Week 6

mcCloud Summary:

In his article Vocabulary of Comics, Scott McCloud attempts to explain the difference in reading visual text and regular text. He argues that it is more interesting and easier to read visual texts because we, as humans, are able to relate ourselves to the pictures. No matter what the picture is actually of, we tend to visualize the picture as ourselves. This is because want everything to be about us. McCloud says this is because we are selfish creatures.

 

OPINIONS:

I found this article very interesting because I find this true of myself. This article was easy for me to read because I was engaged in the pictures and I found myself enjoying the article more. I also found myself to read this article more quickly because I was interested in what mcCloud was explaining.

 

Bernhardt Summary:

In his article Seeing the Text, Stephen Bernhardt attempts to explain the importance of allowing students to use visually appealing texts. He argues that this could increase their understanding and writing ability because it increases the readers’ interest. He also states that the design of the text can give the reading more depth and understanding in the classroom. Students would be able to relate the text to other things outside of the classroom more easily.

QUESTION:

I would say I do struggle with this type of writing because I find it “boring” to read. If the content in the text is not something to my interest, I struggle to keep my focus on the reading. In the first article, the comic helped to get the point of the reading across to me. This article however was the opposite. I found it more towards the uninteresting end of the writing spectrum. The pictures helped to illustrate the main points of what the writer was trying to say.

 

OPINIONS:

I enjoyed this article because I thought I was kind of the only person who found reading articles with interesting text or pictures easier to read than standard printed texts. This article made me realize that it is a problem everyone struggles with.