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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Analysis of Aya: Life in Yop City

To begin this week's post, I'd like to first address a few things about the author's duty to his/her readers. When we think of reading material from other countries or cultures, what factors are important to us? What information do we need in order to recognize the significance of the author's work? For me, it's important for the author to find some way to connect to me as a reader. Do we share a common experience? Can I relate your story to mine? This is not to say that a writer's work is rendered unimpressive if they choose not to do this. But I do think it goes without saying that most impressionable works hit us emotionally. I also think that an author should be conscious of the world that they are painting for the reader. Is it true what you're writing? Does it provide some sort of insight into the world as you see it? Are you confirming outside opinions of your culture, or are you breaking the stereotypes that have been placed upon you? That being sai...

Bringing Africa into the Fold

The comic Aya: Life in Yop City does a fantastic job of illustrating a culture different from the more popular Western variety. For those reading this, have you ever considered Africa in any way that was not influenced by main stream media? No? Well me either. It is sad to say, but my view of Africa was just - more or less - a vast land of chaos and poverty. Why? Because is that not what the media would have us believe? As a western country ourselves - presuming, of course, that you are reading this from the US or some European country - we do not consider other nations to have much value in comparison to our own. Because we have created a Eurocentric view of what society should be, we have disallowed other countries to feel that their own culture is worth portraying in novels or media. For example, most people are lead to believe that Africa is riddled with disease, famine, and "uneducated" people who are in dire need of help. This just isn't true! There are places ...

The Two Faces of Anarchy in V for Vendetta

As someone who has only seen the movie version of V for Vendetta once many years ago and have never read the graphic novel, I wasn’t exactly sure how similar or different the movie version would be to the graphic novel. I was in for a surprise when I discovered just how vastly different, they are from each other. With that being said, they do have some similarities when strictly looking at the motives of the characters. Let’s dive into those motives and how the author and illustrator of V for Vendetta achieved getting these motives across to their readers. In Scott McCloud’s chapter of Understanding Comics “ Blood in the Gutter ” we are presented with different panel – to – panel transitions, and an introduction to the term “gutter” as being the white space between the panels which is where the audience of reader “takes two separate images and transforms them into a single idea” (McCloud, 66). After finishing reading V for Vendetta , several themes or ideas that were most prevalent...

ENG 4433: Topics in World Lit

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