Ms. B: Exploring Graphic Novels

Large Panel Spreads While reading  The Outside Circle  these following pages stuck out the most to me. I really liked the way Kelly Mellings created these large panels that covered the whole page and depict multiple memories within one. She illustrates a scene in the background and overlays sequencing photos to display a vivid memory. I really liked this art style and decided I would try to create a similar effect by using real photographs of a few of my favorite memories.  Last August my boyfriend and I hiked Mount Pierce Mount Pierce, a 4,000+ ft. mountain in the Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. This was our first 4,000 footer and it was such an amazing trip for our one year anniversary. At the beginning of the trail there is a waterfall that we posed to take a picture in front of, and then again we posed at the top where you could see trees for miles. Every summer since I can remember for a week in the beginn...

Xuan's Journey into Understanding Her Chinese Name Yang mentions that in Chinese culture parents choose their child’s name with deep consideration because names are used as a way to shape a child’s future. On the first page the reader is introduced to Xuan where she says "Baba named me Xuan. It means "Forget Sorrow"". Throughout the novel Xuan li stens to her father tell his captivating stories. The way Yang rewrites them she  makes a point to introduce her ancestors by their Chinese name and define what it means, then after she refers to them in their birth order. The characters Chinese names reflect their personality and how they attempt to meet their parents expectation.  I began to wonder about the connection of Yang’s ancestors Chinese names and their stories she rewrote from her father and how she later makes a connection from her father’s stories to her Chinese name. Yang mentions that Chinese names reflect what their parents expect for them to bec...

Kate Evans's graphic novel Threads  is a first hand report of what she experienced and witnessed when she volunteered in the Calais Jungle. Her novel introduces the reader to a variety of refugees, shares their stories, shows their living conditions, and explains the way they are treated. I feel that I have learned a lot from reading this novel, not only about the thousands of refugees and asylum seekers that were fleeing their homeland and hoping to somehow get to the UK, but also about the many different ways that volunteers and citizens can help to support and care for these people. Evans uses her novel to show readers how her volunteer work has made a difference and how others can make a difference. She inform readers of the little things they can do from their home, what supplies these people need, and how it is used to support people and make a difference.  Food items that are useful include chickpeas, rice, caned fish, long lasting milk, ginger, garlic, ...