Reflection of French National Identity in Comics (Essay Sample)

Student University Subject Tutor Date Reflection of French National Identity in Comics Comics are sequential art, a painted history, described by an organic fusion of image and text as a graphical technique of transmitting sound. World War II was associated with a variety of consequences resulting from the comics created nearly twenty five years subsequent to the French liberation. Regardless of a number of comics that verified the constructive effects of reunion with ex-rivals, several of them to a certain extent adhered to prehistoric typecasts of other Western natives. Despite the fact that educational discussions on the procedures of the upshots of depiction are persistent, a variety of hypotheses within the communal ground asserts that these depictions persuade the means individuals recognize certainty. As amusement artifacts for kids’, comics might appear without somber objectives, although ironically comics are also thought to act in the creation of communal or artistic depictions - particularly in the French society which is associated with broad and extensive viewing of comics with the entire public. Consequently it is very interesting to suppose how French comics: "La Bête est morte !" and "Astérix" - created two and half decades subsequent to the war - took care of concerns related to the building of national identity: to be precise, this analysis focuses on how these two French symbolized national identity. The study contrasts and compares them giving the elements of national identity which were stressed. At the outset, the instant reactions to the Second World War know-how varied to some extent in France: a handful of French comics displayed freedom as a two-way attempt of the wide-ranging joined military, and some of them were extremely well-built on the society’s myths. On the quest for liberty, the French comics display the celebration of the triumph (Jobs 688). The well-known French comic portraying the celebration of the freedom devoid of hesitation and uncertainty is the "La Bête est morte!" meaning "when the Beast is dead ''. This comic was visualized and written by Jacques Zimmermann and Victor Dancette and demonstrated by Calvo CITATION Pas \p 1 \l 1033 (Lefèvre 1). The comic majorly stressed on the liberation and freedom. In the comic, each ethnic group is symbolized by a distinctive creature: the French are the countless creatures; their animals are termed as blameless, guiltless, peace loving and harmony adoring creatures while other eastern nationalities are characterized as being intrinsically awful and terrible (Ribbens 23). In this comic "La Bête est morte!" the writers; Zimmermann, Victor and Calvo are raising a sort of national identity that is a fussy depiction of the war. The comic is a principally perceptive concern at the liberation instances in France for a range of facts. Certainly, as of the 1940s peace agreement, a profound rift has ever existed in the French community. The rift was majorly associated with two different diverse fronts; on one front, the Marshal Philippe government in Vichy worked together with the sitting authority for State purposes, and the other front is the opposition group rebelling against dwellers on top of the ruling government. This clear-cut polarity becomes more complex when the disparities of political views associated with these superior fronts are taken into consideration. In reality, there wasn’t only the rebellion movement with diverse ideologies; the Marshal Philippe government as well was a pluralist autocracy. On one corner existed contradictory propensities too, several supporting Nazism, others inclining in the direction of a totalitarianism fastened in the French custom. In "La Bête est morte”, plenty of foodstuff and alcoholic drinks are each presented in the first 5 frames. This regularity of foodstuffs and drinks is indeed justified, and smartly employed to depict a picture of previous war period – seen as a period of relieve and ample. By means of an equivalent voucher, it strengthens the nonchalant, good-humored manners and behavior of French creatures, that doesn’t have to be anxious with the food issues. This plentiful provision of foodstuff is credited to natural world, and the regime generally isn’t mentioned, and the politicians particularly are ridiculed. In this comic, the French animals are depicted exclusively in an upbeat way. The writers reflect them to be careful, playful, loyal, nationalistic and peaceful. In addition, the French animals are exposed to defend the principles of the rebellion: freedom, independence, union, the insurgent freedoms and right to liberty. However, while representing the resistance instant, the comic writers initiate a feature that disagrees with the whole lot of things stirred up by the graphic. They do so as a way of depicting the national French society as entirely united and as well describe each of the dissimilar schisms that are continually called to mind, that is, true against false, we against them, and excellent against awful. This schism is too obvious in the representation of the war participants whom, generally, are exposed either being fine or terrible. The single case in the comic where we may suppose to indicate a harmful constituent in the national identity is the alliance which is underperformed by presenting the allies to either being too naïve, or tainted and ruined by elements not constituted in their national identity (Nayak-Guercio 177). On the contrary to a somewhat rough timbre of La Bête est morte!, "Astérix" uses quite cheerful means, contrarily again, it as well bears the antique typecasts of the warring Prussian. In Asterix, Goscinny assemble each and every stereotype of gallicite: the hospitality, the feasts, the combats, the obvious chaos; He re-invites common schools and descriptions related to the Gallic traditions. The Roman Empire is also a representation of the modern nation; it evokes the course of France with large regimes, large ensembles, fine transportation and communication systems, and its cultural centers. Moreover in this comic, there’re three factors taken care of with the utmost symbolic consistency: the statue of the Prince, the crown, and the tax factor. These three factors greatly assists in building Rome with a lawful orientation in them isolated from the individual sovereignty. The comic is exclusively dyed-in-the-wool to issue of the Laurel Wreath. The Roman Gaul paradoxically reaffirms the imagery of Rome following the thievery of the well-known laurel wreath. This thievery also reaffirms that indeed, the crown isn’t Caesar’s personal possession. The replacement of the Laurel Wreath with the fennel crown ridicules Caesar but not Rome showing that the national identity of Rome is grown out of this symbolism. Effigy of Prince is also another symbol of national identity included in this comic. For instance, in the Gladiator Asterix, although Caesar demonstrates his reveres towards the community, he initially blames Asterix for offending Rome; he says "Oh! It’s me? You’re joking!" an implication that he grins and bears it as a personal insult trying to hide the truth behind it despite the fact that the Gaul knows very well it is a symbol of sovereignty and not the person in power, and once they own it, then they can ascend to power. The tax is also symbolic. For instance, Asterix in Switzerland, the roman tax is represented by a Roman quaestor after getting tax auditing from the corrupt governor of Condate. The governor of Condate poisons the Questor after which the Gauls undertakes a ride to Helvetia to fetch the necessary healing ingredients. The tax has an explicit worth here as a standard limit to the fantasy of supremacy dignitaries of the regime. This is why the Gauls serve Rome, restoring the national identity. An extremely significant moments, the writers therefore does well to differentiate between the individual power and sovereignty of th...