V for Vendetta: A Quality Graphic Novel V for Vendetta is a graphic novel by Alan Moore, that tackles the subject matter of a dystopian society controlled by the government. It covers philosophical topics like the blurred lines between good and evil. While presenting fascinating themes like the freedom of anarchy and symbolism being a leader. Majority of graphic novels should not be considered of as literary canon, because majority of them discuss simple themes and are designed to be easier reads. However V for Vendetta is a example of a graphic novel that should be deemed as literature. V for Vendetta makes the reader ponder what is good and what is evil. Throughout the novel V is referred to as a vigilante or terrorist, seemingly at random. However he is still the protagonist and, from the reader's perspective, is a good person. The reason this was implemented was to get the reader to think about how subjective the term good and evil actually are. Moore furthers this idea by use of heavy outlines, giving the illustrations to show a very clear style. This directly contrasts with the unclear concept of good versus evil. One of the most prominent themes in the novel and 1984 is the freedom of anarchy. Throughout the novel the theme that anarchy is …show more content…
The texts that do this should not be deemed as literary canon, as it is essentially a picture book at that point. When the artwork drives the themes of the text more than the speech being told, the graphic novel should no longer be deemed literary canon. This does not mean all graphic novels with lengthy dialogue should be automatically deemed worthy. Some graphic novels contain nothing more than a simple story and lack themes, symbols, and motifs. However graphic novels like V for Vendetta, which demonstrate their themes and motifs by interactions through characters, deserve to be viewed as a
Imagine a world where civil liberties have been stripped away, a bare façade of civilization left behind. This is a world that is inhabited by people who were once free-willed and strong-minded. These people have become weak and obedient, easily bent to the will of their oppressive government. The world that these words have conjured up in your mind is the same existence that the characters occupy in Edwidge Danticat’s “A Wall of Fire Rising” and Alan Moore’s “V” for Vendetta. Danticat’s story is about a small family living in present-day Haiti with their small, ambitious son. The country is a mish-mash of people amassing obscene fortune while the rest scrape at the bottom of the proverbial barrel just to make ends meet; the class gap is seemingly far apart. In Danticat’s story, the husband spends his days either working at the sugarcane mill or searching for work elsewhere. Each day the husband watches the mill owner’s son take a hot air balloon up into the sky, and each day becomes more envious of the freedom attached to that action. After complaining to his wife about his exhaustion with their current situation he claims that he wants to take the hot air balloon for himself and leave Haiti for a far-away and better place. The following day, the husband makes good on his word, abandons his family, and takes the hot air balloon up into the sky. In James McTeigue’s version of “’V’ for Vendetta”, the country is a futuristic and dystopian London. Corrupt politicians control every aspect of the country and the citizens within. The main character, a masked vigilante by the name of V, grows tired of his country’s lack of freedom and decides to destroy an historic courthouse at midnight on the morning of November the 5th. The building i...
The use of recurring symbols in the unsettling text, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962) and the influential film, V for Vendetta (2005) serves to reinforce an array of different concepts including; ideas are bulletproof and the idea of escaping danger. Symbols are (also) used as constant reminders of two imposing ideas in the two texts. The symbols used to represent the concept that ideas are bulletproof are the two protagonists in each text, V (Hugo Weaving) and McMurphy. In order to constantly remind the audience of a certain idea, James McTeigue uses the letter V in V for Vendetta and Ken Kesey uses the fog which constantly surrounds Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Finally, aspects of nature are used throughout both texts in order to symbolize the idea of emancipation from over-arching threats.
The novel 1984 is one that has sparked much controversy over the last several decades. It harbors many key ideas that lie at the root of all skepticism towards the book. With the ideas of metaphysics, change, and control in mind, George Orwell wrote 1984 to provide an interesting story but also to express his ideas of where he believed the world was heading. His ideas were considered widely ahead of their time, and he was really able to drive home how bleak and colorless our society really is. Orwell wrote this piece as a futuristic, dystopian book which contained underlying tones of despair and deceit.
Moore, Steve, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, Alan Moore, and David Lloyd. V for Vendetta: A Novelization. New York: Pocket Star Books, 2006. Print.
Overall, the V for Vendetta film does represent the graphic novel very well. Even though it is not exactly the same as Alan Moore wanted, it is a product of its time and Alan Moore’s help. And even so, the film was still similar to the original graphic novel because of its
V for Vendetta is a graphic novel written by Alan Moore in the late 1980's. The novel takes place in an alternate reality; one in which Britain is ruled by a fascist government that rules over Britain, and the rest of the world is believed to be in ruins due to nuclear war. The main protagonist/villain, depending on your viewpoint, of the story is a man simply called "V". He is a mysterious man and a self-described anarchist who survived a government experiment at a compound called Batch 5. Although his face is never shown in the book, V still draws the reader’s attention by being such a dark presence.
The setting of the film, as a whole, displays Marxist ideas of capitalism. One of the foundational themes of Marxist thought is that, within a capitalist society, there will be a distinct polarization between two classes: The ruling class (bourgeoisie), and those whom they rule over (proletariats) (Korczynski, Hodson, & Edwards, 2006, p. 33). V for Vendetta takes place in a not-so-distant future version of a dystopian England.
V for Vendetta is a graphic novel written by Allan Moore. It is a story full of comedy with V as the protagonist who is out to fight and destroy the government and affects innocent people. The novel was later adapted into a film and directed by James McTeigue and written by Wachowski Brothers.
There are many characters in the novel 1984. These characters all rebel in separate and distinctive ways from each other. In George Owell’s not so sanguine vision of the year 1984 from his standpoint in 1949, he tells of a dreary future of what the world was becoming. In this future, no one has the right to anything, including free speech, freedom of press or even freedom of thought. Even the details like the history of the known world are changed by a corrupt and ever growing political party, which is managed and run by un-emotional and odious officials. From Julia, who rebels by purely simple, sexual acts, to Winston, who dreams to overthrow the party; all the characters have their own personal way of dealing with the oppression.
The constant theme of betrayal in 1984 is being used by George Orwell to show how hopeless Winston’s struggle against the Totalitarian system is, giving the reader an idea of how bad this type of government is. The reader is introduced to this dark time and given hope in the form of the rebellious protagonist, Winston. However, the reader soon realises how hopelessly alone Winston is in his silent battle when they see that the government is against him, he has no support or allies, and that even his own mind can be turned against him. The message is clear and makes readers who live in a democracy happier with what they have.
According to the director of V for Vendetta (2005) a political agenda founded on the idea that people should be free to live as they choose and stand up for their principles without compromise, given there is no negative impact on positive social cohesion, is preferable. Film techniques are employed in the film to convince the audience to embrace this idea. Characters who believe in the ideology are presented as likeable and the film’s heroes resulting in the audience viewing the ideology in a positive manner. Conversely, the antagonists of the film are made to be those who practice a polar opposite ideology causing the audience to associate opposition to the ideology with villainy. While the film acknowledges that the actions taken to advance
George Orwell’s intent in the novel 1984 is to warn society about the results of a controlling and manipulative government by employing mood, conflict, and imagery.
Explore the characters. Are they believable and round, or flat and one-dimensional? Does the major character ( the protagonist) change? What causes the change?
Literature has learned to grow and progress over the years, but still till this day graphic novels are having trouble with being accepted as literature. Good literature is a piece of work that can incorporate writing and illustrations that pulls the reader in and leads them throughout the book. After reading a couple of graphic novels I have to disagree with the scholars who believe that they aren’t a piece of literature. Each graphic novel tells a story just like “regular” novels do. They each capture your imagination and keep you interested. They may look childish to some, but you should never judge a book by its cover. “Graphic novels that succeed as literature escape the norm and invite critical discussion, analysis, and, often, comparison with text-only books featuring similar situations, climactic crises, or aesthetics” (Goldsmith). Graphic novels tell a story, draw in a different audience, and expands a reader’s imagination, so with that said, they should be considered as literature.
Comic books, mainly contain superheroes and villain in short storylines that appear in episodes or series while spanning over about 30 pages. Whereas graphic novels are continuing stories that come in the form of novels and volumes. Meanwhile, manga is Japanese comics written using a combination of comic book and graphic novel styles and moving from top to bottom and right to left starting at the back of the book similar to the Japanese written language. Manga is mainly black and white two-dimensional illustrations that an anime-like style and use symbols to represent emotions. Graphic novels, comic books, and manga may be different from one another in styles and content, but they are fairly similar to one another in a way and draw the attention of children to reading their