Comparison HL
The two texts being compared in this entry are ones that we received in class; an ISOI school policy and a comic strip from Calvin and Hobbes. The greatest similarity between them is that they have the same message to convey which pertains to academic dishonesty but the texts are entirely different otherwise.
The first text, a school policy, is issued by the International School of Islamabad whereas the comic strip is from a popular series of comics known as Calvin and Hobbes. Their sources essentially tell the reader what audience they are targeted towards. The school policy is certainly directed towards students of the school whereas the comic strip is directed towards readers of that particular newspaper/magazine. Contrary to what one would normally assume about a comic strip, it’s subjected towards people of all ages, and in this particular case, adults seem like a more appropriate audience.
Although they essentially have the same aim, to deter kids from being academically dishonest, it is slightly different because the policy is extremely direct and states specific kinds of academic dishonesty prevalent in the IB program, with consequences shown if academic infringement or malpractice were to occur. On the other hand, the comic strip is more oblique and weighs the pros and cons of cheating. There is use of visuals to demonstrate the psychological aspect of what goes through a child’s mind before cheating, and conclusively how unethical it is. As the school policy is affiliated officially with the school, the audience is easily determined as being the students of the IB program. However, the Calvin and Hobbes comic, despite the subject being academic dishonesty, does not only apply to students. It appears to be targeted towards adults because of the complexity of language used that adults would only be able to comprehend. This comic goes beyond just academic dishonesty by stating things such as, “In the real world, people care about success. Not principles. ...Then again maybe that’s why the world is in such a mess.” This statement by Calvin explains the current state of the world, that it is deceitful and immoral, a theme adults should be aware of. Furthermore when Hobbes says, “Anymore, simply acknowledging the issue is a moral victory” is also in reference to the world’s current state. It implies that people today are so depraved that merely being conflicted between doing what is wrong or right is a “moral victory” in itself. The sophisticated irony used by this character is again, something that a younger audience would not recognize immediately.
The pieces are two completely different text types. The ISOI Academic Honesty Policy is in the layout of a formal outline. The diverging sub-categories are lettered and the pertaining content is further divided into paragraphs. On the other hand, the Calvin and Hobbes text is in the form of a comic trip with two characters and their dialogue communicated in speech bubbles. The structure is effective for each to get their message across such as The ISOI Academic Honesty Policy asserts that plagiarism is prohibited in the school and the implications of it by using a concrete policy. Due to the straightforwardness of the information presented, the strict condemnation of plagiarism and the consequences of the students’ actions shown, the policy is potent in getting the message across. Similarly, although the comic strip has visuals of two characters, speech bubbles and the writing is much less formal, the depiction of the personality of an individual who is pondering about whether to cheat or not, and it’s moral implications also delivers the message that the comic is trying to convey.
In terms of the writer’s literary techniques, the ISOI Academic Honesty Policy does not possess anything particularly distinct from a regular policy. The comic strip however, contains juxtaposition where Calvin puts cheating and not cheating side by side and weighs what would be be a better option, and also sarcasm/irony when Hobbes states that acknowledging the problem was a moral victory. The comic is also humorous as it has a punchline at the end where Calvin states, “Well, it just seemed wrong to cheat on an Ethics test.” This reveals to the audience that this boy had good morals from the start, therefore it should not have been as difficult for him to take the test had it not been for his internal conflict about academic dishonesty.
Although these two texts seem entirely different because of their structure, they are similar because of the message they are conveying which is to dissuade individuals from committing academic dishonesty. More narrowly, the ISOI Academic Policy focuses on preventing students against plagiarism whereas the Calvin and Hobbes comic is on a larger scale and delivers that deceit is unethical with academic dishonesty as their case in point. Both the texts are effective in conveying the essence but with different means.