A graphic novel? It was something I never really considered. Cartoons in the Sunday paper never kept me entertained and when I think about graphic novels I only ever thought about Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and the Peanuts and these are not things necessary to learn in a classroom. I thought graphic novels meant entertainment, not education. Then when we had to read “Maus,” my theory was proved wrong. This graphic novel was just as efficient as getting the point across as any book without pictures. If anything, certain things carried more meaning, reinforced with pictures, where readers could observe facial expressions, and the setting. Although graphic novels are not my thing, I realized how important it is to experience all types of readings. We need to be a resource where our students can trust us to find them good literature for all different interests. For those students who might be frightened of those books with long grueling chapters and little artwork, graphic novels might be just what they need, and we need to be able to suggest educational graphic novels to them. Reading is reading and we need to experience all the types of books. I loved being able to experience a story in a new way. I love WWII books and biographies and autobiographies from that time, but “Maus” created a whole new perspective and experience. As the reviews say, it truly was a different story that stood out from the rest. I learned a lot more about WWII, many things I did not know before. This graphic novel, and I am sure many others, would be useful in a classroom setting we just need to explore more of our literature options.
I absolutely agree with you. Before this semester I had never read a graphic novel and had never really been into comics in the paper. My ENG 210 class along with this class have both required me to read and analyze a graphic novel and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by them. Maus in my opinion was really well done and the pictures told a story that wouldn't be possible with just words. I think that graphic novels are often criticized because some teachers feel like they aren't "real" books and don't promote critical thinking. I believe that the key is picking a quality graphic novel, such as Maus, and instructing your class on how to approach and analyze it correctly. I think many people would find that a graphic novel can be just as meaningful as a book filled with text.
ReplyDelete