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Siren Song: a Rhetorical Analysis of Gender and Intimate Partner Violence in Gotham City Sirens

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Siren Song: a Rhetorical Analysis of Gender and Intimate Partner Violence in Gotham City Sirens UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones May 2015 Siren Song: A Rhetorical Analysis of Gender and Intimate Partner Violence in Gotham City Sirens Katlin Schmidt University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Mass Communication Commons, and the Rhetoric Commons Repository Citation Schmidt, Katlin, "Siren Song: A Rhetorical Analysis of Gender and Intimate Partner Violence in Gotham City Sirens" (2015). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 2423. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/7646045 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SIREN SONG: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF GENDER AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN GOTHAM CITY SIRENS By Katlin “Scarlett” Schmidt Bachelor of Arts – Interdisciplinary Studies University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2013 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts -- Communication Studies Department of Communication Studies Greenspun College of Urban Affairs The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2015 Copyright by Katlin Schmidt, 2015 All Rights Reserved We recommend the thesis prepared under our supervision by Kaitlin “Scarlett” Schmidt entitled Siren Song: A Rhetorical Analysis of Gender and Intimate Partner Violence in Gotham City Sirens is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts - Communication Studies Department of Communication Studies Sara VanderHaagen, Ph.D., Committee Chair Donovan Conley, Ph.D., Committee Member Jennifer Guthrie, Ph.D., Committee Member Ed Nagelhout, Ph.D., Graduate College Representative Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan, Ph.D., Interim Dean of the Graduate College May 2015 ii ABSTRACT Siren Song: A Rhetorical Analysis of Gender and Intimate Partner Violence in Gotham City Sirens by Katlin “Scarlett” Schmidt Dr. Sara VanderHaagen, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Communication Studies University of Nevada, Las Vegas This project investigates comic book discourse. Specifically, I investigate how comic narratives provide readers with an interpretation for how they should discern and assess “appropriate” behaviors for women. The artifact of analysis included in this project is DC Comics Gotham City Sirens (2009). This text features popular female superheroes, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy. Because comic books utilize both textual and visual means to disseminate a message, this project evaluates the visual rhetoric of these characters within the narrative. Walter Fisher’s narrative paradigm is used to provide an understanding to how these visual means contribute to the meanings assigned in the narrative. Walter Fisher’s narrative paradigm is used to provide an understanding to how these visual means contribute to the meanings assigned in the narrative. Using the narrative paradigm and visual rhetoric as organizing principles, I argue that Gotham City Sirens provides readers with an specific interpretation of gender expectations and gender related social issues like Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Specifically, I argue that Gotham City Sirens provides readers with an interpretation of women that upholds traditional gender expectations while also providing an interpretation to IPV that upholds prevalent socio-cultural domestic violence myths that denigrate the iii seriousness of the issue. In terms of gender, these characters experience a tension between their gender expectations and the expectations derived from their roles as superheroes. The way in which these characters resolve this tension influences the meanings they are assigned based on their experiences with IPV. Ultimately, Catwoman and Harley Quinn are assigned meanings of “non-victimhood” that diminish the significance of the issue and blames these women for their abuse. Superheroes have skyrocketed in popularity over the past fifteen years and their narratives are extending to individuals that are not necessarily comic readers. This cultural significance of superheroes suggests that comic books appeal to a wide audience who has the potential to be influenced, even implicitly, by these messages. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, the same can be said about supporting a graduate student. Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of knowing so many wonderful people who have significant impacts on my life. First, I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Sara VanderHaagen. Going in to my M.A. program, I felt unsure that any faculty member would be willing to advise me and my wild ideas. Dr. VanderHaagen quickly put my anxieties to rest and has been everything I could ever expect in an advisor. She is always welcoming and able to understand the gibberish I try to pass off as words. Dr. VanderHaagen has always encouraged me to pursue my interests while also helping me narrow my often grandiose ideas. Seriously, I think that she is a rock star, and I hope that I can be a scholar like her someday. Thank you, Dr. VanderHaagen for all of your encouragement, insight, and guidance. You have inspired me in so many ways and I hope you know that you are an educator that makes a difference in their students’ lives. I would also like to thank my committee members for all of their help and encouragement. Dr. Guthrie, thank you for all the talks and words of encouragement. I know that the days I have a meeting with you will always be a good day. Also, thank you for directing me towards research I would not have sought otherwise. Your direction has been instrumental to this project. Dr. Ed Nagelhout, thank you for all of the articles you have sent me! They have led me towards several of the articles I use in this project and they have been wonderful to read during down time. Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Donovan Conley. Dr. Conley and I have had many discussions about this project and I v feel it is those discussions that really push me to produce a great project. Thank you for pushing me to better myself and produce good work. Additionally, I would like to thank all of my colleagues and the faculty in the Communication Studies department for their contributions to this project. To Molly, Colby, and Christian, I would not have been able to survive this process without you. You have been my biggest cheerleaders and greatest support. I know that no matter how tired I am, I can always come and whine in your offices. The four of us started off as a cohort but I believe that we are leaving this program as life-long friends. Christian, I am truly grateful for all of our talks where nothing is important and the jokes are plenty. Molly, thank you for your sass and your unrelenting conviction; I admire how much you care for others and how you never back down from what you think is right. You are not only a scholar, but also a leader and I am so excited to see what awaits you. Colby, my schnookums: thank you for all of the times you have had my back even in times when I could have done more to have yours. You are seriously one of the most amazing people that I know. You are the kind of human being that I aspire to be like and I am truly lucky to call you my friend. I know that you will always be successful in anything that you do and I cannot wait to see what you will do as you work towards your Ph.D. Lastly, I would like to thank Bill Belk. Bill, you are an amazing educator and mentor. I often feel like us grad students take you for granted and I hope you know that we all appreciate you and admire you so much. You are an inspiration and you have impacted my life in more ways than I can properly verbalize. You do not hear this nearly enough, thank you for everything that you do! vi Next, I would like to thank my friends for their love and support. To Drew, Nick, and Emma, thank you for distracting me. You understand my crazy research-induced mood swings, yet do not care enough to take them personally. Thank you for being my best friends, for all the two dollar casino special’s you have paid for, and the priceless support you have given me throughout my academic career. To Raychelle, thank you for being an excellent role model and my best friend. We have known each other for twenty years and you still inspire me. I would be completely lost without your witty comebacks and amazing heart. To Matt, thank you for being my constant chauffer, my last minute proofreader, and an amazing friend. You definitely have the force and are the greatest Jedi I know. To the NAB guys, thank you for the times you solved my question with “just put in a big word and call it an argument.” At times I feel like Snow White and the Seven Nerds but you all have been one of my greatest sources of both laughter and support. If this project was Dungeons and Dragons, I know that you all would say I have rolled a critical hit.
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