Graphic Novels... Engaging, Nuanced, Multifaceted

Let’s just say I’m very pleasantly surprised at the complexity and richness of graphic novels.  Yesterday I finished American Born Chinese which was an interesting experience for me.  I haven’t really read graphic novels, and I admit I’ve been glancing at the book on my bookshelf trying to get myself to get it started.  Overall, the book was an easy read, something I appreciate on my weekends of reading.  But what surprised me was how the graphics really captured so many character and story nuances and added so much to the overall story.  I didn’t think I would be drawn in, engaged so much.  I don’t know why I was so surprised by this – I guess it has been awhile since I’ve read much in this medium.  My immersion to stories is generally through print-only books --  or movies.  So this was very refreshing. 

The story was rich, poignant, and relevant to young adults today.  We struggle with Jin-Wang as he maneuvers through school.  We experience his drive to fit in, his encounters with stereotypes, and his budding interest in girls.   Jin Wang, Danny, and the Monkey King struggle to find an identity; they struggle to accept themselves… no shoes and all (in the case of the Monkey King).  We learn about tolerance (and intolerance) of other cultures, stereotyping, racism.  Jin Wang…the Chinese-American boy who just wants to fit in.  Danny…the boy Jin Wang wants to be.  And the Monkey King who struggles and struggles to fit in as one of the immortal gods in heaven by mastering the twelve disciplines of kung fu – all to transcend his form as a monkey.

In the end, the characters only come around when they embrace what’s different and unique in themselves.  The monkey is freed from his imprisonment of rock when he realizes “how good it is to be a monkey.”  Jin-Yang finally finds the true friendship he seeks.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the conventions of comics: the importance of the gutter, reading between the panels, closure.  As you poignantly say, “Reader and medium are enjoined in a complicated (yet pleasurable) interplay to unpack the images that unfold before them.”  The gutter encourages the imagination of the reader.  Shading, color, the shape of word balloons knit complex, personal experiences for each reader and make stories accessible through multiple mediums, the multimodality that “The Conventions of Comics” discusses. 

I am drawn to your discussion regarding the New London Group which highlights that “what students [need] to learn [is] changing” and “there is not a singular, canonical English that could or should be taught more.  Rather, educators must begin to shift their understanding of literacy and literacy education to recognize both cultural difference and the rise of communication media—forms of literacy that challenge traditional notions of what it means to be “literate” in society today.”  Just the other day in another class, we watched a presentation intended us to inspire us as teachers.  It compared the amount of information available at our fingertips today versus 15 years ago and talked about the rapid changes in terms of wealth and demographics.  It also compared US educational standards and success compared to other nations such as India and China.  I definitely agree with the point of the presentation; however, I sometimes wonder if enough is being done with teacher education programs to make us better prepared to handle ourselves in the classrooms and keep up.  In every single class we should be leveraging technology, search engines, web sites in creative ways to keep us informed...

What is apparent to me through our blogging experience and through reading the articles you presented, is that technology and/or embracing multiple literacies certainly is a pedagogy that must consider “the multicultural and diverse society that we all live in and broadens our understanding of “literature” to include multimedia and visual forms of literacy.”  I bring up my special education studies because they truly emphasize finding the student access point to learning and building upon strengths.    The Frey and Fisher article demonstrates how they “used popular culture and the media to invite students into school literacy.”  This article really excited me because this presented a real-life example of how two teachers successfully used graphic novels and popular culture to improve students’ writing skills.  The graphic novels and activities engaged the students…acted as “the hook,” and the teachers were able to weave in writing instruction into the creative activities.  I plan to look up more information on these strategies mentioned:

·     Said is Dead lesson to help students use more creative ways to indicate speech versus using the word “said” (21)

·     Triple Sentence Sessions to teach students how to convey several ideas in one or two sentences (21)

·     Language Experience Approach (23)

Some of the ideas I’d explore for lesson plans:

--Have students discuss stereotypes and write about an instance where they tried to fit in and compare to how Jin tries to fit in.

--Explore why graphic novel was a good choice for this book and the story

--Write an autobiographical outline from an episode in the student’s life or a family member and having the student create a storyboard

I googled various lesson plans and liked these ideas:

--http://www.firstsecondbooks.com/teachers/abcLesson.html

--Recommends a good approach with students would be to have students read the book and then have the assignment of looking at portrayals of Asian Americans in several genres of comics back through the 1950s.

--Students could review this site and find more information about the legend of the monkey king:

http://www.humblecomics.com/monkey/

My thinking is a little scattered tonight as I take in all this information (and kids home from school now… Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin interrupting my thinking).  At any rate, I am looking forward to class discussion.