The Secret Language of Comics

Link to Analysis

Link to Assignment

Due to my personal writing style, I began my essay with a small introduction and a draft of my thesis. It personally helps me while writing if I have a general idea of the thesis. After I finished writing, I edited it and rewrote it into the final paragraph. The main idea of my thesis is how both Stitches and Spinning use the medium of comics, specifically utilizing framing and transitions between panels, in unique ways to effectively portray the trauma they endured.

The tracing and annotating was the most enjoyable part of this assignment for me. Although it took me longer than I expected to find the pages I wanted to analyze, tracing the pages was quite fun. I didn’t feel like I gained any productive insights while I was in the process of tracing, however. It was hard for me to distinguish what I had drawn versus what was showing through the page, so I didn’t know what my tracing looked like until I lifted it up. Once I did look, it became clear how different Tillie Walden and David Small’s drawing styles are. My tracing of Spinning came out quite well when I first looked, but my tracing for Stitches looked all funny because I had only drawn the outlines, and there was still lots of shading I hadn’t included.

This assignment made it clear how subtle details and decisions can make such a big impact on the interpretation of the comic. Because I don’t typically examine each page as in depth as I did for this assignment, I didn’t think much about why I understood the emotions or thoughts of each person so easily. Especially for the pages I chose, framing played such an important role in conveying the emotion Tillie and David felt, but the decision making on the framing is something that would only influence me subconsciously while reading.

The main difficulty or difference of creating my literacy narrative in comic strip form was that I had only to include the “important” parts of my essay in the comic, as I felt like I had more limited space to work with. Also, I believe that my literacy narrative essay was a lot more descriptive than my comic because I feel like I can go into more depth with my writing skills compared to my artistic/comic-making skills. I believe I was just now as descriptive with my journey of reading and writing, and I think my journey with these skills is better portrayed in my essay. I chose to do my comic in the more traditional paper and pencil way because I felt I could express more of myself using this method. The pictures I chose and how I expressed my character’s dialogue would have been much simpler with the paper and pencil method. If I had the time, I would hire an illustrator for my comic because my drawing skills are minimal, and the illustrator would better understand the point I’m trying to prove and how to keep my audience more engaged. 

Comic Link

Title: From a Young Age

This is based on my personal experience on fall break and almost all of school breaks, that four days of break seem to go by faster than one day of class. I think a challenge for me is to arrange the narrative into four panels and still accurately convey the message. I think adding one panel allows portrait of a process through time.  

When I first began this tracing project, I was admittedly skeptical about its difference from traditional comparative analysis. The process of physically tracing and annotating two pages from the books seemed far removed from the traditional analytical writing I was used to. However, now that I’ve completed it, my initial hesitation has transformed into an appreciation for this hands-on approach.

The act of tracing and annotating was surprisingly enlightening. By tracing, I was able to immerse myself in the visual narrative in a way that mere observation couldn’t allow. Each curve and line I traced drew my attention to subtle details I’d previously overlooked. Annotating alongside allowed me to capture my observations in real-time. For example, in “Stitches,” I realized how the disproportionate size of a tear on a character’s face could encapsulate a world of grief. Also, after filtering the words and dialogue, I can pay more attention to the subtle change in the gesture and facial expression of the characters.

Adapting to an inductive essay structure with an “And-But-Therefore” (ABT) thesis was challenging initially. I am accustomed to starting essays with a clear thesis, but this method pushed me to build my arguments progressively, making the final thesis more thoughtful. It was a restructuring of my usual analytical process : instead of presenting my point and then defending it, I laid down the observations, added nuances, and then synthesized them into a coherent argument. I finally made the thesis: ” Both “Stitches” and “Spinning” harness the emotive power of tears and manipulate time, but they apply these elements differently to accentuate the emotional resonance of their narratives, therefore highlighting the inherent versatility of the comic medium. “

This assignment undoubtedly deepened my understanding of the intricate language of comics. Tracing and annotating forced me to slow down and appreciate the craftsmanship behind each panel. This close reading exercise shed light on how even minor details can significantly impact the narrative. Post this project, I feel I understand “Stitches” and “Spinning” at a much deeper level.

link to analysis: sarahshao04.wordpress.com/drawing-emotions-a-comparative-analysis-of-stitches-and-spinning/

link to assignment prompt

The process of creating this assignment was very much like that of the Triptych. Although the middle section spanned two panels, it allowed more room for the creative process. I did not have to jam in my thoughts into one panel. I was thinking about getting a job in the future and how I would have fun behind a cubicle. The answer in my brain was that I would not have fun behind a cubicle. So, this strange, lame prank by “Bob,” that does not end up pranking “Sarah,” shows that I do not think I would enjoy myself in a cubicle. It does not show that I would like to place fake snakes around the office. Not my style.

The thesis of my essay was about how the authors used different techniques to express changes in the characters’ eyes and the transformation of time. David Small and Tillie Walden both used these elements when they were describing a major moment in their life when they realized a truth. Though the techniques may be different, the purpose and effect of these techniques are similar.

The tracing process was a unique experience to me. The last time I had a project similar to this was an art class in middle school, so being able to do this again was refreshing. While I was tracing, I left out the dialogues because I thought it would have been difficult and would take too much time. However, without the dialogues, I found out it made me focus on the images themselves, which helped me observe more minor details that I later used in my analysis. For example, the subtle changes in the eyes of David on the page I chosen was a detail I did not notice before. The annotations I made supported me when I was forming my argument. I tried to write down everything I thought about the scenes in my annotations. Whenever I ran out of ideas or explanations for my argument, I would take a look at my annotations and find more evidence.

For this assignment, I tried using the inductive reasoning technique. Unlike my previous essays, I did not write my thesis first; instead, I kept it as the last thing I wrote. Even though the process felt unnatural, I realized it gave me more freedom. In the past, I felt constricted when writing my body paragraphs since I had to connect it to the thesis. However, in this essay, I did not have a thesis to follow through. Thus, I wrote down every idea I had in mind, and only worried about the thesis in the end, which was able to include all of my arguments.

With this assignment, I think it helped me a lot on understanding this secret language of comics. Instead of skimming through, I feel that I am able to read the hidden messages placed within or between panels. At the same time, the stories seemed much more in depth and complete after understanding how to analyze comics. The single biggest insight I gained about the two books during the whole process is that childhood experiences do not fully shape who we are.

Link to Analysis

Link to Prompt

Link to Analysis

Link to Assignment

The autobiographical nature of Spinning and Stitches requires an emphasis on the physical body of David Small and Tillie Walden, but they differ in how they emphasize, either through maximalizing or minimalizing their art. With context, the emotional tension is built through a question: What will happen next? The process of writing this essay was really interesting for me. I focused a lot on the mediums that the graphic novelists seemed to use, whether it was ink or watercolor, since I was using pencil. Trying to replicate David Small’s linework was a lot more difficult because there is very precise but jagged linework. I think I focused a lot more on what took time, which allowed me to discover the idea of maximalizing and minimalizing in the panels.

The ABT structure was really confusing for me. I ended up just writing an introduction then cutting it out at the end.

This assignment was really fun for me as someone who has never really gotten into comics before. I thought I gained a lot of insight into the artistry of it and how the different styles of art allow the graphic novelists to best express their emotions. The single biggest insight I gained was the interwovenness of the art and writing in comics and how it truly couldn’t be separated. Even the lack of words in a panel says something.