I loved some of the humor in this story. I think one of my favorite is when Jin Wang is introduced to the class by his teacher. "Class, I'd like us all to give a warm Mayflower Elementary welcome to our new friend and classmate Jing Jang!" (Yang 30) I did laugh though, I have to admit. Not only did his teacher pronounce his name wrong, but she was excited to tell everyone that "he and his family recently moved to our neighborhood all the way from China!" (30) I liked the way the Author Gene Yang incorporated Jin's side comments towards his teacher in order to correct her. Jin was really just from San Francisco. I found this part of the story very accurate to what tends to happen in society today. Many Americans tend to believe that all Asian people "come from China." I have experienced this first hand. My boyfriend is half Chinese and half Cambodian. People ask me where he is from and I say he is from America. There are other cultural jokes in this novel, but I believe they are used to bring in humor. I think one message Yang may be trying to get through to the readers is that comments like "stay away from my dog" can be hurtful towards Asian people like Jin (32). It reminds younger kids to treat other as you would like to be treated. I found the end of American Born Chinese to be a complete twist. I never would have guessed that Chin-Kee was really the Money King of Flower Fruit Mountain and that Danny was really Jin. Does this convey to the reader that people or "things" may not always be as they appear? I believe that the moral of this story is that the best way to fit in with others is to be true to yourself. Also, that people should not judge others before getting to know them first.
I think from this I can consider a graphic novel literature because it does involve critical thinking. The pictures are clear, but the concepts still have to be understood in order to get the moral of the story and the main themes. I believe that the use of speech and page conventions really help to capture that way in which the story is told and how quickly it is transitions. These were both ideas mentioned in The Conventions of Comics by Dr. Mortimore-Smith. It amazes me how many people may not realize that they know how to read graphic novels without really knowing the general rules. Like a thought bubble is rounded and a solid balloon is spoken out loud by the character. Also, through the direction of lines the reader can get the feeling of quick moments. This can enact fear, a feeling of being lost, or even nervousness. The larger spaces between event cans signify that a period of time has past. These larger spaces are known as Gutter (3). Using these clues readers are able to identify when the story is taking place without narration. Each individual aspect of a comic comes together to tell a great story.
The Last point I'd like to make as Wilhelm says is, "reading is seeing" (Chapter 5 YGBB). Students may have trouble understanding literature because they are not able to connect with it on a personal level. Using art and pictures to describe the plot may be one way to give the reader a gateway towards that connection. I think by demonstrating virtual endings and/or discussing graphic novels students are able to "see" the purpose in their readings. I would hope as a teacher this curiously could continue into chapter books and novels as well. I really would like to read another graphic novel since Born American Chinese was only my first! Any you would recommend?
Quote of the Day:
"We cannot know through language what we cannot imagine. The image-visual,tactile,auditory-plays a crucial role in the construction of meaning through text. Those who cannot imagine cannot read"
(Eisner, Wilhelm 160).
Heather, I really agree with your observations about American Born Chinese. The theme of being true to who you are is important. I had to read it more than once before I noticed some of the connections between characters and how the symbolize each other. Like you observed, I think there are stereotypes and things in the book that could be hurtful to some people. This text would have to be taught emphasizing the comic aspect. I had never considered all the literary devices that can be used in a graphic novel.
ReplyDeleteI like your quote because I think imagination is that key to "seeing" the text when we are reading. I think using art is a key way to get a young student to develop their imagination and increase their ability to visualize a text.
Like you, I overlooked the general rules at first to reading a graphic novel. I was extremely confused at first because I was just reading the words. Sometimes, I even went back and re-read some parts but once I started looking at the pictures, I started understanding more. It didn't take too long to catch on to the meaning and emotion going on throughout the novel. I really like the quote you included. It is so true that if you cannot imagine a book, you are basically not reading it. With certain books I've had to read, it has been a struggle trying to connect and relate to what was going on. Those were the books I could not visualize in the first place. I hope that as a teacher, I can find ways to have all of my students visualize the story because it is the most powerful tool to learning.
ReplyDeleteHaha so you mentioned the part where the teacher said that Jin came from China. This is totally random, but it reminded me of the part in Mean Girls (ever see it?) where the teacher announced that they had a new student from Africa and everyone turns to look at the one black student (who ended up being from Michigan, if I remember correctly?). Actually, the more I think about it, that movie clip could be used in conjunction with this text in a lesson about misconceptions/stereotypes, etc.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, your post made me think a little because as we have discussed graphic novels, I think I have begun to view them as these magical classroom tools that will automatically engage students. However, I remember other people mentioning needing to read through the text a couple times to pick up things. Our class discussion on the text proved that when I read through it, I missed A LOT.
Your post is reshifting my thoughts from "Teaching a graphic novel will be so cool and easy" to the reality that students will still may not want to think and search for meaning in even a graphic novel. Graphic novels may be something new and interesting and different, but they are in no way easy to teach.
I must say, my favorite part of the gutter is the fact that you are the one making the interpretations. The movement and transitions aren't always clear. This shift tends to bring the reader into the story. They are no longer allowed to be an outside party, they are instead fully engaged.
ReplyDeleteWhen I did my obeservation hours, the students were reading Beowulf. I went to the school library and asked if they had any graphic novels. They happened to have Beowulf the Graphic Novel. It seemed particularly difficult for the teacher to get the students to pay attention to the epic poem. That made me wonder, what if they had the graphic novel, would that make them want to learn more?
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI love that you use color to highlight the main points and ideas in your blog posts :D
As for recommendations for other graphic novels/similar:
-> Maus - Art Spiegelman
-> Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
-> Y: The Last Man - Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra
Thank you guys for all of your great comments. I am glad you enjoyed reading it
ReplyDelete