Weeks 1 & 2 The Blue Lotus
Questions. Chose one or two questions to answer rather than all of them. Some questions might be combined in your answer. Remember to respond to other bloggers. Please answer in the comment section - do not create a new blog!
1) Are comics just a children's medium. What does Blue Lotus show us?
2) How does Farr (1991) justify Tintin's appeal to adults?
3) How does The Blue Lotus relate to what Said (1997) terms 'Orientalism' ?
4) Is The Blue lotus a racist text? Give your reasons.
5) Herge used the expression 'the wind and bone' to refer to his art work. What do you think he meant.
3) How does The Blue Lotus relate to what Said (1997) terms 'Orientalism' ?
ReplyDeleteEdward Said describes Orientalism as ‘a process in which the Western and European countries have (through literary and scientific/ anthropological texts and discourses) not discovered but “invented” the culture and people of the East (orient)”. Herge was a Westerner and his ideas about China are part of ‘Orientalism’; the ideological construction of “the East” by Westerners (Said, 1997). It could be possible that trying to treat and present an Eastern culture sensitively could result in the construction of an ontological ‘Other’. An example of this can be seen on page 3 when a Japanese man comes to meet Tintin in India. Here the Asian man could almost be mistaken for a European. He is wearing a suit with a tie, wearing a hat which was mostly worn by Westerners at that time. His skin colour is almost the same colour as Tintin and he does not have the eyes of an Asian. Because Herge’s other work such as Tintin’s adventure in Africa was recognised as racist due to drawing huge lips and big eyes on Africans, it could be possible that Herge in The Blue Lotus is trying not to seem racist by drawing an Asian man’s features such as small eyes. Despite taking precautions and trying not to be racist, Herge’s representation of Asian man creates another issue as it could be assumed that Herge thinks that Asians are trying to be more like Westerners than themselves.
Orientalism in The Blue Lotus is evident but the motive behind this could be Herge’s way of highlighting the perception that Westerners have about the Chinese culture. For example, when Tintin saves Chang from the river, he learns that Chinese have their own perceptions of European’s being wicked and devils and Tintin also goes on to describe the perception and stereotypes that they have for Asians such as eating rotten eggs and throwing babies in the river (page 43). This scene could be incorporated in this adventure as a way of showing and highlighting the perceptions and stereotypes that other people make of different cultures. This could also be seen when the Thompson twins go behind Tintin to bring him back to Shanghai. The two are dressed in bright yellow dress with a hat and think that they will blend in with the others (page 45). The clothes that they wore were worn by Chinese Emperors. Maybe through this Herge is trying to show that the Westerners were ignorant and thought that they just needed to wear what seemed to be normal clothes to come across as a Chinese. Additionally, this shows the lack of understanding of the Chinese culture the Westerner’s had.
References:
DeleteHergé. (2005; 1935). The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus. London: Methuen.
you need to reference more. How does the input of Herge's friend, Chang, on product change the way Asian races a portrayed. You mention the first sequence in the comic. How do the depictions of the Indians fit within Said's view?
ReplyDelete"Do you think comics are a children's or adult genre/media?"
ReplyDeleteTin Tin and the Blue Lotus is one of a select few of the classic comic tales. This is the third main piece of the Tin Tin collection, and has many sub genres hidden within the words and drawings. Referring back to the topic question, do you think comics are a children's or adult genre/media, this question is not just a yes or no answer. The Blue Lotus is a comic about an opium smuggling ring. Basically, many children that read the comic will not understand the main concept, or the subjective racism throughout the piece. But, they will take the comic for what it is, and enjoy the comedic themes and the attractive colour's and adventure. Whilst if a slightly older teenager read the comic (like myself) we would see the other themes included within the text. Thus if a comic is created like Tin Tin, than children can enjoy them, whilst adults can gain enjoyment and pleasure out of them too. It's relative to your knowledge and age, and the type of comic created.
According to Farr, (1991), in Tin Tin's comics there is more than meets the eye, words are one thing, but the picture depicts a deeper story. In some sections of The Blue lotus, Herge depicts racial anger and frustration through an Asian mans response to a waiter asking him a question. In my personal opinion i do not think a comic is a children's genre or an adult genre. I think its a genre like any other. It's content can be changed thus changing the age bracket of whom will read it and enjoy it.
How does Farr (1991) justify Tintin's appeal to adults?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Farr (1991), impeccable artwork and an intriguing storyline are just two of many factors that contribute to Tintin’s broad appeal. Farr (1991) states that the narratives were firmly based on facts. Additionally, Herge had an incredible aptness for predicting world events. Farr (1991) also mentions that intense research and “Herge’s constantly swelling archive files” were prominent factors also in the stories success.
An additional element in Tintin’s appeal was the different levels at which the narrative could be appreciated and Herge’s ability to present Tintin in a light that was not only appealing to children but to adults as well. “He said Tintin was aimed at all young people aged from seven to seventy-seven” (Farr, 1991). Farr (1991) also mentions that the stories were hugely relatable to everyday life.
Farr (1991) explains that each age group is able to assign their meanings and significances to the text. For e.g. children can enjoy the comedy, farce and excitement of Tintin and the adults can appreciate puns and prescience as well as political satire and parody.
Are comics just a children's medium. What does Blue Lotus show us?
Comics are not just for children. Blue Lotus shows us this through its use of political satire and parody as well as puns and prescience. An example of political satire can be seen in how the Japanese people were conveyed within the text. They were portrayed as racist and unethical. There was also a clear sense of inequality between the Japanese and the Chinese. Because most children will not pick up on these types of things, it is safe to say that comics are not just for children but for adults too.
1) Are comics just a children's medium. What does Blue Lotus show us?
ReplyDeleteTintin has sold over 120 million books in more than 50 languages. It was originally published in French with the series follows the young reporter Tintin and his dog Snowy on their adventures around the world while fighting crime and corruption.
"Comics is one of the most popular and pervasive media forms of our increasingly visual age" (Varnum & Gibbons, 2001). According to Varnum and Gibbons childrens become lazy and lacking in reading skills due to comic books. The theory behind may be because pictures require no decoding and that picture reading, therefore, is inferior to verbal literacy. While pictures seem more easy to understand than words but pictures can convey ideas and values as advertiser knows that pictures can produce a powerful effect on viewers emotions. I first read Tintin when I was around 6-8 years old if I recall. That time when I was reading through was fun and I really enjoyed the humour.
According to Apostolides Herge met Change Chong-Jen, a young Chinese student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. He saw China through the eyes of his friend Chang, who helped him create Tintin's adventure The Blue lotus and he agreed with the point of view of the Chinese government and inscribed faith in it on the walls of Shanghai. Herge claimed to have had two intentions. First was to reveal the savagery of the Japanese occupation of China and Second to make China more familiar. The blue lotus does give us a vibe where Tintin is set and we see the structures of buildings culture presented in the comics where kids get easily tell where the story is set.
Furthermore Apostolides explains that Herge wanted to present China with a huge problem of documentation. The details Herge put into his comic had to be exact and authoritative. Herge made the story to be credible, emotionally accurate, factually correct, and exact in terms of settings and situation. Overall his comic is very enjoyable and he gets the details done with superb artwork.
4) Is The Blue lotus a racist text? Give your reasons.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Laser-Robinson, we can see the influences of political propaganda in Herge's style of cartoon. Herge's first work Tintin Au Pays Soviets was largely a work of anti-communist propaganda. This influence may have later developed in the Blue Lotus.
According to Rainy from the Telegraph, she said "Critics have complained that The Blue Lotus, set in China in the early 1930s, is anti-imperialist. The Japanese are portrayed with little sympathy in the book, and Japanese and Western involvement in China is marked with disapproval. However, Hergé also made clear attempts to discourage ignorant or racist remarks about the Chinese."
In page 6 Blue Lotus we see a man in a suit reading a newspaper walking right into the streets and a Chinese man pulling a rickshaw bumps into the man he calls him "Dirty little China-man!... To barge into a white man!" This text clearly states it's quite racist but it gets worse after next page where the same man hits the waiter by accident but he becomes hostile and calls him "You did that on purpose, yellow scum!... I'll teach you respect for your betters!" While reading those lines I do feel the text to be racist.
Yes, the world is harsh but the comic does not hold back on its racist text and presents to our real life. Thinking back as a kid when I was reading the Blue Lotus I didn't really think it was a racist comic book. I was still young and immature so I found it funny and enjoyable to read. Now I can see why people think it's a racist text.
Reference:
Apostolides, J.M. (2006). The metamorphoses of Tintin or Tintin for adults. California, USA: Stanford University Press.
Laser-Robbinson, A.S. (n.d) An analysis of Hergé’s portrayal of various racial groups in the adventures of Tintin: The blue lotus. Retrieved 09 September 2017 from: http://www.tintinologist.org/articles/analysis-bluelotus.pdf
Rainey, S. (2011). Tintin: list of 'racist' complaints. Retrieved 04 September 2017 from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/8866997/Tintin-list-of-racist-complaints.html
Varnums, R. & Gibbons, C.T. (2001). The language of comics: Word and image. Jackson, USA: University Press of Mississippi.
Wikipedia: The Blue Lotus. (n.d) Retrieved 12 September 2017 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Lotus