tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692381608294018617.post5738059687604201391..comments2023-11-05T07:27:43.837-05:00Comments on Narrative and Technology: Scale and Orientation in the First Pages of Jimmy CorriganAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692381608294018617.post-43174176562993277922014-03-17T18:14:28.174-04:002014-03-17T18:14:28.174-04:00Your introduction is a good introduction to a *the...Your introduction is a good introduction to a *theme*, although I'd like to see an argument too.<br /><br />Clearly there's truth in your second paragraph: this is a book that makes relentlessly clear that Jimmy's life is insignificant. And yet it unpacks that small, sad life in endless and even powerful detail. So let me ask this: what is the significance of an "insignificant" life?<br /><br />"Because Ware preserves this orientation, he is very subtly reminding the reader that compared to the scale of earth, the events of our lives are actually happening sideways." -- this is clever, and I like it, but does it really serve any particular (larger) argument? Is it a good idea to be abandoned or followed up upon? To push you farther: is a "sideways" and contextualized life the same as a truly insignificant one?<br /><br />To carry that through to the last paragraph: you say "insignificance and skewed perspective" as if they are the same thing. But they're *not* the same thing. Maybe he's interested in both, or maybe you've discovered an important distinction between different, valid ways of understanding the book & Jimmy's life. Figuring out exactly what you're trying to say here, rather than casually lumping too rather different concepts together, is likely the way to discover interesting material for revision here.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692381608294018617.post-39124079946392190402014-03-07T09:51:17.862-05:002014-03-07T09:51:17.862-05:00Jake,
I like the section of the graphic novel you...Jake,<br /><br />I like the section of the graphic novel you chose for this prompt. It establishes that images are very important to the story line right from the beginning because you chose the very first part of the book. Your essay really dissects this one page of the book down into what it could mean and how it can help the reader understand the significance or in this case insignificance of this narrative, which really hits the prompt spot on. At parts, particularly in the 3rd and 4th paragraphs, you do a lot of analysis on the images that seems a little unnecessary. I feel like most readers can make these observations on their own quite easily. As far as revision goes, I would consider analyzing these scenes even more, trying to discern why Ware doesn't maintain this orientation throughout the book. You could also consider exploring why only the Chicago skyline is present in the middle frame, surely there would be other smaller cities visible from that angle. Overall, I enjoyed your essay and think you make a strong argument that Ware uses the images to portray the insignificance of human existence in a way the reader can understand.<br /><br />-Alec Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16071575339711729266noreply@blogger.com