This is a topic that has had my interest for sometime now. What are your thoughts on the idea of using graphic novels in the English classroom? Not just as independent reading but as required texts for the entire class. I see a lot of positive in reading Maus I & II as part of a unit in which Elie Wiesel's Night is also read.
The same can be said of Satrapi's Persepolis, which deals with Satrapi's own experience growing up in Iran during the 1980s where she struggles with the political beliefs of her family versus those of the Iranian government.
I guess the real question, for me, might be how long before graphic novels/comic books are brought into the same canon? I can see myself teaching Watchmen to my students and not because I've enjoyed it but because of the issues and themes it deals with (what happens when the world doesn't need you?, How far are you willing to go for the sake of world peace?).
So let's hear it. Any and all thoughts, ideas and whatnot are welcome.
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/631
Uploaded on June 10, 2008
by _Asane_
The following is a short excerpt from Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, which details Satrapi's exeperience growing up in Iran during the 1980s.
Uploaded on March 31, 2008
by Pete Boyd
Finally, the following link lists TIME magazine's all time top 100 novels. The list includes Alan Moore's Watchmen sitting alongside Sir William Golding's The Lord of the Flies, Toni Morrison's Beloved, Richard Wright's Native Son, George Orwell's Animal Farm & 1984, and Joseph Heller's Catch-22.
http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/the_complete_list.html
AND, if you're too lazy to check out the link here some authors who made the cut with one of their literary works... F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, J.R.R. Tolkein, Virginia Wolfe, Harper Lee, J.D. Salinger, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac and John Steinbeck! It has to mean something!!!
Furthemore,
The Bible as a graphic novel? WHAT?!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/us/10manga.html
The article in the link above discusses a manga that details the life of Jesus Christ through animated panels. Sure, animated editions of the Bible have been published already but this article explains that the reason for a manga edition of the Bible is related to the increased sales of graphic novels.
Now I'm not preaching religion but I am saying especially to the naysayers of graphic novels that it's only a matter of time before teachers will be teaching graphic novels. Think of illustrated manuals on how to install a new HDTV or a computer... pictures and words. A graphic novel is pictures and words.
It's only a matter of time. How many of us thought that we would ever be able to buy our favorite TV show on DVD? Before TV show seasons began being released on DVD the only way to catch old episodes was through syndication.
I worked at D.C. Comics as
I worked at D.C. Comics as an in house artist for a few year so I may be biased, but I believe Graphic Novels can be an excellent resource. Not only can a story like Maus be historical, interesting and though provoking but the format of the graphic novel allows the reader to process the work in different ways. Aside from reading the text, students who may have trouble reading, get the visual clues and imagery to help them understand.
I think content appropriate graphic novels are very well suited for the classroom.
I would say we're now half a
I would say we're now half a generation away. As an old person, I know how hard it is to let go of things you know best, things you grew up with. I mean, the music of your youth will always have great significance for you no matter how many thousands of great new songs come and go. We've had the discussion at our school about allowing graphic novels to be used on TASK IV of the Regents and there is always a divide. I fall on the progressive side and think that not only should graphic novels be allowed in the Regents and in school, they should be taught alongside street novels. Our biggest obstacle is getting kids to put their eyes on text. If it takes a picture of a few "fucks" to do that, then I'm all for it.
At my first school, Far
At my first school, Far Rockaway High School, we had students use Beyonce songs on the Task IV. We also had students use the documents from the Task III in their Task IV response. I think for me as long as it's printed word be it a novel, poem, comic book, or even song lyrics then it's okay.
I have my gripes about the English Regents because it is so dated. I wish that, at the least, the topics students have to write and respond to would be more engaging and exciting. It's such a dry, dry, dry, dry test.
I agreed and made a similar
I agreed and made a similar argument when a kid used Beyonce this year. However song lyrics are learned not by reading but by listening and so I really don't think that should be allowed without evidence that the printed lyric was seen.
Is it wrong to want to
Is it wrong to want to preserve a sense of haughty disdain for them? (wincing while waiting for a response)
Yes. You have failed the
Yes. You have failed the comic test.
Please leave.
Gulp (tail between my legs).
Gulp (tail between my legs).
Have you ever read a graphic
Have you ever read a graphic novel or comic before?
Comic book when I was 10,
Comic book when I was 10, maybe 12.
Graphic novel, Maus as an adult. And as part of Read 180, I have guided students in reading graphic versions of Frankenstein and a couple of other titles I can't remember. Much like movies, I found the created images less satisfying than the ones I had created in my head.
The Read180 "graphic novels"
The Read180 "graphic novels" are abominations. I know why the program exists and I'll leave it at that.
Check out the links I posted as comments.
Since I started this discussion I got an idea of comparing and contrasting Kerouac's On The Road to the GRAPHIC NOVEL La Perdida by Jessica Abel. Both deal with the concept of travel and self discovery except one of it does through the use of images which are effective because Abel uses an extreme amount of detail in the images that you notice in the facial expressions of characters from the eyes to their lips and mannerisms.
Unless you're blind, all
Unless you're blind, all information is processed with a visual element. Why not in reading?
I find myself in the middle.
I find myself in the middle. I love literature and traditional print but at the same time I love comic books in just about all their incarnations. I've seen graphic translations of Macbeth which if they were fused with the original text then I would be all for it since some kids have a hard time envisioning the actions of the characters in their heads. I've accepted the fact that some kids lack imagination. It makes me sad when I see students with no imagination and I think back to when I was a kid and I would play with my G.I. Joes and Transformers and I would give them life with backgrounds and emotions. I do the same with everything I come into contact with.
Yes, I think your mention of
Yes, I think your mention of imagination is an important one. We hear a lot of talk about different learning styles but has anyone ever come up with a way to measure imagination? Intensity of imagination? Ability to imagine under various circumstances including with eyes open? Maybe varying learning styles have something to do with varying abilities to visualize or imagine. Your anecdotal evidences suggests an interesting area of study because the imagination, which I define as the ability to put ourselves in a time / place other than where our phsyical body resides, may be a distinguishing characteristic of human beings or of our state of evolution.
I feel that whatever it
I feel that whatever it takes for students to read, think and write is valuable. Did you know that NYC BOE had put out some formal document on it's acceptance of Graphic Novels. NYC School Libraries are all collecting more and more Graphic Novels. Personally, I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't read any yet. I want to use Mouse I as my second selection for my Book Club next school year. Our students need to learn critical thinking and as most of us know political cartoons can be quite challenging to understand for many of our students. Images promote critical thinking. Just as technology is here to stay - so are Graphic Novels. They can be more challenging to understand because so much of the narrative is left out. Karen Levy, Library Media Specialist Columbus Campus H.S. 925 Astor Avenue Bronx, N.Y. 10469
I'm a huge comic book geek.
I'm a huge comic book geek.
The world of graphic novels is varied. There are definitely some weak titles. Maus by Art Spiegelman is great.
Virtually anything by Alan Moore( Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Batman: The Killing Joke) or Niel Gaiman( The Sandman series, 1602) provides high level readers with challenging concepts. The latter also provides an excellent overview of world mythologies.
For the younger readers consider the BONE series. Very popular.
I think the weak titles are
I think the weak titles are what holds down the integration of graphic novels/comics intot he classroom or at the least garner some sort of respect as literature.
I love Neil Gaiman and all his work. It's fantastic and I would love to teach a fantasy themed English class with Gaiman as the centerpiece.
Isn't the National Enquirer
Isn't the National Enquirer a graphic novel?
I'm with you Karen. If a
I'm with you Karen. If a reluctant reader will read a graphic novel then by all means allow that student to read it. Many students are visual learners and the added drawings and simplified text may be just what they need to turn them on to reading. Perhaps successfully reading a graphic novel will lead to the desire to read other related books. You have to reach them to teach them.
Crystal :o)
Graphic novel connection to
Graphic novel connection to Night is a great - attending to your visual learners too. It's all about YOUR passion and interest in this genre. To explain to my sixth graders why I adore a particular performance of "Tosca," I acted out Act II, a la Keystone Cops, with a sprinkling of Italian and pathos. They were mesmerized - especially my auditory learners. It is always compelling to be a part of someone's passionate glow. With your knowledge of the graphic novel and very smart literary connection, it is an absolute win-win.
This graphic novel is from
This graphic novel is from 2007 but just by reading this ever so brief "review" I can say that my students would enjoy it. I feel I can say the same about any student whose into hip-hop, writing rap lyrics or poetry.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article/0,30583,1686204_168...
I agree with Doug. I think
I agree with Doug. I think that using Graphic Novels is another way of differentiating instruction and making literature more accessible to students that maybe do not have the background necessary to really appreciate it on its own. You might way it is a way of scaffolding instruction. I do not think that it should be the only way that literature is taught be any means... but as a stepping stone or as an alternative, I think it is completely acceptable.
Manga and graphic novels are
Manga and graphic novels are quickly becoming the most popular genre of books for young people. For people who think that they're not sophisticate enough, they should try reading one. I think that I haven't yet read an entire graphic novel is because it's just easier to stay with the format that I'm used to. There's so much more left to the imagination with a graphic novel since it's up to the reader's interpretation of the graphics. The message isn't all "spelled" out for the reader.
Karen Levy, Library Media Specialist Columbus Campus H.S. 925 Astor Avenue Bronx, N.Y. 10469
I used a graphic novel
I used a graphic novel version of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" with my senior creative writing class in conjunction with the actual short story. I tried just reading the story with the students, and it bombed. The students just couldn't get past the language (all except two students, one going to Ivy League and the other a better poet than myself) My focus using these two versions of the "Usher" short story was setting. The beauty of the lesson and the graphic novel is that the setting was really what was missing. So, I put the students in groups and then asked them to write the setting for the particular pages assigned to each group using quoted words, sentences, and phrases from the orginal story. The students seemed to really understand the plot of the story thanks to the graphic novel, while paying careful attention to how setting can impact a short story. By asking the students to use words, phrases and sentences from the short story, promoted vocabulary building and weaving quoted material into their writing in a way that actually makes sense to read (as opposed to research papers which never seem to teach that lesson to certain students.)
To see if my lesson plan had the desired effect, I tried a different lesson plan the following semester focused on setting. I am returning to the graphic novel lesson plan (if I can get my school district to purchase the graphic novels. If not, ...well, I don't know what exactly to do other than write the author and beg or ask for help from the community. Any other ideas?)
I just thought I'd add a practical application of using graphic novels in the classroom. In short, I favor using QUALITY and REVIEWED graphic novels in the classroom. I'm currently reading Persepholis.
I just read my first graphic
I just read my first graphic novel comic book it is called Maus. I was given a choice of five graphic noval comic books. My first choice was Persepolis and my second was Maus. I thought it was hilarious how you had talked about both books in this post. The book Maus is so interesting, I just really didn't like the ending because it means that I immediately need to read the second book. That's how good the first book was.