I looked at Jeff Gerding's pick, "Slim" which can be found at http://www.pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF157-Slim.jpg. This comic is actually pretty funny. It might be short, but it manages to make you laugh in under five panels, which I think is pretty impressive. I agree with Jeff's observations. It is obvious that the artist has a very deep knowledge and understanding of comics. The way that it is drawn definitely gives an accurate portrayal of the old mobster comics. Jeff hit the nail on the head when he said that the style of art could be called iconic. He said, "there's enough detail that the images are able to clearly convey what the artist wanted them to: anyone who is even remotely familiar with the detective comics of the 1930s will recognize this as a pretty faithful parody."
The comic is a good example of of scene-to-scene transitions. It moves from setting to setting, not moment to moment. It is also easy for the reader to gain closure. It is clear that Slim has eaten the box of hamburgers in order to mask his identity, which allows him to get away with whatever he has done. Ambiguity is definitely lacking, as Jeff pointed out. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out what has transpired in the "gutter," or the empty white space between the panels.
The color scheme that is used in this comic stays pretty true to what McCloud was talking about in chapter 8 of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. The color of Slim's clothing is what the reader associates with him, which is what allows the reader to understand that the fat mobster is Slim at the end. If the artist would have changed the color of Slim's clothing, the reader would probably have ended up confused. McCloud wrote, "while comics colors were less than expressionistic, they were fixed with a new iconic power. Because costume colors remained exactly the same, panel after panel, they came to symbolize characters in the mind of the reader." (188)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Understanding Comics 1
I chose a comic entitled "Copper" which can be found at http://www.boltcity.com/copper/copper_038_clockwork.htm. The comic follows a working man and his dog on an average day of work. The companions stumble on a clock that isn't working, so they decide to fix it. After doing so, they realize that they will have to come back to rewind the clock very so often. The dog points out that they will have to work more overtime than usual and he is not happy about it. The owner doesn't seem to mind though.
The first concept that i saw that reminded of me of McCloud was the concept of what happens in the "gutter" of comics. We see that the man is attempting to move some screws around on the clock. The next frame shows noises being made: "kchunk! tok tok tok!". Even though it doesn't show exactly how the guy fixed the clock, we can assume that he did something to make it work.
Another McCloud concept is the layout of the comic: it is action to action. Each frame represents the action that occurs next: first they stumble upon the clock, they ponder what is wrong with it, the reach in to their tool boxes, etc.
The first concept that i saw that reminded of me of McCloud was the concept of what happens in the "gutter" of comics. We see that the man is attempting to move some screws around on the clock. The next frame shows noises being made: "kchunk! tok tok tok!". Even though it doesn't show exactly how the guy fixed the clock, we can assume that he did something to make it work.
Another McCloud concept is the layout of the comic: it is action to action. Each frame represents the action that occurs next: first they stumble upon the clock, they ponder what is wrong with it, the reach in to their tool boxes, etc.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Section 2: Blog 1: Picturing Texts
I chose one of my favorite websites to navigate, http://www.puma.com. I can spend hours shopping on it, even if I really do not intend to buy anything. The way the site is set up illustrates one of the many concepts addressed in "Picturing Texts" beautifully: classification. The main page is divided in to four major categories: Shop, Sport, Sport Fashion, and Sport Lifestyle. This makes it easier to understand what you can expect to find on the site. Without these categories, you could spend tons of time searching for the women’s shoe line or a man’s sweatshirt. The categories allow you to move right to the section that you want to look through.
Obviously, I go to the women’s section. This category is divided even further into sub categories: footwear and apparel. This makes it easier for girls like me who might need a sweatshirt, but can’t bear to look at the shoes without making a purchase. The categorization of these things allows me to bypass the shoes that I love so much without being tempted to buy. If the categories that "Picturing Texts" mentions weren’t incorporated into this site, I would end up with empty pockets.
Obviously, I go to the women’s section. This category is divided even further into sub categories: footwear and apparel. This makes it easier for girls like me who might need a sweatshirt, but can’t bear to look at the shoes without making a purchase. The categorization of these things allows me to bypass the shoes that I love so much without being tempted to buy. If the categories that "Picturing Texts" mentions weren’t incorporated into this site, I would end up with empty pockets.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Post 9:Peer Review Recap 2
Both peer review processes were good, but for different reasons. The last one was a little bit more private. I don't like having my work put out there when it isn't finished. This was especially true of this assignment. The version of my paper on the Wiki is nothing like their version that I will actually be turning in.
People did seem to take time and actually read through the papers though. The feedback that I got was good. It always helps to have someone proofread your writing for you, which is essentially what happened. It was also nice to be able to view a plethora of other essays. It made it easier to decide how I wanted to attack the writing of my paper. The Wetpaint Wiki was kind of annoying at first, but once I understood how to use it, I actually liked it. I think its a good thing to do in a college setting, but for lower grades it might not be appropriate. (Kids can be cruel! No one needs to be embarrassed about their work.)
People did seem to take time and actually read through the papers though. The feedback that I got was good. It always helps to have someone proofread your writing for you, which is essentially what happened. It was also nice to be able to view a plethora of other essays. It made it easier to decide how I wanted to attack the writing of my paper. The Wetpaint Wiki was kind of annoying at first, but once I understood how to use it, I actually liked it. I think its a good thing to do in a college setting, but for lower grades it might not be appropriate. (Kids can be cruel! No one needs to be embarrassed about their work.)
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Post 8: What are Others Saying?
I totally agree with Jeff Gerding’s point about the Williams book: it is much more in depth than the Strunk and White book. It is crucial to use clear, concise language in your writing. Williams does devote a whole chapter to this point while Strunk and White merely say “omit needless words.” The principles that Jeff pointed out that Williams uses are much more helpful than the example that Strunk and White. Williams wrote:
1. Usually, compress what you mean into the fewest words.
2. Don’t state what your reader can easily infer. (115)
while Strunk and White only gave this example:
A period of unfavorable weather set in.
It rained every day for a week. (21)
The former is definitely much more helpful than the latter. Not only are those principles much more helpful, there are a few examples given as well. Jeff is completely right.
Allison Bondie’s view on the two books is really quite interesting. Strunk and White may be a little less explanatory but they are much less pretentious and a lot more basic, which makes them easier to understand. I love how she describes Williams as being “self referent to their (his) own greatness.” I guess there is something to be said for simplicity. I could definitely feel the pretention radiating out of the Williams book as I was reading it.
Beth Logsdon’s blog makes a good point about the shortness of Strunk and Williams as well. “It (the shortness) makes it very good for referencing,” Beth said. It would be much easier to find something in the Strunk and White book if I needed an answer quickly. In order to find something in the Williams book, I would need to take a few minuets to look for what I really needed. Strunk and White can be referenced in seconds. These differences in style may be due to the differenced in the time periods of which they were written, which is another good point that Beth brings up.
Siobhan Stevens brings up a really good point about the Williams book: it doesn’t really address punctuation at all. After reading Strunk and White, I would have thought that Williams would have addressed it more since I believe that punctuation is a very important part of writing. It helps make it clear just as much as word choice does. I disagreed with her on another point, however. I found the section in Strunk and White on misused words to be totally helpful; maybe I should be embarrassed to admit that, but I did. As I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, I tend to forget the correct usage of effect and affect. Nauseous and nauseated are another words set that I often confuse with one another.
It is interesting to look at other people’s blogs and see that we are all having a lot of the same thoughts about these books. It is also nice to get an outside perspective and have things be brought to my attention that I never would have thought of otherwise.
1. Usually, compress what you mean into the fewest words.
2. Don’t state what your reader can easily infer. (115)
while Strunk and White only gave this example:
A period of unfavorable weather set in.
It rained every day for a week. (21)
The former is definitely much more helpful than the latter. Not only are those principles much more helpful, there are a few examples given as well. Jeff is completely right.
Allison Bondie’s view on the two books is really quite interesting. Strunk and White may be a little less explanatory but they are much less pretentious and a lot more basic, which makes them easier to understand. I love how she describes Williams as being “self referent to their (his) own greatness.” I guess there is something to be said for simplicity. I could definitely feel the pretention radiating out of the Williams book as I was reading it.
Beth Logsdon’s blog makes a good point about the shortness of Strunk and Williams as well. “It (the shortness) makes it very good for referencing,” Beth said. It would be much easier to find something in the Strunk and White book if I needed an answer quickly. In order to find something in the Williams book, I would need to take a few minuets to look for what I really needed. Strunk and White can be referenced in seconds. These differences in style may be due to the differenced in the time periods of which they were written, which is another good point that Beth brings up.
Siobhan Stevens brings up a really good point about the Williams book: it doesn’t really address punctuation at all. After reading Strunk and White, I would have thought that Williams would have addressed it more since I believe that punctuation is a very important part of writing. It helps make it clear just as much as word choice does. I disagreed with her on another point, however. I found the section in Strunk and White on misused words to be totally helpful; maybe I should be embarrassed to admit that, but I did. As I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, I tend to forget the correct usage of effect and affect. Nauseous and nauseated are another words set that I often confuse with one another.
It is interesting to look at other people’s blogs and see that we are all having a lot of the same thoughts about these books. It is also nice to get an outside perspective and have things be brought to my attention that I never would have thought of otherwise.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Post 7: Comparing S&W with Williams
I don’t really think that Williams discusses what I wrote about in my previous blog about Strunk and White’s book The Elements of Style. The Williams book, Style: Towards Clarity and Grace, focuses less on simple mechanics, like using commas or colon placement, and more on the placement of words and creating a thoughtful piece of writing.
I think that Williams’ book is much more helpful than the book by Strunk and White. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the Williams book gives the reader a much more detailed explanation of why things sound better and look better in a certain format while the Strunk and White book basically just tells you what to do rather than why you should do it. When I actually understand why something is supposed to be a done a certain way, it makes it much easier for me to do it in that manner. The book explains each example almost too much. The Williams book also addresses things that cannot be fixed by using a spell checker. A spell checker will not let you know when your prose are unclear, do not make sense, or do not sound professional. A spell checker will often pick up on simple grammatical errors or when you use the wrong punctuation. The Williams book allows you to be able to scan your work of writing and understand what needs improvement or rewording. I feel that these skills are much more valuable than simply knowing how to punctuate correctly.
The Strunk and White book was much less helpful to me than the Williams book. I feel that I have most of the things that it went over under control at this point in my academic career. However, the section on words that are commonly confused and misused was very helpful. I still struggle with knowing whether to use effect or affect in a sentence. The fact that the Strunk and White book was much smaller and easier to read made it helpful as well. It is good to keep around if you need to reference something quickly. The Williams book would be harder to make a quick reference to, unless the person who read it marked everything off with little markers or flags. The fact that Strunk and White uses simpler language makes it easy to understand as well. Pretty much anyone that can read would be able to understand the point that the book is trying to make while the Williams book should only be used by a much more experienced reader. Both of the books serve a purpose, even if the purpose is different for each one. Each is good resource for any writer to have on hand.
I think that Williams’ book is much more helpful than the book by Strunk and White. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the Williams book gives the reader a much more detailed explanation of why things sound better and look better in a certain format while the Strunk and White book basically just tells you what to do rather than why you should do it. When I actually understand why something is supposed to be a done a certain way, it makes it much easier for me to do it in that manner. The book explains each example almost too much. The Williams book also addresses things that cannot be fixed by using a spell checker. A spell checker will not let you know when your prose are unclear, do not make sense, or do not sound professional. A spell checker will often pick up on simple grammatical errors or when you use the wrong punctuation. The Williams book allows you to be able to scan your work of writing and understand what needs improvement or rewording. I feel that these skills are much more valuable than simply knowing how to punctuate correctly.
The Strunk and White book was much less helpful to me than the Williams book. I feel that I have most of the things that it went over under control at this point in my academic career. However, the section on words that are commonly confused and misused was very helpful. I still struggle with knowing whether to use effect or affect in a sentence. The fact that the Strunk and White book was much smaller and easier to read made it helpful as well. It is good to keep around if you need to reference something quickly. The Williams book would be harder to make a quick reference to, unless the person who read it marked everything off with little markers or flags. The fact that Strunk and White uses simpler language makes it easy to understand as well. Pretty much anyone that can read would be able to understand the point that the book is trying to make while the Williams book should only be used by a much more experienced reader. Both of the books serve a purpose, even if the purpose is different for each one. Each is good resource for any writer to have on hand.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Post 6: Revising with Williams
“Student Government at EMU is committed to improving the quality of student life on campus. The student body each spring elects a president, vice president and 24 senators who, along with representatives appointed from various organizations, compose the Student Senate. The executive officers and members provide input to the administration of the University to help solve problems and improve programs and services. Student Government also sponsors campus-wide events. The student services office, known as REACT, provides assistance to students with legal, rental or University-related problems.” This excerpt came from the Student Affairs and Campus Life section of the EMU catalogs. Although there are not major problems with it, there are definitely a few things that could be tweaked.
It might be better if it was written like this:
The Student Government at EMU is committed to improving the quality of student life on campus. Each spring, the student body elects a president, vice president, and 24 senators who, along with representatives appointed from various organizations, will compose the Student Senate. The Student Government sponsors campus wide events as well. The student services office, known as REACT, provides assistance to students with legal, rental, or other University related problems.
Basically, my problem with this excerpt was the second sentence. In the first part where is says “the student body each spring”, doesn’t flow very well for me. In chapter 4 of Joseph L. Williams’ book Style: Towards Clarity and Grace, he points out that is important to shift less important information to the left of a sentence (68). Each spring is definitely not the most important part of the sentence. The writer of this piece was not thinking of managing his endings. It is clear that the fact that the president, vice president, and 24 senators being elected will compose the Student Senate is the most important part of that sentence. By placing “each spring” at the front on the sentence, you are also moving the most important piece of information over to the right (69). I also put the article “the” in front of the first and third sentences. This really had nothing to with anything in the William’s book; it was just seemed like they were missing when I read the passage initially. Now the passage sounds much better and the meaning has not been changed at all.
It might be better if it was written like this:
The Student Government at EMU is committed to improving the quality of student life on campus. Each spring, the student body elects a president, vice president, and 24 senators who, along with representatives appointed from various organizations, will compose the Student Senate. The Student Government sponsors campus wide events as well. The student services office, known as REACT, provides assistance to students with legal, rental, or other University related problems.
Basically, my problem with this excerpt was the second sentence. In the first part where is says “the student body each spring”, doesn’t flow very well for me. In chapter 4 of Joseph L. Williams’ book Style: Towards Clarity and Grace, he points out that is important to shift less important information to the left of a sentence (68). Each spring is definitely not the most important part of the sentence. The writer of this piece was not thinking of managing his endings. It is clear that the fact that the president, vice president, and 24 senators being elected will compose the Student Senate is the most important part of that sentence. By placing “each spring” at the front on the sentence, you are also moving the most important piece of information over to the right (69). I also put the article “the” in front of the first and third sentences. This really had nothing to with anything in the William’s book; it was just seemed like they were missing when I read the passage initially. Now the passage sounds much better and the meaning has not been changed at all.
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