Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 380 Journalism: Publishing Across Media However, private citizens are entitled to greater protection under libel laws, and a caricature may be a form of libel if the recognizable fi gure is shown doing something the person has not done—eating babies, for instance, even if the babies are labeled “campus day care” and the reference is to the principal’s closure of the child care class and the on- campus day care. Metaphors and Allusions Editorial cartoons and illustrations often use metaphors and allusions, relying on the audience’s familiarity with common stories, sayings and traditions to communicate abstract ideas. A metaphor may use a concrete object or experience to illuminate an abstract idea. (The word illuminate in the previous sentence is an example. The “concrete object or experience” has become a lamp or a fl ashlight. The “abstract idea” has become a dark cave or room. Because of the concrete object or experience, the abstract idea is illuminated. The verb illuminate creates this implied metaphor.) An allusion draws on your audience’s knowledge of another story or event. The reference to the story becomes a sort of shorthand for all the events, characters, emotions and morals associated with the story or event. If a federal agency is about to limit access to an environmental zone where your cross-country team trains, a cartoon about it—perhaps titled “Snake in the Grass”—could show the legs of a runner in the tall grass of the environmental zone. A snake labeled with the federal agency’s name, coiled to strike at the runner’s legs, would be an allusion to the common saying “a snake in the grass.” The proposed federal action will injure the runner. Figure 12.12 Labels and dialogue in this editorial cartoon make clear to the audience what the symbols stand for. The school administration is criticized without being caricatured. Image courtesy of National Scholastic Press Association (nspa.studentpress.org) cartoon by Anita Hodge, The Register, Central High School