M. E. Cohen's Cartoon Analysis

M.E. Cohen’s cartoon focuses on persuading parents and teachers to guide children to make the right decisions about health. Cohen illustrates the problem adults have caused on the matter of children’s health due to the adults inability to listen to their own advice. Cohen believes that failing to make good decisions about nutrition may negatively impact students; however, adults are also responsible in helping children to make the right choices. Using a cause and effect format, Cohen introduces the negative effects adults with an unhealthy lifestyle have on children. Cohen shows the soda machine that includes the words, “Soda ban!” (Cohen), on it to show how even though children are not allowed to drink soft drinks, the adults are. Since adults are allowed to drink sodas in front of the children, this may lead the children to

Allowing adults to keep leading a poor example may also lead to the children resorting to other methods in order to get soda. Cohen includes an image of a bigger, less healthy, looking child who appears to be selling sodas in order to show that children will find other ways of getting the items that are banned. If children feel as if they are being held back from something that is constantly taunting them, they will find a way to obtain the forbidden substance. The cause and effect format clearly shows that due to the influence of the adults, children will do what they can in order to follow in the footsteps of their role models. Breen’s visual imagery illustrates that the children are being heavily influenced by what goes on around them, and without adults to guide them, the children are bound to make unhealthy decisions. Cohen shows that there are two children walking down the hall who seem to be prepared for class. The boy and girl are carrying their books and school supplies, but it is also made clear that the boy is glancing at the vending machine as if he wants