Oct 31st: Peanuts & Trick or Treating

Happy Halloween everyone!

Today, October 31^st, is the holiday of Halloween!  Halloween is popularly celebrated in Canada and the United States and many other countries around the world.

Today’s comic is Peanuts featuring Sally Brown.

COMIC BREAKDOWN

“I forgot the words” – Sally Brown thinking to herself

What words did Sally Brown forget? 

On Halloween night, children go Trick or Treating.  Sally Brown forgot to say, “trick or treat”.

What is Trick or Treating?  Why is Sally Brown dressed up like a witch? 

Children dress up on Halloween, often as witches and ghosts and other scary creatures, and go around their neighbourhood at night to get free candy and other treats.  It is called Trick or Treating.  The ritual is you knock on the doors of your neighbours and you shout, “trick or treat!”

The idea is if you do not give the Trick or Treaters a treat (candy or something delicious to eat) they will give you a trick (something not so nice) instead.

This comic is also funny from a cultural perspective because many young children do forget the words, “trick or treat”, when they go Trick or Treating.

The Origins of Trick or Treating on Halloween

The traditions of Halloween and Trick or Treating are based on old Christian and pagan (non-Christian) beliefs.  People used to dress up as scary creatures because they hoped this would scare away evil spirits who roamed the Earth on Halloween.  Also, people left treats and other food offerings for the spirits in hopes that the spirits would leave them alone. 

In modern times, the tradition of Halloween has evolved into one of fun and candy for children.

Today’s images are from here, here, here, and here.

Oct 30th: Hi & Lois - The Trick in Trick or Treating

Hello Everyone!

Today’s comic is Hi & Lois with a Halloween theme!  Halloween is tomorrow. 

“Trick or trick, Mr.Wavering.” – Ditto

“Ditto, Halloween is a month away.” – Mr. Wavering

Comic Breakdown

For anyone unfamiliar with Halloween traditions and the holiday of Halloween here is a brief explanation. 

When is Halloween?

Halloween takes place on the last day of October, the 31^st, every year.

What is Trick or Treating?

Trick or Treating is when children and teenagers dress up in a costume and go around their neighbourhood for candy.  The kids knock on the door and shout, “trick or treat!”

The people in the houses then reward the Trick or Treat goers, known as Trick or Treaters, with candy.  Usually children get chocolate, chips, and hard candy. 

The idea behind getting a trick or a treat is based on old pagan and Christian beliefs about Halloween.  People used to dress up as evil spirits, which is why scary costumes are popular, to scare off evil spirits who roam the Earth on Halloween.  People also left foods and other tasty treats as offerings to please the evil spirits.  By giving the evil spirits a treat they will not give you a trick. 

In conclusion, Ditto is trying to trick his way to treats.  

Ditto has come a month early, the last day of September, for Trick or Treat.  His neighbour tells him that Halloween is next month, October 31^st.  Mr.Wavering is too smart to be tricked into giving Ditto a treat in September. 

Today’s images are from here, here, and here.

Oct 29th: Peanuts & the Great Pumpkin

Hello Everyone!

Today’s comic is in the spirit of Halloween featuring Sally Brown and Linus from the Peanuts.

Comic Breakdown

“This is what I believe…I believe that the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch on Halloween night and flies through the air bringing with him toys for all the children of the world!” 

– Linus

“That’s what I believe…what do you think? – Linus asking Sally Brown

“I think you have very nice eyes, and you are completely out of your mind!” – Sally Brown to Linus

What is Linus talking about?

All children in the United States of America and Canada know that the tradition on Halloween night is to dress up and go out Trick or Treating for candy.  Or if you do not Trick or Treat many people will still dress up and go to a party to dance and play games with friends.

This comic is funny because Linus celebrates and believes in a Halloween tradition that no one else believes in.  He has also mixed up or misunderstood his holidays.  Linus has mixed up the Great Pumpkin, an imaginary holiday figure that gives gifts to all the children of the world, with Santa Claus!

While the other children go Trick or Treating Linus sits and waits at the Pumpkin Patch dutifully the way that other children wait dutifully for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. 

In conclusion, this comic is funny because it shows how important one’s beliefs are even if others do not believe in you.  Sally Brown really likes Linus but she does not believe his beliefs about the Great Pumpkin. Also, it shows how easy it is to mix up one belief with another; in this case Halloween with Christmas.

Today’s images are from here, here, here, and here.

Note: The Great Pumpkin is an imaginary holiday figure that only exists in the world of Peanuts. Also, the only person that believes in the Great Pumpkin is Linus.  The Great Pumpkin is not an actual imaginary Halloween figure but because of the popularity of Charlie Brown and Peanuts the imaginary figure has gained recognition in the last few decades. 

Oct.27th: Family Circus & Trick or Treating

Hello Everyone!

Today’s comic is Family Circus with a Halloween theme!  Halloween is this coming Friday.

“This would get me lots of candy ‘cause I’d look really hungry.” – Billy

Comic Breakdown

For anyone unfamiliar with Halloween, which includes ESL and people that are not from North America, this comic might be hard to understand.

What is Halloween?

The name Halloween comes from All Hallows’ Eve which was originally a Catholic holiday to celebrate saints.  Originally people dressed up as ghosts, witches and other scary creatures as a way to scare off evil spirits.  People also left out food, the treats, hoping that this would satisfy the spirits.  The food was meant to keep the spirits from raiding homes and villages.  Over time the traditions and beliefs of this holiday changed.  Today Halloween is a non-religious holiday for everyone. 

A popular activity for children on Halloween (October 31^st every year) is to dress up like monsters and other scary creatures and to go Trick or Treating. 

What is Trick or Treating?

Trick or Treating is when children and teenagers dress up in a costume and go around their neighbourhood for candy.  The kids knock on the door and shout, “trick or treat!”. 

The people in the houses then reward the Trick or Treat goers, known as Trick or Treaters, with candy.  Usually children get chocolate, chips, and hard candy. 

In conclusion, Billy hopes that by dressing up as a skeleton people will give him extra candy and treats on Halloween because he thinks that the costume will make people think he is skinny and in need of more food. 

Today’s images are from here, here, and here.

Oct.25th: The Peanuts - Autumn & Sucker

Hello Everyone!

Today’s comic is Peanuts featuring Charlie Brown and Linus.

The current season in North America (which is part of the Northern Hemisphere) is Autumn! 

Note: In North American English, Autumn also goes by the name Fall. 

A fun Autumn activity for children is to jump into piles of raked leaves. 

Could there be anything better than jumping happily into a pile of leaves?  How about playing in leaves and eating candy?  Maybe?  Maybe not? 

Comic Breakdown

“Never jump into a pile of leaves holding a wet sucker.” – Linus

What is a “sucker”?

The word “sucker” is another name for a lollipop.  The words sucker and lollipop are synonyms.

The word sucker has a few meanings.  It can be another name for a lollipop.  A lollipop is a piece of hard candy on a stick.

The word “sucker” is also a slang that means someone that is a fool or easily tricked.  

The word “sucker” is also used to refer to a “baby sucker” which is another word for pacifier or soother.  Literally a baby sucks on it.

The word “sucker” is also a homograph. 

What is a homograph? 

A homograph is a word that shares the same spelling as another word but mean different things.  For example, the word “sucker” has three meanings.

Some words that are homographs besides being written the same way are also pronounced the same way.  For other homographs, they share the same spelling but are pronounced differently. 

What is the lesson of this comic?

In conclusion, Linus has learned the hard way that you can have your candy and you can jump into a nice pile of leaves but you cannot do both at the same time.  Why? Because dry leaves will stick to wet candy. 

Therefore, if you try to jump into a pile of leaves with a sucker (lollipop) you will be a sucker.

Today’s images were from here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. 

Oct.19th: Family Circus & Turkey

Hello Everyone!

Today’s comic is Family Circus. 

Comic Breakdown

“I know there’s a country called “Turkey”…I wonder if there’s one called ‘chicken?” – Billy

What does Turkey and Chicken have to do with geography?

The country Turkey and the bird turkey are homonyms.  Homonyms are words that are spelled the same and sound the same but have different meanings.

This is turkey the food.  It is a bird.

This is Turkey the country.  Turkey is located in the Middle East.  Geographically the country is in both Europe and Asia.

Where does the name Turkey come from?

The modern day country of Turkey (official name is the Republic of Turkey) was called the Ottoman Empire before the 1920s.  However, the name Turkey itself comes from Old French, Turquie.  Old French got the name Turquie from Latin, Turchia.  The Ottoman Empire was already known unofficially as Turkey (written as Turkye in Middle English) or the Turkish Empire by the Europeans since the Middle Ages. 

Why does the bird, turkey, share a name with the country Turkey?

Most people are familiar with turkey as a North American holiday food.  It is most commonly eaten at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.  The turkey is a bird native to North America.  When Europeans first came to the Americas they identified the turkey incorrectly as a guineafowl bird.  Another name for guineafowl is turkey fowl.  The turkey fowl bird came from Turkey which is where the name turkey comes from.

The official scientific name of the bird, turkey, is Meleagris gallopavo.  In other languages, the turkey bird goes by different names that are completely different from the country name.

French

Turkey the country: Turquie                  Turkey the bird: Dindon

Spanish

Turkey the country: Turquía                  Turkey the bird: Pavo

German

Turkey the country: Türkei                     Turkey the bird: Truthühner

In conclusion, this comic is funny because it shows how many people including native English speakers, children and those unfamiliar with geography, become confused when they learn that there is a place called Turkey because most people think turkey is a bird you eat. 

This is why the character of Billy thinks that if turkey is the name of both a country and bird than there might also be a place named Chicken. 

Today’s images are from here, here, here, here, here, and here. 

Oct.17th: Charlie Brown & Gullible Continued

Hello Everyone!

Today’s comic is one from The Peanuts featuring Charlie Brown.  Today’s topic is also a continuation of the adjective “gullible”.  To read my first post on the subject of gullible, click here.

Who is Charlie Brown?

Charlie Brown is the main character of the popular American comic series Peanuts.  Many people know the series as Charlie Brown rather than its official name, Peanuts.  Sometimes the comic is published under the name Charlie Brown or Snoopy instead of Peanuts. 

Peanuts was created by Charles M. Schulz in 1950 and ran until Schulz’ death in 2000.  Since 2000, reruns of the comic series continue to run in newspapers around the world.  Other popular characters in Peanuts include Linus, Charlie’s best friend, Lucy, Linus’ older sister, Sally, Charlie’s little sister, Snoopy, Charlie’s pet dog, Woodstock, Snoopy’s best friend who is a yellow bird, and many other secondary characters.

Charlie Brown and his pet dog Snoopy are by far the most popular characters from Peanuts.  You may not know the comic series but most people in the world are probably familiar with the image of Snoopy.

What does “gullible” mean?

The word “gullible” is an adjective and it is used to describe someone that is very easy to persuade or trick. 

Here is an example of a trick to see who is gullible. 

If you pay to find out if you are gullible; you are gullible =D

Synonyms (words that are similar or mean the same thing) for gullible include innocent, naïve, foolish, impressionable and inexperienced. 

Charlie Brown & Being Gullible

Charlie Brown is an example of an average, kind, and good person but he is also unfortunately gullible at times.  He is a gullible person not because of inexperience but because he is overly hopeful and would be described as foolish by his friends. 

For example, Charlie Brown has never been able to kick a football (American football) because Lucy always moves it.

Lucy has tricked Charlie Brown so many times now that he should know he will never get be able to kick the football.  For Charlie Brown to believe otherwise shows that he is both hopeful and gullible.  

Here is one of many Peanuts comics featuring Charlie Brown and his attempt to finally kick the football.  Even he knows it is foolish to try this again, and again, but Lucy tricks him into always giving it one more try!

The words gullible and foolish are synonyms.  They are similar in meaning.  Charlie Brown is both gullible and foolish in this case.  But together his gullible and foolish state at times is what makes him likable and lovable to many.

Today’s images are from here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. 

Oct.16th: Garfield & Gullible

Hello Everyone!

Introduction to Garfield

Today’s comic is Garfield.  Garfield was created by Jim Davis in 1978.  The comic strip features the life of Garfield; a lazy, cynical, and fat cat.  The other main characters are Jon Arbuckle, Garfield’s owner, and Jon’s dog, Odie. 

Definition – Cynical

The adjective “cynical” is used to describe someone who is distrustful of others and are only concerned with themselves and their own needs.  Synonyms (words that are the same or similar in meaning) for cynical include selfish, suspicious, and skeptical. 

What does “gullible” mean?

The word “gullible” is an adjective and it is used to describe someone that is very easy to persuade or trick. 

Note: If you even start trying to say "gullible" slowly to hear if it sounds like "oranges" you are being gullible.  This quote is a trick! 

Synonyms (words that are similar or mean the same thing) for gullible include innocent, naïve, foolish, impressionable and inexperienced. 

Why is this comic funny?

Because this comic shows how gullible people (and the character of Jon Arbuckle) can be when reading information from the internet.

Comic Breakdown

“It’s amazing what you can learn online.” – Garfield’s thoughts

-        The internet is full of information on anything and everything.  Some information is real and some information is fake.

“Brain-eating Martians are going to get us!” – Jon

-        Jon has read information on the internet that claims that there are Martians (aliens from Mars) and that they are going to come to Earth and eat humans.  This is silly but a gullible person might believe this.

“Like how gullible some people are.” – Garfield’s thoughts

-        Garfield is commenting that besides reading on the internet how foolish people can be you can also see it for yourself in real life by giving a naïve (gullible) person something silly to read.   

In conclusion, people should always be careful when reading information on the internet.  The information could be real or it could be fake; it is hard to tell sometimes. 

Today’s images are from here, here, here, here, and here.

Oct.12th: Family Circus - Thanksgiving

Hello Everyone!

Today’s comic is Family Circus.  It is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada so today’s comic has a Thanksgiving theme. 

Note: Americans celebrate Thanksgiving in November.  Family Circus is an American comic. 

Comic Breakdown

“I wish the Pilgrims had sent out for PIZZA on the first Thanksgiving ’stead of shootin’ a turkey.”

 – Billy

Spelling

The word ’stead is short for “instead” and shootin’ is short for “shooting”.  You can only write in these short forms if you are writing a dialogue.  The shortened words are meant to represent casual speech in which parts of words are dropped. 

Who were the Pilgrims?

The word “pilgrim” itself refers to a traveler that is on a religious journey. 

The “Pilgrims” that are being referenced in this comic refer to the English settlers who settled in Plymouth Colony, present day Massachusetts in the United States, in the early 1600s.  This group of settlers from England were called “Pilgrims” because they were looking for religious freedom.  The Pilgrims were English Christians that had separated from the main Church because of their differing practices and beliefs.  For more information, read here.

The Origins of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a North American holiday that is celebrated in the Autumn; October in Canada and November in the USA. 

The holiday began in early colonial North America in the 1500s and 1600s but celebrations of “thanks” related to religion already existed in Europe.  Canadian and American Thanksgiving origins are slightly different but both share the same idea of early settlers giving thanks for something.  For example, to give thanks for surviving a voyage across the ocean for early explorers and settlers.  For most though, in Canada and the USA, Thanksgiving was popularly celebrated to give thanks for a good harvest.  Today, Thanksgiving is a popular cultural and secular (non-religious) holiday.

Traditionally, turkey (a bird similar to a chicken that is native to North America) is commonly eaten for this holiday.  The Thanksgiving meal is meant to be a feast to celebrate the harvest which is reflected in the foods served such as sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. 

For more information on Thanksgiving, read here. 

In conclusion, this comic is funny because it shows how a child is not fully aware of history.  They are aware of who the early settlers to America were, the Pilgrims.  However they do not know that pizza was not eaten or available in America hundreds of years ago.  Nor did food delivery services exist in colonial (1600s) America. 

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving and Happy Columbus Day (USA) everyone!

Today’s images are from here, here, here and here. 

Oct.8th: Hi & Lois - Toy Story

Hello Everyone!

Today’s comic is Hi & Lois.  This one features Trixie.  She has just watched the Disney film “Toy Story”.

Comic Breakdown

“I saw “Toy Story”.  So stop with the silent treatment.  I know you can talk.” – Trixie speaking to her toys

TOY STORY

Toy Story is a popular Disney film from 1995.  It is about the secret world of toys who are actually alive but stay silent and lifeless (inanimate) when humans are around.  Movie sequels were released in 1999 and 2010.  The movie franchise has also produced many other popular spin-offs.  Each film featured a plot that involved the toys on an adventure; often they had to find their way home after becoming lost.  The two main characters are Woody, a cowboy, and Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger. 

Young and impressionable children like Trixie may really believe that their toys are alive after watching this film. 

To read more about Toy Story, click here. 

THE SILENT TREATMENT

The silent treatment is when one person or group ignores another by literally being silent.  It is used to cause emotional discomfort, annoyance, guilt, and even pain.  The person giving the silent treatment will not talk to you or outright ignore you in the most serious cases.  Usually, the silent treatment occurs when someone has offended or insulted another. 

The term “silent treatment” as an expression is also used a lot casually when someone may not be upset with you but are being unusually quiet.  For example, if someone feels sick and are being quiet they might be asked why they are giving others the silent treatment?  Therefore when anyone is quieter than usual the term silent treatment may be applied casually to the situation. 

In conclusion, Trixie has seen a movie about talking toys that are alive and now believes that her toys are alive too.  She wants her toys to start talking to her and to stop giving her the silent treatment. 

Today’s images are from here, here, and here.

Oct.5th: Family Circus - Chili vs. Chilly

Hello Everyone!

Today’s comic is Family Circus.  This one features Billy and his grandmother.  He wants to know why his food feels and tastes hot even though its name “chili” would make someone think the dish should be cold.

Comic Breakdown

“Grandma, this chili you made isn’t chilly at all.” – Billy

What is Chili?

Chili is short for “Chili con carne” which is Spanish for “Chili with meat”.  The dish is a spicy stew made with beans, meat, tomatoes, and chili peppers.  The dish Chili is named after the chili peppers.

The dish Chili comes from the State of Texas located in the South West region of the United States of America (USA).  The dish was first created in the 1800s.  Some people say the dish is Mexican and others say that it is American.  The confusion is related to Texan American history.  The State of Texas has been part of three countries.  Until the 1830s it was part of Mexico.  For a short time it was an independent country on its own.  Texas joined the USA in 1846.

Why is Chili hot?

Describing the dish of Chili as hot does not just refer to the temperature of the freshly cooked dish.  Chili is supposed to taste hot because the chili pepper is very hot and spicy.  Because of this well-known fact, people often just call the chili pepper, chili.  Even cold Chili would still taste hot and spicy because of the chili peppers. 

Chili vs. Chilly

Chili and chilly are homophones.  Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have a different meaning. 

Chili is a dish so it is a noun.  A noun is a person, place, or a thing.  Chili is a food and food is thing.

Chilly is an adjective.  An adjective describes a noun.  Being chilly means something, someone, or someplace is cold.

It is very common for people that have never heard of the dish Chili or the chili pepper before to think that the dish Chili should feel and taste cold.  This is why a child like Billy or someone unfamiliar with the dish would think Chili must be cold. 

In conclusion, Chili is not chilly.  The adjective (chilly) does not describe the noun (Chili).  The words do not mean the same thing; they are homophones.  Lastly, the dish does not feel cold or taste cold. 

Today’s images are from here, here, here, and here.