The Mayflower carried more than 100 colonists from England to the New World in 1620—and it was anything but smooth sailing. The two-month journey was plagued by storms, seasickness, and accidents, as when a passenger was swept overboard. The Pilgrims later celebrated the first Thanksgiving with Native Americans.
Thanksgiving travel these days can still be rocky. About 48 million Americans journey at least 50 miles for the holiday—and almost all do so by car. This cartoon compares the Pilgrims’ cross-Atlantic trek with modern Thanksgiving traffic woes. Study it, then answer the questions.
1. What, if anything, do the two journeys have in common?
2. Why might the cartoonist have compared these two situations?
3. How might the cartoonist feel about Thanksgiving travel?
4. How did he use exaggeration to help make his point?