Discussion Questions: Berger, McCloud

McCloud:

Before You Read

2.      Look around the room you are in (or the outdoor space around you, etc.). Where do you see patterns resembling human faces in inanimate objects? How similar or dissimilar are those things to actual faces? Can you look at them without seeing a face? Why or why not?

I see a "face" in my grandfather clock, in the cupboards above my stove (with the gap acting as a "smile"), and in the face plate of the iron sitting on the ironing board. The iron and the cupboards are the least similar, but the clock has a strong resemblances to a human face--probably because it also has a figural "body" making it more "life like." If I try, I can train myself not to see the faces, but it is hard--I think we want to see ourselves somehow in these objects all around us, marking them as ours and familiar. It is difficult to interact with things we can not relate to.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling

2.      Why does McCloud use the comic book format to convey his ideas to the reader? How would his points have suffered if expressed them only through writing?

I think McColoud is explicitly trying to model/example his theory for us--he is giving us the simplified, abstracted character we can insert ourselves into so we become more familiar and intimate with the text. His argument would certainly have suffered had he only tried to explain through text--he would have missed out on the opportunity to create a higher level of engagement with his audience.

Applying and Exploring Ideas

4.  Consider McCloud’s concept of the mask. How does it affect your perception of yourself and your perception of others? Without your mask, would you be able to be aware of others around you? Why or why not?

I think to a certain degree we all wear masks, they protect us, create a defensive space for ourselves. I am always very aware of the mask that I am wearing, conscious of having to change that mask, put on a different one, etc. And this changing of masks definitely shifts my perception of myself and to thoses I am interacting with--whether it is when I am wearing my authority mask, student mask, by-standard mask, etc.--small shifts in who I am take place.  It is a lot harder always being away of these changes in other people though. I think you really have to know someone well to pick up on the subtitles of their changes. Without the mask I think I would definitely be aware of others around me--probably more so. Without that piece of defense I would be on high alert, really focusing in on those around me and my possible risks.