Jack English-Cooper
Rhetoric 110 Written Communication
Argumentative Essay 1937 words
December 7, 2014
Graphic Novels: For Children Or For
College Students?
Whether reading graphic novels in a college composition class is a
waste of time or a useful form of learning is being wildly discussed around
academic administrations. Most academics are under the impression that comic
books are for children and therefore a waste of time for college students to
read. I disagree. As a college student who has recently analyzed the graphic
novel Batman: The Dark Night Returns by Frank Miller, and has read several articles on this
debate, I know that graphic
novels are incredibly beneficial for student’s development in the classroom. By
analyzing graphic novels, students become engaged in the interesting story,
which exposes them to communication through images, allowing them to better
comprehend rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos, and pathos and ways to
address social injustice. In order to prove that graphic novels are beneficial,
I will give my personal experiences, show specific examples from the graphic
novel, Batman, and back up my arguments with evidence
from other scholarly articles. Comic-Con International should head my advice
because it is essential that colleges utilize this type of learning since it
could change the education system completely.
One of the most important aspects of learning in composition
classes is being fully engaged with the readings. According to Askin Yildirim,
critics think, “many teachers and scholars... argue that graphic novels can
only be regarded as a free time activity that must be kept out of the
classroom” (6). These critics are under the false impression that students
can’t have fun while they read. But in actuality, when students enjoy the
reading they can become more engaged with it. Students like myself struggle to
give assigned readings enough attention and focus. Most students feel over
worked and skim or barely read the readings. The solution to student’s
incompletion of readings is to give the reader more than just words. Graphic
novels create a story with pictures and words, in turn grabbing the student’s
attention by making it more fantastic and interesting. Clearly this is more
productive for learning. When I was assigned the graphic novel, Batman, I found myself sucked into the reading
due to the story being brought to life by the images. Askin Yildirim is an
agreement that, “Graphic novels can be a source of motivation and stimulation
for learners with reading difficulties and with those who are reluctant to be
involved in reading activities” (2). Students’ engagement with the reading is
essential and graphic novels use of images provides stimulation fort the
students. Exploring how Frank Miller utilizes images reveals how pictures are a
source of stimulation.
The way Frank Miller depicts the scene of Batman defeating his
enemies proves how motivating and stimulating graphic novels can be. There are
first several panels with images of the enemies waiting and preparing for the
Batman, in which the Batman’s hand becomes periodically easier to see as the
panels are read left to right. The last panel in the line displays a picture of
someone flying through the air. (38). When the reader see’s the hand becoming
larger they are motivated to keep reading since it is hinted that it will end
with the Batman flipping the enemy. The reader is stimulated when instead of
just reading that the enemy was flipped, they see the bad guy get tossed in the
air just as they imagined it. Engrossing students in the reading is just
as essential for being successful as familiarizing them to new forms of imagery
communication in preparation for reality.
The way comic books combine images and words is similar to how the
majority of the real world communicates, which is why they are so practical for
students in composition classes. Unlike how students are asked to read and
analyze novels or textbooks, which only use words, adults usually have to
gather their information from the newspaper, television news and websites.
Newspapers are displayed much like graphic novels, with images and words to
communicate what happened. Television, also similar, is composed of moving
pictures and audio that relay the message. Graphic novels expose people to
these types of communication since the reader must interpret both the images
and text. To understand the panel of the Jokers threat in page 125 of Batman The Dark Knight
Returns, the reader must read his dialogue in which he threatens to kill
everyone in the room as well as view the image to see how he is referring to a
huge crowd and about to commit a mass murder. Analyzing both aspects allows the
reader to comprehend how horrific the Jokers action will be if the Batman does
not interfere. Teaching students how to analyze graphic communication will
enable them to do this for the rest of their lives, which is why it is
essential for students to study graphic novels in school.
By learning how to interpret messages from images and being able
to be deeply enthralled with the reading students in composition classrooms can
better explore rhetorical tools such as pathos. As Yildirim states, “Research
indicates that ability to visualize a concept is an important step that leads
students to go further in the mastery of comprehension skills” (10), which is
why when I was exposed to the picture aspect of communication, I was able to
extract more meaning out of the pathos. When Batman plots his revenge on the joker
and says, “I’ll count the dead one by one… I’ll add them to the list Joker… The
list of all the people I’ve MURDERED… By letting you live” (117), Frank Miller
is creating the pathos of making the reader feel empathetic and impressed with
how upset and determined Batman is. The visual of the Batman looking furious
and determined and the image’s color of red help’s the audience explore the
pathos further. This gives readers the impression that he is livid and hates
injustice so exponentially that he is willing to become violent in order to
stop it. The red depiction of Batman also makes readers sympathetic to how hurt
he is that he is driven to a thirst for violence.
Not only is pathos able to be explored but graphic novels also
enable more meaning to be drawn from ethos due to how absorbed the reader is.
When the reader is focused on the reading they are able to take notice of how
ethos is used to set up the credibility and enable the protagonist to succeed.
When the commissioner realizes that Batman is fighting for the greater good she
allows him to freely fight and succeed (176). Analyzing the image of how the
commissioner looks at Batman as she allows him to do his job, and with the
readers full engagement in the novel, the reader is able to understand how this
is ethos in use through giving Batman credit. Even
logos can be explored in college classes through graphic novels.
The reader’s exploration of logos through the new form of picture
communication will help students in the classroom and life. Through analyzing
an image, the reader can see how the protagonist creates logical arguments and
visually observe the steps. When Batman explains how guns are the weapons of
the enemy, there is an image of him breaking a shotgun with ease (173). This
image allows the reader to analyze the logos deeper and find symbolic meaning
such as how true spirit overpowers mindless weapons. The way graphic novels
teach students to analyze these rhetorical moves will aid students in the real
world when they need to find or create pathos, ethos, and logos in picture
based communication. Besides rhetoric skills, graphic novels also allow
students to examine social injustice and how to deal with it.
Students can explore many different forms of social injustice,
ways to deal with it and discover their own opinions due to their higher level
of interest in graphic novels. When student’s become more excited by the story
they look closer at the pictures and the dialogue in order to reap more meaning
from the story. They are able to notice details such as relationships when
David Heineman points out, “homosexual relationships are often portrayed as
mutually-loving and nursing, in a sharp contrast to heterosexual relationships
in magna, which depict relationships as male-centered and, at times, abusive”
(1). He is referring to how Magna, a Japanese comic, deals with the injustice
of homosexuals being treated unfairly, by making homosexual relationships seem
better than heterosexual ones. As the students are more engaged in the reading they
can pick up on this and explore how the author deals with social
injustice.
Students also can examine social injustice through analyzing the
new form of picture communication. As Yildirim says, “Graphic novels rich in
visual media enable students to develop more sophisticated cognitive
strategies” (9). When analyzing images, students learn more intellectual skills
to understand the idea. When students examine the image of Batman leading the
group of mutants on horseback (182), they form new ideas about social injustice
along with new ways of thinking. The observer explores the idea Frank Miller is
sharing that the common citizen should do their part to deal with social
injustice just as Batman and the mutants. The idea is developed through seeing
the horses and realizing it is a symbol for being average citizens fighting for
justice as opposed to depending on the government who has more advanced methods
of transportation. In order to really explore ways to deal with social
injustice, the graphic novel grabs the reader’s attention making them relate
the story to their world and see the characters as real people. The readers are
obviously on the protagonist’s side; therefore, they believe that the
Joker, who is a mass murder, should die. Mark White and Robert Arp bring up the
good point that, “if we say that Batman should kill the Joker, doesn’t that
imply that we should torture terror suspects” (2). This is the idea that comes
up after the reader closely examines the text and thinks about it. The reader first
thought that the Joker should die, but after looking at the idea in context
with how their government deals with criminals, they began to think about how
they would deal with social injustice. Graphic novels ability to engage the
reader in a personal way allows the reader to discover how they really feel
about how to deal with social injustice.
The comic books every kid reads when they are little are
productive readings for college students. Through graphic novels exciting
pictures and dialogue they draw the reader in allowing them to reap more
meaning from the rhetoric tools, examine the character dynamics closer, and
compare the ways social injustice is dealt with in the real world so they can
develop their own opinions. The exposure of a new form of communicating through
images is far more realistic since it is how the real world communicates. This
in turn allows readers to find rhetoric tools and deeper meanings from images,
learn how to understand the message the picture is revealing, and develop the
students ability to analyze picture communication for their adult lives.
Graphic novels although childish, are excellent ways to explore communication
and should be seen as a strong literary learning device for college students.
The Comic-con International should now understand how vital graphic novels are
and accept them into composition classes. Allowing the study of graphic novels
in college classrooms is just the beginning of a breakthrough in academia.
There are many more useful forms of educating college students that must be
sought out in order to really progress education.
Works Cited:
Yildirim, Askin. "Using Graphic Novels in the
Classroom." Dil Ve Edebiyat Egitimi Dergisi. 2013, Vol. 2 Issue 8,
P118-131, 14p, 1 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Heinman, David. "Graphic Novels." SAGE
Knowledge (2012): 151-52. SAGE Knowledge. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
<http://knowledge.sagepub.com/view/genderinmedia/n64.xml>.
White, Mark D., and Robert Arp. "Should Batman Kill The
Joker." New York Times. New York Times, 25 July 2008. Web. 11 Nov.
2014.
Jack English-Cooper
Rhetoric 110 Written Communication
Argumentative Essay: Dear Reader 248 words
November 14, 2014
Dear Reader
1) My goal was to slow down when reading. I have done this.
Reading Batman forced me to slow down in order to interpret the images. I have
worked to do this more with the researching part by analyzing details more
closely.
2) My goal was to outline earlier. I worked toward this by
trying to figure out the outline before jumping in. I did not reach this goal
as much as I wanted. Instead I started writing and when I was not sure I
outlined what I would wright about in the essay.
3) My goal for writing was to do more free writing. I have
done so with this essay through writing from my mind more before editing. This
heeled me get my ideas down.
4) I wanted to get better at making sure my argument fits the
prompt. I did this better here as I always focused my argument on the prompt. I
wish I could have created more of a central argument, and I will work more
towards that.
5) For my final I want to revise this essay. I think I can
push this essay to the next level and it will help my learning process. Since
this essay is a bout new form of communication, looking deeper into it will
teach me more life goals.
6) Developed Well-developed developed developed in progress
well developed developed developed
No comments:
Post a Comment