Wednesday, April 7, 2010
On the Introductory Survey
The introductory survey during the first week of this course struck an immediate interest in me because, while answering the questions, I knew that my answers were too brief or incorrect. One example is the question about what the word "comics" means. Not only have I always assumed that a comic was a cartoon or a comedian, but I also assumed that the addition of the "s" to the word comic only made more than one cartoon or comedian. Since this english course is about rhetoric and autobiography, I concluded that my definition must be wrong. And sure enough, the technical definition that McCloud analyzed in chapter one made my guess seem incorrect. As an actual artform, the creation of juxtaposed and sequential art is more interesting than only Charlie Brown in the sunday newspaper. The idea that there has always been a learned method to something that, by people like me, had previously been assumed to be trivial is very enlightening. It wouldn't have been ethical to look up the definition on http://www.dictionary.com/ during the survey because having the exact meaning could very well ruin the learning experience. Moving forward based on information that one already knows can be a foundation for what needs to be researched in the future. Consequently, I was excited about getting started on this great and new aspect of autobiography called comics.
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My definition and view of comics has changed significantly of the course of the quarter. I only associated comics with funny cartoons or something like Calvin and Hobbes, but the genre of comis or graphic memoirs stretches so far beyond that into a genre I believe most of our population will never know. This is a sad truth because after learning ehat we have this genre proves to be a great resource for conveying a story to your audience.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of comics has undoubtedly broadened--much to McCloud's persuasion--to be as limitless as ones imagination. While their are definite distinctions he encourages creative injections that push the identity of comics to an ever evolving state, and that we should be receptive to such changes. I appreciate this analysis because he does not attempt to confine its art, rather he gives us his perspective and tools by which we can increase and develop our understanding. Prior to this class I had no exposure to the sub genre of graphic memoir, much less, even heard of Maus and Persepolis. As for utility, what we have covered in this class has only increased my awareness of rhetoric and how applicable it is.
ReplyDeleteThe visual literacy skills I have come to gain from this course is outstanding; my definition of comics has also significantly grown because of this. Also with the idea of visual literacy and our work with rhetoric I feel as though it's made me become a better reader and writer, I feel as though I can read and write more fluently and construct a good analysis of my work or some others.
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