Mar. 15 Discussion Post: Ho Che Anderson, King, 1-100

Hi everyone, 

You might try thinking about:

- Between the scenes in which King is introduced to us and he delivers a sermon there appears a single page bus scene, unrelated to King (14). Discuss how Anderson incorporates this page into the narrative (visually, be repetition of theme or image?) and to what effect?

- Discuss The Witnesses: these panels appear throughout the narrative to offer context and perspective (or dissent). What effect does this have on our reading of autobiography?

- Think about the visual style that dominates this section of King with particular attention paid to the inclusion of photographs. What does their inclusion do for the narrative? What effect does it have on you? How do we read or understand those images differently than the comic panels that often surround them?

- What are your thoughts on the depiction of Dr. King, visually and with regard to your expectations or preunderstanding?

Now, you might make a cup of tea and while it cools, read this article by Michael A. Chaney, Associate Professor of English at Dartmouth College. I’ve highlighted the particularly pressing bits. Chaney expands on the topics above in order to understand King as a postmodern text which juxtaposes images and comics in order to question a number of “binary formulations central to the maintenance of Western culture” (1). Photographs are particularly useful because they implicate the reader in a larger social order – photographs are objects that represent our world at work, they are snapshots of reality. When photographs are juxtaposed with more abstract symbols an uncoupling between photography, social order, and reality; the juxtaposition hints at the invented nature of history and the role of representation in creating facts.

Well, what do you make of Chaney’s reading? Any memorable scenes which support or complicate his analysis? Any problems relating to the “historical record” in this way?

Bibliography:
Chaney, Michael A. "Drawing on history in recent African American graphic novels." MELUS 32.3 (2007): 175+. Expanded Academic ASAP.

Edit: 3/27/16, I removed the link to Chaney's article so that it might resume its proper place behind copyright barriers. Chaney's article is available through UC's library search.