During today's seminar in the media center, the discussion allowed me to make connections between the plot and human nature and the graphic novel's worthiness of being studied. Can Watchmen earn its way into the cannon? I vote yes. A lot of the books that we do study are chosen because of the teachings and values presented in the text. Last year, we focused on discrimination against African Americans ("A Raisin in the Sun", Cry, the Beloved Country, etc..). Through these books, we learned about the struggles of life. What's to stop us, then, from saying that lessons are present in graphic novels/comics? I believe that several characters often find themselves asking, "What's happened to us?" They regarded themselves as monsters rather than protectors of justice. As Rorscach told the doctor at the jail, Walter died with the little girl who had been murdered; only a masked man remained.
The heroes soon found themselves punishing criminals in the same way that they had harmed their victims. Is this fair? Could this bloodthirsty rage be the cause of the repeated question: "What's happened to us?" Were they starting to believe the Comedian?
This is slightly off topic, but here goes. We began discussing this during the seminar, but it's too interesting to forget. DID the inclusion of art/pictures limit our imaginative process while reading the book? I often found myself flipping back and forth in order to re-examine previous pictures because I felt that I was no longer given the liberty to imagine the character as I would have perceived him/her to be. Just a thought..
(Sam Maliha)
4 comments:
I didn't feel like the pictures limited me. I felt that they actually helped me understand the story better. In a words-only book they describe the character/setting/situation a certain way, and then later the author say something else that goes against how I originally pictured it. With the pictures there is no confusion. There is less liberty but I don't think that means less imagination.
I think Watchmen brings up important veiws of human nature and could be studied extensively in classes successfully. On the other hand there are parts that seem pure entertainment to me. I think the younger generation has an easier time accepting graphic novels as a source to be studied. We as a generation in general are more open to new ideas because we are used to being presented new technology and ways to understand something on a daily basis.
(Kelley Volosin)
I second Sam's vote. With its deep themes and characters, surely Watchmen could earn its way into the canon. What makes it any different from any other piece of literature? What does it matter if it has illustrations? As far as I'm concerned, the illustrations only augment the novel's depth, because, as was mentioned at the seminar, reading words at the same time as interpreting images requires great thought and concentration.
In terms of Sam's question about the fairness of punishing criminals in the same way that criminals harm their victims, we obviously cannot definitely state whether this is "fair" or not, since each individual's answer may differ. Clearly, Rorschach believes not only that it is fair, but also that it is absolutely necessary. One particular quote (from his journal) on page 24, following The Comedian's death, sums up his stance on this matter:
"Why does one death matter against so many? Because there is good and there is evil, and evil must be punished. Even in the face of Armageddon I shall not compromise in this. But there are so many deserving of retribution...and there is so little time."
Personally, I agree with Rorschach's mentality here, and thus am quite moved by the quote. However, of course others may disagree and argue that punishing criminals in the same way that they harm their victims would eliminate the distinction between criminals and "good" people. Ultimately each person is entitled to his/her own opinion.
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(Janet Lee)
I felt that the inclusion of images only strengthened my understanding of Watchmen, instead of detracting from it. Certain aspects of Watchmen could only have been represented in the form of a graphic novel. For example, the multileveled narrative that wove in the story of The Black Freighter was one that works most effectively in graphic novel format. It is no coincidence that Snyder was forced to include this story apart from the main movie. In addition, Dr. Manhattan's perception of time was skillfully captured in each comic book panel (leaping back and forth between his memories and the moments), giving us a glimpse into how he views time.
One more small point: I disagree, Sam, with your description of Rorschach as a "masked man." It wasn't just a mask anymore: that pattern of inkblots was Kovacs' face. As the novel said, no longer was he Kovacs pretending to be Rorschach. He was Rorschach.
-Eric Wei
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