Comics – Denise Leon
1. Talk about the overall claims of these two scholars (Versaci and McCloud). What arguments are they making about comics and their uses? Use examples from their texts to support your summary. Versaci challenges the negative responses to literature by stating that students who may view literature this way, “have yet to experience how engaging and vital literature can be” (2). Furthermore she states that comic books allow teachers to “energize classes and engage students, teach much needed analytical and critical thinking skills, and-most importantly-invite students to develop meaningful opinions about what constitutes literary merit” (3). I found this to be true as I ventured into American Born Chinese. It provided me with the opportunity to “investigate and analyze popular culture representations of life experience, ethnic and cultural groups” (3). Both authors share the notion that comic book allow for the blending of worlds. The combination of texts and images prove to be a unique experience for readers and adds “subconscious participation” as the “reader fills in the details of the empty space” between the panels. Many readers are unaware of the “maturity and relevance” comic books can offer them. It can help tackle more difficult concepts like time, as illustrated by McCloud. It provides readers with an interface that can further be manipulated by technology that gives students a more real representation of the complexity of time and how events can occur simultaneously.
Reading American Born Chinese proved to be a completely different reading experience in comparison to other reading that I have done to date. The reading was more interactive- I had to make sense of the images and how they related to the text as I read. Furthermore, the images themselves added to the overarching themes in the book that deal with cultural identity. I fell in love with American Born Chinese because it addresses a very real situation- racial stereotyping.
I always believed that comic books were strictly for boys (about some superhero) or that they were some space in the newspaper where adults could get a good laugh. What this experience did for me was allowed me to have a more broader perspective on what constitutes as literature. It helped me see that everyday people can be super heroes; everyone exhibits their own set of failures and triumphs with issues that have an impact in our lives. I am so thrilled with what I have read that I can definitely see myself using comic books in my own classroom. It would give me the opportunity to discuss a multitude of themes, and furthermore could assist in their own perception of literature. It could provide me with a platform to tackle seemingly “boring” or “heavy” topics such as history. Furthermore, it would allow my students to think critically and engage with the text in a way that many of them have not experienced before.
Here’s a link to a great resource for American Born Chinese and how it can be utilized in a classroom: