Project Proposal: V for Vendetta

   V for Vendetta is a graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd. The first episodes of this comic appeared in 1982. The novel is set in the UK in the 1990's after a nuclear war has all but destroyed the world. The action is set in the near future, in a dystopian society. I chose this graphic novel for my final project because the themes of anarchism versus fascism are very important and relevant to today's society. The society we live in can benefit from reading this book because even though the novel was written over 30 years ago, the struggles of mankind are the same as they have always been. I also think the fact that so many of us in this class chose this graphic novel proves that this graphic novel would be an important addition to the syllabus next semester.

   As I was reading V for Vendetta, this panel really stood out to me. In this scene, the policeman Finch is approached by V in an abandoned train tunnel. He shoots at V with a gun. V proceeds to stab Finch in the shoulder with a knife and says, "There. Did you think to kill me? There's no flesh or blood within this cloak to kill. There's only an idea. Ideas are bulletproof. Farewell." I think this idea is very important to the entire work because V represents anarchy and anarchy cannot be stamped out where there is not justice. V is wounded and eventually dies, but the idea is that the people may be killed, but the spirit of anarchy can be passed on person to person.

 
 "Remember, remember, the fifth of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot". These lines reference the story of Guy Fawkes and his participation in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The Gunpowder Plot was a failed assassination attempt of King James I in which the House of Lords was the be blown up using 36 barrels of explosives. The purpose behind this plan was to gain religious freedom. V, and eventually his protégée Evey, are determined to make a change even if buildings have to be blown up or bad guys have to be killed. They are both determined to call the people of England to action.


Work Cited

Images from https://www.google.com/images

http://www.hyperink.com/Overall-Summary-Ofldquov-For-Vendettardquo-By-Alan-Moore-b260a6

http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-v-for-vendetta/#gsc.tab=0

The Significance of Masks in Maus

 

 

   In the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman, the use of masks by the characters is very significant. Maus is the story of Art's father, Vladek Spiegelman, and his life as a Polish Jew who was persecuted and sent to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. His father survived, and here we have the gripping story that won a Pulitzer Prize and many other awards. Much controversy has surrounded this work, with critics complaining about everything from such a serious topic being conveyed through the graphic novel medium to the characters being portrayed as animals. Maus is a different kind of Holocaust tale, because it portrays the Jews as mice, the Germans as cats, the Poles as pigs, the Americans as dogs, and the French as frogs. Even through the use of animal identities, the use of masks in this story is very important. I believe the use of masks by the characters in Maus is very significant to the telling of the story.

 

 



 

   As I mentioned above, each nationality is portrayed as a different animal. Throughout the story, the reader learns about the struggle the Jews went through just to survive. The ones that survived had to be smart and innovative. I believe this is how Vladek Spiegelman survived, because he had connections and he had ingenuity. The most significant times in Maus when masks are used is whenever the Jews need to emerge into society. They have to wear pig masks to disguise the fact that they are mice (Jews). In the above panel, Vladek is trying to get back to Poland via train, but he knows he will not be able to get a ride if he is discovered to be a Jew. Vladek dons a pig mask in order to be thought a Polish traveler, and he talks the train man into letting him ride. The image in the last panel of this page was very moving to me because it is of Vladek holding the pig mask and looking forlorn as if he is thinking, "Is this how we must live now?"

 

 



   In the second book of Maus, Art Spiegelman is depicted at his drawing board some time after the first book of Maus has been published. Art is depicted in this part of the book as a human wearing a mouse mask instead of a mouse. I think this is very significant in a storytelling aspect because the idea is that the war is over, people of all nationalities and religious beliefs are accepted, and there is no reason to have to put on the "mask" of being anything but a Jew. I believe Art depicted himself as wearing a mask in this part of the story because he is saying he is a human just like everyone else, but he is first and foremost a Polish Jew.

   I really enjoyed this graphic novel, more than any we have read so far in this class. Contrary to some critics, I believe the use of animals as the characters is very effective. It helps the reader distinguish from the different races of people without having to go into too much detail every time a character speaks. I also believe the use of masks in Maus is very important, depicting the idea of hiding one's identity in a time of crisis.

Watchmen: Is Rorschach Right or Wrong?

      Rorschach, or Walter Kovacs, is a mysterious character in the graphic novel Watchmen. The reader is not sure whether to call him a psychopath or misunderstood hero. In the end, Rorschach is faced with a critical decision. Should he compromise his morals and ignore the fact that he knows Ozymandias was behind the attack on New York City which resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people in order to keep the peace between nations on the brink of war? Or should he stick with his moral compass that is telling him to be on the side of the innocent people that lie dead in the streets? The fact that Rorschach chooses to try to walk away from Adrian's hideaway convinces me that he is acting on the side of good.

     

      The above panel occurs in Chapter 1 after Rorschach has looked into The Comedian's death and tries to warn some of his masked comrades that there is a methodical killing spree going on, and they are the targets. No one wants to listen and Rorschach wonders to himself why one life matters to him when the world is on the brink of Armageddon. His answer is that evil must be punished, even if there is a larger threat on the horizon. The person behind The Comedian's death and other killings cannot be let off the hook just because there are other things to worry about. A murder is a murder.

   Rorschach makes a similar comment in Chapter 12 when he is about to leave Ozymandias's arctic fortress because he does not want to have anything to do with letting Ozymandias get away with his twisted idea of saving the world. Dr. Manhattan follows Rorschach outside and Rorschach knows that he is about to die. He says, "one more body amongst foundations makes little difference." He is commenting on the fact that Dr. Manhattan does not value a single life as he does, but life as a whole is more important. Dr. Manhattan then obliterates Rorschach. Even though he did some wrong things along the way, I believe Rorschach had the best intentions all along. Even though he probably knew he was not going to make it out of Ozymandias's fortress alive after declaring his opposition, I believe Rorschach was right in standing up for the innocent people that had died.