Make sure you read my "Expectations for Reading Responses "prior to getting started on your assignment.
| 1. Why does Superman as a comic and as a cultural institution seem a bit "old-fashioned," especially given how characters in the Marvel era seem a bit more progressive? What makes Supe rather "old-school?" |
| 2. What are ways that Superman "tries to fit in?" What motivates his attempt to fit in with the rest of us? |
| 3. Why become Clark Kent, essentially a dork who stammers and gets easily flustered? Why have an alter ego in any case? What's the point of an alter-ego? |
| 4. Compare Superman to any other comic book hero you are familiar with in the D.C. / Marvel / or manga-based realms. How are they similar? How are they different? Is their modus operandi (the way they do things) completely different?) |
| 5. Write up a brief alternative timeline, one in which Superman was never adopted by Jonathan or Martha Kent.. What happened to him? How did his life become different, all as a function of who his parents were? |
| 6. Additional comments and points you'd like to add. |
7. Extra-credit: How is Lois Lane different from a typical 'damsel in distress?' OR What are the various types of kryptonite, and what are their effect on The Man in Blue and Red? |
OR, ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE:
Watch some of the episodes on "Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked," on YouTube, and answer any 3 quetions shown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCA1yK7h7uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BmRxdAbTgQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXYnHwoYllo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUPJQhC9WCs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB7XSmnMpnUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIvL5wCMw-0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll3ZqFrqjLc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2gS3C9DK-0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UZ7zCAGWzg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L9uDqWuaaY
1. What are some new-school historical forces that influenced the push towards superhero comics? Why did those historical themes become present into the comics? Cite examples.
2. How did comic books change? What forced them to change? Was this change reflected in the difference between DC Comics and Marvel?
3. What does the growth of antiheroism suggest about the genre of comics or pop-culture in general? What does the growth of antiheroism suggest about modern times?
4. Is Superman still durable? Why is Superman capable of surviving in terms of popularity? Will his popularity decline? Will he fade?
5. Why do heroes need to become darker? Why do they need to change away from their old conception?
6. What are the common tropes or concepts that appear in comics? That good is good and evil must be punished? How do comic book heroes look? Why do they look that way?
7. What are some differences between new comic books and old comic books (especially between 1940 to 1960 or 1960 to 1980....1980 to now? What accounts for those changes?
8. What tensions do superheroes have? Why will they always have those tensions? Cite examples.
Expectations for Reading Responses
In general, any teacher will tell you that what they are looking for is insightful, often original commentary that 1) cuts to the core of the piece read; 2) answers questions deftly rather than swiftly; 3) provides quotable evidence; 4) offers insightful analysis of those quotes. Ideally, a good response usually has 3 things that are completely related to basic PIE structure: a general claim, evidence supporting that claim, and analysis of that evidence.
As such, here is a sample of strong analysis based on a seven-line poem that I use in my English 100 class. The poem is Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool."
"WE REAL COOL"
--Gwendolyn Brooks
The Pool Players.
Seven at the Golden Shovel.
We Real Cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk Late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon. (642)
Sample Question: Why is the setting of this poem important?
Sample Answer: The setting of the Golden Shovel not only typifies the type of activities that go on at the pool hall, but also foreshadow the early deaths of the seven pool players. While there is no clear indication of a physical setting in terms of climate or geographical location, Brooks' decision to call the pool hall the Golden Shovel is a symbolic act. Most pool halls might give their establishments "cooler" names; even in Hawai'i, pool halls have cool names such as Hawaiian Brians' or Velvets; these names accentuate the fun or supposed grandeur of the activity. A shovel, golden or not, typically serves one purpose: it is used to dig a hole. Treasure-seekers or gravediggers use it as their most important tool. The narrators seem to be simultaneously living out the dual nature of the shovel's use: they seek hedonistic excess, and at the same time, are brought to dig their own graves because of that search. The word "Golden" implies that the pursuit for sensuality in this piece is valuable and worthwhile for these players, even though their lives may be at stake.
Commentary: The author has tried to employ what is known as "quote recycling" to set forward the juiciest and tastiest bits of quotes so as to comment on them strongly.
And here's an example of a response that is a rush-job, which usually results in a less than stellar grade.
Sample Question: Why is the setting of this poem important?
Sample Answer: The Golden Shovel is a bar. Bars usually attract drunks. That's why it's important. These kids are drunks.
The student, it can be argued, has made a strong assertion. Lacking quotable evidence, however, the student's claims cannot be significantly made legitimate in the reader's mind.