Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics (4 points)

     The first thing I did notice about these cartoon strips was the heavy stereotyping of ethnic groups, and that included the dialogue and grammar choices. For instance, in The Katzenjammer's Revenge or...Such is life on the ocean wave! I noticed that despite it being in English, there were some substitutions of the letter W to a V, which in pronunciation has become a stereotype of the German accent. Along with visual clues we can come to the conclusion that these are sailors. In The Newlyweds- their baby, the choice of speech for the characters is stereotypical to that of an British person, this is also emphasized by the fashion of the characters, which was very similar to 1900s London fashion. 

     In Naughty Pete by Charles Forbell, Pete's speech bubble is more playful and childlike than that of his parents. That choice sets the overall energy of Pete's character and really bring life to him as a naughty, little kid, as his title says. The influence his parents had on stopping him from sliding down the stairs was little to none, making Pete even more inclined to do it, but then it came back to bite him and he got in trouble. This can definitely be used as a way to teach and influence children to always listen to their parents, others they'll be in a whole lot of trouble.

  On the stereotypical choices of older cartoonists, I definitely think that it affected the way people perceive certain ethnic groups of people. Wether it be a bad or good influence, it still affects that group because they are now confined to one image by the world. I think these stereotypes have done more bad than good to people of color, and they are still being used today to degrade these ethnic groups. Not only in comic strips, but in modern times I see it happen within the comedy world. I've seen it where stand up comedians today can get carried away with stereotyping people of color and it comes across as very offensive. The comedian's influence on their audience plays a big part on why this becomes a problem. These stereotypes can end up being used to degrade or bully a certain ethnic group. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Killing Joke (5 points ?)

 1. The Killing Joke, and the Joker in general, was kind of my introduction to the DC/Batman world and I had previously watched the animated movie before reading the comic. I thought the comic brought out the darker parts of the story, and was able to fully bring the more graphic images and topics that an animated movie might have limitations to. I really liked the comic so much better than the movie and I think I was able to get a better tone of the Joker and his motive. You really get to see what made him, him. The Joker is still a terrible person but you really get to see what drove him to do what he did, and that was trying to provide for his wife, which I still believe is the only person he will ever love. I really liked seeing a clearer display of the relationship between the Joker and Batman; it really shows just how similar they can be. I've always portrayed them both as the worst married couple with the most toxic relationship in the world.  2-3. I was able to connect...
Read more

Maus (6 points)

       I had never heard of this comic before, so I was intrigued to read it. Holocaust victims had such a unique experience that I am always fascinated with how much a person can survive. Learning about survivors' experiences is essential to be aware of how awful and unjust this world and people can be. This comic was exciting in the way it told the story. I liked the use of mice and cats as characters because it eased the reading experience a bit, and it allowed me to focus more on the story, whereas if they were to be represented as normal human beings, it would've felt a lot heavier to read. The use of mice and cats enhanced the story; it is an imaginative play on the hatred Nazi Germany had for Jews, similar to cats and mice. Despite the heavy imagery and events, the overall comic was a good read. I liked that I could still feel for the characters the same as I would a human being.   Mous served as an in-depth learning experience. It felt personal like we w...
Read more

The Arrival (3 points)

 When I first opened the book I was not expecting it to be solely imaged. The first pages of pages, an introduction to the characters of the story I believe, felt more personal as I looked at them. Each portrait held its own emotions and stories without needing words. Each character, I could tell, will have a crucial part to the story.  As I kept reading I felt eerie. The illustrations have an overall grey-ish tone. The attention to detail of each one kept me engaged. The first chapter I interpreted as a goodbye, where the family is accompanying the father to wherever he will be departing from. Their surroundings were almost surreal and a mystery to me, the shadows of what looked like a giant serpent left me intrigued.  Overall, the story kept me engaged as I tried to figure out the purpose of the father leaving his family. He arrived in this place where life seemed better. He stayed and learned the ways of life and the customs of the people. He found friends who helped h...
Read more