Non-Fiction Graphic Narratives
This class introduces the genre of non-fiction graphic narratives through the lens of historical perspective. We will look at a historical narrative from a specific perspective. Using the graphic narrative, But I Live, we will look at the varied ways that individuals were impacted during World War Two and the Holocaust.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- evaluate how story and imagery can be used to teach history.
- form inferences about historical values through observations.
- examine how our experiences and biases influence how we view the past.
- identify, analyze, and discuss narrator perspective and bias.
- define, identify, and discuss narrative perspective and bias in a given text.
This lesson is easily adaptable. Use any class set of graphic narratives, depending on your desired focus. Adapt the handouts to the specific pages you wish to emphasize from your graphic narrative. Examples of alternative non-fiction graphic narratives:
- Maus by Art Spiegelman
- Borders by Thomas King
Guiding Questions
- How can graphic narratives help us understand history?
- How do personal narratives provide insight into different historical perspectives?
- Do the visuals provided in historical graphic narratives, such as But I Live, help the reader develop a deeper understanding of cultural and historical context?
Preparation
Gather a class set of chosen graphic narratives.
Introduction
Begin the lesson with a guided discussion.
- Non-fiction graphic narratives can take many forms, but the most common forms are autobiography, individual narrative, and memoir. The narratives we will look at express people’s lived experiences during prominent points in history. These genres communicate people’s real life stories.
Think-Pair-Share
- Start with the cover. Ask everyone to look at the cover of this graphic narrative. What do you expect this book to be about?
Lesson Activities
Book Synopsis
An intimate co-creation by three graphic artists and four Holocaust survivors, But I Live consists of three illustrated stories based on the experiences of each survivor during and after the Holocaust. David Schaffer and his family survived in Romania due to their refusal to obey Nazi collaborators. In the Netherlands, brothers Nico and Rolf Kamp were separated from their parents and hidden by the Dutch resistance in thirteen different places. Through the story of Emmie Arbel, a child survivor of the Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, we see the lifelong trauma inflicted by the Holocaust.
Prompt:
- What feelings arise when you think about reading this book?
- Free write the answer to this question.
- Prompt to expand the writing: Is there discomfort, is there curiosity? Why?
Connect Back
- Those feelings and the preconceptions are called unconscious bias, which is shaped by our lived experiences, our values, and what we have learned. When we approach history, it is very possible that our biases from how we live today will get in the way.
- History is often presented as a linear story. What we know or learn from history comes from a place of bias, either the influence of our own experiences shaping what we explore, or biased views and values shape the stories being told.
- This is why it is important to examine history from multiple perspectives. Reading and looking at history from multiple angles will give us a fuller idea of what history was truly like. Personal narratives allow us to see how individual people thought and felt during the past. Together, these individual narratives give a much more holistic and comprehensive view of history
Individual (or Group Activity) – Read and Interpret
Using the handout, find the specific pages and answer the following questions:
- What were your initial thoughts as you read this passage?
- What questions do you have?
- What did you learn from this passage?
Lead a class discussion using the prompts provided at the bottom of the handout.
Conclusion
Questions and Journal
Have each student write their questions from reading the graphic narratives on the whiteboard. Let students reflect on these questions, using them as guides for the assessment journals.
