American Born Chinese

My initial impression of Yang's book American Born Chinese, was that it was an interesting story of self-acceptance with underlying themes of Chinese stereotypes and racial identity. Since I am not familiar with reading graphic novels, it was not an easy experience. Having to slow down and study the frames became enjoyable by the end of the book, but was frustrating at first.
The ideas expressed were many and layered: Chinese culture and American culture, cultural stereotypes, self-acceptance, relationships between characters, the relationship between the separate stories, and spiritual/moral themes woven throughout.
My comfort level with reading a graphic novel began to rise by the time the character of Tze-yo-tzuh was introduced. The way he resembled the God of Christianity brought familiarity for me to the text. On page 80, he speaks so self -assuredly of his virtues: "I am Tze-yo-tzuh. I was, I am and I shall forever be. I have searched your soul, little monkey. I know your most hidden thoughts. I know when you sit and when you stand, when you journey and when you rest. Even before a word is upon your tongue, I have known it. My eyes have seen all your days. I am the heights of heaven and the depths of the underworld. Even at the end of all that is, my hand is there, holding you fast. It was I who formed your inmost being. I who knit you together in the womb of that rock. I made you with awe and wonder, for wonderful are all of my works."
The monkey king has his mouth open resembling a shocked, speechless response, but the great sage speaks with calmness and certainty. He is illustrated as being old and wise. The monkey appears to be questioning, the sage appears to be all-knowing.
Yang did an impressive job of introducing this character. Not just with words, but with visuals as well.

multimodality, multisemiotics and multiliteracies

The terms multimodality, multisemiotics and multiliteracies are defined by Williamson as "the many ways and contexts in which people experience communication and come to develop understandings".   Multimodality particularly describes the multiple ways we experience everyday life through the senses.  Multisemiotics is a term used to define the many meanings that are suggested by these modes, and the different connotations we assign to them.  Multiliteracies refers to the ability to understand media and also to produce through it.  While these theories may be new, they do not describe new ideas.

Whay everyday situations might one encounter multimodality and multiliteracies?  It's hard not to!  Everything from film, to comics, to the internet, to video games, to music offer literature in its various forms and is understood according to one's own culture, personal experiences and histories.

McCloud's text does an excellent job of combining linguistic, visual, spatial, gestural and audio modes of communication.  The linguistic and visual modes  are obvious components of a cartoon (words and pictures).  Spatial qualities are evident in how the cartoon is laid out on the page, how the illustrator balances words with pictures, and even by the area between frames.  Gestural characteristics are displayed by the way ideas or sentiments are emphasized, either by words or through the drawings.  The audio mode would refer to the running voice in one's head from reading or simply analyzing the cartoon.

While these ideas are not necessarily new, it's interesting to study them as it pertains to our texts.

review of McCloud

I have held the belief that "real" literature is words with meaning, not pictures or art. McCloud's book challenges my thinking.

My prejudices against comics is that they're not intellectual enough. I picture someone creating them that enjoys playing more than learning. McCloud managed to change my thinking in this regard. However, I'm still confused about his definition of what a comic is. Shouldn't there be an element of humor or satire in them?

Honestly, it took effort to read this book. Parts of it were interesting, but I had to fight boredom to make it through. I've never enjoyed comics, so reading a book in "frames" was frustrating.

visual literacy

Molly Bang's theory of visual literacy is displayed in the American Gothic picture. The upper half of the picture is happy looking because of the lighter colors and the way the roof points to the sky. (even the window is rounded and also points toward the heavens.) The center of the picture is the man and woman's faces which appear sad and strained. Their eyebrows and corners of their mouths point slightly down. The lower part of the picture is heavy with dark color. The pointed pitch fork gives a bit of a frightening feel.

The contrast in color of the man and woman's clothing help draw the eye toward the center of the page. The woman's sloping shoulders brings the eye down on the page, over toward the lighter bibs of the man, and back up to their faces.

The man's facial expression appears indignant (or maybe it's the way he's holding the pitchfork), and the woman's appears fearful.

What is an American?

An American is a legal citizen of the United States of America. I would say the term also involves being patriotic toward our country. In other words, wanting America to prosper and not wishing harm to the land or its people. Some of the most patriotic people I know of are immigrants searching for a better way of life. They seem to appreciate what our nation has to offer more than someone who doesn't know any different. Of course, to be patriotic also means following the laws of the land, including applying for U.S. citizenship when moving from another country.

literary theory response

I am intrigued by the idea of the New Historicist approach to understanding literature.  I would agree that traditional curriculum and dry textbooks give a very narrow view into an author's world.  By researching information that is pertinent to a particular time period, the literature being studied becomes well rounded and interesting.  Anything that comes alive to a student is remembered more than rote memorization of facts.  I also like the way that learning history and literature together overlap one another in this process.  I have previously homeschooled my children, and found that nearly EVERY subject could be taught by using good literature.  Separating subjects is not just unnecessary, it can be debilitative to the learning process.  Students need to see how things and ideas fit together. I'm anxious to learn more about this theory.

I am also interested in  the Cultural Studies literary theory.  I like the idea of comparing literary works as a way to better understand people and their cultures, thus bringing the area of anthropology into play.

In my children's High School, they are required to perform a certain number of community service hours per year.  According to the definition of Cultural Studies, students can authentically become socially aware and active within their community by being prompted to interact with certain curriculum.  I like this idea better than demanding "volunteer" efforts.

Some final questions:  Does analyzing literature distract from the story itself?  Is it possible to overanalyze?  Where is that line drawn?