DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 056 591 FL 002 694 AUTHOR Elkins, Robert J.; Bruggemann,christian TITLE Comic Strips in the Teaching of English as aForeign Language. PUB DATE Feb 71 NOTE 20p.; Paper presented to a conference onthe teaching of English, Kassel, West Germany,February 5-6, 1971
EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 DESCRIPTORS *American English; *Cartoons; *ClassroomMaterials; Cultural Context; *Cultural Education;*English (Second Language); Humor; InstructionalMaterials; Language Enrichment; r'.eadingMaterial Selection; Satire; Second Language Learning
ABSTRACT American comic strips and cartoons canbe useful in English-as-a-second-language classes. Theyintroduce variety and provide an inside look into Americanlife and thought. Many current popular comic strips have cultural,social, and political significaace. and discuss the American wayof life, society, and the individual. The English-as-a-second-languageteacher must consider certain evaluative questions beforeusing a particular comic strip. Technical problems about vocabularyand use of colloquialisms must also be kept in mind. (VM) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION& WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION
r-4 THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCEDEXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE POINTS OF VW OR OPMIONS Cr PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINAIINGIT. OFFICIAL OFFICE Of EDUCATION LrN STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT .0 mninoNOR POUCY. c:) COMIC STRIPS IN THE TEACHING C:3 LAJ OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE Robert J. Elkins and
Christian Erliggemann
Language teachers as well asother teachers are constantly
searching for new methods andtechniques to improve their teaching them in effectiveness. Often the materials which could assist
their task are flaunted in theirfaces without teachers being aware comic strips of them. Such potential material exists in newspaper
and cartoons. Not only would the efficient useof these forms of
mass media lend anenjoyable variety to the classroom,but also
their introduction would offer thestudents an inside look into
American life and thought, theAmericans' preoccupations, their
idiosyncracies and some of theircharacteristics, all in concentrated
or capsule form.
Comics, although known throughoutthe world, do not enjoy the
popularity in other countries to the extentthey do in the United
Journalism, states that, ',IThe States. Bohd, in An Introduction to
latest published statistics proclaimthat 82 per cent of men readers J. and 78 per cent of women readersdaily devour the comics.
Scarcely any American paper, no matterhow small, devotes less than
one page daily tocomic strips. Sundays, ene finds 4 to 12 full York pages of comics in color. Of ths larger papers, only the New
"Times includes no comics. 2
should not and could not languageteachers take advantage of this form of mass media to increaseinterest and appeal in their classes? An example of the comicstrip's effectiveness and potential value to teaching is pointed out byAlvin Silvei-man in The American
Newspaper, "So many people in Americaread the comics that, during
World War II, the strips were used toteach men and women in the 2 help service- armed forces." Their major use at that time was to men learn foreignlanguages. When American comics were introduced
into Bolivia and rtzched the areaswhere the Indian population was
largely illiterate, there was an increasein the desire to learn to
Indians wished to know read. The reason was found to be that the 3 what such characters as "Mutt" and"Jeff" were saying. Business-
men have also recognizedthe potential of comIcs and oftendevelop 4 their advertisements in the formatof the comic strip.
For the purposes of this paper,the comic strip will be
separated from the older version, thecartoon, and subsequently been dealt with exclusively. A number of various definitions have
presented for the comic strip. Silverman says, "a comic strip is a
series of picturesin a rAated order.A single picture is called a 6 5 cartoon." Bond considers the cartoon tobe a "pictured editorial."
The American College Dictionary statesthat a cartoon is "1) a
sketch or drawing as in a newspaper orperiodical, symbolizing or
caricaturing some subject or personof current interest, in an
(17 exaggerated way. 2) . . . 3) a comic strip.
2 3
The word cartoon does notinherently imply humour although
Spencer states that it does. "The very word cartoon implies humor,
Yet the topics dealt with are notparticularly or necessarily humourous. Spencer continues by stating,"the humor varies, some grim, some pathetic, some sad, someironic, some bitter but all
9 portraying a measure of truth." Comic on the other hand connotes
"humour" or "funny" with the result that thecomics are often referred to as "the funnies" or the"funny papers."Comic strips are not all humourousbut often handle topics dealingwith crime, adventure, or mystery.
In this paper, cartoon is used todescribe a single panel booed upon a contemporary event or acaricature of a current public
figure and dependent upon thereader's knowledge of current facts
and events. These cartoons, basically politicaland generally found
on the editorial page,will not be dealt with sincestudents must
first be given current backgroundinformation and such information
could not be prepared by a textbookwriter or teacher beforehand.
Once the event is in the realm ofthe past, the value usually
diminishes or becomes non-existent. The writers of this paper do
recognize the value of cartoons,however, and recommend that they
be utilized whenever applicable. Their value has been demonstrated
by their recognition by thePulitzer Prize Committee which has
yearly awarded the "Pulitzer Prizefor Editorial Cartooning" since 10 comic strip should prove 1922. For the classroom, the comic or
more practical and canbe prepared for in advance. If well chosen, 4 comics do not become out-dated aseasily as cartoons. The single picture which neither caricatures acurrent public figure nor is based upon a contemporary event will beclassified as a comic rather than as a cartoon.
At one time, one could havespurned comic strips as something
degrading, something "low-brow," somethingfor the illiterate.
Today, however, many of the more than500 American comic strips
are "..leaning towardsophisticated satires of American life, or H11 of humanity in general.
The Basic Types of Conic Strips
In order to select good comic stripsand to prepare background
material, the teacher must be familiarwith the basic types of
comic strips. One way of categorizing them wouldbe according to down into four basic length. In this manner they can be broken
types. Each panel or set of pictures is 1) Totally Self-Contained.
totally independent of the previous orfuture panel. The
topic may, and usually does, varyfrom day to day with no
formal connection. The reader need not have read the
previous day's comic strip toappreciate the current one.
"Beetle Bailey" or "Blondie" are representativesof this
type of strip. self-contained 2) Quasi-Self-Contained.The panel is basically
and can be understood withoutreference to the previous 4 5
day's or the following day's strip. The comic strip artist
lets the strip revolve around onetopic for a number of
days until the public is ready for achange or until he
has virtually exhausted the2ossibilities of that topic.
Although the reading of the previousday's strip is not
necessRry, it may enhancethe comprehension of the reader.
The creators of "Peanuts" and"B.C." often draw their
strips in this manner for a number ofdays and then revert
to the totally self-contained typefor a short period.
3) The Short agues_ice. In the short sequence, it is necessary
for the reader to follow the stripfor a number of days to
determine the point. Often there is little humour in this
type of strip, but rather, onefinds a mystery, crime, or
adventure story being unfolded which issupposed to maintain
reader interest at a high level. Two strips which fit this
category are "Dick Tracy" and"Lil'l Abner." itx The Continuous SeqUence. In the continuous sequence there
doesn't seem to be any real crisis orclimax with the situa-
tion being resolved and a new sequencebeing started as in
the shorter sequence. The reader is taken through the
daily life of the characters almostwithout beginning
or end. An example of such a strip is"Gasoline Alley,"
in which characters are born, growold and die as in
life itself.
5 6
It is basica:1y the former two typesthat appeal universally to the youngster, to the adolescentand to the adult; to the young- ster and adolescent because of the humouroussuperficiality and the artful drawings and to the adult on the basisof the subterranean connotations and their criticism of same aspectof society or human nature.
It would also be possible to compare comicstrips to the various literary genres; the short and long sequence to theshort story and the novel, and the self-contained to the poem.
A poem makes the most efficient use of alimited number of words. Each word is chosen for its maximum effectiveness. So too,
the self-contA7ined strip attempts as briefly andpregnantly as
possible to depict a story with a limited amountof language, but
driving home with full force that which is used. An example of
such a strip is "B.C," drawn by Johnny Hart. If we look at one of
his four picture panels, we can see thefollowing:
1) The first panel depicts a cave man standing at thefoot
of a hill. At the top of the hill a huge boulder has
broken loose and is starting to roll down thebill.
2) The second panel shows us the cave man whohas become
fully aware of the rock and the danger it holdsfor him,
and his tribe.
3) In the third, he is rushing homewardscreaming "Rock:"
with all the emotional force of dangerportrayed in it. 7
4) In the final panel, we see his tribesmenall lined up to help
him, each having recognized the danger andthe immediacy of
the emergency, and each with a rock inhis hand.
Thus we are shown, through themisinterpretation of the one simple work "Rock," that a situation hasdeveloped which endangers the entire community and which is a veryclear case of the lack of communication. This type of comic strip is the kindwhich is most
effective in making its point and which comesthe closest to being
the equivalent of the political cartoon.
During the remainder of the discussion concerningcomics, we
shall proceed from the following definition: In spite of numerous
early examples which combined drawings andLanguage and which
extencied from the Gobelin tapestries in Bayeux overthe church
windors during the Middle Ages to the Ruppinand Munich illustrated
12 El sheets -- in 1806, Goyain painting the history of the bandit
Maragato probably produced the first stripin the modern sense --
we consider comic strips tobe a specifically American popular art
which is in a state of continuous change,whose standards are based
on traditional stereotypes,and which evolve from the creative
impulses of individualistic caricaturists andfrom the indirect
gyroscopic influence of the demandingand fickle readers which
actually constitutes public opinion. 8
The Cultural Message of the ComicStrips
When !lulled to Al:ea Studies Courses
If one considers comic strips fromthe aspect of their use in
the classroom, then one should entrust acertain amount of choice and sequence to the students sincepre-selection by the teacher
could reduce the motivational eiementof the materials. In addition,
it seems essential that the teacherhave a clear picture of the concerning the concepts presented and in addition be knowledgeable
historical background of this stratified typeof trivial literature.
The exceptionally culcural relevanceof the comics becomes
apparent when we consider that, according tostatistical reports,
the comic strips in the Sundayeditions are devoured by at least
100 million Americans from all socialclasses, age levels, and
races. Hence the largest audience of anyknown mass media is 13 attracted to the aame materialsimultaneously. Since this form
of entertainment has selected as itsunderlying themes the American
family, its children and their daily life,it can readily be
adopted as one source for the study of the"American way of life."
To what extent problaus ofaccessibility develop for the student
learning English, shall be discussed later. At the moment, we are
primarily concerned with the developmentof npecific points of
departure leading to an acquisition ofcultural information.
The question of the popularity ofthe comic strips as they
appear in newspapers, in theform of books, or as they are pre-
sented on the screen should beasked at the time one prepares to 9 undertake an analysis of some strips. It would also be possible to use the topic of the American newspaperas a pcint of departure with some examples from ths time of JosephPulitzer and his
competitor William Randolph Hearst(compare Citizen lOne) and
thereby trace the comics from early times tothe present; especially
those that still exist. Richard Felton Outcault created the series
"The Yellow Kid" for Pulitzer, a stripwhich depicted the conditions
of the New York slum area.The "Katzenjammer Kids," an American
version of Max and Moritz with thebackground of a German immi-
gration family, which Rudolf Dirks as animmigrant adapted for his
employer Hearst, has since beer drawn by manyartist':4 and is still
to be found in the newspapersand in book form. (The Kattenjammer
Kids by Joe Musial, Placket BooksUSA, 95 cents.) "Dennis the
Menace" and "Archie" have continued the traditionof the imag!native, 14 mischievous youngster. The things that Dennis, who is the age
of his two prototypes Max and Moritz,undertakes are carried on by 15 Archie and his adolescent high schoolpals. Thus each age group
receives "equal time" since adults arealways the target of their
burlesque escapades. Dennis in strikingly moderate whencompared
to Hans and Fritz, theIKatzenjammer Kids." Re eMbodies the exact
opposite of that which is referred to anthe negative side of the
comics. He ep.J.tomizes the 1.-J.Iby of thefamily who stays close to
the nest, and upon whma so much affectionis showered, and to whom
so much understanding isdemonstrated that he cannot possibly be
considered anything other than slightly mischievous. He represents 10
product of a liberal education which the )on Fed Kid" and is the allows tm a voice, as a fully participatingmember, in the entire affairs )f the family to afar greater extent than is normally
world. The family the slitItion in Europe and other parts of the
'cams $ low theintensive American social participation from the grill pa -ty to the formalcocktail party, from the neighborhood bridge c rcle to the pokerparties of the local big shots. The themes 0 stressed manliness tied together with"keep-yourself-
fit" trs ing and of the mandatorycalorie counter and the bathroom
scales a a characterized from the point of viewof the child. We ars also returned to ourchildhood-days through the eyes of Dennis
as he in ulges in a hamburger at thelocal snack shack or as he
watches . program on TV.
e Dennis pokes fun at suchthings as the distribution of
milk inhe school and at the busy work concocted bythe teachers,
Archie t ifies the high school student who isconstantly at odds
with tho administration represented by the high school principal
"Westhet .e.fl Archie always seems to find the opportunity to
cardoel 31y exovvarate himself at the expense of this"noble"
Although the comic strips choose todraw upon the middle
clams or their topics in the majority of instances,"Archie"
also brtgs into play the jeunessedori. The elegant house of a
rich fatler turns into a playgroundfor the students where the
woutd-fleHippy son and the arrogant, demandingdaughter conduct
homework)arties in the cocktail-party styleof their parents. 11
spite Naturally standardized tests andtheir consistent usage, in "Archie" as well of a universal mistrust inthem, play a role in 4itempt as in the"Katzenjammer Kids."That parents, when possible, without to enjoy their vacation awayfrom the younger generation
simply abandoning them isdeveloped along the lines of the suamer unlimited camp in "Archie"and "Peanuts," with the potentially
humourous possibilities.
During his reluctant stay atthe summer camp, CharlieBrown's
friend Linus (Peanuts) worries abeutthe possibility that his Thus parents might move whilehe is gone without informinghim.
the author, Charles M. Schulz,takes up the theme of the constant
mobility of the Ameriean (morethan 20% of the American families
change their residence yearly), aphenomenon which he seems to
consider a handicap for thechildren. In the same summer camp gathered setting, Linus quotes fromJeremiah while the campers are
around the campfire,"Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes 16 American society which from tears." The absolute commandment of
says "keep smiling," remainoptimistic, present yourself in a young,
progressive manner in erder tobe integrated into society pays security dividends for our young orator. Shy, modest Linus with his
blanket and thumb in mouth and inspite of his initialhomesickness
is promptly elected camppresident. Thus we see the complete success
of social adjustment.
The insecurity and rapid paceof living in the Americandaily offers life which helps lead _to theattitude which Linus possesses 11 12
critical numerous variations andpossibilities for satirical and observations about society as well asscathing attacks on certain aspects of public life.
What particular topics areoften discussed by the "little in their people" in Peanuts? Some of the topics which often appear conversations are the constantlychanging make-up of the neighbor- hood, the job situation, socialstatus, peaceful communitylife, and satisfactory schooling. Naturally the necessary insurance
(life, fire or what have you) is notmissing in the catalogue of daily risks. This theme is drawn upon whenSnoopy's house burnd smoking in bed (according down. Since he was probably guilty of
to Lucy), it is his ownfault. His Van Gogh and all his other
treasures have been lost and withmention of a Van Gogh painting
ye can move to the next areaof interest, namely the lack or
so-called lack of cultural life,which is related to the overwhelming
interest in sports at the expenseof intellectual activity.
Charles Schulz (Peanuts) has labledSchroeder, the Beethoven
lover, a semi-intellectualoutsider who forgets all the splendors his miniture of this world once he issettled behind the keys of
grand piano and who cannot beawakened from his dreams even by
marriage-happy Lucy. In "Beetle Baily," Private"Plato" takes Lt. Flap, aver this role. Incidentally he appears together with most widely one of the first; Blackfigures to appear in one of the
read strips since the initiationof the self-control code against
horror, brutality aed racialdiscrimination based on the Comics 13
17 (Pogo), a modern, Code Authority (1955). Dr. Howland Owl awl" embodies less psychologically-refined versionof the "wise old Plato but the type of sympatheticoutsider such as Schroeder or 18 nm ortenencounter much more the arrogantauthor and intellee-pual. glasses, this type of inhibitedintellectual, who usually wears shown being manipulated in entertaining films,in which a leader is individual who standsoutside by or manipulatingthe intellectual is suspect of being an the usual boundriesof society and who potential instigator of sometype uncontrolled or uncontrollable, and commentaries based of disaster. (Note the cartoons, articles Kissinger or the film upon RichardNixon's relationship to Henry
Dr. Strangelove.) Hart's "B.C," on the other The rhetorician andpoet in Johnny of society hand, can be considered as athoroughly useful member manager of thebaseball because chis skillful capabilities as instead of a name, hehas a peg-leg by team. He is a caveman and
which he can be recognized. psychological, The technical vacuumalongside the civilizing, society is not spared and cultural problemsof the modern consumer Hence, the 1%.7aste- in the mirror of hiddencritical analysis. they could are the makers" who do not givethe public all that
target of a few potshots in "B.C." and"Peanuts." right-oriented Law and Order is anatural for the slightly
find him satirizing thepoorly paid Al Capp. In "Li'l Abner" we little old lady policeman (Fearless Fosdick)being beaten by a 13 14
(in reality a leader of a gang1 la Ma Barker) with an umbrella 19 and then being charged with policebrutality.
"Pogo" written by the liberal Walter Kelly reachedits high point when he attacked and denounced theCommunist witch hunts
during the turbulent era of Senator JosephMcCarthy. The "Pogo"
strip has been slowly but definitelypushed into the background
by "Peanuts," "B.C4and other strips which have a stronver
entertaining element as well as requiring lessconcentration in
order to be understood.
The form of the presentation alongsidethe intellectual or
semi-intellectual strip becomes more and morevaried; "Mickey Rodent" 20 in Inside Mad is a parody of the belovedMickey Mouse strips,
in which a constant and ingeniousplay on words is presented,
although the reader is not considered capableof catching them and
so they are presented inboldface type (Darn-Old Duck). The
Katzenjammer Kids have become the KatchandHammerKids. The
preoccupation of many young Americanreaders for themes based on
the First World War, which is alsoreflected in Peanuts in
Snoopy's constant battles on his Sopwith Camelwith the Red
Baron (von Richthofen) is satisfied inMad with a constant flow
of bowdlerized technical terms pouringfrom the mouth of the jet
pilot "Smilin' Melvin."
Finally the snake takes hold of its owntail (or is it tale?)
in various comic strips, bestrepresented by the cartoonist Al
Capp in his series "14'1Abner" when he draws "Fosdick."Capp 15 points out to us that all of us,including Li'l Abner, are "hooked" 21 on the strips. And so we find the "comic within thecomic.
The topical areas which would beof particular intrrest in
the classroom could then be summed up asfollows:
A. The area of American Family Life.
1. The tension between generations athome and in school.
2. The pampering of the children.
3. Summer camps.
4. Leisure time athletics and the caloriescale.
5. Television mania.
6. Events in the daily life of thefamily.
B. Society and the Individual
1. Code of conduct of the "successfulindividual and
the acceptance or rejection of theoutsider.
2. Businesslife - criticism of the"wastemakers."
3. The lack of social security.
4. The lack or so-called lack of culturalorientation.
5. Preference for sports and amourcusadventures compared
to cultural activity.
6. Nostalgic look at the First World Warand the glorifi-
cation of the GI.
7. The defense of law and order.
8. The mistrust of standardized tests. 16
Thus, it is felt that a significantnumber of area study topics have been suggested which can befound at all times in many comic teacher without his becoming strips. These can be dealt with by the dependent on any specific publication. The writers of this paper
do not wish to put together amethodical recipe for the selection
of them but prefer to refer thereaders to Ethel Tincher's rating
scale. It is based on a 10-point systemfor the critical analysis
of any comic strip.
1. Is the drawing good? (one point) 2. Does the comic have complex meaning, necessitating a knowledge of what is going on in the world on the part of thereader? (two points) 3. If the cartoon is meant to be funny, do you laugh when you read it? (two points) 4. If it is a serial suspense type of cartoon or comic, do you read it every day and follow the story with interest? (two points) 5. Do you really enjoy the comic, or do you read it justfor the sake of finding something to do? Are you able to analyze the complexity of the meaning? What connotations are there in points)22 the drawings and in the dialogue? (three
This chart may well serve theAmerican teacher who is
primarily concerned with developing a senseof critical evaluation
second language, in his students. For the teacher of English as a
it is essential to establishdifferent guidelines for the purpose the follow- of selection. More important for English teachers are
ing points: 17
present any aspects 1. Does the particular comic chosen
of American life? in life are approved or taken 2. What kinds of ideals or goals
for granted? reaching these goals are 3. What means or methods for
suggested?
condemned or rejected? 4. What symbols and persons are
5. Can you recognize any distortionof facts, indoctrinations,
or politalmanipulations? (Compare "Little Orphqn
Annie")
6. To what extent does theparticular comic reflect social
criticism?
7. Does it perpetuate some stereotype orclichi? problems did you find? 8. Which forms of simplification of
(characters, types, slogans, prejudicesetc.)
9. Does the reader accept the"message" more easily because
it is disguised in a comic strip?
10. Try to define a comic strip byusing the criteria quoted
above. strips and cartoons. 11. Make a comparative study of comic
12. How would you explain the factthat in some cases the
comics do not make the foreignerlaugh?
that it can be used by the 13. Is the text of the strip such
teacherein a lexical or syntacticalexercise? 18
Although the comics certainly can beconsidered very attractive for the instruction of English as aforeign language, a few technical problems should not be overlooked. The accompanying vocabulary of the story in pictures is often quitelimited and often comes from the area of slang or colloquialisms.The idiomatic prerequisites for simple language drills,descriptions of the pictures, or narrative interpretations do not accompany the strip and must,therefore, be most carefully prepared.
Since their inherent comical,satirical ot humourous elements
all reflect a certain amount of nativecharacteristics, which are
not necessarily accessible to oreasily understood by the non-
American, and iince even somewhatsimple puns do not necessarily
become apparent at once, it is highlyrecommended that (native)
English-speaking assistants or informants beconsulted for
necessary explanations oncethe texs have been selected, so that
a complete understandingand immediate, spontaneous reaction can
be assured when the material isintroduced in class. FOOTNOTES
1Bond, F. Fraser, An Introduction toJournalism, The Macmillan Company, New York, 1961, p.254.
2Silverman, Alvin, The American Newspaper,Robert B. Luce, Inc., Washington, D.C., 1964, p. 27.
3 Bond, p. 258.
4White, David M. and Robert H. Abel,The Funnies, The Free Press of Glencoe, 1963, p. 76.
5Silverman, p. 26.
6 Bond, p. 218.
7The Ameriaan CoL.L.L..ee. Dictionary, RandomHouse, New York, 1965, p. 185.
8Spencer, Dick, III, Pulitzer Prize Cartoons,The Iowa State College Press, Ames, Iowa, 1953, p. 140.
9 Ibid.
p. 15
11 Silverman, p. 27.
12Hhrlimann, Bettina, "Die Seifenblasensprache,"Eutophische Kinderblicher in 3 Bahrhunderten, Atlantis Verlag,Zhrich und Freiburg in Breisgau, 1959, pp. 1171.
Those who wish a more detailed literary,critical analysis should refer to K., Riha, "Die Blase imKopf in Trivialliteratur, Aufstitze Literarisches Colloquium, Berlin,1964, pp. 176- 191, or to David White and RobertAbel, The Funnies, An American Idiom, The Free Press of Glencoe,1963. 20
13Metken, GUnter, Comics, Fischer Wicherei Nr.1120, Sept. 1970, p. 160.
14 Ketcham, Hank, Dennis the Menace . . . Teacher's Threat, A Fawcett Crest Book 232-01123, Greenwich,1960, pages not numbered.
15 ...Archie and the Generation Gap, A BantamBook F 5861, New York, 1970, pages not numbered.
16Schulz, Charles M., The Unsinkable Charlie Brown -Peanuts, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Inc., New York,1967, pages not nunbered.
17Metkin, p. 70.
18 Ibid., p. 87.
19 Op. cit.
20Kurtzmau, Harvey, et. al., Inside Mad, ABallantine Book, 345.01565. "Mad started 0....ut three years ago as acomic book kidding only other comic strips. It has graduated today into a . . magazine, kidding not only comic strips butmovies, TV, novels, commercial ads or anything it feels like .." (Backword by Stan Freberg in 1955).
21_metkin, p. 74.
22Tincher, Ethel, ":;uggestions for EvaluatingComics," Using Mass Media in the Schools, ed.by-William D. Boutwell, Appleton- Century-Crofts, New York, 1962, p. 168.
217