TOW #8- Hyperbole and a Half IRB

           There certain ways illustrations are able to convey a humorous tone. In Allie Brosh’s case, she uses the characters facial expressions, surroundings, and dialogue in her illustrations to make them humorous. Brosh’s use of original images in Hyperbole and a Half assists to convey her purpose. Throughout the book Brosh’s purpose is not a traditional moral of the story purpose. Her purpose is to try and connect with her audience by sharing her experiences in a humorous and light-hearted way. 

            Previously mentioned, the most original thing about this book is the use of illustrations. Throughout the book there are 1-3 illustrations per page. These illustrations include stick figure characters that are consistent throughout the book. In one story called Identity Part 1 she uses an illustration of her character laying on a sofa watching television. On the television is a man running a marathon. Behind her on the couch is a list of things to do including shower, groceries, laundry, and jog. The only thing she has crossed out is shower. By looking at the small details in the picture it conveys the humor that she had not gotten anything done compared to this man on television. She also uses facial expressions to create humor. In a story called Lost in The Woods, her mother gets her and her sister lost in the woods one night. Her mother tried to hide the fact that she was lost and when Brosh and her sister asked where they were, the terror and exhaustion in the mother’s eyes was witty. In another story called Dogs Don’t Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving, the author uses dialogue in her illustrations. Her dog is referred to as simple dog because it is very dumb. In the story she conveys this through his dialogue. Although dogs obviously cannot talk, there are words of what the dog is thinking. The words make an incoherent incomprehensible sentence.

            Allie Brosh achieves her purpose of conveying her stories in a humorous light-hearted way in order to connect with her audience greatly through her use of illustrations. Many say a picture is worth a thousand words. In Brosh’s case this is definitely true.