A New Way to Learn

Can you identify these characters?  I think it is safe to say that most people would be able to identify these characters.  All of these pictures depict heroes of historically popular comic books.  The older generations grew up with these superheroes, and the younger generations continue to idolize them.  Almost everyone has read a comic, whether it be from comic books themselves, or the comics that appear in the Sunday newspaper.  I remember my favorite time of the weekend was Sunday mornings when I got to read Garfield.

There is now a push to use comics as an educational tool for children of all ages.  Yes, the comics that we read as children, and maybe continue to read, have legitimate educational value.  How so?  For one, super heroes in comics give young people confidence and act as good role models.  Super heroes usually embody justice, honesty, courageousness, and bravery.  Super heroes struggle through adversity and make sacrifices to ultimately conquer evil.  Remember how Superman was one of the only survivors from Krypton and decided to use his super powers to help another planet?  Remember the family problems the Fantastic Four had to deal with?  Superheroes remain resilient, and this is something that young people should aspire to be as well.  We can all remember being young and impressionable.  We all wanted some sort of super power.  Pretending to be super heroes gave us a sense of confidence.

Reading comics can also be relatively easy and this in turn can help kids better engage in literature in the future.  Personally, getting through a comic book is much easier than getting through a textbook.  If that's not the case for you than props to you.  Research found that middle school students who were avid comic book readers were also avid novel readers, regardless of the students backgrounds.  In this day and age of computers and cell-phones, this is important!

Adding to their educational value, comics can help teach children about societal issues.  Captain America is a comic written to depict America's role in fighting the Axis powers during World War II.  Readers of Captain America could learn a thing or two about World War II. 

Cover of Maus

Art Spiegalman's Maus can help teach children about the Holocaust.  (Maus is a graphic novel, not a comic book, but the artistic styles are very similar and graphic novels are still easier to get through than textbooks).  Hearing's Spiegalman's father's story offers a much different perspective on the Holocaust.  Maus definitely touched me.

Finally, comics can educate readers on different culture.  Some of the earlier comics were written in the 1940's when  America was experiencing a lot of social change.  This lead to patriotic comics, with heroes such as Superman and Wonder Women to wear patriotically colored outfits. 

Comics can educate readers on other cultures as well.  Manga is a Japanese form of literature that is very similar to comic books.  Manga is very popular in American and have exposed people of all ages to Japanese culture.  There is also a large series of Indian comics called Amar Chitra Katha that have comics about Hindu gods and goddesses as well as prominent Indian figures.  Since it is easy for young people to read comics, they serve as a good method to educate readers on other cultures. 

Thanks for reading, and next time look forward to a discussion on the cultural aspect of comic books.