Sepulveda

Ivan Sepulveda
Professor Justin Lotspeich
Rhetoric 110
2 December 2014
Graphic Rhetoric:
The Pros and Cons of using Graphic Novels in Classrooms. V2
This text is a scholarship entry to Comic-Con Internationals Scholarly
Superheroes Scholarship contest. In this argumentative essay, I will evaluate the benefits
and drawbacks of using graphic novels in composition classrooms as a learning tool to
help students explore rhetoric and ways they can address social injustices. First, I will
explore the benefits of using graphic novels in classrooms as a learning aid for students;
the benefits include giving students a better idea what media sensationalism is along with
its effects, aiding students who struggle with picturing novels in their mind, and allowing
those who have not personally seen social injustices to grasp a visual of it. After which I
will dive deeper into the concept of social injustice within graphic novels. My Third point
will consist of stating the drawbacks of using these graphic novels in composition
classrooms. My forth point will remind my audience that graphic novels are still valuable
in these classroom environments. After which, I will conclude my paper with a summary
of all my points with my assertion on whether or not graphic novels should be used in
composition classrooms. Furthermore, throughout this essay I kept asking myself Why
does it matter that students and instructors fight for the use of graphic novels in
composition classrooms? At this point in time, it is common knowledge not all students
learn the same way. Students deserve the best education available to them; if there is a

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better way to teach, then by all means instructors should use it no matter how
unorthodox.
Graphic novels have benefits that can help students develop in their academic
career. One benefit that students get from reading graphic novels instead of regular texts
help in visualizing the storyline. Some students have a hard time picturing the storyline in
their head. So as they progress through a novel, they might not imagine the storyline
well; and because of this deficit, students might not comprehend a reading as well.
Thanks to graphic novels, students can bridge that gap. Graphic novels provide the
visuals for specific moments of time in the story. Readers just have to put the pieces
together. This is a good stepping store for struggling readers to improve their reading
level and comprehension. These novels also serve a form of leisure, a break from
challenging literature. In the Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Paula Griffiths
article Graphic Novels In The Secondary Classroom And School Libraries, Griffith
provides specific examples of how some graphic novels connect standard composition
curriculums. These examples include Cecil Castelluccis The Plaine Janes, Gipis
Garage Band, and Andrew Helfers Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography. Griffith states
that these graphic novels and more help students understand theme culture, cause &
effect, characterization, symbolism, and many more language arts components. These
components are essential to the development of readers at all stages. Graphic novels
allow readers to understand these elements to the fullest. In her text Literacy Strategies
for Grades 412: Reinforcing the Threads of Reading, Karen Tankersley states that
students should consistently read a variety of texts:

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We must help students see that reading is the bridge to the ideas in the
text. As teachers, we must also understand that textbooks are resources to
be read selectively, not cover to cover. If we want students to care about
the knowledge we offer, we must show our students how it connects to
their world. The sooner we use the textbook as one of many sources,
rather than as a sole source, the sooner our students will learn the content
we want them to learn. (Chapter One)
In summary, Tankerley asserts that although textbooks are essential in the
learning process, instructors need to use other resources to help students in the
areas they are lacking.
In particular, Frank Millers Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a great example
of a resource other than a textbook aid in a students learning process. This graphic novel
allows readers to achieve a better understanding of social injustices through the visuals.
Throughout the storyline, graphics help the reader understand media sensationalism.
When Batman returns to Gotham Citys spotlight, the media goes nuts; the local news
channel hosts debates, speculations, and dedicates so much time to covering The Batman,
when in reality, The Batman is just an old man who does not want to give up his life of
crime fighting because the violent death of his parents made him feel. On example of this
is the scene where Dr. Volper over speculates on why Batman fights crime. Volper states
that Batman has psycho-erotic behavior even affects other people. He goes as far as to
say that Batmans nonexistent condition is the reason why other criminals such as Harvey
Dent went crazy. Dr. Volper is not qualified to speak on Batmans state of mind because
he does not know him personally, he does not know his history or trauma. Although he

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can not make an accurate diagnosis on Batmans state of mind, the local news channel
hosts this talk regardless because they know that any and all coverage about The Batman
will get them ratings (Miller 66). This is a prime example of media sensationalism; here,
the media makes The Batman more than what he is, goes on tangents about every single
detail about him, and exaggerates the truth because they know people will listen. I could
not have seen this in a regular text without the visual aids. The visual aids help myself
and other students connect to their own lives and rethink recent and vital news stories.
For example, the Darfur Crisis. In Mahmoud M. Galenders article News Values,
Cultural Proximity And Cross-Cultural Media Framing: How Western And Muslim
Media Covered Darfur we can see media sensationalism in effect.
The New York Times has shown a strong bend toward framing Darfur in
the triangular frame of ethnic cleansing, rape and genocide. The three
frames together received 78% of the total news focus on Darfur. The
Janjaweed frame appeared in 24 of the stories, whereas the juxtaposition
of Darfur on the Rwandan massacres appeared in 31 stories.
For the Malaysian and Qatari newspapers (Tables 5 and 6), the data
showed a considerable reflection of the same triangular frames, though the
intensity of the emphasis of these frames was generally less (76.5% for
New Straits Times, 44.2% for Al-Sharq). Al-Sharq showed even less
emphasis on these stories as it focused on human-interest dimensions
relating to political solutions.
American media made the Darfur conflict out to be much more drastic than it really was,
just as Gothams news station made Batman more than he was. All of this was just for

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ratings and views. As a story gets more exaggerated, it gets more attention. This is a form
of social injustice. The people need to know the exact truth of what is going on, not an
exaggerated version of it. As young adults, we are strongly influence by pop culture and
the media. We cannot let ourselves be fooled by media sensationalism. Doing research
and hearing stories through different perspectives helps shine lights we wouldve never
known existed.
But graphic novels are not perfect. One drawback of them is their limitation on
imagination. Usually in fiction novels, readers can interpret for themselves what is going
on in the story, how the characters look, what their voices sound like, etc. In graphic
novels, most of the information and imagery is given and the reader just accepts it. But
overall, graphic novels are mainly a stepping-stone in the education process and a form of
leisure, so they are still a valuable resource in composition classrooms.
In conclusion, I feel that graphic novels are a vital resource in composition
classrooms because they assist in the learning of rhetoric and help students think about
things they do not usually think about, such as social injustice and ethical issues.

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Works Cited
Griffith, Paula E. "Graphic Novels In The Secondary Classroom And School
Libraries: Graphic Novels Can Provide Teaching And Learning
Opportunities For Readers, Educators, And Researchers. In This Article,
Discover Which Graphic Novels To Use And How To Use Them In Your
Classroom." Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 3 (2010): 181.
Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
Tankersley, Karen. " Literacy Strategies for Grades 412: Reinforcing the
Threads of Reading." ascd.org. Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development (ASCD), June 2005. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
Galander, Mahmoud M. "News Values, Cultural Proximity And Cross-Cultural
Media Framing: How Western And Muslim Media Covered Darfur."
Journal Of Arab & Muslim Media Research 5.2 (2012): 113-128.
Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
Miller, Frank, Klaus Janson, Lynn Varley, John Costanza, and Bob Kane.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. New York, NY: DC Comics, 2002.
Print.

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Dear Reader,

1. Ive worked towards by goals by dedicating more time to my readings and writing
assignment
2.
3.
4.
5.

Analytical Review because I spent the most time on it

6. Self Evaluation
a. All Underdeveloped