Comic books do not regularly appear at the top of a “must read” list for good literature in the United States. Comic artists do not typically receive the Pulitzer or Nobel Prizes for literature, nor are they discussed alongside classic writers like John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, and Shakespeare. Nevertheless, over the past several decades, comics and their artists have been received with growing interest in the mainstream publishing industry and the field of education. Paneled pages of both word and image have evolved beyond that of the Sunday funnies and short stories of all-American superheroes. Comic books have matured into graphic novels. They are being reviewed and examined in prestigious publications like the New York Times, and Hollywood grosses a fortune adapting them into movies.
Gone are the days when the stereotypical comic book reader is a teenage male unfit for the football team and unpopular with the ladies. Graphic novels have redefined panels of words and images in a way that has been culturally validated and valuable for the study of art and literature. They are now considered by many both visual and literary art forms, and are being introduced into American classrooms for the purpose of building literacy skills. Research has shown that using graphic novels in the classroom encourages reluctant readers to read, and they are especially effective for reading and comprehension among English language learners.
An Aesthetic of Comics and Graphic Novels
In years past comics were viewed as “those bright, colorful magazines filled with bad art, stupid stories and guys in tights” (McCloud, 1994, p. 2). Due to the abundance of images and simple text, “their reputation for usefulness has been associated with people of low literacy and limited intellectual accomplishment” (Eisner, 1996, p. 3). These sentiments, however, only express a surface level, if not stereotypical, view of comic art. Simply defined, comics and graphic novels are magazines and books that contain sequential art in narrative form (Smetana et al., 2009). Will Eisner was the first to coin the term “sequential art,” and Scott McCloud (1994) added to his definition saying that comics are “juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer” (p. 9). The juxtaposition of images and text in sequence form a narrative, and it is in this narrative with regard to length and content that graphic novels are distinguished from comics. While comics are shorter stories published in magazine format, graphic novels are substantially longer. They are published as bound books that can be upwards of 300 to 400 pages. In addition, comic short stories are sometimes published as a series or anthology in graphic novel form.
Graphic novels are also different from comics in that they usually explore complex story lines and mature themes similar to those found in novels (Smetana et al., 2009). Though these works are labeled as “novels,” they are not just fiction, but nonfiction, biography, and a myriad of other genres. For example, Maus by Art Spiegelman (2011) is the true story retelling of Spiegelman’s father’s experience in a Nazi extermination camp, told and illustrated with mice representing Jews and cats representing the Nazis. It is this blending of narrative and the visual that Eisner (1996) says makes comics and graphic novels a literary art. He says,
The reading process in comics is an extension of text. In text alone the process of reading involves word-to-image conversion. Comics accelerates that by providing the image. When properly executed, it goes beyond conversion and speed and becomes a seamless whole. In every sense, this misnamed form of reading is entitled to be regarded as literature because the images are employed as a language. (p. 5-6)
Further, Liu (2004) comments concerning visual genres,
Comic strips catch many researchers’ attention because . . . they combine aesthetic perception with intellectual pursuit. Comic strips communicate using two major media—words and images—a somewhat arbitrary separation because comic strips’ expressive potential lies in skillfully employing words and images together. (p. 229)
As the research shows, images and text work together in comics and graphic novels to become a language in and of itself, and in doing so, a storytelling medium is created, literature.
Graphic Novels and the Second Language Classroom
In The Power of Reading, Stephen Krashen (1993) argues for a literacy strategy he coins Free Voluntary Reading (FVR). FVR calls for an allotment of time set aside during the school day for recreational reading of the students’ choice. Krashen says,
Perhaps the most powerful way of encouraging children to read is by exposing them to light reading, a kind of reading that schools pretend does not exist and a kind of reading that many children, for economic or ideological reasons, are deprived of. I suspect that light reading is the way that nearly all of us learned to read. (p. 47-48)
He focuses particularly on comic books for light reading due to their popularity, low vocabulary, and visual complexity, emphasizing that comics can serve as a conduit to heavier reading of text-based material. In addition, Crawford (2004) states that graphic novels “are linguistically appropriate reading material, bearing no negative impact on school achievement or language acquisition” (p. 26).
Though comics and graphic novels shown themselves useful in several classroom settings for literacy gains among students, they have proven to be particularly helpful in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms. In a study on using graphic novels with deaf English language learners (ELLs), Smetana et al. (2009) state that “the illustrations provide contextual support and clues to the meaning of the written narrative, help demystify the text, and increase comprehension” (p. 231). In order to fully comprehend a graphic novel, they say,
The student must use many of the same skills that are needed to understand traditional works of prose fiction. Graphic novels require that the reader be actively engaged in the process of comprehending a range of literary devices including narrative structures, metaphor and symbolism, point of view, the use of puns and alliteration, intertextuality, and inference. (p. 233)
Further research in this area also validates the notion that graphic novels help build literacy for ELLs. For example, Liu (2004) studies the effects of comic strips on L2s in a university setting, finding that comics “significantly enhanced” the comprehension and performance of low-level students. While the images may provide contextual clues for interpretation of the texts, students also learn to read visual cues, facial expressions, and other aspects of English language and culture.
Norton and Vanderheyden (2004) found that ELLs are more eager to read comics because they are culturally informed and humorous, reminding us that “the pursuit of pleasure and enjoyment is no less important for second language learners than for their native-speaking classmates” (p. 208). Nine out of the ten language learners in their study further said that reading comics will help other students learn English as well. Even though students may find comics humorous and easy to read on the surface, literacy and comprehension continue to develop in ways reading of traditional texts does not teach:
The comic book demands that the reader make two interpretations simultaneously: one of pictures and another of text. The multiple forms of representation, including balloon dialogues, inset sketches, the drawing of asides, together with the reader’s impulse to keep the story going, are not only challenging for readers, but illustrate convincingly that the reader assumes two identities in the reading process: the identity of the teller and that of the told. This dual identity is one that is rarely taught. (Norton & Vanderheyden, 2004, p. 211)
Another study shows that graphic novels aid writing skills by providing “a visual vocabulary of sorts for scaffolding writing techniques,” such as dialogue, mood, and tone (Frey & Fisher, 2004, p. 24). As has been shown, research supports that using graphic novels and comic books in the ESL classroom is beneficial on multiple levels, helping students learn beyond the comprehension of text.
Lastly, graphic novels in the second language classroom can be helpful for students because of the prominence of cultural border-crossing narratives. Several of the most prominent and praised graphic novels highlight the immigrant experience. Christensen (20060 noticed this trend among graphic novels and compiled a reference list for which books to read when studying certain geographic locations and conflicts. Considering the implications for ELLs in a social studies classroom, she found, “English as a Second Language and limited language learners, many of whom may be immigrants and refugees from the war-torn countries being studied, are thus able to take part in classroom discussions and contribute their unique insights” (p. 228). There is a vast array of graphic novels available that deal with many social issues like immigration, war, racism, and poverty. For example, Joe Sacco’s Safe Area Gorazde (2001) and Palestine (2001) are graphic novel representations of a photojournalist seeking to learn about the conflicts in Bosnia and the West Bank rescpectively. Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis (2007) is a nonfiction “coming of age” story of a young girl during the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran. Echoes of the Lost Boys of Sudan (2011) is a nonfiction graphic novel about four Sudanese boys who tell their story of fighting for survival and safety in the midst of civil war. And as mentioned earlier, Art Spiegelman’s Maus (2011)can serve to introduce students to the Holocaust, giving students the opportunity to critically examine racism and prejudice. All of these graphic novels, plus many more, are contextually relevant source materials for study in ESL classrooms. They not only aid in reading and comprehension, but lessons can be framed by a critical examination of social realities and the students’ life experiences.
Critical Pedagogy of Multiple Literacies
Several recent studies support graphic novels in the classroom because of their value in exposing students to media and critical literacies, or as the New Long Group describes it, a pedagogy of multiliteracies (Chun, 2009). This pedagogy encompasses an instructional framework with four dimensions: 1) situated practice that draws from students’ life experiences, 2) overt instruction that introduces metalanguage to deconstruct the many ways meaning is constructed, 3) critical framing of the cultural and social context, and 4) transformed practice that re-situates the student to go through the same processes in other cultural contexts. Multiliteracies has further been defined as “the multiplicity of communication channels and media” and “the increasing salience of cultural and linguistic diversity” (Chun, 2009, p. 144).
In a globalized and media rich world, students are no longer simply negotiating meaning through black and white text on a page. Literacy must encompass the visual just as much as the actual text in order for students to become fully proficient in the meaning-making process. Schwarz (2008) explains, “Scholars and teachers realize that in a media-dominated society, one traditional literacy—reading and writing of print—is no longer sufficient. Today’s young people also have to read films, TV shows, magazines and Web sites” (p. 59). Because students are faced with so many texts and images regularly, it is important to train them to decipher such messages and interpret them in a critical manner. Jacobs (2007) elaborates on the role of comics and graphic novels in this media-saturated environment: “By embracing the idea of multimodal literacy in relation to comics, then, we can help students engage critically with ways of making meaning that exist all around them” (p. 21).
Critical literacy, then, is at the core of a pedagogy of multiple literacies, and is useful in training students to negotiate meaning in society. This is done as critical literacy “encourages readers to delve past a comprehension-level understanding of a piece of text to identify the underlying ideologies, or belief systems, inherent in any given word and image” (Boatright, 2010, p. 470). The more students are exposed to various modes of representation, which can be facilitated by using graphic novels in the classroom, the more likely they will succeed in school and beyond. In fact, this is particularly important for ESL students since critical literacy is a crucial element on the road to academic literacy.
Chun (2009) studied the use of Speigelman’s Maus in an ESL classroom taught using a critical literacy framework. She says, “Because Maus directly addresses the issue of racism and its pernicious, deadly consequences, it is an ideal text to use in classrooms with ELL students as they often face the daily discourses and practices of racism that permeate the society in which they live” (p. 147-148). By using the students’ own resources for constructing meaning while reading Maus, the researcher found that it encouraged critical reflection, “which in turn leads to students’ acknowledging their own power as co-creators of knowledge in the classroom and beyond” (p. 152). Botshon and Plastas (2009) regularly use Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis at the university level because it creates a space for discussion about gender, war, nation, and citizenship, as well as offering a space for students to question their own notions about the Middle East. They have also consistently found that their students are compelled by the graphic novel genre, and they name Persepolis as one of the best texts they read for class. As a final example, Ranker (2008) studied an ESL class that used comics as read-alouds for reading instruction. The educator used contrasting comics, one being Hulk and the other Wild Girl, to discuss the representation of gender, strength, and masculinity. While incorporating critical media literacy into the curriculum, the teacher found that
students were taught to read texts with an understanding of story structure and ability to recognize dialogue representation. They also were taught to read with an eye for how their readings might provide material for and insights on their own reading and writing practices. Through Ms. Stephens’s lessons and their connections with other aspects of the literacy curriculum, she created a seamless, balanced experience for the students to engage simultaneously in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing modes. (p. 296)
Using graphic novels in the ESL class allows students to engage critically in the world around them while also further developing multiple literacy skills, empowering them to engage in meaning-making through a variety of modalities.
Conclusion
Comics and graphic novels have come a long way since their former peak of popularity in the mid-20th century. From the “Peanuts” strips in the Sunday paper to superheroes saving damsels in distress, they now explore issues such as poverty, immigration, war, genocide, belonging, acceptance, cultural identity, and more. Cultural institutions and publications have validated graphic novels as a literary art, and have subsequently found their way into American classrooms to promote literacy skills. They have proven themselves especially useful in the context of ESL classrooms as the images complement the text for comprehension. Graphic novels have also provided an avenue to explore critical media literacy through a pedagogy of multiliteracies. As Carter (2007) concludes,
The more graphic novels become integrated into the matrix of the English classroom, the more transformed English will become, moving away from notions of literacy that are only letter-based, from “one size fits all” literacy instruction, and from classroom libraries and reading lists devoid of panels and borders. In short, the English classroom that integrates graphic novels will be and is becoming a classroom with books that suggest the class is a place of acceptance, diversity, deep and multifaceted reading, and discussion that does not shy away from challenge. (p. 52)
References
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