The message of V for Vendetta

Before this class I must admit, I have never before read the graphic novel V For Vendetta nor have I seen the movie. I think going into something with a clean slate and no prior knowledge does have it's advantages and disadvantages. I think the main massage V For Vendetta aims to leave the reader with is freedom, Cherish it, protect and fight for it. Cherishing, standing and fighting for your freedom is also the themes that stand out the most to be and that I see throughout the novel. The motivations for V's actions stems form the loss of his own freedom and his inconsideration and torture. Because of his experiences with this he sets out to "wake" the people up, to see and fight against their own oppression. V's tactics, at times, can sometimes give him the appearance to the reader to be more of a "villain" than a hero. An example of this is his capture and torture of Evey. To V though the outcome of his actions is freedom. Whether it is killing a bad guy, blowing up a building or torturing someone he cares about to free them from their own bondage. Does it make sense to us? Probably not but we tend to be able to feel what both the characters are going through and eventually come to an understanding. For Evey the torture that she went through at the hands of V was awful for her, but he was eventually able to explain to her why and break her oppression. During her capture he took her through a similar experience to his own and during this she grew stronger. In this she was better able to understand who he was and why he did what he did. In chapter ten on page 172 this illustrates her awaking of this fact. V takes her to the roof top in the rain, in this moment the clarity of her own incarceration is clear and a new taste of freedom transforms her. She becomes V's apprentice in the fight for her societies freedom at this point. In this scene this is how the medium conveys the point and theme of freedom scene throughout the novel. In this scene she can be compared to that of a bird who has been in a cage and being set free for it's new found freedom. As V's apprentice she learns all she can and will eventually take up the fight and the image of V...

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Iconic Abstraction and the Vocabulary of Comics in Hellboy

In Chapter 2 of Understanding Comics , McCloud talks about two key concepts I’d like to discuss: he identifies reality , language , and the picture plane as a representation of the pictorial vocabulary of comics, and he expresses a scale for iconic abstraction of comic art. As readers following the action in comics, we are guided by what objects and events cartoonists decide demand focus in each individual moment or panel. This focus via simplification of reality - referred to as abstraction - provides a rhythm of reading the visual representation of a sequence of events, controlling the timing of action and dialogue through spacing of panels and objects on a page. McCloud makes it clear that abstraction in comics is really just about the representation of ideas . Conceptually, we can perceive a specific drawn event, such as an explosion or a fight, without that event being pictured exactly or photorealistically. Rubble or glass flying midair can represent the impact of fights depi...

Our world: Anyone can make a change

Are you a social activist? Do you do your part to make the world a better place? Even small acts can make a difference. First, I’d like to point out that a social activist is someone that takes a stand, someone who campaigns for a social change, an advocate that stands for what is right, it is someone who promotes environmental, social, political, and economic reforms to make that change in society. Now that I have defined it, let me explain some acts of social activism. Volunteering at any local shelters, whether it be for babies, kids, adults, and even to help to care for animals, your time makes a difference. You’d be amazed at how rewarding it is for yourself, as well as giving than receiving will make a whole positive change to your persona. Another example of social activism is going green. Recycling papers, boxes, and plastics, makes a whole positive change into saving our earth, as well as saving the ocean alongside the animal’s habitats, and stopping global warming. ...

Is Maus a Non-Fiction Graphic Novel?

Art Spiegelman’s Maus is considered to be a non-fiction graphic novel, but is creating a graphic novel based off a true story even allowed? Maybe you thought graphic novels were meant to be fiction. Well, I think the form of a graphic novel should not be restricted to only fiction. It is known for graphic novels to be fiction rather than non-fiction because that is what a novel is, fiction, but the name shouldn’t be a limitation of what can and cannot be told though this medium. There are many reasons for why telling a non-fiction story through the form of a graphic novel is beneficial. Spiegelman was able to share the story of his father’s holocaust experience by creating a graphic novel of it, and from the looks of it, it’s been very successful. Telling a story through the form of a graphic novel allows the creator to deliver it in a unique way. We are able to understand the plot because of the language that is used along with the accompanying panels. In Maus , Spiegelman writes e...

ENG 4433: Topics in World Lit

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