El Deafo by CeCe Bell

These questions will help you actively engage with your readings. Some questions ask you to talk about the reading specifically, and some ask you to use the reading to explore your own thoughts and experiences.

· Each answer should be 1-2 paragraphs. Paragraphs are typically 4-6 sentences long. A little more is OK. Less is not OK.

· Be sure to read each question carefully and answer every part of the question!

· Use at least one quote or example from the readings to support your answers.

· Properly format your submission like the template provided in the “General Information” section of Moodle.

1. Having read the selection from McCloud’s Understanding Comics, how would you describe the importance of sequential panels in a comic? Describe the sequence of two specific panels in El Deafo and use this example to explain what you think the author-artist is able to achieve in the comics form. (In other words, what can she do here that she couldn’t do in a text-only story or even a picture book?)

2. How do you think Bell visually conveys CeCe’s unique struggles—either her early experience with meningitis OR her experience growing up deaf afterwards? Pay close attention to specific images or panel sequences. You must describe at least one such image/sequence and analyze it in your answer.

3. Other than being deaf, CeCe faces a number of more common issues associated with growing up. What is one typical problem or anxiety faced both by today’s school-age children and CeCe? What is successful about the author’s rendering of this issue? (Remember to include and analyze a specific example from the text).

4. How does having a superhero alter-ego help CeCe cope with her frustrations? How might it help other children—both those who struggle with similar hardships AND those who simply feel lonely or frustrated?

5. While El Deafo is, in some sense, a superhero comic, how does it differ from the typical superhero story (i.e. Spiderman, Batman, Superman, etc.)?

6. Choose one picture book from Unit 5 to compare to El Deafo. Based on this comparison, what similarities do you see between picture books and comics? What do you think both try to achieve compared to text-only stories?

7. Choose one picture book from Unit 5 to compare to El Deafo. Based on this comparison, what differences do you see between picture books and comics? Other than length, how are their purposes and appeals different?

Unit 6

Comics: Linking Children’s & Young Adult Literature

A cartoon of a rabbit with a cape Description automatically generatedLike picture books, graphic novels and comic books (collectively referred to as “comics”) rely on images to convey meaning. Thus, they can sometimes be considered simple or juvenile. Moreover, superhero comics like Superman and The Amazing Spider-Man have become the popular face of the art form, so that many adults assume that the content of this genre is unsophisticated or excessively violent. However, many authors and artists have shown that this form can effectively deal with serious subject matter. Art Spiegelmen’s Maus: A Survivor’s Tale tells the story of

how Spiegelman’s father survived the Auschwitz concentration camp. Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis tells the story of the author’s upbringing during and after the 1979 Iranian revolution. Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese tells of a Chinese-American boy’s struggle to assimilate into American culture. Cece Bell’s El Deafo, which we will read in this unit, expresses the loneliness the author experienced while growing up deaf.

Like picture books, the images in a graphic novel reinforce the words on the page, thereby deepening reading comprehension. Last unit, we saw how pictures and words can work together by reinforcing or complementing one another. As the panels above show, comics make further use of the interaction between words and pictures by relying on sequential images rather than static ones. This more complicated interaction between the two elements make comics an effective bridge between children’s literature and young adult literature. Many teachers argue that using graphic novels in the classroom cultivates a greater appreciation for reading in students. You’ll learn more about how the sequence of panels in comics is important to the form in the selection from Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.

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For this unit, we’ll read a full graphic novel to see the many appeals of the comics genre. (And, yes, you need to read the whole thing.) As we’ve done in previous units, consider how this text makes difficult and sometimes unpleasant subject matter more approachable for children. And, of course, consider how it can engage and inspire them!

Unit 6 Assignments

Step 1. Make sure that you have a copy of El Deafo by CeCe Bell. You can purchase it online, at the BHCC bookstore, or borrow a copy from your local library.

Step 2. Read the Selection from Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (available on

Moodle)

Step 3. Read all of El Deafo by CeCe Bell

Step 4. Complete the Unit 6 Reading Questions

· Be sure to read the question carefully and answer every part of the question !

· To do so, you will need to take your time to draft, revise, and proofread your work before you submit

Step 5. Complete Check-in #3