Final Evaluation at 5:09 AM

Wahoo! Its Over! Last 8am Class!
But Seriously, Lets not schedule something this early ever again.
When i picked up the book list for this class and set out to the bookstore with my Visa card, i found myself thinking things like "Why would I ever want to read this" and "Who really reads graphic novels, aren't they a little childish?" I grumbled and groaned all the way to the checkout, my friends taunting me all the way. The first texts Mcloud's and AMC, had little effect on me. I saw them as an instruction manual and a children’s book respectively. AMC was entertaining, and had a clear message, but it really only reinforced (my) idea that graphic novels were childish, I still had that “no big deal” mindset. When we go to the classical literature, I gained a little more faith in the course. The texts of Bluest Eye, Oranges, were closer to what I was used to. I had experience diving into a classical text and digging out anything and everything necessary to prove my point. I considered myself a pro. This class was going to be easy. But wait, ask a Question? In my writing? Uh-Oh. The five response papers added a whole new writing style that was something completely different from anything I had ever needed to produce before. In previous courses, at Western, and in High School, I was used to a topic being presented, and having my writing be very set and structured. This newfound freedom was very unusual to me. I was like a dog off its leash. What do I do? Where do I go? I missed that overbearing shadow of direction, but I liked the space I had to roam.
I don’t think I came to truly appreciate a graphic novel until I read MAUS. Apart from it being my favorite text of the semester, MAUS changed all of my ideas towards the graphic novel. It was a true story. It certainly was not a children’s book. MAUS presented a eye opening form to the horrors of the Holocaust in a way that was not necessarily easier to read, but easier to ‘soak in’. I find that when I read a straightforward text, I glaze over the numbers and it might not have as much of an effect. Spiegelman made things a little more personal. And although it might have made MAUS a little harder to read from and emotional standpoint, the effectiveness of his illustrations certainly garner its numerous awards.