| Multiculturalism and the Graphic Novel - Rationale and Teacher Resources |
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| Origin of the Class
The idea of combining multicultural literature and graphic novels is an interesting one, but it is not exactly new. Mainstream comic books deal mainly with superheroes in fantastic situations. However, for several years, creative writers and artists have used the genre as a means of conveying breakthrough ideas about culture. When books are difficult to get published, independent thinkers can often break into the world of graphic novels. Often this media serves as a way of showcasing ethical, social, or cultural issues that might not find an immediate audience in the world of popular reading. In addition to the growing use of graphic novels to tell non-superhero stories, multicultural literature is gaining recognition. I figured why not merge the two? Graphic novels are becoming very useful, even �trendy,� educational tools, and multicultural literature is really starting to find its way into the spotlight. Instead of creating to separate, autonomous classes (which could very easily be done), I think teaching the two together would make a very interesting and diverse learning experience. The first step was finding a fair balance between graphic novels and multicultural literature. A very obvious way to do this would be to present the two genres with a significant overlap in both form and content. If I was teaching a multicultural class using �comics,� it would make sense to select graphic novels that deal with multicultural groups or issues. Similarly, if I was teaching a graphic novel class and wanted to discuss multicultural literature, it would make sense to have them read some standard multicultural literature. Thus, we have a class that focuses on both where each media compliments the other. It is very important that English, more specifically literature, evolves with society. This class serves several needs and will allow students to read several different types of texts and experience literature that reflects many different cultural perspectives. The purpose of the course is to provide students with a look at multicultural literature while introducing them to the graphic novel form. I believe that the texts and the projects of this course will do that in a way that will be literarily progressive and beneficial. In addition, the use of online conferencing, internet resources (including audio/video archives) and technology projects will make the class experience technologically diverse. [click here for another opinion] Selected Texts The seven texts and several articles that I selected deal directly with issues of cultural struggle or identity. These two issues are very closely linked; thus each text ends up being naturally complimentary of another. Furthermore, I have tried my best to structure the class around a logical progression of ideas. The first text, No No Boy, deals with the American internment camps that were set up for Japanese immigrants during World War II. This struggle, while coming to light significantly in the last decade or so, is an often overlooked part of our American culture. It deals directly with persecution and racism in our own culture, but it also presents an enlightening perspective on the cultural struggles and sacrifices that Japanese Americans have had to make. It might be clich� to say that cultures are defined by their adversity, but this book shows the origins of that idea. The second text, a graphic novel called Maus, deals with eerily similar events. During World War II, while the �good guys� were interning their citizens under the guise of safety, the other side was interning citizen and non-citizens alike for being �inferior.� Maus focuses directly on the Jewish Holocaust of Nazi Germany. The graphic novel is an excellent companion to No No Boy, as they both examine similar events, but with far different long-term implications. A transition between these two cultural groups is very effective for provide dialogue, but it also acts as a means to make graphic novels feel more familiar. Coming off of Maus, students move on to Palestine, another graphic novel that deals with the perpetual conflict between the Jewish and Palestinian people in the Middle East. After a very sympathetic look at the Jews, Palestine provides another perspective from nearly sixty years later. Palestine focuses on the Palestinian view of the Jews, as they fight for what they believe is their land in Israel. The graphic novel is told from the perspective of Joe Sacco whose personal journey to the area as a reporter serves as the basis for the text. It is not biased in it presentation of the Palestinian people, but seems to show a very negative side of both cultures. I often seeming to demonized the Jews, Sacco�s work must looked at objectively as the reader realizes that the book is nothing more than a first-hand news report, and as unsympathetic as both sides of the conflict seem, it is based upon true experiences. The text manages to provide a diverse commentary on the conflict as well as the multicultural perspectives that are present in the Palestinian people. It is a very interesting and useful shift between cultures within the same media. After discussing multicultural perspectives dealing mostly with foreign countries, the focus of the class returns to internal cultures within the United States. While Palestinians and Jews are fighting overseas, there are other racial conflicts being addressed in this country. Ever since the Civil War, African Americans have been fighting for equal rights. The racism is usually far less violent and often far less obvious, but it still exists. After World War II and the persecution of the Japanese, African Americans found themselves the subject of discrimination that still lingers today. Devil in a Blue Dress deals with the state of this country after the last Great War. The story revolves around a young black detective as he maneuvers around the racial charged streets of a big city. Laced with pre-civil rights movement problems, the echoes of which are still prevalent today, the book is a very effective multicultural text. It focuses on race relations between whites and blacks that still affect our country today. Despite all of the progress that had been made since the Civil Rights movement, this text is still far too familiar for most people. While the conflicts that still exist between races in this country are gradually changing due to cultural awareness, Native Americans are one of the most often overlooked victims of racial injustice. Each text in this class, up until this point, has been laced with a surprising amount of tragedy, but The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven serves as a way of bringing in a sense of levity. It is filled with tragedy and racial stereotypes. It is a stark commentary of reservation life. It is an eye-opening look into the plight and struggles of Native Americans. However, it is very humorous. This text presents the Native American culture to those who may not be very familiar with it. From the fast pace of the book, readers can easily overlook their notions of Native American culture in favor of understanding; this is, of course, the ultimate goal of any multicultural text. The Lone Ranger and Tonto� presents a great picture of this culture and also acts as a more light read than the other texts of this course; it is also acts as a breather for the most analytical texts that come next. The next two texts for the class are not necessarily logical transitions. Both Pride of Baghdad and The Watchmen are graphic novels that push the boundaries of multicultural literature. Pride of Baghdad focuses on the current Iraq war while The Watchmen is a superhero book, albeit a very dark and non-standard one. Each of these texts cannot fall naturally under the umbrella of multicultural literature; however, strong arguments can be made for both. Pride of Baghdad is a cultural text insofar as it discusses a major cultural event of this generation. The graphic novel manages to appear very pro-war and very anti-war simultaneously. Teaching this text as multicultural text is not an easy task; however, with the experience that has been built up in the class leading up to this point, students should have a lot to say about the issues the text addresses. It is definitely an emotionally sophisticated story that will require high level analysis to appreciate. The Watchmen is a very non-traditional superhero text, and it is perhaps one of the first graphic novels to present superheroes more as flawed individuals of a dysfunctional society than as larger than life role models. An article that is essential to this text is Interrogating �Whiteness,� (De) Constructing �Race� by AnnLouise Keating. This article makes the argument that multicultural texts are not as limited in scope as traditional multicultural curricula would have us believe. If we can look at burdened white characters with an investigative eye, we can probably make leaps from their components to the struggles of other cultural groups. This premise should be explored in detail prior to reading The Watchmen, as this text deals predominantly with white characters. The appeal is their incredibly dark, mediocre resemblance to the traditional superhero. This text serves to breakdown notions of comic book myth and provide students with a broad scope of the appeal of graphic novels. In addition, it can also be a bridge between the contention and struggles of multicultural groups with traditionally non-multicultural groups. [the Conversational Classroom] Common Themes Some of the common themes these texts share include racial injustice, understanding or discovering cultural identity, adaptation to environment, and perseverance. Each of these topics helps to link the texts together and can serve as a starting point for textual introduction or focused discussion. Additionally, common visual presentations within the graphic novels can be another source of discussion. The introduction of the visual medium can hopefully bring a new dimension to multicultural studies and understanding. Teacher Resources [Return to Syllabus] |