 JANUARY 22, 2001 TEACHER'S GUIDE: Focus Lesson: The Battle over John Ashcroft | Teacher Tip | The Writer's Craft | Words of the Week | TIME Weekly Quiz | Building Analytical Skills WEB ONLY FEATURES: TIME Capsule: The Embattled Nomination of Zoe Baird | Take A Stand Building Web Skills | Cover Analysis ARCHIVE Choose From Past Issues   1. Describe the action taking place in this cartoon. 2. What point is the cartoonist making about "Temptation Island"? 3. In "Beyond Good and Evil" on page 74, TIME’s television critic James Poniewozik comments that "Temptation Island" appeals to viewers "precisely because most of us wouldn’t want to be on it." Do you agree with this observation? What other reasons explain the appeal of programs such as Temptation Island? 4. In your view, what does the popularity of "Temptation Island" reveal about contemporary American culture? Would you watch "Temptation Island"? Why or why not? UNDERSTANDING IRONY This week’s essay, "The Way We Weren’t" on page 90, presents an ironic commentary on Bill Clinton’s two terms as President. Read the essay on page 90 and the definition of irony above. Then answer the following questions. 1. What is the first clue that the creators of this essay are being ironic? 2. As a class, make a two-column chart in which you identify each ironic statement in the essay and the reason that makes it ironic. (For example, the authors refer to "Attorney General Zoë Baird"—but in reality, Baird never became Attorney General because her nomination for that position was withdrawn amid a controversy.) What does this exercise show you about the way irony works? What previous knowledge must a reader or viewer have in order to appreciate irony? 3. What public figures do you recognize in this drawing? How is each portrayed? 4. According to the essay, how would Bill Clinton’s legacy have changed if events had occurred as described in the cartoon? 5. The authors do not refer directly to Clinton’s impeachment, but they are commenting on it in several panels of the cartoon. What point are they making about impeachment? What details in the cartoon convey this argument? 6. What does the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution say? When and why was it passed? (For an online copy of the Constitution, visit www.usconstitution.net.) How would the repeal of this Amendment affect Bill Clinton? Would you favor the repeal of this Amendment? Why or why not? 7. How would you summarize the authors’ attitude toward Bill Clinton and his years in the White House? 8. Write a paragraph in which you make the same argument that the cartoonists make, but use simple, declarative prose without irony. Then write a second paragraph in which you reflect on what is lost and gained by the use of irony.
ADDITIONAL CARTOONS
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