Contextualizing is a critical reading strategy that helps you understand a text or visual by making inferences about its historical and cultural contexts and comparing those contexts to your own...

Contextualizing is a critical reading strategy that helps you understand a text or visual by making inferences about its historical and cultural contexts and comparing those contexts to your own context. This strategy not only helps you analyze the text or visual before you, but also helps you understand how your reading of it is affected by your context. Write a paragraph that addresses the following prompts. What types of context do you need to understand the humor of the cartoon? The cartoon originally appeared in the New Yorker magazine, a periodical that appeals to a middle-aged, fairly well-to-do, and sophisticated readership. How does the cartoon appeal to this audience? What larger social and cultural context made the cartoon relevant in 2008? Is it still relevant to you now? How has the context changed? Consider the traditional appearance of the teacher, student, and classroom. How does the contrast between that traditional look and the caption help generate the cartoon’s humor?