Our first grahic novel

I am a manga/comic book master of sorts so this is not my first time around a graphic novel. My first impression of this novel was a good one, the lines were clean and the characters were interesting to look at. I enjoyed the story of the Monkey king the most I think. He is cute but strong. The Asian mythology that was thrown is is nice too. I like the story of Jin Wang. I cant personally identify with his feelings yet but I can see where he's coming from. I don't like how the other kids treat him but I also don't like the way he treats his 'Best friend'.

The pannels I liked the best were on page 81. I liked the images and expresions of the character but I also like the message. The Monkey King is trying so despreately to deny that he is somthing different, when the man who created him is telling him that he was ment to be. He created a moneky to be a moneky, not to try and be anything else, yet the Monkey King refuses to accept it.

In Class response

I believe that in literature race, class, and gender are important to discuss because it can change the meaning or purpose of the piece all together. If someone is writing about racism and they write it from the point of view of the white man harassing the African American then the piece has a completely different meaning then if it was written from the point of view of the African American. Its also good to talk about class when discussing a piece with many different classes and how they interact to and around each other.
You can do anything with a strong mind. Imagination is a strong part of reading. You can see what's going on in your mind, wonder what's going to happen, and even determine what is actually going on between the lines. This is why you should always go into reading a piece with an open mind and a blank slate.
We can, however, intertwine literature with examples from popular culture to show us the true meaning behind the piece. It can also bring humor into the piece by breaking the fourth wall from a fantasy world into our own.

I believe both Peggy McIntosh and bell hook are both bringing light on racism and sexism. Perhaps we should stop looking at the differences between people and analyzing these differences and the world could be one sooner. Yes it is good to have culture and to have these differences but when they are shoved in our faces they just make us want to make them bad. I love exploring other cultures and other ways of life. I like seeing things from others perspectives and how others think. I believe if we could all do this then the world would be a better place. Arguments could be more solvable, hate could vanish, and people would be able to understand one another without much effort.

Learning in differnt ways.

Well Multimodality, multisemiotics, and multilieracie are all ways to learn. More specifically ways to learn about literature. Multisemiotic is the ability to absorb everyday life and literature trough the five senses. Multisemiotics can describe multiple meanings that are offed by these modes, and they have multiple understanding that we may be able to create from these modes. Multilieracies is when people understand these modes and apply them to life and show them in everyday life.

It's very clear that McCloud uses multimodality in his book Understanding Comics. He uses linguistics and a form of audio when he combines the words with his pictures. Using words that are sounds, onomatopoeias, can create what is almost like audio within a person's head.

Comic books, don't talk to me about no stinking comic books

To me, literature is anything written that can be read. From pictures to words, from meaningless objects to detailed photos, they all have meaning and they all can be enjoyed.
OH gosh I've been reading graphic novels, manga, and comics since I was like 2. I mean all children's books really are just comics, one pannel per page. The first manga I read was Reyearth when I was 14. I was hooked after the first two pages and read the whole first series in one day. From then on I loved series like Chobits, Tokyo Mew Mew, Coyboy Beboop, and many more. My love of comics didn't come till later but you can bet it came. I collect Teen Titans comics, though I have fallen behind since school started, and read as many as I can steel from my friends. Those include Batman(LOVE HIM!) The Hulk, Cat Woman, and others. I enjoy graphic novles as well. My favorite being V for Vendetta. I have also read Watchmen, and Lord of the Rings in GN form.
McCloud's book is interesting, I don't find it hard to understand or read but I know my way around a comic book page. Most of the stuff he talks about I already understand so it's not that much of a strethch for me.

Romeo and Juliet the manga

I chose the tittle page of the Romeo and Juliet Manga.This image is full of horizontal line, meaning stability but the lines at the bottom of the page are slightly diagonal bringing tension to the piece. The background of this piece is light at the top sowing a flowing freedom well the bottom of the piece shows darkness, meaning a doom or evil looming. The foreground of the piece is very smooth and rounded. This shows a security and happiness. The characters located in the bottom half are showing their stability and groundedness. The characters are touching showing a relationship, in this case a good one. They are both happy confirming their good relationship. The image is set in downtown Tokyo, a bustling city with many different people in it.
The story behind this picture is not hard to guess, it's the story of anger, strife, and above all love.

POEitry in motion

There are so many good poems out there it is hard for me to pick just one to share. I think I am going to give the gift of Mr. Poe.

Ladies and Gentlemen, for your consideration.....
The Raven

A Melting Pot

What is an American?
Humm hard question to answer, I would say that being an American is a state of mind. You don't have to be born here, you don't have to have lived here for long, and you don't have to speak our language. Some people don't have to pay taxes, some people don't have to have jobs. Most people don't contribute to the society, and less people care about our environment. So what is an American? I think that we have defined an American as anyone who wants to be and is living in the United States or has lived here at some point. Many people outside of our country who have lived here for a short time claim to be Americans. Is there a setline that is drawn? And if so, can some people be wrong in assuming that they are Americans depending on this line? I think that everyone has their own idea on what a true American is. Some people think that you have to be born here and have lived here for all your life. Yet some people believe that if they move here they are automatically an American. I don't have a set idea on what an American is, to be honest I don't care who is or isn't an American. I wouldn't judge people if they were or weren't so why does it matter?