Post 6 Artwork in the novel
How do you react to the images / graphics in Part-Time Indian? How do the images expand your understanding of
the characters and themes?
Evaluate: so far, how do you rate
the incorporation of pictures in a novel?
Are you upset Alexie didn’t share his own caricatures, even though he
used this outlet as a youngster?
GRAPHICS: Thumbs up / thumbs down? Explain; please mention & cite any you
find particularly significant, humorous, or meaningful.
The incorporation of illustrations in this book helps me visualize the characters and the actions of the characters. The image on page 5 of Junior is both funny and bizarre! It illustrated Junior’s perceptions of himself. The picture on page 88 helps the reader to understand how Junior gets to school. Without this drawing, the reader would not know how Junior gets to school besides his father driving him. The image on page 174 showing Junior’s excuses for missing school makes me feel very bad for him. I feel like the images add quite a lot to the novel by helping us empathize with Junior. They also add humor to the novel. I do not feel upset that Alexie did not use his own caricatures because the illustrations done by Forney are done so well that Alexie’s caricatures would not have added any more to the book. I definitely give the graphics a thumbs up.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures drawn by Junior throughout the novel help me understand what is happening to him throughout the story. For example, on page 43, it shows his confusion on what at that point lies ahead for him. This is something that most of us go through at one point, or another in our lives. I defiantly give the illustrations a thumbs up, but I do wonder sometimes what the drawings that Alexie did for this look like. I’m not upset about it, but I’m curious because of that. One of my favorites from the book is actually the one on page 170 where Junior shows the ways of getting the last sip of wine. I find it funny, but I’m not completely sure why I do. These pictures that Forney drew help show us what is going on in Junior’s head as he goes through everything in the book. When I see these pictures I laugh at most of them, but with the rest of them I find an understand with Junior’s character as he lives his life throughout the story. These images made sense to me as I read about what happened to Junior when sometimes the words didn’t make sense.
ReplyDeleteThe cartoons in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian give the book a humorous edge. Some of them are absolutely hilarious. They help me understand the characters because it shows them in a different way, other than Jr's words. I would give the cartoons a good rating. The famous saying, a picture is worth a thousand words, says a lot of it. The pictures helped me understand the book easier. All in all, I would give it a thumb's up. At sad parts, it lifted the mood. In funnier parts of the book, it just made me laugh even harder. The cartoons really helped the book.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the book would have been as interesting without the many cartoons. They give a better feel to the book because they are simply doodles that would most likely be incorporated into a real diary, so The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is more realistic. The sketches also help me personally feel what Junior is feeling. With that in mind, the drawing on page 53 helps anybody reading the book to feel the intensity and anger that Rowdy feels because Junior told him that he is going to Reardan High School. Also, the cartoon on page 142 is humorous because it shows Junior as a crazy basketball player. I give the cartoons throughout the book a 10/10. Also, I enjoy the look of the sketches, so I am not disappointed that Alexie didn't share his own drawings. In conclusion, the caricatures bring a childlike feel to the book that people can relate to, and I know for sure that I wouldn't have enjoyed the book as much if it weren't for the many cartoons.
ReplyDeleteI think the use of images in Part-Time Indian is very clever and makes the book more interesting. I think the images really help you picture the characters better and some of the pictures even have facts about the character on them, such as the picture of Arnolds sister on pg.27. They do also help you realize the theme more because a lot of times you can see exactly what arnold is thinking or what happened in a certain scene. Sometimes I don't like the usage of images in novels, but in certain cases, like this book, i love them! Actually, i'm not upset that Alexie didn't use his own drawings, because i find that the images in the book right now are wonderful as is! I definitely give the graphics a thumbs up. I think that they really add to the story and make it even more enjoyable to read! One of my favorite images is the one of Gordy on page 117. It really helped me to picture him. So in conclusion, I think the use of graphics was a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI think the images in Part- Time Indian really helped me understand all of Junior’s feelings in greater detail. By seeing the images they expand my horizon on how I see all of the characters that we meet throughout the story, by putting little captions further explaining the characters. The images are very well incorporated into the storyline of the novel. As I said before they allow you to understand the parts in the story that may be somewhat complicated to the reader. No I’m not extremely upset that he didn’t use his own caricatures. To me the drawings looked like they may have been done by him as a youngster due to the notebook sketch type of look. One drawing I thought was meaningful was the one on page 182. It portrays Junior as a devil to the Wellpinit fan and an angel to the Reardan fans. It is meaningful because it shows that his hometown Wellpinit where he lives and grew up hates him, but the place where he was an outcast love him. All in all I give the drawings in this novel a thumbs up no doubt.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the incorporation of graphics throughout the novel. The images in the book really help to give it the feel of an actual diary. They also help me to understand more of what Junior is feeling and thinking. Besides making me feel more connected to Junior, they help me to understand how Junior views the other people around him too. For example, the picture he draws titled “Mary Runs Away” shows that he perceives his sister as a tough girl who he looks up to (27). Another example would be the cartoon of Eugene on his motorcycle (71). By looking at the image, you can tell that Junior thinks Eugene is dangerous and cool. A particularly funny image was the one where Junior shows the ways that he pretends not to be poor (121). I think that the pictures in the novel are a perfect representation of what Junior’s thoughts are. I am not really upset that Alexie didn’t use his own images. I feel like if he did use even a couple of his real drawings, it would make the book more personal and interesting. It would give the novel more of a real feel. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the images drawn by Forney in the book. I think she captures perfectly how a young boy’s scribbled drawings in a notebook would look. The graphics definitely deserve two thumbs-up. They added a lot to the novel. Without them, the book would not have the feel of a real diary and would not be as funny or exciting.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the incorporation of graphics and comics in this book. It helped me understand how Junior felt about the world, and himself. They helped me realize that he was a child and did have weird ways of dealing with his issues, such as through comics. They expanded my knowledge of the characters a lot. I got to know what they looked like, and how they act, better than words. I give the incorporation of pictures a solid 9/10. It's something most books don’t have, but everyone enjoys it when they do. Which raises the question: why don’t they do it more? I am rather glad that he didn't use his own drawings in the book because it may have revealed some things that would have made the book less enjoyable, and made it much more emotional. Graphics: Two Thumbs Up! I immensely enjoyed having a break between the long straights of words. Two graphics I liked specifically were the ones on pages 85 and 107. The one on page 85 compares his teacher, Mr. Dodge, to and erupting volcano. I found this hilarious, especially because the picture of Mr. Dodge was a snarling, drooling, creature. I found the graphic on page 107 funny as well, because it depicted his dad saying a completely dumb and unintelligent statement: “I’m only alcoholic when I’m drunk.” Next to it, it said “WTF, dad?” which shows his disapproval and confusion towards his saying that. Graphics in this book really made it more enjoyable and a lot more understandable.
ReplyDeleteI think that the images/graphics were humorous and helped you understand the book more. The images/graphics helped me understand the characters by seeing what they looked like. They also helped me see his reactions more clearly. On page 12, he drew a picture of his parents. This helped me understand that they could have been successful, if they followed their dreams. Also, on page 23, he drew a picture of Rowdy. This helped me understand that he is a very angry person. I am not upset that Alexie didn’t share his own caricatures because I feel that even though he used this outlet as a teenager, the graphics were still understandable and humorous. I would give the graphics thumbs up. This is because the graphics were easy to understand and made reading this book enjoyable. This is what I think of the images/graphics in Part-Time Indian.
ReplyDeleteI think the illustrations included in Part-Time Indian helped me to better understand Junior. Many of them were very funny and they made the book more interesting and enjoyable. The comics throughout the book definitely expanded my understanding of how Junior thought and looked at the world. While reading, I understood what Junior meant of page five. When he draws, everyone will understand it, even if they don’t understand his words. He meant that drawing was a way for him to let out his emotions and be understood like he never was before. I am a little disappointed that Alexie didn’t share the comics he drew because I wanted to see how well he could draw. On the other hand, I think the drawings done by Forney were very well done also. Some of the drawings I found humorous were of people in authority, such as Junior’s teachers (29, 85) and coach (137). The drawing on page 182 I found significant because it shows two different perspectives of Junior. From the perspective of Wellpinit, he is shown as the devil for playing basketball at Reardan, but through Reardan’s perspective, Junior is shown as an angel. I thought this was significant because it shows how brave Junior had to be to leave the reservation and how he was being treated because of it. Overall, I give the graphics in this book a thumbs up for making the novel more interesting and understandable.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed most of the graphics in the book. I enjoyed them because in some cases, they offered small details which would have been lost without them. I especially liked the caricatures because they helped me create a mental image of the characters, and most of them were humorous like the drawing of Mr. P (29). With the drawings, the book felt more like a diary because they were very honest reflections of what the author felt. I liked the incorporation of the drawings in the book very much, and I was not extremely disappointed that they weren’t the author’s actually drawings. Although I would have liked to see the author’s drawings, I do not feel that the ones in the book detracted from the points Alexie was trying to make. In fact, I thought they were helpful in the process of helping the reader to understand the themes and characters. For example, on page 88 of the book, there is a drawing that depicts the way in which Junior gets to school. If the drawing wasn’t there, the author would’ve had to write an extensive and most likely confusing section about Junior traveling home. To sum it up, I give the graphics in this book a ‘thumbs up’.
ReplyDeleteI reacted to the images in a positive manor. The pictures expand your knowledge of the characters by giving you a physical diagram of what the characters look like. It also expands your knowledge of the things by letting you see his problems instead of simply reading them. The incorporation of pictures it done very well, and I would rate it quite highly. I am not upset he did not share his own caricatures because I'm sure there is a good reason for him not to put them in there. A big thumbs up is what I would give the artwork in the novel. Pictures give a break to the reader and are visually appeasing. Artwork was a great addition to this novel overall.
ReplyDelete“Graphic stories are able to show incidental life without having to describe it.” Alison Bechdel. I started this post off with a quote because I felt it really captured how I wanted define how the images expand on the characters and theme. If I were to rate the drawings, I wouldn’t use a normal number scale, but a maturity scale, from Toddler to Professional drawer. These cartoons would fall somewhere in the middle. After reading the book back in June, I went back to it and found there was an interview in the back of it with Ellen Forney about the comics. I found the information very interesting, considering at one point, she mentions “My absolute biggest concern was trying to make Arnold’s cartoons look authentic.”(around page 240, but not marked exactly) I found this very hard to believe, considering the way I looked at them, and could compare them to many doodles I have made. Hers obviously described many characters and situations better than any of mine ever will, but that’s because they were supposed to. She did a very good job at this. One of my favorite comics that really helped me capture a situation was one on page 128, “Are You Poor?” and all of his excuses and responses. I know if I were in a situation like Arnold’s, those would be some of my responses to that question. Also, if the author tried to put that comic into words, it wouldn’t have been as helpful or help me understand the situation better like the comic does, for a picture is worth a thousand words. I am not at all upset that Alexie didn’t share his own caricatures. The person who did it would fabulous, and captured everything perfectly. So for me, the comics in this book are 100% thumbs up!
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed the additions of cartoons to the novel. In many cases, they made me laugh or see a deeper meaning into the story and the characters. They allowed me to understand the characters and situations through Junior’s point of view. On page 113, he draws a picture of Penelope as seen through his eyes, and it actually conveys a great deal of the emotion he feels for her. I find the cartoons of his family particularly meaningful because they explain their personalities clearly. The pictures are also well incorporated into the novel. They remind you that a fourteen year old boy is “writing” it and add humor and personality that would’ve been lost to the reader. Though it would have been neat if Alexie had shared his own artwork, I believe that he is incredibly brave sharing his life as he experienced it and has the right to keep his drawings to himself. I believe that incorporating cartoons in the novel was a good decision and added depth to the book.
ReplyDeleteI think the graphics in the novel add dimension to the story. It’s another way of bringing out Arnold’s personality. I believe that Ellen Forney incorporated the pictures into the novel well. There was just the right amount of pictures to make it an interesting graphic novel while at the same time not making it seem like a children’s picture book. I’m not really upset that Sherman Alexie did not use his own caricatures because although this book reflects on his life, it isn’t actually what happened to him in. I think it helped to have another person add to the depth of Arnold’s individuality and that Forney was able to contribute in ways that Sherman possibly could not have. I think the graphics in the book made it more reader-friendly and easier to read without stopping. It provided a break and added sarcastic humor. I thought it was particularly funny when he drew an arrow and pointed out the obvious. For example, he indicated that Earl had left a trail of slime behind him, even though it was evident from the drawing (109). I also enjoyed how he added names to things. On page 124, he labeled his pancakes, plate, butter, and syrup with witty titles. He drew comical bumper stickers on his sister’s “gorgeous new place” (134). On page 168, he added stickers, signs, and even graffiti to the entrance to Heaven. I found the graphics in the novel amusing and think it was a good decision to add them.
ReplyDeleteI definitely enjoyed the pictures in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The images made me feel like I was in the book and that I could understand how Arnold was feeling. The pictures really reflected how Arnold truly felt about the things around him. They continually helped me keep from getting bored while reading and even made me laugh multiple times throughout the story. I especially enjoyed the picture of when Arnold was comparing white people and Indians (57). The drawing showed nothing positive for the Indians and had everything going for the white citizens. It really helped me grasp what type of situation he was in and how different the two races were. The pictures helped me understand what words could not always explain. Having illustrations in the book definitely was a thumbs up.
ReplyDeleteThe illustrations really help me to understand the characters, mainly Arnold. Many of the drawings show Arnold’s emotions. The cartoon he drew when his grandmother died really shows his sorrow and how others mourned with him (160). Arnold also drew a cartoon a little after his grandma’s death mocking Jesus (171). Although it may be humorous, it shows how Arnold was mad, so he tried to let it out through drawing. I can also tell that Arnold is an amusing person by looking at some of his cartoons. One depiction of him playing basketball is funny because he shows himself playing insane against Roger (142). I also agree with Caelan when he says that the cartoon of Mr. Dodge being compared to a volcano is amusing (85). These occasional cartoons mocking himself and other people show me that Arnold is a funny person. Some illustrations reveal things about characters in the book. The drawing of Arnold’s grandma and the words around it tell me a lot about her (69). The way that she’s wearing an old, cheap dress tells me that she poor. Also, she probably wears her husband’s belt for one of two reasons. Either she misses him and wears it to remember him, or she reuses things because she can’t buy new ones. She says that she has “mad skills,” so she wears basketball shoes. This tells me that she likes joking around and isn’t necessarily serious all of the time.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy the pictures in this novel, though it would have been fun to see Alexie’s caricatures incorporated into the story. Overall, I would give the graphics in this novel a thumbs up.
I would definitely give all of the drawings in this book two thumbs up. I loved the idea the author had to include pictures in the book. I think that with the incorporation of drawings in the book, this not only made the book funnier and more fun to read, it made me understand the characters better. For example, I could have made some wild guesses of what Mary looked like, but there was a drawing of her on page 27. From this drawing, I can now imagine her in my head correctly, and not make some random person up. I agree with Arnold when he said he draws because, “Words are too unpredictable.” “Words are too limited.” (5) He can show more things in his drawings, and with more description, than writing it down. One of my favorite drawings in the book was the comic on page 88. The comic shows all of the ways he gets to school. I also liked the drawing on page 85. It is a picture of Mr. Dodge’s mad face, and a volcano. Beneath it he wrote, “Which one of these pyrotechnic giants will explode first?!?”
ReplyDeleteThe graphics used by Arnold throughout the book allowed a deeper understanding of the characters and were a pleasant surprise in a seemingly ordinary novel. In terms of characters, the illustrations were presented in a "first-person" point-of-view,expressing Junior's thoughts and feelings. "I draw because words ae too unpredictable. I draw because words are too limited." (5) As a reader, it is easy to recognize how Junior uses his cartoons as an outlet to express his feelings, which I believe was Alexie's purpose. For example, on page 47 there is an illustration questioning "hope." Although this illustration is comical, it also offers a deeper understanding into how Junior feels about a major event in the book: his move to Reardan. As far as quality goes, I believe that the featured cartoons were very well-done and enjoyable, adding to the overall quality of the book and allowing a better connection to the characters. What Alexie did not nessecarily explain in words, he portrayed in drawings, adding a dimension of understanding for the reader. Although it would have been interesting to view caricatures from Alexie himself, I believe the illustrations featured in the novel have a certain connection to Junior's character, which is why Junior is easy to relate to. It is almost as if the character as ownership over the illustrations. I would definately give the cartoons a thumbs up.
ReplyDeleteThe images in this novel raise my understanding of how the author feels to another level. Throughout the book, the images helped me understand exactly how Junior felt. For example, when Junior draws himself in an unflattering way (page 5) it shows me he does not think much of himself. Without the drawing I would not have understood that as well. Also, the drawings add a sense of humor to the story. This happens on page 96 when Junior and Gordy discuss how reading should give you a boner. This subject may have been weird and uncomfortable if not for the depiction. I believe that all of these drawings were extremely well done and I am not disappointed that they are not actually drawn by the author. If I were to rate the depictions I would definitely give it the highest rating possible.
ReplyDeleteWhen I see images and graphics in Part-Time Indian I always laugh at them. They make the book one hundred percent better than it would have been without pictures. The images expand my understanding of the characters and themes because I can actually see and know what the characters look like. I rate the pictures in this book a ten out of ten I always love looking at what they are and what they say. The author added them in at the perfect times. I wasn’t upset that Alexie didn’t share his own caricatures. I overall give the graphics a thumbs up. My favorite graphic is the “Are You Poor?” (128). I liked it a lot and it made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed all of the cartoons that Junior drew, and laughed at a majority of them. Most importantly they helped me better understand the book and let me see how Junior was really feeling some of the drawings were just portraits included so otheres could actually see how people looked or could have looked, others he drew out of anger in the life he lived, but some were drawn just make himself laugh. I really didn't mind that Alexie didn't include his own caricatures, but in the end i give the cartoons two thumbs up.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first opened up the novel, I was skeptical of the addition of pictures. I thought the illustrations would take away from the maturity and legitimacy of the book. However, I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself looking forward to each new sketch, because they served as a platform for Arnold to express his most innermost feelings. Each drawing seemed personal and meaningful, and it made me feel like I had stolen his real diary. I am also happy about the choice of illustrator. Alexie choose to hire a professional artist to create the drawings, which is a better choice than having the author draw them himself. I’m sure that Alexie’s drawings wouldn’t have had the same visual appeal as Forney’s. It was good to see Alexie stick to doing what he does best; writing bestselling novels. In summary, I give the illustrations a thumbs up. They really enhanced my reading experience. My favorite sketch in the novel is on page 57. It shows the contrast between Indians and white people. It does an incredible job of comparing white and Indian people in both physical and abstract ways. This book makes me wish that all novels had pictures!
ReplyDeleteAt first I was surprised that there were images in the diary, but later on, they did help my understanding of the characters. For example, you can get an idea of what Arnold actually looks like in the drawing on page 5. Then, on page 12, Arnold sketches a picture of his parents, which allows you to see what they look like too, and some of their own talents and interests. He draws another character in the book, Mary, his sister, on page 27. In this image, you get a view of her appearance and attire, including descriptions, which describe how it relates to her personality. Arnold continues to draw these pictures throughout the story for other characters too, like his grandmother, basketball coach, and Mr. P. He draws a variety of other images too. Basically, I am very happy with this format, and I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the book as much without these images. In my opinion, Alexie doesn't need to make any other changes. I give this format a thumbs up because it's different and not many books allow you to get a view of what the characters really look like. Out of all the different drawings he drew, I thought the comic type ones were the most hilarious, like the one where he lists all the different ways to pretend he wasn't poor. (120) It's nice that Alexie can add humor into the book using illustrations.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the images in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian were an ingenious way to aid readers in the comprehension of the story. They were also quite amusing. The images helped the reader’s ability to comprehend the story, by putting a face to dialogue or actions, even if they are cartoons. No, I don’t blame Alexie for not sharing his own artwork. It makes sense that he would want a professional artist to depict his story. A professional could depict Alexie’s experiences better than he could, and the graphics were great! Some of the images I, personally, enjoyed could be found on pages 5, 6, 29, 88, 107, 128, and 174. I love how he added humor to each and every image (even the sad ones). In conclusion, I think Alexie was smart to not use his own artwork.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Vanessa when she said that she isn't upset that Alexie did not use his own drawings, but rather, she is curious. I am also curious to see what the illustrations for the book would've been like if Alexie had used his own drawings. Also, she said, "One of my favorites from the book is actually the one on page 170 where Junior shows the ways of getting the last sip of wine. I find it funny, but I’m not completely sure why I do." I agree with this, too. It was actually really funny and I wasn't exactly sure why. I guess smart minds just think alike! I also agreed with Stephanie when she said, "I really enjoyed the images drawn by Forney in the book. I think she captures perfectly how a young boy’s scribbled drawings in a notebook would look." I think Forney really did capture what Arnold was feeling. I don't think it would be easy to make comics for someone else's book and accurately portray the main character, but I believe Forney did a great job at it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the cartoons in the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. They were a fun way for the author to communicate with the audience about characters and events in the novel. For example, the picture of Junior hitting Mr. P in the nose with the moth book (31). I found it humorous, but more so because of how it was illustrated. Another example is when Junior draws Rowdy's reaction to Junior telling him he is going to Reardan (53). In the picture, you can see his reaction and the pain in Rowdy's face, which you would not see if there had been no illustration. I found that the pictures helped me understand what Junior was going through in a humorous and more thorough way. I REALLY enjoyed them.
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