Cartoon Article and Responses

Alex Gilkerson

ENG 1510

September 9, 2012

Before you Read

My favorite cartoon was Spongebob Squarepants.  I feel I do connect with him, but probably not in a good way.  Our family has a lot of parties and get togethers and later on into the night we play music.  Pretty loud.  I connect with Spongebob in a way that I’m probably an “annoying” neighbor.

Summary 

The Vocabulary of Comics talked about different icons and symbols and how we view them.  It asked the reader different questions about why we think certain things.  Why do we think a cartoon face is an actual face?  Why do we think of the American flag as a country?  It talked about the way people think and why they think that certain way.

Synthesis

This article was very interesting.  It is different from any article I’ve read dealing with education.  The comic form relates to the younger generations and will get their attention much easier than a huge paper.  I felt I was able to understand his point of view much clearer. 

Questions for Discussion

 2. McCloud uses the comic book form to relate to the young readers.  College students will get bored of the same old format, long writings and small words.  This was a change to attract the readers.  Some people will read an article but not really understand or comprehend the material.  The comic form is an effective way to get people to actually read and feel more comfortable reading.  Like I said, it was a good change as a reader to see a different, more fun type of writing.

3. I totally agree with the statement that if the narrator were more realistic, the reader would pay more attention to him instead of the task at hand.  I believe this because if the figure was more realistic, it would have more features and more things to look at.  A more realistic character might have writing on his/her shirt or a hat with writing and different facial expressions.  A cartoon is simple and has just a few characteristics.  Typically a cartoon would have a round face, plain clothes, and not many features.  This would keep you more in tune to the readings.  When you see a cartoon, you make up your own ideas, or that cartoons story by looking at them.  If the cartoon were wearing high top shoes, a shirt and shorts, you would think they were doing something physical like a sport.  If the cartoon had long pants, dress shoes, and goofy glasses, you would view them as a “nerd”.

Applying and Exploring

4.   McCloud’s outlook on the mask, to me, is what gives us characteristics.  Our “mask” or face, is how we are viewed.  The characteristics of your mask will alter how people will view you.  If we didn’t have a mask, we would all look the same.  There would not be any judging.  I believe our “mask” is what makes you, you. 

Personal Reflection

This article was very easy to relate too.  Since it was in comic form, I felt its form was more interesting to read.  It was also an interesting article.  It really got me thinking differently on how everyday people think about different icons.  I never stopped to think how cartoon faces aren’t real faces and how they relate to the human thinking.