The Pencilsword: On A Plate Summary

Known illustrator and comic artist, Toby Morris publishes his online short story, “The Pencilsword: On a Plate,” which introduces a sociological concept that gives meaning to how people approach their social economic status. Morris’s purpose is to expand the meaning of privilege and to convey the idea that people seem to differentiate others according to their economic upbringing. He presents his argument by using two main characters, Richard and Paula, each identified separately based on their financial stability of their family and the effects they receive from it. They each live in separate households with very distinct lifestyles. Richard lives a prosperous, easy, and stress free life with many open opportunities, while Paula lives a considerably

poor, struggling life. The people around them affect them abundantly and each has slightly different expectations set for them. Richard receives many benefits from his parents by having his tuition paid; he receives an internship and loans for his education. As for Paula, she struggles doing homework, cleaning the house, and taking care of her father all at the same time. All the hard work Paula does still does not benefit or affect her financially. Richard sets off to do many things such as working and eventually gets recognized for his accomplishments. Richard convinces himself that he made his success on his own through his intelligence and without anyone’s help and the privileges he received during his life made no affect. He develops into a character of ignorance and becomes blinded by his success. As for Paula, she sticks with the same expectations that she had before with minimal change in her life. Each character leads different lives in different directions obtaining different occupations with the same expectations that they had before. Morris presents a serious, yet sentimental tone in his short story in order to appeal to his readers who may think they cannot change how they see themselves or that they may feel unworthy or incapable of developing a different approach to how they live. He also uses other methods such as emotion, logic and reasoning to support his reasons behind his argument. The comic helps Morris’s readers to understand how one gets granted many benefits with the privileges they receive from their parents, but is also teaching them a valuable lesson about motivation and how one should not care about their status and should instead focus on what they want to accomplish in their life.
Morris begins his main argument by outlining how ones privilege starts at an early age and how it can affect your behavior and development in life. He defines privilege as having many opportunities, benefits, and a secure lifestyle. He appeals to his audience by illustrating two different individuals and their different upbringings to society. He uses methods such as logos to draw his readers as well as structuring his comic strip in a side-by-side layout. He uses these tools in order to characterize the impacts of each person, to inform his readers about the effects one receives with privileges and to format it in a way that it can be easily understood. He sets up his readers to criticize and think logically about each of the individual’s financial status and how it affects them dramatically on their education, occupation, and success.
Morris formats his comic strip in a side-by-side layout to help his audience understand each character individually.

He constructs this format to compare and contrast the characters and how their financial stability influences how they live. Allowing his readers to view the status of each one and understand the differences. He structures it by beginning to end, starting his characters as young infants then slowly progressing to young adults and eventually as grown ups. He uses a timeline format with written descriptions to guide his readers to view each of the characters steps that they take. With this format we can imply that “Richard goes to a great school, well resourced, good kids and his teachers love their job”, and we can identify that “At Paula’s school, the class sizes are large, the school is underfunded, and looks it. Her teachers are tired, stretched thin from the stress.” He structures this so that his audience can identify each of the significant details of the characters and to determine the certain lives each undergo. This shows each of the characters moves and how they develop. The purpose of the format is to help his readers to analyze and draw conclusions of each of the individuals and know the reasons and effects behind having privileges. Morris is drawing his audience to understand how ones outcomes in life are determined by the privileges they receive and the advantages that come with it. “Wealthy people already pass on a lot of advantages to their children; they can afford better education, and a better environment at home (more books, quiet places to study etc.).” (Buttonwood. Para. 14) The author is trying to convince his readers that the key concept of privilege is inheritance. Being born with strong financial backing is what supports ones success. Although, mind does play a big part in ones success, opportunities one receives are the big component of a person’s outcome in life. Morris uses this point to help support his argument about

how privilege comes with wealth and how ones success is not possible without others contribution.
Moreover, the author uses logos to demonstrate his reasons behind each of the individual’s changes. The author presents his evidence that shows the difference between positive and negative expectations and how it is impacts their lives. He is showing how Richard is fulfilling his expectations and values while the Paula is not being aware that she can change her expectations. The author introduces a serious problem that many individuals face. He gives a clear example that one should not be concerned about their status or how it affects them when he quotes, “And maybe Paula starts to settle. Learns to ‘Know her place’, but I hope not. I really hope not.” this suggests that the author feels that there is no use in caring about your status because you have the power to change or manipulate it however you want. He is persuading his readers to realize that less privileged people can also change their status, but also indicates that it is up to them and their choice alone to change it. He is building his readers confidence and motivating them to take charge and disregard where they came from or what kind of financial stability they were raised from.

(((Overall, the author’s purpose is to plainly show the key ingredient to ones success is key by the privileges one receives. He defines privilege as having many opportunities, benefits, and a secure lifestyle. His reasoning behind how privilege becomes the reason to ones success is what creats his overall argument. Morris allows his audience to realize that ones social economic status becomes a privilege to many.
how easy it is to be influenced, especially at a young age to know where they stand in life. He helps his audience realize the importance of change and motivates them in knowing that they can be more than who they are.