Alex Verity - Dialectical Journal by Alexander Verity

12/4 Journal 4

alexanderverity2 — 2023-12-05 16:45:45 UTC

This panel at the top of page 122 creates an isolating effect. This is because Bui illustrates the picture with wide panel. In addition, Bui fills the majority of the panel with darkness and leaves only a little bit of light for Bui’ father. This is done to show that her father is by herself and therefore alone while hiding with no one to comfort him. The captions are done to emphasize the violence and death happening outside of his hiding further emphasizing his loneliness in the situation.

12/5 Wednesday Journal 5

alexanderverity2 — 2023-12-06 16:52:22 UTC

This panel at the top of page 157 raises the question of whether the negative impacts of war are balanced out by the benefits.

The panel lacks color along with much detail. Along with that panel, it the caption states that every casualty in war is one’s loved family member. Thi Bui pairs to simple black and white panel with the meaningful caption to convey message. A message of which is the people killed in war are loved by someone and war is breaking that bond apart.

Journal 1 Page 4

alexanderverity2 — 2023-12-18 07:44:54 UTC

Thi Bui creates a fearful mood in the bottom panel of page 4. The long distance drawing emphasizes the size of the room along with everything in it. The doctor walking by at the front of the panel while Bui and her husband both have a worried expression shows that they lack support during a stressful time such as childbirth. This in turn lets the reader sympathize with both Bui and Travis. In addition to that, we also are fearful of what will happen to them next.

Journal 2 Page 36

alexanderverity2 — 2023-12-18 07:55:53 UTC

The absence of detail in this panel on page 36 is done to emphasize the missing chunk of her body that is in the shape of Vietnam. Thi Bui does this to emphasize that there is a disconnection between her identity and her Vietnamese roots. This is further emphasized by the girl facing a faded outline of Vietnam. The faded drawing it done to indicate that the more she doesn't connect with her Vietnamese identity, the more she will lose it over time.

Journal 3 Page 71

alexanderverity2 — 2023-12-20 05:55:49 UTC

The partitions between these 3 panels at the bottom of page 71 play a very powerful role. Specifically, each one of the 3 panels only has 1 character inside of it. One has Thi Bui' brother Tam, one has herself, and one has her father Bo. Thi Bui illustrates both her father and her brother fixated on their own activities. While she is the only one who is aware of her surroundings. This creates a idea where Thi Bui lacked attention from some of her family members while at home. Although we cannot directly see her face in the panels, we are still left with a feeling of pity.

Journal 6 Page 186

alexanderverity2 — 2023-12-20 06:50:25 UTC

Thi Bui depicts a deeper meaning by illustrating people fleeing from a chessboard in a wide panel at the top of page 186. Notably, the chessboard is drawn in order to represent the peoples fleeing' their home country of Vietnam. The large hand that is visible in the background is drawn to illustrate both the American and communist powers in Vietnam that controlling Vietnam. In turn, the pieces on the board represent the obstacles that the Vietnamese people have to maneuver around in order to escape from conflicts that are arising in their home country.

Journal 7 Page 241

alexanderverity2 — 2023-12-20 07:16:23 UTC

The calm setting that is embellished in this small panel on page 241 is done to establish a break for the reader amidst the chaos that occurs throughout the chapter. To be more precise, Chapter 7 is about the fall of American-backed South Vietnam to communist North Vietnam. The chapter details Thi Bui family's escape from Vietnam to Malaysia. The chapter is packed full of an anxious mood and has many scenes that leave the reader worrying about what will happen next. This sunset drawn with warm colors and the boat that lacks detail offers the viewer a simple and calming break from the worrying events that occurred previously in the chapter.

Journal 8 Page 285

alexanderverity2 — 2023-12-20 07:30:57 UTC

Thi Bui uses a thin border on a wide panel in order to make a comparison between Thi Bui's family and her cousin's family who has been in America for some time. Bui illustrates the panel with a thin border so the reader is given a side-by-side comparison of the 2 families. On the left the reader is given Thi' Cousins family who has children who already seem to be Americanized while on the right panel, we have Thi Bui and her siblings who have not yet begun the Assimilation process. This comparison leaves the reader with questions such as, "If and when Thi and her siblings will begin to assimilate?" as well as whether or not her cousins will treat them differently because they are not as "American" as them.

Journal 9 Page 305

alexanderverity2 — 2023-12-20 07:49:03 UTC

The smoke that fills Bui's apartment is very powerful in this tall panel at the end of chapter 9. In this scene, Thi Bui's neighbor's apartment explodes after an oxygen tank is ignited by a lit cigarette. The explosion caused her apartment to be filled with smoke. The smoke that fills the apartment is done to represent an absence of safety in Bui's own home. This absence of safety is related back to when Thi Bui's family fled Vietnam. Specifically, Vietnam experienced an absence of safety once South Vietnam fell to the communist North. This caused Bui's old home not to be safe making them have to flee. Now that her new home is unsafe, the reader is left to wonder if Bui's family will be forced to move again.

Journal 10 Page 323

alexanderverity2 — 2023-12-20 08:02:13 UTC

Thi Bui concludes the book with a very powerful symbol of 2 trees. Concretely, the 2 large trees are illustrated not only to symbolize the roots that Thi Bui and her husband Travis are laying down. But also the roots of her parents that we have dug into so deeply in this graphic novel. The roots symbolize all the events that have occurred that both couples have experienced not only inside the book but also outside. In addition, the long roots are done to represent the strength Thi Bui and her parents have. For example, her parents fleeing Vietnam during a dangerous time while her mother was pregnant.