Yoel Alperin
Swafford
7th Period
11/10/13
YomHazikaron Graphic Defense
“I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest.” (Dalai Lama) “YomHazikaron” is about one of my deepest and most personal moments that occurred at the YomHazikaron ceremony in Arad, Israel in 2013. This one night changed my whole perspective on life, on my identity as a human being, and on my identity as a Jew. In the twelve panels of my text, “YomHazikaron”, I chose to use anthropomorphism, symbolism, panel shapes, and perspective to convert my narrative into a graphic text.
In panel one, I used anthropomorphism, symbolism, panel shapes, and perspective to illustrate the beginning of my journey in Israel. The only anthropomorphic character in the frame is a dove, which not only symbolizes peace, but hope. The calendar is not a normal calendar. There are straight lines to show the passing of time; however the days are placed irregularly and the numbers are switched around to show that everything changes after April 8th. There is no outline for the panel because the concept of a frame restricts one’s eye. I wanted to show that there were unlimited possibilities for how the story could go at that moment. When looking at the calendar, the reader is aware that the calendar is not regular and orderly. The borders are elongated and the numbers are mixed up and are rotated. The reader is meant to understand that something big happens on the 8th and something that changes everything happens on the 15th because of the jagged lines contrasting from the rectangular shapes of the other dates. The overall purpose of this panel is to prepare the reader for what is to come while introducing him to the story line.
Panel two expands the use of the same devices of anthropomorphism, symbolism, panel shapes, and perspective to help transition the story to the more important parts. Yizkor candles represent Jews in my narrative. On Yom Hazikaron and on the anniversary of death, families light these candles in honor of their loved one’s memory and in the hope that their spirit will help guide the families to do a righteous life. Behind the camels are pairs of camel tracks. These tracks were drawn to look like hearts to symbolize my grade’s growing love for the land of Israel. Unlike the previous panel, I added a frame to the panel. This frame represents the idea that everything in the frame is factual. The dove is behind my character to lead readers to believe that I have forgotten about hope. By using these devices, I tried to explain to readers the thoughts and emotions being expressed in this panel.
Panel three continues the use of anthropomorphism, symbolism, panel shapes, and perspective to illustrate the somber mood of the ceremony. The dove for once is shown doing something other then flying. In the panel, it has swooped down and grabbed one of the Yizkor candles. This symbolizes that there is hope in our remembering those who have fallen; their sacrifice would not be in vain. The candles on the stage are both symbolic and anthropomorphic. The one with facial features is standing amongst ones without. The mayor in the middle represents all the physical participants of the ceremony and all the other candles are drawn in memory of those who have fallen and represent that all who have died are still there in spirit. This is a powerful reminder that the actual people could soon become memories like the other candles on stage. There is no border to the panel to show the strong emotion in the ceremony. The freedom of the frame allows these emotions to fly free. The perspective of the panel is big and in your face. When you first look into the panel, your eyes go straight into the action and then spread out to see the other details. This panel gives you a general feeling of the atmosphere at the time.
Panel four shows the first individual emotion of the graphic text using anthropomorphism, symbolism, panel shapes, and perspective to give readers a
