Reference no: EM133584522

Assignment: 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.

1. Each answer should be 1-2 paragraphs. Paragraphs are typically 4-6 sentences long. A little more is OK. Less is not OK.
2. Be sure to read each question carefully and answer every part of the question!
3. Use at least one quote or example from the readings to support your answers.
4. Properly format your submission like the template provided in the "General Information" section of Moodle.

Question A. 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?)

Question B. 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.

Question C. 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).

Question D. 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?

Question E. 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.)?

Question F. 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?

Question G. 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?