In Scott McCloud's piece, "Vocabulary of Comics," he uses comics and icons to represent the idea that we see less detailed images as better representations of ourselves and other things, rather than through more detailed images. A less detailed image can have much more meaning. A simplified drawing of a face as just a circle with two dots and a line is hard to be seen as anything other than a face. It can represent anyone's face. McCloud also expresses the idea that we see faces in many things, like inanimate objects, that don't even represent faces or have meaning other than their purposes. He says that we identify well with cartoons because we can "become" the cartoon and see similarities between it and ourselves.
Pre-reading:
- Look around the room you are in (or the outdoor space around you, etc.) Where do you see patterns resembling human faces in inanimate objects? How similar or dissimilar are those things to actual faces? Can you look at them without seeing a face? Why or why not?
In my dorm room, I have many pictures hanging up and two large posters. Each of these do represent actual humans and are perfectly similar. They are photographs of an actual being. I also have a few stuffed animals that have some facial features similar to those of a human. With the photographs, it is impossible to look at them and not see the human faces that they so clearly show, because that is exactly what they represent. They show a point in time and a particular moment with particular people.
- Consider why some children use stick figures when drawing pictures of themselves. Is it possible that stick figures show the development of a child in relation to his own self-awareness?
I believe that children use stick figures to draw themselves not only because it is easier, but also because they are very simple-minded. They don't pay attention to detail the way teenagers and adults do. They like the simplest of things and unintentionally try to show the important parts of them in their drawings. They want to show that the rest of the body doesn't matter. I believe that even though they don't really think deeply about this matter, they know that people are equal. All they need to show for the body are necks, arms, and legs. They realize that everyone is alike in having those things. Their personalities are shown a little better by the faces of themselves that they draw and any other things that they add into the picture.
Questions for Discussion and Journaling:
2. McCloud uses the comic book format to convey his ideas to the readers because he wants the readers to really think about his concepts and see them firsthand. In using the comic format, he is telling us what he wants us to know, while giving us images to not only show what he is saying, but to make us stop and look at each image and test out his theories. If he had written his piece without images and only through words, it would be much harder for readers to understand what he was trying to convey. Words would only give the reader some insight into what kind of images McCloud is showing/discussing.
3. If the narrator looked more realistic, readers would be more preoccupied with him as the messenger. A more realistic cartoon would keep the reader entranced more in what the narrator looks like and with trying to identify him as a person, rather than with what the narrator is saying. Cartoons are blank slates that we fill with our own identity because they leave much up to the imagination. Simplistic cartoons let us make our own interpretation and put our own experiences and thoughts into making the characters more identifiable.
Applying and Exploring Ideas:
2. McCloud says that we are more likely to see ourselves in simple, cartoonish images because we see the "main idea" of the image and know that what it is showing is true of ourselves. For example, a face made up of simply a circle with two dots for eyes and a line for a mouth will help us see ourselves more because we know we have those features. In a more realistic image, we look at every detail and try to associate it with our already-known image of ourselves. We try to differentiate between each feature and we pick more at the details. A simpler image can have much more meaning.
3. I think that some adults grow out of watching cartoons because they believe it is childish. They become used to the idea of reality and that everything should be show the exact way we see it. Even though we do see cartoons or icons daily, many adults have this notion that it is what it is, and that's the way it has to be.
My thoughts:
I thought this piece was very fun and interesting, as well as informative. I loved the use of comics and cartoons to express McCloud's idea. It was a very effective method. It would have been much harder to understand his ideas if it was written word for word with no graphics.
This piece compares to the other pieces we have read because it is persuading readers through argument and conversation.
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