Introduction

Over the years, many educators have come to accept the graphic novel as a sufficient learning tool.  However, many critics believe the use of the graphic novel as a teaching tool is ultimately counterproductive, as graphic novels and comic books have no real substance.  Though there have been previous examples of teachers using graphic novels, as well as other form of comic mediums, to educate their classrooms it has still yet to become accepted practice.  My intent is to expose the usefulness of the graphic novel in accordance with rhetoric and why it should be used in the classroom.

Comic books and graphic novels all reflect the rhetoric of the time they were published in.  For example: around World War II, most comic book characters frequently fought of Nazi forces and propagated patriotic American rhetoric within all of their stories.  By going back through graphic novels I will conduct my research by comparing the rhetoric found within the American golden, silver, iron, and present day age of comic books with the rhetoric seen in the politics, news, and society of that respective time period.  Through this study I will have shown the usefulness of the graphic novel and go on to emphasize how and why it should be used as a pedagogical tool.

Some classes within the U.S. use the graphic novel as literature to explain social issues within the world.  In my junior year in undergrad I used “The Dark Knight Returns” as a tool to explain the power of the feminist movement.  Within “The Dark Knight Returns,” Robin is a girl and symbol of how far women have come.  Though there had been heroines in the past before this Lady Robin, such as Wonder Woman, Black Canary, or even Batwoman, those titles were made specifically for women and portrayed women as men saw them.  In Wonder Woman’s appearance in Sensation Comics, she marks the beginning of the feminist movement.  She is represents the liberated woman: she is strong and powerful.  Still, she dresses as if she were simply a masculine housewife.  Black Canary on the other hand is a rough, but sexually appealing woman with the super ability to scream.  What “The Dark Knight Returns” does for women is give women a role that had traditionally been a male role.  By placing a girl in “The Boy Wonder’s” role, a loud statement has been made that girls can do whatever boys can do, if not better without having to appear as butch as Wonder Woman or as sexy as Black Canary.

By pointing out the inherent usefulness of the graphic novel, I intend to free it from ridicule.  Studying each comic in according to each time period that it was created will allow me to show the rhetorical correlation between the two, proving that the graphic novel is a rhetorical tool.  Furthermore, after establishing the credibility of the graphic novel; using the graphic novel in the classroom as it relates to rhetoric will establish that it can be used as a pedagogical tool.  Though my main focus in the study is to explain how the graphic novel in the field of rhetoric, I hope this will lead to more innovation in the field.

Heroes and Villains

Alsford, Mike. Heroes and Villains. Texas. Baylor Press University. (2007).

Heroes and Villain highlights the direct influences that society has on comic books and graphic novels.  Within the texts he discusses similar patters going on in America that corroborate with the personalities of superheroes and super villains within the comic strips at that time.  This book is a descriptive analysis of the shared ethical issues in the comic book and world and the times they were written in.

Alsford clearly gives a detailed analysis of how comic book heroes and villains are directly linked to the time in which they were created.  This book is different from all my other sources in that it displays the attitudes of comic book characters in association to the time line that they were made.  However, even though the text supports my ideas, it does not provide a practical way to use this information.

Budget Rhetoric in Presidential Campaigns

Burden, Barry C. “Budget Rhetoric in Presidential Campaigns from 1952 to 2000.” Political Behavior .25 (2003); 97-118

This article criticizes and summarizes the rhetorical discourse involving the American budget from 1952 to 2000.  Burden highlights the rhetoric used to inform American about the budget as well as continual rhetorical discourse between the democrats and the republics.  Within the text, he also discusses volume budget rhetoric and how it is used to propagate the agenda of both political parties in America.  In order to get his data, Burden obtains previous budget analyses from 1952-2000 and compares them to the arguments used by both parties (democrats and republicans) during political discourse.

I intend to use this piece in order to highlight direct correlations between American politics and the silver age of comic books.  Although this article has more or less to do with the budget of America at the time, it also highlights a certain cooperation going on between the both political parties within the U.S. at the time.  This can do attitude that lasted throughout the 50 and 70s is the same attitude incorporated to comic book characters of the silver age of comics.  Furthermore, the cooperation between the democrats and republicans at this time is directly reflected in silver age comics like The Justice League, in which characters from backgrounds and beliefs come together for the greater good.

The Comic Book Project

Bitz, Miachel. “The Comic Book Project: Forging Alternative Pathways to Literacy.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 47 (2004); 574-586

The comic book project revolves around a study of students in grades 5 through 8.  It is a research project that explores the utility of comic books as a means of education.  Not only does the study revolve around reading and interpreting comic books, but also the creative process that goes into making one.  The study finds that the graphic novel is a useful pedagogical tool in the classroom.  Bitz does an excellent job explaining that the comic book is successful in the classroom begin it is much more engaging that traditional learning tools as well as more fun.

Bitz’s article is useful in its description of the graphic novel as a pedagogical tool.  His experiment with the comic book in the classroom provides proof that there is a practical use of the comic book in the classroom.  His article shows us that the graphic novel connects with the students in ways that more traditional texts could not.  Although Bitz does not address the rhetorical uses of the graphic novel in his experiment, his experiment tells of the practical uses of the graphic novel as a pedagogical tool.

Presidential Rhetoric and Public Agenda

Cohen, Jeffrey. “Presidential Rhetoric and Public Agenda.” American Journal of Political Science. 39 (1995); 87-107

From 1953-1999, Cohen discusses the affect the presidential State of the Union Address has on the United States.  Cohen hypothesizes that the more attention given to certain policies in their state of the union address; the more the citizens become concerned with these policies.  For his research, he uses a time series regression analysis from State of the Union Addresses given in the past.  This study reveals how presidential and political rhetoric become synonymous with the issues that concern American citizens.

This article is used to make the connection between the comic books of the bronze age and the American rhetoric at the time.  Cohen’s article emphasizes important subject matter within the American society that was reflected in comic rhetoric.  The article references the war on drugs, as well as civil rights issues which were highlighted in comic book rhetoric at that time.  Cohen’s piece helps to bridge the connection between the bronze age rhetoric found in the graphic novel with the issues being addressed within America at that point in time and how it influenced comic book rhetoric.

The Bomb in Political Caroons

Gamson, William and Stuart, David. “Media Discourse as a Symbolic Contest: The Bomb in       Political Cartoons.” Sociological Forum. 7 (1992); 55-86

This piece focuses on the Cold War conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.  However, it mainly focuses on editorial cartoons addressing the issue and how it influenced the culture.  William and Stuart examine how audiences reacted to these comics and address how it affected the society at that time.  This article clearly exposes how the mass media plays a giant role in influencing the country through rhetorical persuasion.

Gamson and Stuart’s article focuses on how the rhetoric of political comic strips has always had an impact on society.  Furthermore, the article goes on to state how comic strips also reflect the rhetoric of society at the time.  Gamson and Stuart explain the rhetorical nature of the comic strip and the power influences these strips have.  The article backs up my claims that comic books are excellent sources of rhetoric.  Connection between comic strips and cold war in this article is uncanny and accurately describes how comic strips can provoke us to come to certain conclusion through its rhetoric.

Superman on the Couch

Fingeroth,Danny. Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us About    Ourselves and Our Society. Continum. (2004)
This quick based text discusses the history of the comic book and how it was constructed around the society it was developed in.  It does an excellent job at meshing pop culture super heroes with the contemporary times in which they were crafted in and explaining how the comic book is a mirror of the culture at that particular time.  The topics covered in the book range from economics to the social disadvantages of women and men.  Fingeroth puts forward an outstanding social critique in this book.

Like Gamson and Stuart’s article, Superman on the Couch discusses the direct connection between societies and comic books.  Still, what makes this text stand out is that it focuses on how the rhetoric of society is actually encompassed inside of the super hero.  For example, the text states that the Green Lantern’s is a direct reflection of the attitude held in the 1970s.  His bold attitude was a mirror image of America’s young people.  However, as the attitude began to change and uncertainty began to spread throughout society, so did the Green Lantern’s rhetoric as he began to express doubt and uncertainty.  Fingeroth does an outstanding job explaining how super hero rhetoric can be linked to its people.

Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban High School.

Fisher, Douglas and Frey, Nancy. “Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban School.” The English Journal. 93(2004); 19-25

Fisher and Frey suggest using popular culture in order to bring enthusiasm to education.  Using Graphic novels like New York: The Big City, Fisher and Frey survey students as they use these books as a learning tool.  Through the results, they come to conclude that graphic novels, and other forms of popular mediums, are excellent learning tools for students.  This article states that by bringing different learning tools in the classroom, teachers can help improve literacy rates among their students and rejuvenate the excitement that comes with learning in students.

Like Bitz’s article, Fisher and Frey set out to prove that graphic novels, as well as other forms of mediums, can be used in the classroom.  What separates their study from Bitz’s is that it involves high school students who are able to give more feedback about the learning process.  Students are routinely asked if they feel as if any real results are coming from using other mediums as pedagogical tools.  More importantly, is the fact that this study is not simply used to test literacy, but also understand concepts and rhetoric found within graphic novels.

Figures of Rhetoric in Advertising Language

McQuarrie, Edward F. and Mick, David. “Figures of Rhetoric in Advertising Language.” The Journal Consumer Reasearch. 22 (1996); 424-438

McQuarrie and Mick’s article is a study of advertising in America from 1956-1994.  This piece organizes and analyzes the theory of advertisement for each time period by combining a series of quantitative and qualitative graphs, tables, and charts of advertisement theory and rhetoric going on for that time period.  Furthermore, article gathers the populous’ reaction to such advertisements and rhetoric.  Both writers give a concise explanation of how advertisements in America have guided the interest of the general population.

Although this study has nothing to do with the graphic novel or comic books, it is a formidable study that explains how rhetoric in the media is a heavy influence on the population.  The article helps to explain why looking at comic books and graphic novels as forms of rhetoric would be useful.  McQuarrie and Mick offer real research that shows us how our minds are receptive to images and words in which see on a daily basis.  I intend on using this article as a cross reference to explain why the graphic novel is an excellent medium to study rhetoric.

Five Trends in Presidential Rhetoric

Lim, Elvin. “Five Trends in Presidential Rhetoric: An Analysis of Rhetoric     from George Washington to Bill Clinton. Presidential Studies Quarterly. 32 (2002); 328-366

This article particularly looks at the change in public political rhetoric from 1789 to 2000.  Lim researches five major changes in 20^th century rhetoric.  He indicates that presidential rhetoric in America has become “more anti intellectual, more abstract, more massive, more democratic, and conversational.”  Furthermore, this article suggests that these characteristics have come to shape contemporary American rhetoric and proposes that further research to be constructed in this area.

Because this article analyzes the rhetoric of every president from George Washington to Bill Clinton, I can use this article to closely examine the rhetoric of the golden age of comic books all the way up to the present age.  This article will serve as a timeline from the golden age of comics to now so that I may highlight any patterns found in presidential rhetoric and comic books.  Within the article, it states that the rhetoric of the president usually reflect the beliefs found within the society at that time.  Should the correlation between the presidential rhetoric of the time match the rhetorical dialogue within the text of the graphic novel (according to that period), then we can assume that the graphic novel is a good source for interpreting the rhetoric of a culture or generation.