This editorial cartoon humorously illustrates how verbal communication plays a role in defining reality. The image shows two businessmen sitting on a tree branch, with one calmly stating, “Sometimes it’s just good to sit back and get a different perspective,” while they are clearly in an absurd and precarious situation.

This moment ties directly to the subheading Verbal Communication Helps Us Define Reality from the chapter. The man’s words reflect his choice to define the situation positively, despite the obvious discomfort and impracticality of sitting on a tree limb in business attire. The chapter says that when we talk about things, we’re not just describing them we’re also showing how we feel about them. We get to decide how we see and talk about our experiences. In this case, the man defines an unusual circumstance as an opportunity for reflection and perspective, rather than as ridiculous or unprofessional.

This cartoon reminded me of a group project I worked on last semester, where people had very different views of the same situation. I called our experience “a disaster” because we were behind schedule and disorganized. But one teammate called it “a challenge” and focused on learning from the process. His positive language helped change the whole team’s attitude, making us more collaborative and less stressed. This showed me how the words we use shape how we feel and react just like the cartoon’s different perspectives on the same number. Language doesn’t just describe reality; it helps create it.

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