What does this cartoon represent and how does it convey this idea? The Leunig cartoon attempts to visually represent the idea of an imaginative journey. The salient image physically embodies this concept of travelling on thoughts which ultimately take someone to a different destination. Used in conjunction with a plethora of visual and textual techniques, this idea is clearly conveyed through this cartoon.
The concept of mental voyage is expressed through the small paragraph of text. The four sentences create momentum using enjambment and truncated sentences.This is clearly seen in “Let it go. Let it out.
Let it all unravel. Let it free and it can be A path on which to travel. ” This is also coupled with anaphoric phrasing and an alternating rhyming scheme to generate a literary tempo. The deliberate length, layout and wording of these few sentences produces an effect of flow and rhythm. This effect reinforces and highlights the “flow” factor expressed in the imaginative journey and further adds to the fictitious flowing of an imaginative path as displayed in the salient image.The visual representation and selection of colours of the cartoon provides a greater understanding and insight into what this cartoon is signifying.
Juxtaposing colours draw the eyes towards the most predominant part of the cartoon- the linear path on which the man is walking. This path is white- a colour connoting purity, knowledge and wisdom. It is bright and illuminated, as opposed to the foreground, background and the sky, which are all flushed with black and deep greys.These colours connote the idea of desolate emptiness, a “dark area” of unknown and indefiniteness. The contrast of colours emphasizes the path- the absence of knowledge is pierced by a thought path, giving purpose and direction through the immense wasteland.
It demonstrates that the imagination is a vehicle for a journey. Following this vector, it draws the eyes towards the figure walking along the path. It is apparent that this path, erupting from the skull of the person has a double meaning, proving it is a visual pun.
