| Embracing Diversity Through Graphic Novels |
By Gretchen SchwarzGretchen Schwarz is a Professor in Curriculum Studies at Oklahoma State University, in Tulsa, where her research interests include teacher lore and school reform issues as well as media literacy. She previously taught high school German and English for 13 years. Schwarz became fascinated with graphic novels when first a high school student and later a couple of college students shared their enthusiasm for the medium. Now she can’t stop reading them! I was absorbed in my latest graphic novel while eating at a restaurant when another customer walked by and commented, “Aren’t you a little old for comic books?” I should have said, “No one is too old for an exciting new medium like graphic novels. And you might learn a few things yourself!” Of course, I never think that quickly on the spot. In fact, a growing number of adults and young people worldwide are reading graphic novels, and educators are beginning to realize the power of this medium. The graphic novel looks like a comic book, but it is longer, more sophisticated, and may come in black and white or multiple colors and appear in many sizes. With a longer history in Europe, the first modern graphic novel in America is usually considered to be Will Eisner’s A Contract with God in 1978 (Mooney, 2002, p. 18). Graphic novels are now attaining general critical praise. For example, Grossman (2003), a book reviewer forTime, says that “some of the most interesting, daring, most heartbreaking art being created right now, of both the visual and verbal varieties, is being published in graphic novels” (p. 56). Library media specialists have been leaders in recognizing the value of graphic novels for reluctant as well as advanced readers. As Mooney (2002) observes, “If you acquire graphic novels, young adults will come… The format appeals to different types of readers and lends itself to a variety of genres including history, fantasy, and education” (p. 18). The graphic novel can be a meaningful learning tool for students who are less than enthusiastic about traditional print textbooks, supporting diverse learning styles. The graphic novel offers stories and information requiring students to think carefully about such topics as culture, racism, and discrimination; the graphic novel can support diversity in classrooms. The graphic novel can also serve as a means to teach media literacy. Following are just a few examples of the potential of the graphic novel. A particularly powerful graphic novel, especially for those who may lump all people from the Middle East together, is Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (2003). Satrapi tells the story of her own adolescence as part of an open, well-educated family caught up in the recent Islamic Revolution in Iran. Both the story of a normal teenager who wants to wear the latest fashions and have fun, and the story of a nation undergoing the turmoil of political repression and war, Persepolis is simply drawn in black and white. Yet, the narrative and the nuances of emotion are rich, and anyone can enjoy the humor of the story, as well. This teenaged girl is a very likable individual, full of enthusiasms and doubts, and any young person might relate to her. She is not just some faceless inhabitant of the Middle East, one of “them.” The book offers a more personal and complex view of others in the world than most typical history texts, TV broadcasts, or newspaper articles. Persepolis is also an excellent example of a literary memoir as insightful as any already common in the traditional school canon. Furthermore, Persepolis and similar works can be used to help students develop media literacy as they examine the unique interplay of pictures and words in a graphic novel. Students can learn the “grammar” of the medium, exploring the effects of color, perspective, lettering, and framing. Versaci (2001), a high school English teacher, describes the process: [Graphic novels] facilitate this analysis in a way unlike more “traditional” forms of literature because in addition to making use of standard literary devices such as point of view, narrative, characterization, conflict, setting, tone, and theme, they also operate with a very complex poetics that blends the visual and the textual . . . By combining words and pictures, comic books [graphic novels] force students, rather directly, to reconcile these two means of expression. Important and analytical questions that I pose to my students are “How would you describe the style of these pictures?” “How does this drawing style interact with the story?” “Why these particular pictures?” “How would a different style change the story?” The answers to these questions are not obvious, and by answering them students begin to see themselves as analytical critics working to assemble and uncover the deeper meaning of a work. (p. 64) Graphic novels offer the opportunity to examine the increasingly visual world of communications today while exploring serious social as well as literary topics. As Lavin (1998) observes, the graphic novel can be used “to develop a sense of visual literacy, in much the same way that students are introduced to art appreciation or cinematic criticism” (p. 31). The graphic novel can also “bring home” the costs of prejudice in our own country. An excellent example is the story shown at left, from Same Difference and Other Stories, an anthology by Derek Kirk Kim (2003). This short piece, “Hurdles,” powerfully captures the feelings of an Asian-American in a way that does not “preach.” Students may observe the way the text reads like a poem, the way the coach is drawn with his face hidden, and the way the visual, literal hurdles take on symbolic meaning. “Hurdles” is an example of a new kind of literature in the Digital Age and one that lends itself well to affirming diversity in the classroom. Derek Kirk Kim also maintains an active website, publishing much of his work online, offering another medium for students to explore and questions to pursue such as that of the role of independent, alternative forms of media. Another graphic novel that confronts diversity and has a place in the classroom or library is the strange little book of poems, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton (1997). Weird drawings accompany short and unhappy poems about a series of children who are seriously different, from “Roy, the Toxic Boy” and “The Girl with Many Eyes” to “Jimmy, the Hideous Penguin Boy.” Adolescents, especially middle school students, will love the gruesome character of these poems and their dark, exaggerated humor. In addition, however, such poems and pictures offer students an unthreatening way to grapple with the whole subject of “being different.” Real kids may well feel like the boys and girls in these poems, but they can approach the subject of “being different” from a safe distance here because these stories are so extreme. Following is an example of a piece called “Melonhead” (without the intriguing pictures): There once was a morose melonhead, Who sat there all day And wished he were dead. But you should be careful About the things that you wish. Because the last thing he heard Was a deafening squish. (pp. 94-95) Clearly, adults would have to use care in engaging students with such stories, and be able to explain their thinking to parents. However, such work as this may prove more than entertaining; these poems in graphic novel format tackle the real issue of “differentness.” Furthermore, Tim Burton is the director and/or producer of such films as the animated The Nightmare before Christmas (1993) and Edward Scissorhands (1990), a beautiful and haunting film about a boy who is quite different. The graphic novel serves as an excellent device for exploring the new connections among the media today and comparing those diverse media. The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and other Stories could be compared to Edward Scissorhands. What visual elements are similar? Different? What is Tim Burton’s view of the world and how does he communicate this? How does a film like Edward Scissorhands move our emotions and make us feel for someone who is “different”? How do still pictures accompanied by text work on readers? What impact does humor have? In fact, the graphic novel-film connection is growing with the success of such films as Spiderman II, The Road to Perdition, and American Splendor, and this connection offers all kinds of classroom potential for media literacy. Graphic novels offer many other benefits in addition to embracing diversity. Graphic novels can apply across the curriculum (see, for example, Schwarz, 2002), and Cary (2004) demonstrates their usefulness for second language learners. Of course, much research still needs to be done on and with this new medium. Teachers and others who work with young people will need to be careful in their choices, as well; many graphic novels are not appropriate for school use. However, graphic novels can teach a diverse group of young people about other peoples, the costs of intolerance, and the value of differences among all. Additionally, the graphic novel fits in well to media literacy, offering teachers one more engaging tool for examining today’s media-saturated world. REFERENCES Burton, T. (1997). The melancholy death of Oyster Boy and other stories. New York: Rob Weisbach Books. Cary, S. (2004). Going graphic: Comics at work in the multilingual classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Grossman, L. (2003, August 25). “Singing a New Toon.” Time, 162, 56-58. Kim. D. K. (2003). Same difference and other stories. Canada: Alternative Comics. Lavin, M. (1998). Comic books and graphic novels for libraries: What to buy. Serials Review, 24(2), 31-46. Mooney, M. (2002) “Graphic Novels: How They Can Work in Libraries.” Book Report, 21(3), 18-19. Satrapi, M. (2003). Persepolis. New York: Pantheon. Schwarz, G. (2002). Graphic novels for multiple literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46, 262-265. Versaci, R. (2001). How comic books can change the way our students see literature: One teacher’s perspective. English Journal, 91(2), 61-67. |
