Language And Visual Elements In Joel Pett's 'Earplugs'

Discuss how language and visual elements have been used in the text to convince the reader.

Is ignorance truly bliss when the world we know is slowly being pushed into extinction? This thought-provoking comic titled “Earplugs” by Joel Pett helps remind readers of the blatant truth of pollution and climate change that most individuals tend to overlook today unless challenged to an extreme. While it seems to be targeted to an inclusive audience, Pett specifically hints at large western corporations by designing his protagonist as a “white man” working in “Man Inc.” With only eight panels, this short comic reiterates the global issue of environmental degradation and urges the audience to take action through the use of language, color, and various

From panels, one to seven the author only includes one imperative and exclamatory phrase “Stop!” This exclamation develops a sense of urgency within the animals warning the human what lies ahead if they continue on this path of destroying nature. The thought bubble with ellipses “Memo: ORDER SIX BILLION SETS OF EARPLUGS…” in final panel eight exaggerates the man's failure to heed the animals' repeated warnings. Additionally, this punchline leaves the panel open-ended, intending to immerse the reader into personally interpreting the protagonist’s further actions as their own. The onomatopoeia “TAP TAP!” from the same panel also captures addiction through the protagonist’s reflex to automatically type on their mobile phone. The comic also appeals to our Pathos by emphasizing each animal's desperation and the man's nonchalant ignorance as he casually "orders six billion pairs of earplugs," adding more to the problem rather than addressing it. Thus, while repetitive, the impactful language of the text helps accentuate the issue of climate

The moment-to-moment transition in each subsequent panel and gradual increase in the size of the speech bubble represent the despair of the animals suffering from the exploitation of humans. Even the increasing graphic weight in the speech bubble “STOP!” denotes an important visual detail of the comic, signifying the inevitable yet ascending consequences that humans may face if they continue destroying the environment. “Man Inc.” on the protagonist’s shirt in the first panel symbolizes the entirety of mankind being responsible for the planet’s current condition and animals’ helplessness. All the more, Pett’s universal drawing style indicates the message behind the comic to be understood by all individuals while allowing them to better empathize with the simpler yet expressive animals. The comic’s medium close-up camera angle also gives the reader a moment to view the character’s emotions while retaining the background of the panels. The monkey’s tail as a bleed on panels two and seven not only connects these two panels but also bridges all the environmental issues affecting each animal such as poaching, oil spills, and deforestation to a collective issue endangering their species along with our world. Thus, we as readers can comprehend the underscored meaning behind the text through the use of these comic