Flawed Heroes, Flawless Villain

Authors

Lauren N. Geiser, University of Dayton, Dayton, OhioFollow

Course

ENG200H

Semester

Fall

Instructor's Name

Elizabeth Ann Mackay

Year

2015

Writing Process

This assignment was a textual analysis of the graphic novel Watchmen. The two course objectives of ENG 200H were addressed: to “demonstrate abilities to read complicated and complex texts closely and critically” and to “explore the relevance of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CIT) in reading, writing, and rhetoric.” Reading Watchmen, we aimed to demonstrate how the novel is related to the CIT, either through connections or disconnections. Because the assignment is a textual analysis, I had to pay close attention to the context of Watchmen and the CIT, include a summary of the text though a specific angle, narrow my focus to single CIT principle with a clear interpretation, support my claims with specific textual and/or visual evidence spanning the entire novel, address the importance and validity of my claims, and cite the two texts using MLA format. To begin writing this textual analysis, I read the “University of Dayton’s Mission Statement of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition” as well as the graphic novel Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. I took extensive notes on the novel in regards to plot, symbols, and characterization. In class we explored connections and disconnections of the CIT with Watchmen as well as did prewriting to influence ideas for our analyses. I wrote one draft of my textual analysis, which I edited after peer review in class and suggestions from Dr. Mackay over email.

Award Winner

Excellence in Research Paper Writing

Recommended Citation

Geiser, Lauren N. (2016) "Flawed Heroes, Flawless Villain," Line by Line: A Journal of Beginning Student Writing: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 6.
Available at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/lxl/vol2/iss2/6