle.” The Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorial_cartoon/2020/09/08/de-adder-covid-battle.html

Before you read the “spoiler” bullet points below take a careful look at the text. Imagine it is a text you are using for your DP Language A Language and Literature assessments: the individual oral, the HL essay, or Paper 1 and analyze it accordingly. (This text would not be appropriate for Paper 2).

Some elements of the text to consider:

  • The context of the cartoon – people fighting the corona virus while there is a possibility of a federal election in Canada
  • The huge size of the virus – drawn to highlight the huge damage the Covid-19 has cause and the huge health risk it poses.
  • Two people, representing typical Canadians, are fighting off the various with a chair and whip. The chair and whip were how lion tamers were traditionally depicted as using for lions. The two people are clearly at a disadvantage in the fight.
  • The pollster / journalist seems oblivious to the virus.

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