Essay

A paper that I would be interested in reading is one that either talks about how characters change throughout the book. Like Dr. Manhattan wanting to save the world vs when he doesn't care what would happen. Also, arguing over which when each character is most heroic, or even if the watchmen are heroes.

Possible essay topic

I think an interesting topic to write about in Watchmen would be Dr.Manhattan's impact on the outcome of the story. Manhattan is extremely powerful, knows the future, and is arguably a god. Because of this, I believe he could've prevented Veidt's actions and the death of millions of innocent people. The question would be, Is Dr.Manhattan to blame for these deaths and could he have stepped in? Also, should it have been his responsibility to save the day?

Blog Post about Essay

I am interested in the role the Comedian played in the comic, and I want to analyze why the Comedian was viewed so highly among so many people. I specifically want to look at why Adrian killed him because of how he feared him and why Laurie's mom forgave him.

The Comedian

The book opens with the comedian's death and the smiley face with blood on it appearing. There are many times when the comedian comes up or the blood spatter appears. How does the comedian's death affect the rest of the story?

Rorschach

The most controversial character in the book, between his black and white views and his hippocratic views.
(I want) The actions of Adrian Veidt, were they right or wrong? Was there another way? and is he a good person? Describe the morality of the situation.
What was the deeper meaning behind Watchman than just the effects of nuclear warfare

Possible Essay topic: How all heroes of Watchmen are forced to question their beliefs

In Watchmen, it is incredibly clear that all of our heroes/antiheroes represent a very clear cut idea of morality. However, everyone of them is forced to question their own beliefs. Rorschach is caught in a quandary when Veidt kills millions to possibly save billions. This is the same thing that president Truman did, but he considers Truman a hero and Veidt evil. He is then forced to choose between reversing his assumptions about right and wrong and trying to take down Veidt or letting evil slide and let Veidt live. The comedian claims that life is a joke but is brought to tears by something that is too heavy for him to deal with. Jon and Laurie both are constantly questioning the validity of even being superheroes. Dr. Manhattan is forced to question whether human life is valuable in an attempt to feel some empathy for the human race. Adrian Veidt claims himself to be the greatest leader in history but still feels driven to ask Dr. Manhattan if he did the right thing. These situations are where we see these character's true colors, and I believe that it would be an incredibly interesting topic.

Morality in Watchmen

In my essay I am comparing and contrasting the sense of morality of three characters: Rorshach, Jon, and Adrian. Rorshach, who happens to be my favorite character in the novel, sees things in black and white, wrong and right, although I may decide to argue that this is not always the case. Jon's sense of morality is marked by a thick layer of impassivity, but at times it seems as if he might have a more human side. Adrain has a conflicting sense of morality, ultimately questioning the morality of his own actions (Chapter 12, Page 27). I look forward to exploring this topic. It is an interesting one.

The Reflection of Roschach

An Essay on Rorschach to me at least would be very profound and very subjective. The complexity of Rorschach's character causes us to think very differently on why he kills people, why his outlook on the world is so bleak, and many other aspects of his character. In my opinion Rorschach is a reflection of the worst the world has to offer. He experienced very difficult and traumatic experiences before he donned the mask and when he did put on the mask he reflected those experiences onto those around him like when he basically tortured those people in the bar. At the end of the graphic novel Rorschach is destroyed which is kind of symbolic of there is hope for the world. For these reasons Rorschach would be a great essay topic.

Rorschach vs. Ozymandias

Both Rorschach and Ozymandias will go to great extents in order to accomplish their goals. While Rorschach will kill hundreds to save thousands, Ozymandias killed millions to save billions. Even after Ozymandias' plan works, Rorschach continues to fight against him and is even willing to undo world peace for the sake of his own moral values. In your opinion, which character is more villainous and for what reason?

Essay Topic

The story of Watchmen ended and wrapped up nicely however there is still one question, who was the bad guy? Adrian Veidt killed millions of people so the planet wouldn't go into nuclear war. He used psychological terrorism on the leaders of Russia and the United States to stop the cold war, but at what cost. The problem that this book creates is that a single person cannot be hero of an entire civilization without making a moral compromise. An example of this is The Comedian who would help individuals while making serious moral compromises in the lengths he abused the felons. While we look at this master plan by Adrian Veidt, Dr. Manhattan could have prevented this entire plan by threatening the leaders of the counties involved. This leads me to my essay topic, which of the heroes in the book made the largest moral compromise compared to his or hers help of the common good?

Essay Topic of hidden symbolism in literature

I have thought about my essay topic for watchmen constantly throughout the book. Knowing that their would be some kind of assessment, I knew I would have to develop a well thought topic for this book filled with art. One concept that interested me was the symbolism hidden in the book. I feel their meaningful symbolism in the book that represents reality. Early in the story, we received most of the symbols that are in the book, but explaining these symbols and what they mean interests me. Alan Moore plans his books so expertly, their has to be reasons why he uses certain symbols in his book. I think this topic would be very interesting and maybe present a different perspective that was unknown to someone while reading the book.

Essay Topic: Background Allusion

Many panels in the book have interesting backgrounds, that allude to other aspects of popular culture, literature, and many more. However, a lot of this is done so subtly that it makes it easy to overlook, and therefore easy to miss some important aspects. Do you think it was beneficial to the novel for the author to hide these, or would a more direct approach work better for the book.

Soviet Union, Anyone?

As shown in the handout you gave us in class. The book Watchmen is loaded to the brim with outside references which are essential to the full understanding of the themes in which the book brings forth. Personally, after some thought,  I feel that writing an essay on what was going on in Russia in the real world during the 80s would be rather interesting. The book changes a lot of American history, however, it does not appear to change much of what is happening in Russia during this time period (Afghanistan, etc). As a result, I feel it would be very interesting to research and learn more about what was going on in the "other" side of the cold war. Not only would this enhance our understanding of the Cold War but it would also help us understand what the numerous Soviet Union references Moore makes mean. Sure we all have a basic understanding of what was going on during the 80s in the Soviet Union, however, seeing how we have only looked at the Soviet Union through an American lens in US history it would definitely be an interesting topic to study.

Possible Essay Topic

Watchmen is full of little details that pop up subtly throughout the course of the novel and it would be very interesting to look into. I was also planning on looking into the continuity that is hidden in the background of the panels like Rorschach looking through the trash outside of the Gunga diner without his mask on. These little details are clearly meant to be there because why would they be drawn if they weren't. The little easter eggs that Alan Moore has planted throughout Watchmen would be a great topic to explore and write about.

Essay Topics

I think there would be many very good essay topics we could use from this book. One, I think you could write and entire essay on either one of Rorschach or Dr. Manhattan. There is so much to potentially delve into with either of them. Second, this is such a dark world, and I think it would be fun to make some major connections from the text into real life events that were happening at the time. Third, I think looking into the Comedian and his past and everything would be a really interesting essay topic.

Essay Topics

I believe that a good essay topic would be comparing and contrasting two or three characters and how they have evolved throughout the book and how certain big moments in the book affected each character differently. Also another topic would be comparing the backstories of each character and comparing the way that they were brought up and how they turned out due to their backstory.

Evolution of Rorschach

I think that the evolution and development of the character Rorschach throughout the story. I think this is a good topic because he comes off as a very mysterious character whom we don't know much about. I am very interested to know what happened in his child hood and why he grew up the way he did.

Essay Topic

I've been interested in the character of Rorschach throughout the entire book. I think this would be a good essay topic. Also, I think the backstory is pretty interesting. We could possibly do something about the evolution of Rorschach from when he was a child to now. Personally, I believe that Rorschach was a caring person, that just lost his sanity because of all of the people that surrounded him. Some also might argue that Rorschach is simply a black and white character and was born insane. I think this would be an interesting topic to explore, with a lot of examples to support whatever stance taken.

Essay Topics

While reading Watchmen, I came across a few ideas for essay topics that I thought would be interesting to research more. Some topics I wanted to look further into would be the Comedian, and his relationship with Laurie and Laurie's mom. I think it's important to realize how 'rape culture' has changed over the years, and our response to hearing Laurie's mom perspective. We explain her behavior as a product of her time, which would be interesting to research more on. Another topic I was interested in was Rorschach's past, and how it formed him as an adult. His background was an important context for us to realize why people are the way they are. I also am really interested by Jon, and his relationship with Laurie and Janie. How his dissconect to them both pushes him farther away from humanity.

Doctor Manhattan Essay

I think that am interesting essay to read would be one that examines Dr. Manhattan closely, from his changing view of humanity to the different abilities that we see him use over the course of the graphic novel. Dr. Manhattan is a complex character and examining him could lead to further understanding the watchman universe.

blog post about essay topic

The details in each panel-- like the jail psychiatrist's bottle of painkillers, or some of the graffiti in street scenes-- enrich and enhance the narrative. I'd like to identify several instances where background images clarify Moore's symbolic/thematic intentions or contribute to the storyline without being obvious motifs (example of what I'd like to avoid is the smiley face or the "who watches the watchmen" graffiti").

The morality of the alien attack

the question that I would like to tackle would be the morality of Viedt deciding to take the fate of the world into his hands and create an "alien" life form to unite the entire planet. Sure his plan worked but was it the right decision? Does one man have the authority to do something like this? Is killing a few to save many really a good idea?

Watchmen Essay Topic: 9/11 v. Veidt's Alien Attack

One of my ideas for an essay topic is comparing the world of Watchmen after Veidt's alien squid attacks New York with real New York City after the attacks of 9/11.  It would be really interesting because both of these attacks unified the city/country/world, but they had opposite effects in the long term.  In Watchmen, the alien attack prevented World War III and nuclear Armageddon, while 9/11 was the catalyst for our war in Iraq.

Humor and Religion As Essay Topics

While thinking about papers that I would be interested in reading, I came up with two very different concepts. The first idea I had would be an essay about the use of humor throughout the novel. This topic could be interpreted in a few different ways. First, it could be an essay written about certain extremities that made the novel comical to the writer. This would vary among each person, but is a little tough because some may not have found things comical at all. A better idea would be an essay written about how Alan Moore uses humor throughout the comic book series to lighten the mood during dark times. Whether it may be Rorschach breaking a man's hand finger by finger as if it was nothing, to actual jokes made by the characters, I think the variety would be very entertaining. My second idea of an essay topic is looking further into the use of religion throughout the book. I feel like doing further research into the various Bible references could provide more insight into the meaning of the novel. Also, I would be curious to know why Alan Moore decided to include all of the religious aspects into Watchmen. Overall, these two options are completely different but equally interesting to me!

Watchmen Essay Topic Ideas

I think it would be interesting to write a paper including ideas on how the text and the pictures in the comic allowed for a better overall understanding of the book. Additionally, I think within the paper, it would be a good idea to include a few of the references that we learned about in class. Each reference could make for an interesting paper in the way that each person interprets the reference in a different way. By doing this, it also gives the students some choice in what references they wish to expand on. I think there are some parts in the book where without the pictures, I would have been very confused about what was going on. The pictures tell their own story in a sense. Overall, I think the images and the text in Watchmen combine to create a very interesting, unique story and it would be interesting to see everyone's thoughts and reactions.

Essay Topic

After seeing the movie, I think it might be interesting to write about how Zack Snyder adapted the book into a film and the controversy surrounding it. Alan Moore has been very outspoken for his belief that Watchmen is inherently unfilmable. Attempts have been made since the graphic novel came out to make a movie directed by Terry Gilliam, but he too said that it would be impossible to make a Watchmen movie. Snyder stayed very loyal to the book with a slight alternate ending. I don't think anyone says the film is superior to the book, but people who view the film highly praise Snyder for creating a great superhero movie in the realm of The Dark Knight, but its detractors are also adamant that the intricacies and incredibly complex nature of Watchmen simply cannot translate to the screen and it is not even worth trying.

Essay Ideas

One obvious essay that comes to mind when thinking about Watchmen is the smiley face. A yellow smiley face with a blood streak across one eye. It's the heart of the story, the symbol of the comedian and what the story begins with. That same smiley face appears in many different places throughout the novel but different forms of that smiley face are spread throughout the novel as well. Many people have different views of what it means and why Alan Moore did it. Also tracing it from the beginning to the end would be pretty cool.
Rorschach's double identity; how his childhood effected his growth and actions as he grew older. Did things change, is he still the same person inside and what's the defining line between Knovac and Rorschach. Talking about Rorschach and his identities, an essay could be written about his different masks that he wears and what we see in them at the time and place in which he was wearing them. How those masks relate to the events occurring and his attitude.
The other topic that stands out to me is Vedit, I feel as if there is so much more about him that we don't know, and would be very interesting to learn. His name and things related to him appear quite a bit as the story goes on but he is never straight up talked about like Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach so it would be nice to get to know him a little better as well.

Watchmen Essay Topic

One essay idea that I had, and I would like to write about, is the significance of the imagery that appears in the background of Watchmen. Things like graffiti, newspaper headlines, posters, and advertisements all have deep meaning in Watchmen and I feel like it would be fun to go and dive into some of the deeper meanings behind the things that might not seem so significant at first. It will also open up the reader's eyes in regards to the immense detail hidden in watchmen. I would also like to do research and write about the meanings behind some of the quotes at the end of each book. Like the background imagery, these quotes seem strange and random at first but as you dive deeper have significant meaning and actually draw many connections to the book.

Watchmen Essay Ideas

One of my essay ideas about Watchmen is the topic of the comedians smilie face and the repetition of it throughout the book. The face shows up in the panels so often that I am curious to why Alan Moore did this and what peoples points of view are on it.
In class discussions we always pointed out the faces however we never discussed its meaning or why Alan Moore kept returning back to the comedian. I think that this could be a hard topic to write about however I think it would be very interesting to see peoples view on it.
My other essay topic idea is the constant reference of religion in the book, especially towards the end when the boat blows up as well as Dr. Manhattan and him being the Godly figure in the book. There are also plenty of bible verses that are quoted at the end of each chapter which can also be discussed in an essay as well.

Watchmen Essay Topic

I think it would be interesting to read an essay describing the world after Rorschach's journal has been published by The New Frontiersman and the possible outcomes of exposing the world to the truth that Veidt engineered the killing of over half of New York City. I also think it would be interesting to explore the possibilities of what would have happened if Rorschach had not been killed by Dr. Manhattan and instead began planning to bring Veidt to justice.

Watchman Essay Topic Ideas

One essay idea I've had would be to explore and try to prove how Mars represents heaven, New York City represents Earth, and Antartica is hell. I think it would be really interesting to talk about why and how each place represents these biblical spaces, and how they function as such in the story. This topic would be really interesting to read about, but also to write about so I'm claiming that as mine.

I also think it would be hard but really thought provoking to write about the moral implications of what Veidt did. The essay could support his actions and prove why they're just, or the essay could prove why his actions were wrong and what should happen to Veidt in the aftermath (i.e. should he get punished?). I think that would be pretty hard, but it would be really interesting to read.

Possible Essay Topic

I think it would be interesting to write an essay about Dr. Manhattan specifically. I think it will be fun to explore his effect on the world he lives in. The ideal topic for my essay would be if I could discuss what could happen if Rorschach's journal was published and the truth was revealed. I would like to explore the possible outcomes in the world post destruction of New York City and whether or not the world would believe him and how they would treat Veidt following the revelation of the information. (I would hope there would be some consequence for his actions.) Maybe there would be some sort of punishment or maybe no one would believe Rorschach at all. I would love to explore each of these scenarios in my essay. As I think about it now, I'm deciding that I want to claim this topic now.

John's Selfishness

In Chapter IX, we saw John turn a complete blind eye to everything that he had back at home. He had the woman that he apparently loved for years, crying and begging him to help his home. Since the accident, John has become so disconnected from everything that he once knew. He left his first wife because she was becoming too old, and chased after a girl that was much younger than he. Reading the chapter, all I was thinking was, does this guy not remember anything from before the accident? Is he really that selfish to leave everyone that he once loved? Then, I came up with the answer. He never actually loved anyone. His relationship with Laurie was solely for himself. Sure, he has provided the world with unlimited power, and this could considered pretty selfless. However, what's to say that he didn't know what the outcome of this intervention would be? By the end of the chapter, however, I think John finally realized the extent of what was going on. I think he finally started to remember the person he was before the accident. I don't, however, want to come to a conclusion on John right now because he could end up going back to his selfish ways at the end of the book.

Chapter 9

Reading the conversion between Jon and Laurie on Mars during chapter 9 made it seem very different from the rest of the book. Rorshach's "Never Give Up" attitude is seemly crushed from the beginning, when Jon explains the futility of human existence in the book. The fact that everything that happened is seemingly predetermined is different from that of the chapters before, when Laurie and The Nite Owl make a huge effort to break Rorshach out of prison. Though Jon's perspective eventually changes near the end, I wanted to comment on an interesting turn that the book takes.

John disconnect from human life.

As John said earlier in the book about Sally, she was the only thing keeping him connected to reality. How does his time on earth as a human mean nothing to him? Although it was an accident and he probably should be dead, why would he not want to help the people he was born around. If human life was so meaningless to him why would he help the United States fight a war against the vietnamese? It was the interview on national television that changed his opinion. While he is not human, I see that he still has human emotions and that is why Sally Jupiter is able to convince him to not let earth get destroyed.

The Night Owl

Throughout chapter eight you see the return of the night owl and his newly found friend Laurie. The Night Owl/Dan and Laurie are able to save people from a burning building and the break rorschach out of prison. During this chapter the retired version of the Night Owl or Hollis Mason makes a surprise phone call to an old friend Sally Jupiter. They seemed to pick up right where they left off. Dan seems to become more and more worried about the, "masked murderer". Do you think that rorschach is getting to Dan and will continue to do so in the last couple of chapters? Will Jon come back to earth to help? Will Laurie stay with Dan or go back to Jon? So many questions that need to be answered in the last couple of chapters. Can you anticipate what's going to happen?

Rorschach

Rorschach is a sick, twisted man who we as readers sympathize with, but the Comedian is of the same psychotic level, and we hate him. Besides for killing innocent people, the Comedian is the same as Rorschach. What makes a reader like Rorschach? Is it that he was introduced first? Readers have more story on Rorschach? What if the story was around the Comedian, would we feel the opposite to both characters?

The man behind the mask

Rorschach is a product of his circumstances, without his past he wouldn't have such a cynical outlook on the future. In chapter 6 we learn a lot about Rorschach and Kovac's past, and none of it paints humanity in an appealing light, in fact it is such a negative view that he convinces Mal, the psychiatrist, of his world view. This makes me wonder how Kovac would have turned out under different circumstances.  What would Rorschach be like if he went to academy? Would he have the same world view?

Only Us

On page 26 of chapter 6 in Watchmen, we see the dress-makers warehouse consumed in flames and smoke over the course of three panels. Over these panels, the clearly identifiable mannequin is distorted and then lost completely in the fire and smoke. The lines are blurred and leveled until there is no evidence that a mannequin once stood there. While this is going on, Rorschach is explaining how "God was not there. The cold suffocating dark goes on forever and we are alone."He continues these nihilist ideas on the fourth panel of the page when he says, "Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring too long." Also on this fourth panel is a Rorschach blot that looks like the smoke we just saw, or does it? If we had not just saw the horrific scene we had, would anyone have looked at that ink blot and seen fire and smoke? I doubt it. I believe that this panel explains Rorschach's outlook on life. We project our previous experiences and beliefs onto blank, vague, or random things. Before we know someone, before we recognize their face, that face is a blank slate. Rorschach believes that people are evil because he does not know most people, so when he looks at them, he can only project the villains and delinquents that he sees every day. I am not trying to argue that this view is right or even justifiable, but I am arguing that given rorschach's past, his views are understandable

blog post about rorschach

I initially felt betrayed when Rorschach was unmasked. It felt out of place because, unlike the other living characters, he had not ceased his vigilante activites and took a much less human approach to the world: he was more easily identifiable as a "superhero" because of the lack of break in his character and his two dimensionality. Feeling uncomfortable when Walter Kovacks didn't match the expectations I had developed for the character-- even the height--meant I had forgotten the comic's purpose was deconstruction of the hero and bought too much into the persona.

The misunderstood psychiatrist???

Rorschach doesn't seem like the man that will ask you about your feelings and listen to your problems. So why has Alan Moore given him the mask of "The Rorschach test"?  This test uses Ink blots to determine their personality characteristics of a person. What a person sees in these ink blots help determine their characteristics. In each panel of Watchmen, Rorschach has a different pattern of ink blot. Rorschach is black and white dealing with justice, just like the ink blots. It seems like as soon as he meets someone, he knows there deep thinking and personality. As soon as they look at his mask, Rorschach knows who they are as a person. Another reason for the ink mask might be

the fact that Rorschach is such a complex character that no one knows his personality characteristics.

The line between Kovacs and Rorshach

In the middle of chapter six, Walter talked about the differences between Rorshach and his other identity. He described Kovacs as the man in the mask who fought along the other heroes with the rest of the Watchmen, but claimed him to be a soft. At that point in time Rorshach didn't feel as powerless so his mentality wasn't as radical. He had other people to keep him from his own insanity. When the watchmen dispersed Kovacs claimed he became Rorshach, the alternate, more ruthless identity that would cross the line. The troubled childhood of Rorshach also played a big on his transformation. His mother was a whore, and he was abused by her in one flashback. Skip ahead and he got into a conflict with some bullies who called his mom a whore. After being stopped by adults, Kovacs flashed back and these events scarred him. By putting on a mask and concealing his identity it gave Kovacs a feeling of power.

Mal's (Inevitably) Failed Attempt to Fix Rorschach

In Chapter VI, the character Mal is introduced and he takes a vested interest in Rorschach. He tries to fix Rorschach, and reiterates that he is doing it because he generally cares about Rorschach. I believe that this course of action was doomed from the start. We don't know what Mal's backstory is, but judging from the darkness of chapter VI it's unlikely that it was even remotely close to the brutality of Rorschach's past. Rorschach has never really been given an opportunity to be a good person in this society. I believe that he has had good intentions. Examples are when he walks in on his mother sleeping with a man thinking she was being hurt, and also trying to save the little girl. Of course, when he tries to save the girl he brutally murders two dogs and a man. However, I believe this is because all his life, all he has known is violence. Even when he's trying to do the right thing, his evilness comes out of him. I believe this is why Mal's advance on Rorschach was doomed from the start. There's really no getting through to Rorschach because the people that have surrounded him his whole life have made him crazy.

Dialogue Bubbles in Watchmen

As we have learned in class, Alan Moore put a significant amount of detail into every single panel on every single page. Having given Dave Gibbons multiple pages of instructions on how he wanted one single panel to be, they are all uniquely presented. One thing that I have found to be particularly interesting in each of the panels is how the dialogue bubbles are placed. Just the simple placement of these bubbles has the power to send off completely different vibes. For instance, as Rorschach was walking through the jail, all of the hollering and yelling made him think back to what it was like as a child. The dialogue bubbles were purposely placed on top of each other, sometimes even covering some of the words that were being said. This created a chaotic sense, and personally made me feel slightly overwhelmed, as Rorschach obviously would have. Finally learning the story behind Rorschach was extremely insightful. Although it was very dark, it made clear why Rorschach has such a harsh view on the world. He saw his mother getting paid to sleep with another man, was under constant attack by his peers, and was extremely conscientious of all of the terror that occurred around him such as the kidnapping and the Kitty Genovese case. After having read this chapter, not only am I more aware of the importance of the structural components to this story but also of the deep thought gone into the creation of each character. 

Who is Rorschach?

In the last couple of chapters we have learned more about Rorschach's motives and history. The fact that he was the man with the end is nigh sign took me completely by surprise. Although now that I know he is that man it seems fairly obvious in the rest of the book for example the funeral of the comedian. Rorschach isn't there but the end is nigh man is. This gives Rorschach a strategic view of the street next to the Gunga diner.
Once Rorschach is in prison we learn about his troubled home life and how he was abused as a child. This shows his motives for when in his words he"Became Rorschach". When he found a man had kidnapped a child, killed her, dismembered her and fed her to his dogs he snapped. He realized how awful human beings can be to one another. He ends up giving the man the option of cutting off his own hand or burning to death and the man does die. That was a very powerful example and look inside Rorschach s head. He sees people as awful to one an other, this must contribute to his black and white definition of good and bad. If you break the law in anyway then you are bad even if you have medicine for cancer and you don't have a prescription for it. Does his black and white definition of good and bad come solely from his abusive childhood? If not where does his idea of good and bad originate from? Rorschach is still a mystery to the reader, but less of one now.

Rorschach's Life and Views

It is obvious that Rorschach is a very dark and twisted character but as odd as it might seem, I can see why he has grown to hold the beliefs he does and why he acts the way he does. If you have read chapter VI, where Rorschach is interviewed in the prison by Mal and goes on to tell the story of his life, it's obvious that his life has never been easy. From the start he had no father, since his dad left before he,Walter, was born. Then his mother was a prostitute who hated and cursed him. Following that he was left in a foster home and throughout this whole time he was never loved, instead insulted and made fun of all the time. Walter did not like to let out his feelings and would fight when he got angry. I believe he was so fed up with his life and everyone around him that the case of Kitty Genovese was the tipping point for him, it made him loose faith. It seems that he felt there were no good people left, and if there was any good ones they weren't going to do anything to make a change. So he felt obligated to make a difference and do the right thing. Doing this seemed to help him get over this past and make a new outlook on life. Going back to interviews Walter goes through, it's easy to see that he is not insane, he gives the answers he knows Mal, and everyone else wants to hear but that is not the way he really sees the world. The events throughout his life made him twisted and that's how he is now. What do you guys think? Also if anyone read the New York Police Department report psychiatric summaries at the end of six, about Rorschach, I thought they were really interesting?

Rorschach's True Identity Revealed

Throughout the book so far (Chapters 1-5), it has been made fairly obvious that the man holding “the end is nigh” sign must have some significance in the book since he keeps appearing over and over again. When Rorschach was revealed to be that guy, it took me by a huge surprise. I never expected him to be Rorschach but after his true identity was revealed, it seemed pretty obvious that they were the same person. For example, when Rorschach goes to visit Moloch, he tells him to leave him a note in the trashcan opposite the Gunga Diner if he thinks of something. A few pages after that, we see Rorschach sitting in the diner watching the trashcan. Later in the chapter, we see “the end is nigh” sign by the trashcan with the guy digging through it. I think there is an extreme difference between the two characters, even though they are the same person. Throughout the novel we see Rorschach as a pretty dark character with a bleak view of the future, but not to the extent of the guy holding the sign. He seems to be in a constant state of paranoia when he’s not behind the Rorschach mask, but when he puts it on, his attitude completely changes. Now that we know Rorschach’s true identity, what impact do you think it will have on the story?

Could Rorschach be 'Jigsaw' of the 1960's?

We all know that Rorschach is extremely dark, and a sketchy guy. His views on the world can be viewed as 'twisted' and were formed by his horrific experiences growing up, as well as the kidnapping case. Similarly, Jigsaw, from the Saw movies, was known for his incrediblly dark outlook on humanity, and demonstrated his views through torture of random citizens. Though Rorschach is more interested in justice for the guilty, than the innocent, I was reminded a lot of Jigsaw while reading book 5 in Watchmen. Things Rorschach said while talking to Malcolm Long reminded me a great deal of Jigsaw's outlook. "This Rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not Fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It's us. Only us." (Book 5, Page 26, Panel 5.) Rorschach is explaining to Long that the problem is us, and only us. Likewise, Jigsaw's views on humanity is that too many people take life for granted. Therefore he 'punishes' them for it as if it was some sort of game. Jigsaw doesn't just kill the victim, but leaves the victim in an almost impossible scenario out of the punishment, and is most likely not accomplished. Rorschach did something similar to the man who kidnapped the six year old girl. He put the man in handcuffs, gave him his own saw, and lit the house on fire with kerosene. As if he 'gave' him a way out, but was almost impossible to get out. Though Jigsaw's purposes was strictly for torturing the innocent, and Rorschach's torture was for justice, the method was similar. Do you think Rorschach and Jigsaw are at all similar?

My Thoughts on Watchmen

               As someone who has seen the Watchmen movie already, it's very interesting to see the story told through a different medium like the original comic. I really enjoy the way that the comic is illustrated, it sets the tone of the story as dark and bleak. I was also very surprised with how well the story is told by using only pictures and captions. The transitions from setting to setting are smooth, and the book does not seem choppy at all. One thing I like more about the book than the movie is how you easy it is to find symbolism in the panels. There is often some sort of alternate meaning in the background of a picture that's not essential to the story, but can help further the readers understanding of the plot. So far, I've enjoyed reading the comics more than I did watching the movie. I can't wait to see how the rest of the story is told...

Rorschach the Outlaw, will he cause problems?

It's very clear, just from reading book one in Watchmen, that Rorschach is an Outlaw, this kind of crazy guy who really has no ethical subjectivism at all. He is so black and white, right or wrong, that he can't truly be taken seriously by the other members his this Superhero team, which is problematic in its own right, as he is the only one taking it seriously to begin with. A couple of examples of this are when he calls rape "a moral lapse" or says that people had a chance to be good, and should have been good men, like his father or Harry Truman. He isn't keen on picking up other's emotions, this is especially clear when he can't really tell that nobody else is taking him seriously. I also believe his mask is very symbolic of his character. It's black and white, much like Rorschach's views on the world, but it's also always symmetric. I think that kind of fits Rorschach in a way because, while he is an outlaw, and does stuff his way, he has this sort of view on the world that is kind of "even" to him, which I think the symmetry might symbolize. Your thoughts?

Rorschach causing problems

It's quite obvious that, from the first chapter 1 in Watchmen, Rorschach is the only one that is really tang this superhero team seriously. This could prove to be problematic come the time when they re-form the team of superheroes. Also, Rorschach is crazy. It also seems that the other Watchmen have become used to seeing this craziness from Rorschach. An example of this is when Dan and Laurie start laughing about when Rorschach threw someone down an elevator shaft. Something that could prove to be problematic would be the fact that Rorschach is not very sensitive to other's emotions. Examples are when he says that "rape is a moral lapse" and when he makes Danny feel guilty for quitting their partnership. I could very easily see there being internal problems within the superhero group when they finally get together, and I believe it all comes back to Rorschach's problems.

Character Development in Watchmen

As readers we can already see a great amount of character development in this story. The heroes of the past are detached from their old life and the modern view of their work isn't viewed in a positive light. The result of this detachment has left the watchmen without a sense of purpose. The entrance into the special world is what has given these heroes a sense of purpose in their past lives. Without even knowing the Comedian, his impact on the Watchmen is central to the plot of this story. While the death of the comedian is tragic, it also fuels a sense of purpose in the Watchmen. It is almost as if his murder has forced the Watchmen back into the special world.

blog post about watchmen

A particularly effective scene in the first chapter was the reader's introduction to Ozymandias and the profits he's made off of his masked alter ego-- Rorschach condemns this as "prostitution." Ozymandias contends he's "never claimed to be anyone special" and his superhuman reputation is the work of "over enthusiastic PR men." It's a parody of the extensive merchandise spawned by superhero comics, but also points out the power of public image and its distance from reality.  Receptiveness to good marketing can make us less inclined to question the qualifications and actions of people in power, something that fits with the context of post-Vietnam disillusionment the comic was written in. Are there other instances where this gap is brought up?

Initial Thoughts On Watchmen

The first thing I noticed when reading watchmen was how dark it was. The first scene is a shop owner hosing a pool of human blood off the sidewalk. As I continued reading I noticed how dark the comic is drawn. The colors and scenes are intentionally not vibrant like in Superman or Spider man.
The characters are often portrayed in low light and there is a film noir feel to the whole setting of the book. Deep brooding characters, constant smoking, wind and rain in a back alley, not the normal setting for a superhero comic. For example Superman is depicted in a gleaming metropolis. This feels like a darker version of Batman with the central character, Rorschach, seeming to be a Batman without a moral code.
The next thing I noticed was the attention to detail. All of the small references meticulously drawn into each frame. For example the graffiti that says "who watches the watchmen" or the legacy of the sugar cube Rorschach took from the house ate in the government building, then the wrapper being cleaned up by Miss Jupiter. The detail is incredible.
I'm interested to see where the story line goes. The heroes that have been showed to us thus far seem to be at odds with one another and I assume at one point they will unite. The eclectic personality that have been shown thus far will make for an interesting team. I look forward to reading this comic and watching the story progress.    


 

Small Details of Moore and Gibbons

After reading the first chapter of Watchmen, one of the first things that I noticed were the intricate details of each panel created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Many of these details provide context to the time that is created within the comic, most of the subtleties are reflections of the political situation in the time period. I believe that the reflection of nuclear anxiety in this story is still relevant in today's society as the nuclear clock has moved a minute closer to midnight (nuclear armageddon). With words like 'Viet Bronx', 'Krystalnacht' depicted in graffiti on the walls and hints in newspaper headlines we get a very clear idea of what is happening in this alternate universe where Richard Nixon serves another term.

In regards to the smiley face that belonged to The Comedian, I think that the blood splatter is reflective of the nuclear clock. In one of the newspaper headlines it says that scientists had moved the minute hand to five till midnight and the way the blood is splattered it looks very close to where the eleven is on the clock.

So far, my first impression has been good, I enjoy reading comics like these so it's easy to forget that this is homework. I'm looking forward to learning the backstories of these characters as the story continues to develop and looking for more tiny details in Moore and Gibbons writing and illustrations.

Initial Thoughts on Watchmen

My first impression of Watchmen has been very good. When I read it, I often forget it's even an assignment, because it's something I just enjoy. As I continue reading, I'm looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the characters and their backstories. I'm hoping that there are things I'm not supposed to know yet, like when unfamiliar characters' names are tossed around and I'm left wondering if I've missed something. I'm also looking forward to understanding anything about Dr. Manhattan, because as of now he is just a naked blue guy with some pretty wild powers and I'm sure he has a very interesting backstory.

The thing I'm most confused about is probably the meaning of the smiley face pin shown on the cover. I know it belonged to The Comedian, but that's about all I know. And the blood splatter is frustrating because, on the cover, there's a shadow underneath the blood, as if it's suspended above the smiley face, which makes it seem like its plastic or something.

The biggest thing I notice in Watchmen has to be the insane amount of detail. Every frame has something new and important, and the artwork is astounding. Every time I open the book I can't help but be blown away and overwhelmed with respect for the author and the illustrator for all the work and the careful attention to detail they paid while writing this story. Overall, I'm loving it so far and I can't wait to go deeper into the story.

Superheroes and their powers

So, after doing a little research about the characters I was able to figure out what they could do and what their superhuman abilities were. If you want to figure this out while reading then I suggest you stop reading here. The Comedian doesn't have any superhuman abilities but he is self taught in hand to hand combat and is in extremely good shape. Doctor Manhattan can basically do anything. He can heal, levitate, time travel, teleport and he's telekinetic. Nite Owl is similar to Batman. He's wealthy, stealthy, smart and is good with unarmed combat. Ozymandias has genius level intelligence, amazing athlete and martial artist, has a photographic memory and has limited super speed and reaction time. Rorschach also doesn't have any superhuman abilities and seems to be good at unarmed combat, intelligent, etc. Silk Spectre also doesn't have any abilities and like most of the characters is smart, agile, and good with unarmed combat. These are all of the main superhero characters that we have met so far and their abilities. It seems as if Doctor Manhattan is the only one with superhuman abilities. Do you think the villain, the one that killed The Comedian, has superpowers or will he be like most of the other characters so far and appear as an average human.

Rorschach

This guy is one seriously messed up, sick in the head dude that is creepy, but still he happens to be my favorite character so far. Being a fan of the newer, darker Batman, I can't help to feel like a product of my environment and liking the heavier movies, books, and even comics. Since this book was before the really heavy movies, what so you think the people felt back then? Most of the people who read this book would have known the goofy comics and the silly "BANG, POW" highlights, and then comes this over the top darkness that no one was expecting. What do you think the readers, and even the publishers thought the first time they had read this book?

Initial thoughts on watchmen

My first opinion on Watchmen was the corniness of Rorschach's diary. He only uses short punch lines in his diary and I love it. Even with the corniness he does a great job of displaying the depression and dirtiness of the city. The idea of superheroes has not taken a perspective like this before, which has led me to think more intensely about the dark side of heroes. The world these heroes live in is dark and depressing. Rorschach embraces this darkness while the other heroes that retired somewhat turned away from it. I also think that it's interesting that the ink blots on Rorschach's mask changes every pane. I feel like their is much more to that later in the book. I am also excited to see the flashbacks to when the Minutemen were together to fight crime. The writings and illustrations are amazing and have the perfect way to reflect each other. As I read on, I feel like their will be explanations and description that will help me with this book.

Artwork

When reading the first part of the book, I was really impressed with all the little details in the artwork. The characters and major objects are important, but there is so much going on in every image that is worth paying attention to, like the sign saying "The End Is Nigh" or the newspaper headline about the invasion of Afghanistan. I think these minor details are as important to the story as the major characters in the images and can give a good indication of the time and place of the story. Also, the artwork gives the book kind of a movie feel. The first page consists of the frame panning out from the smiley face with blood on it, something I would normally see in a film. In my opinion, the graphic novel is a great middle ground between the complexity and depth of a novel and the visualization that a film provides. Because of the role it provides, I think the artwork is definitely my favorite part of Watchmen so far.

Initial thoughts on Watchmen

After reading the first chapter of this graphic novel, I am very intrigued. One reason for this is the characters. Meeting heroes or former heroes such as Rorschach, the Nite-Owl's, and Dr.Manhattan for the first time is more interesting for me than reading other stories of superheroes I already know plenty about. Since I don't know anything about these characters, it makes the story unpredictable. This is something I struggle with when I watch superhero movies or read superhero stories. I feel like the majority of the time when I watch or read the famous heroes like Batman, Superman, and Spiderman I know what is going to happen and it makes me enjoy it less. Also, since there are so many different stories on each of the heroes it sometimes seems like they may be overused. With this novel, knowing none of the characters and their history makes me want to learn more about them. I'm wondering who they were before the Keene Act, and who they are now in the book. Does anyone agree?

Superhero PTSD

One thing I have noticed in Watchmen so far that interests me is how the various heroes consider their past. It reminds me of how soldiers have been portrayed thinking back to their time in war. Some of the heroes, like the two Nite Owls, think back with almost nostalgia. Others try to profit from their experience, selling relics and "prostituting" out their experiences, like Ozymandias. Dr. Manhattan seems unaffected, but I imagine that is just a facade. Keeping in line with this analogy, then, Rorschach would display signs of having extreme PTSD. Do you think it works like this with these superheroes, or do you think that they are not affected by their experiences in the same way that normal people are?

Lego Movie & Monomyth

In my opinion, the Lego Movie fits the monomyth very well. Although the film does not have many parts that fit the "return" portion of the monomyth, the other sections fit pretty well. The movie has a clear "normal" world, and a clear "special" world. The film starts off in quite literally a simple world, where everyone does the same, monotonous tasks each day. The main character Emmet has lived his whole life in this boring place; waking up and doing the same things he does every day. After he meets Wyldstyle, he travels into a different universe (The Wild West). Emmet's adventures then take him from world to world, where he accomplishes a variety of tasks that fit with the monomyth. When the cops are chasing Emmet and Wyldstyle out of different worlds, this is a Road of Trials because Emmet is tested as a "master builder". The Temptation part of the monomyth is very true throughout the entire movie, because Emmet is always second-guessing himself and telling himself that he's not a real builder. In fact, Emmet's own personal journey is him overcoming this negative mentality. The Lego Movie fits the monomyth very well, and there are only a few parts of the myth that are not present in the film.

Rorschach

There is something about Rorschach that is very sketchy to me. He wears this mask and acts as if everyone is bad, but he himself does not give off the friendliest vibe. He seems to be incredibly curious as to how the Comedian died, but I'm not convinced it wasn't him that killed him and this is all just cover up to get people thinking it couldn't be him. Also the women at the end of the chapter says while talking about the death of Captain Carnage on page 34, "Uh, well, he pulled it on Rorschach and Rorschach dropped him down an elevator shaft." Is it possible the author wants us to think Rorschach is sketchy or is there something more to this guy?

Watchmen First Chapter-First Impressions

I was very unsure about whether I would like Watchmen or not before reading it today. I have never been a comic fanatic, reading comics only occasionally in the newspaper. But I really enjoyed the first chapter of Watchmen. It has a very intriguing plot and the images really made the story have a greater impact for me. From the images I was really able to get a good feel of the setting and surroundings, because it is hard sometimes to imagine all the characters and settings, and these images allowed me to understand the story better.
At first I did not like how the novel started because I did not know who the characters were or their backgrounds, but as I got further into the chapter I started to like how they were slowly introducing new characters and building them up. In the end I enjoyed reading excerpts from Hollis Mason's autobiography, not only because it was interesting but it seems that by giving the Nite Owl's background he is soon going to become a more important figure throughout the story. After reading this first chapter I hope it only gets better and look forward to reading the rest of Watchmen.

The Effect of Illustration So Far in Watchmen

Starting out, I really had/still have little to no clue of anything about Watchmen. With every mention of a character's name, I am learning something completely new. Since this book does make references in to the past, it can be slightly difficult to keep up with all of the different aspects in it. I think that the intricately drawn illustrations are what make the story effective. Only so much can be said through words and dialogue, but with such detailed panels, way more is revealed. Small references such as the news paper's headline being snuck in there provides a greater depth that cannot be revealed through words. Not only do I find the illustrations to provide greater depth to the story, but I also find them quite helpful. Instead of having to imagine what someone may look like, there is a descriptive picture right there in front of you. I find the illustration of Rorschach particularly interesting because his "mask" and overall appearance portrays him as the seemingly dark man he is. Not to mention, the illustrations make the comic book read as if it was a movie. I think Mary mentioned this in class and I definitely agree with her. Just by simply looking from panel to panel you are able to watch the story line unfold, and I am looking forward to seeing how illustration is used throughout the rest of the novel. Do you think that this book would still be as "good" and descriptive without the pairing of illustration with it?

The Keene Act

The Keene act that was introduced in the first chapter of Watchmen is the act that makes vigilante heroes illegal in the Watchmen world. We talked in class about how The Incredibles universe has a law that does the same thing after Mr. Incredible hurt someone while trying to save his life, and how this concept was taken directly from Watchmen. Are there any other pieces that we can see in today's pop-culture that are taken from Watchmen?

New Topic: Watchmen

Use this space to discuss Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.  Use the discussion questions I gave you or your own ideas. Use this space to point out things you notice or wonder about in the text or illustrations.

Monomyth Post

Since The Interview is a parody adventure movie, it fit the monomyth very well. Though some elements were somewhat hidden, many aspects were perfect for the monomyth, such as the literal journey into a foreign country as the entrance to the spiritual world. The fact that it is purposefully made to be a stereotypical adventure movie allows it to be successful in completing Campbell's original monomyth. However, one thing I noticed in other group's films is the fact that they often had a difficult time finding a good fit for some elements. Sometimes the idea was a stretch and this makes me realize that although my movie was a good fit, it is very hard to get a perfect example of the monomtyh.

Refusal of the Call to adventure within Movies

While looking through the monomyth spreadsheet I noticed that the refusal of the call to adventure is usually a decision made by the main character which makes sense, but in the movie that my group watched, Casino Royale, the main character, James Bond, doesn't refuse the call in a generic manor, instead he is suspended from MI6, the company that he works for, and has to go on his own to complete his adventure, for the most part. This is an interesting adaptation to the monomyth, where the refusal is out of the control of the main character, because it provides the hero with more of an attitude of self-reliance and perseverance despite the circumstances. Another adaptation to the refusal of the call is the lack of refusal, such as in The Dark Knight and American Sniper. These movies have characters that are so self reliant and dedicated to their cause that refusing it would go against the principle of these heroes, This is also somewhat the case with James Bond, as he would do anything for his country, but his country doesn't believe in his ability to do it which is why they refuse him.

Gladiator and the Momonyth: How it Compares to Others

Gladiator follows the Monomyth very well. While it is a very simple, straight-forward movie, you can clearly see it follow almost all the parts of the Monomyth closely. It establishes Maximus, a Roman general, as a hero early in the film, by depicting his great win over the barbaric German tribes. It becomes clear that he will follow the Monomyth when Marcus Aurelius, the great emperor of Rome asks him to succeed him, and he declines, thus marking off the first things in the Monomyth, "The Call to Adventure" and "Refusal of the Call."

Gladiator definitely follows more closely to the Monomyth than some other movies. It is definitely easier to apply the Monomyth to a movie that is not in a series, rather than one that is. A movie like "Batman: The Dark Night" is going to be more difficult to hold to the Monomyth closely. Whereas, the entire series might hold to the Monomyth, a singular movie in a series is only helping you understand the parts necessary for you to get the greater story out of it. While you could certainly find pieces in any movie that closely correlate to Joseph Campbell's The Monomyth, not every movie is going to follow along with it.

Gladiator and the Monomyth

Before watching Gladiator I was a little skeptical on how closely it would follow the monomyth considering that Gladiator is based on real historical events and people. I was pleasantly surprised when trying to piece together the monomyth for this movie. It follows the monomyth even more closely than "Batman; The Dark Knight," which is a work of fiction. In Batman there is no refusal of the call. Bruce Wayne needs Batman just as much as Gotham does. Maximus however is your stereotypical hero. He was not born a Hero. Heroism was thrust upon him. He was unwilling to become mixed up in the political squabbles of Rome and wished most dearly to return to his house and farm. The monomyth becomes very predictable in gladiator such as the Initiation, which is when Maximus becomes a Gladiaor and fights in North Africa. Batman is a little less obvious. Joker puts Batman through emotional trials. My groups interpretation of Gladiator I believe is pretty spot on because it's pretty simple movie. The "Dark Knight Rises" is probably pretty difficult to do since its the second movie in a trilogy. For example I believe the freedom to live is not for Batman, he is chained to that identity. The freedom to live is for the people of Gotham. I also disagree with Batman's apotheosis being when he gives up his title of Hero. That doesn't make him godlike just incredibly selfless.

Overall I believe the monomyth is a good structure for defining stories with Hero's, but not all stories have Heroes. A Hero must have a story, but a story must not always have a hero.

My thought about the Monomyth

After looking at many comics and superhero stories throughout the last few decades I've come to realize that most of the extremely well known comics seem to follow the monomyth a lot better than the comics and stories that are a little more under the radar. Most of the most popular superhero stories of all time seem to also follow the monomyth fairly well as well while some deviate a little bit. Movies are in the same category as these comics including some of the most classic movies like Shawshank Redemption and Rocky. After finishing Beowulf and discussing it with many different people with different perspectives I have decided that while Beowulf is considered one of the first superhero stories I believe that it follows the monomyth extremely well. As a community it seems as if we are more interested in stories that follow the monomyth opposed to stories that deviate from the path that is the monomyth. Do you agree that we like stories that follow the monomyth more?

Lego Movie and the Monomyth

 I feel as though the Lego movie fit very well with the mono myth. The main character, Emmit is the hero and he started out as a construction worker. This mono myth fits Emmit's story because there is an evident threshold between the real and the special world. He falls down a hole in his construction site to show this.

Later, when Emmit becomes the special, he sacrificed himself to stop Mr. Business. At this point Emmit's actions make him a hero. It fits the mono myth because of the fight with the bad cop forces being the road of trials and the sacrifice is his atonement, becoming god like. He is even able to see the human who created his world. This gave him the strength to melt Mr. Business's icy heart.

Monomyth blogger post

My group and I approached this spread sheet in about the same way as other groups. We took the different aspects quite literally, as lots of other groups did. The only thing that I saw that was rather different from what other groups did was the "road of trials" aspect of the Monmouth. In my movie (The Interview), the training with the poison strip is rather obvious. I took this aspect literally, but I saw some approaches that didn't do the same as me. With American Sniper, for example, the group said that the road of trials was killing the first two people and not the actual training that Chris Kyle did. I thought that this was rather interesting, as the first exposure to action was the road of trials. I think that this has more to do with the approach of understanding the different aspects of the monomyth.

The Dark Knight and the Monomyth

I think overall, Joseph Campbell’s “Monomyth” applies to every story in a different way. Of course not every story is going to be able to fit one element into each one of the categories of the monomyth chart. I think Joseph Campbell created it as a sort of general outline for all stories involving a hero. Originally when choosing “Batman: The Dark Knight”, our group thought it would be fairly easy to fill out the chart. Batman, being the typical “superhero” story, we thought it would fit the monomyth perfectly. However, it was actually a pretty hard task to fill out each section of the chart. 

I think one of the most difficult parts of the project for our group was that the film is part of a trilogy and we chose the second movie, thinking it would be the easiest to fill the monomyth. However looking back, I think we should have chosen an entirely different movie that wasn’t part of a series. Looking at the movies other groups chose, I realize that choosing a movie that’s part of a series was not the best idea. 

This is probably because there are elements of the monomyth that can be filled out with information from the other movies in the series. At that point it becomes confusing as to which movie you’re talking about. 

Overall, I think everyone did a pretty good job applying their movies to the monomyth. I also noticed that there are some sections in the chart that people didn’t fill out or didn’t think applied to their movie. I thought this was interesting since not every movie has aspects that fit perfectly into these exact categories. I think I learned from this project that Joseph Campbell’s monomyth probably applies to individual stories, not based in a series. 

Another blog post about the monomyth

This exercise disrupted my perception of the monomyth's universality. As other members of my group have mentioned, we concluded that the Dark Knight was intended to not encompass the myth in whole, but a specific section of the three-part structure. A debate in class over whether our approach synchronized with the monomyth's intentions-- because it did not embody the myth in full-- brought up points about the validity of the generalizations that occurred when attempting to apply the myth. I believe that Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy as a complete volume does perfectly adhere to the monomyth structure. However, the Dark Knight does not. When I tried to force the skeleton of the myth into the body of the plot, it came to my attention that the monomyth in full demands a sense of completion. To "return" is to both achieve reconciliation with and departure from the world of adventure. Some enlightenment has been attained in the other world that transforms and betters the hero's existence in the ordinary, hence "master of two worlds." The Dark Knight ends with the death and moral demise of Harvey Dent, along with Batman's hopes for a peaceful return to the ordinary world. Order has not been restored to Gotham, and the hero's internal discord has not been resolved.

But the structure itself deserves scrutiny. Is it a storyline or a collection of motifs? By using a "universal" standard of comparison, are we finding what we expect to find or what is actually there? By insisting upon generalization, whatever cultural context and specific meaning a myth has is subordinated to a structure that was forged from a unilateral Western perspective. Furthermore, by assuming that the monomyth must be found in every modern or classical narrative, we risk forcibly reinterpreting the architecture of a story and imposing a specific meaning on perceived "similarities" that may have a markedly different cultural designation.

On another note, the only movie examined by another group whose plot I recall well enough to have input is Spirited Away. The two disagreements I had with that group's analysis were "crossing the first threshold" and "belly of the whale." I identify the first threshold as applicable to either one of two physical boundaries: when Sen and her family enter the train station, or when they cross the dried up river that marks the beginning of the amusement park grounds. I tend towards the latter because it has more symmetry with my choice for the belly of the whale. To me, it is the point at which there is no turning back-- in Spirited Away, when evening falls and the spirit world becomes manifest, the transformation of the sterile riverbed into a large body of water prevents return to Sen's old world.

The Monomyth in Modern Film

After learning about the mono-myth I started to look at our modern films in a different light. Almost every one of our "modern" (last 50 years) films can be placed into the mold of the mono myth. However some stories only fit if you look at the whole series of movies instead of and individual film. An example of this would be the Dark Knight trilogy, when looked at through the lens of the whole trilogy it easily fits into the mono myth template but, as we found out,  if you try to make the mono myth fit for a single part of the trilogy you have to resort to stretching meanings of scenes to fit.
I agree with the group who did "The Interview". There analysis was, in my opinion very good although I do disagree with some of their choices. When they say the road of trials is their training with the CIA, I always thought the road of trials was when they need another strip of poison to be airdropped to them by the CIA and they have to retrieve it. I do agree strongly with the idea that when Kim mentions his relationship with his father he is undergoing the atonement.  Similarly to that, in the group that analyzed guardians of the galaxy, I strongly agree with the idea that of the characters not reverting back to the criminals or outcasts they were at the start is the refusal of return. One thought I had was; is could the call to adventure when Peter Quill is abducted by aliens in the early stages of his childhood or when he initially steals the orb as a grown man?

When analyzing James Bond movies and placing them into the mono myth I found that they are all uniform in the sense of sequence of events. If you watch the earlier movie in the James Bond series the format for the plot is always the same you will just have different bad guys. Did Ian Fleming write the James Bond books with the knowledge of the mono myth structure for each story?
As can be seen by our work many if not all films that we see in the modern time can be conformed to the mono myth.  

 

Does Batman: The Dark Knight truly fit the monomyth?

When my group got together a few weeks back and racked our brains to find a movie which would easily fit the monomyth rubric, thus not requiring as much effort, we decided to choose our favorite Batman film from Nolan's trilogy, Batman: The Dark Knight. We assumed that due to the fact that this was a simple action movie(one of the best I've ever seen, but an action movie nonetheless), we thought that it would strictly follow this monomyth. To our surprise, upon completion of the film and meeting together as a group, we realized that the trilogy itself acted as the monomyth while each of the three films acted as one of the steps described in the monomyth. Batman: The Dark Knight, the second of the series acts as the Initiation step. Despite having a rather heated discussion with Mr. Farrenkopf during class as to if it was fair to say that The Dark Knight, while telling a story does not necessarily fit the monomyth, I continue to hold true to my belief that maybe not all hero films necessarily fit this monomyth, at least in its' entirety.
As a result, upon looking at what the other groups put in their doc spreadsheet, it is evident that my group approached the monomyth from a different angle as we tried to fit this movie into one of the STEPS of the monomyth rather than smash it into the entire rubric itself.

With the exception of Casino Royale(which is not really a continuation of the other Bond movies), all of the other groups chose a standalone film, which as a result, made it quite easy for them to fit their film into the broad monomyth format. This is because, unlike The Dark Knight, their stories are from beginning to end meaning that the first time we hear of the character to the last time we will hear of the character all occur within the same film. As a result, it is essential for the film to tell a COMPLETE story, thus nicely fitting the monomyth in most cases.

While my group could have probably smashed our film into the monomyth, I am happy that we looked at it through a different lens and as a result we were able to consider that it was possible that not all hero movies perfectly fit this almighty monomyth.

Whiplash and the Monomyth

As this project was assigned I was very excited about it because I only wanted to do one movie. That movie was Whiplash. I had recently scene Whiplash with my family and thats all I could talk about at the time. I persuaded my group that this was the movie to pick and they loved it. When going over the Monomyth chart in class, we were able to fill out every section without hesitating. It was that easy. Some groups struggled during their discussion of what goes where in these sections and some did not. Some poorly labeled each section with events in their movie. Of course one movie stands out which is Batman the Dark Knight. Since everyone has already stated their opinion on why it is wrong I will not go into detail.

While looking at the spreadsheet most movies did well. But most, I think, could of done a little better. Although this is all opinion based on what events fit the sections, I still have some recommendations.

The Interview: I think the Call to adventure and the Refusal are confusing because one does not flow with the other. I think that in order to keep the refusal the Call to Adventure should be the scheduling of the interview. The original Refusal is confusing because no one new about the top secret mission. Other wise good job.

The Lego Movie: Only a little recommendation here. I think that Emmet's first threshold was after he found the kraggle and he was forced to leave with Wyldstyle when the cops were chasing him.

Otherwise, well done everyone!