How Humor Is Essential in American Born Chinese Comics by Gene Yang - Essay Example

Jiahui Wang ENG102 S Ph.D. FitzSimmons March 12, Humor Comics have become popular with people of all ages because once an individual understandthe way comics operate, they are able to relate to them. In this essay, attention will be focused on the comic book, American Born Chinese, which is written by Gene Yang. This book use a lot of techniques, which mentioned in Scott McCloud’s book, understanding comics.The American Born Chinese comic book is a book that has utilized different qualities such as closure, humor, time and also various graphic design elements. Humor is one of the main concepts that Gene used a lot in American Born Chinese to create his novel effectively. In my view, humor is a good way to attract readers’ interest; also humor helps reader finish the story with better understanding. Therefore, the performance of humor is very important in graphic novel. Gene uses humor to create each character that performing in American Born Chinese and i will explain how humor is essential in comic’s book. In American Born Chinese, Jin Wang and his family move to a new place. When he joins the new school, he finds that he is the only American Chinese student in the whole school. He tries to fit into a normal American life, tries making friends but he is constantly under bulling from the rest of the students, making it hard for him to have friends. He fell in love with an all-American girl, making matters worse for him. Monkey king was born to rule over all monkeys worldwide. This is an old and great Chinese fable of all times. He is the master in kung-Fu, who is greatly respected by his subjects making him the greatest on earth. Monkey king wants to be one of the gods but cannot be allowed, he has to remain as a monkey though he doesn’t want to. Danny has a cousin Chin-Kee, a Chinese stereotype who keeps visiting him. Due to Danny’s popularity in school being ruined by his cousin’s visit, he keeps changing schools. This year, Chin-Kee spoils everything for him. By creating the story, Gene uses a lot of humor to build each character specially. Monkey King At beginning introduces the Monkey King. It starts with. “One bright and starry night” with Monkey King leading the Flower Fruit Mountains. First instance of humor is depicted by Monkey King being “born of a rock” (Yang, 15). Figure 1, the party in haven, American Born Chinese, p15. Monkey King ironically refuses to accept who he is; he wants to be a god. As the figure one shows, when he heard of a party in heavens even without being invited sees himself as a king and forces himself to the party. He is not received well by other gods and they laugh at him. Humor is also used here as Monkey King, “may be a king…even a deity [he is] still a monkey” (Yang, 15), he also had no shoes. This is funny due to the fact that monkeys with their mischief cannot be expected to lead as kings. Humor is also shown by Gene describing heavenly surrounding like, thunderous foot, first-like-lightning, cloud-as-steed and also heavenly senses, (Yang, 8-11). Monkey King returns home with anger and highly determined to change his fate. He forces his subjects to wear shoes; this also ironic because monkeys need legs and hands to hold on trees, they will have a great difficulty with shoes on trees. He also goes into a furious training of Kung-Fu, with a target of going back to the heavens. He became transformed ready to show the gods that he is “a great sage equal to heaven” (Yang, 66). He causes havoc at the heavens, mistreating other gods who seek help from Tze-Yo-Tzuh, meaning He Who is. When Monkey King is asked about his anger, he responds angrily about his discontent of being a monkey, instead he wanted to be a god. Monkey King is the trapped in a mountain of rocks for 500 years but finally comes out to be accepted and redeemed. Therefore, humor greatly performs at these plots.Figure 2, American Born Chinese, p66. Jin Wang The second character is Jin Wang. There are many examples to show how Gene uses humor to create this character. As figure3 shows, Jin Wang and his parents travelling. Jin is in the backseat sadly playing with a transformer, retelling a parable which the story has started by claiming “My mother once told me an old Chinese parable…” (Yang, 23). Humor is used when Jin tells the herbalist that he would want to be a transformer when he grows up, she tells him that “It’s easy to become anything you wish…so long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul” (Yang, 23). This is ironical because Jin will not be a transformer even if he wants to be but the herbalist keeps encouraging. Figure 3, American Born Chinese, p23. Second example of humor in Jin Wang is showed in Figure 4, in the new school, the teacher makes some mistakes in his introduction, she calls him Jing Jang and that he is from China. Even though the teacher knew well how to pronounce his name, she ironically changes it to show the unwelcoming mode of the natives. Jin embarrassingly corrects her that he is Jin Wang and he is from San Francisco (Yang, 30). This is also another use of humor by Gene though it implicates some form of rejection. Jin was always alone without friends; he is made fun of and his Chinese heritage by his classmates and bullies. A new student, who came later, Wei-Chen Sun, is alsointroduced mockingly by the teacher introducing him as Chie-Chen Chun from China. Irony is also depicted Jin avoids him yet they are from the same culture until when he notices him playing with a transformer. Figure 4, Jin joins the class, American Born Chinese, p30. Jin continues with his education, with the normal problems and rejection. In the class he crushes on a shy girl, Amelia. It is hard for Jin to get Amelia’s attention given that he was a flop in the school. Jin discovers that he totally has to transform to fit into the American ways in order to win Amelia. He changes and tried to continue putting up with his Friend Wei-Chen as well as the troubles of impressing Amelia. The transformation of Jin so as to be accepted is the same as the Monkey King’s transformation. Humor was important in Jin’s story as it helped cover up the rejection problems on a laughing mode of the reader. Danny and Chin-kee The third character depicts use of humor, the image of Chin-Kee looking like a cartoon with no shame in exposing his shortcomings. His name seems to auger well with an ill-conceived Chinese, “Chinky.” His eyes are slits, yellow colored skin, long braided hair and is in full Chinese traditional outfit. He has a deep accent with a switch of L and R, and keeps shouting answers in class(Yang, 49). As the figure 5 shows, the image of Chin-Kee is full representation the humor. The reader will find it funny at the first sight of how he looks. Figure 5, American Born Chinese, p49. Another example perform humor of Chin-Kee is shows on page 203. Danny’s reputation is being ruined by his cousin; he is a well-known all-American boy in school. In the figure 6, Chin-Kee goes further to sing “She Bangs” in a library on top of a table, trying to outdo the performance of William Hung on American Idols (Yang, 203).Not only the image of Chin-Kee, but also the actions of Chin-Kee have a good sense of humor. It is funny how Chin-Kee tries to outdo a star with all the pronunciation errors he has. Humor is important in this part as readers can appreciate the cultures of others even with the annoying facts within. Figure 6, Chin-Kee is singing, American Born Chinese, p203. As the days goes by, Danny becomes tired of Chin-Kee’s disappointing actions. They fight and Danny knocks out a mask worn by Chi-Kee, revealing the true identity, he was the Monkey King. He changed Danny into Jin; Wei-Chen was Monkey King’s son and was mad at Jin for disregarding him. The story ends as they reconcile knowing that they are related, the main teaching being, fulfilling the goals despite difficulties of acceptance from other communities. Even though humor is continuously being used throughout the story, Gene Yang has used it with great focus on the immigrants who are being despised and rejected on other cultures. In each story, characters undergo the problem of being outcasts, though it has been done in a way a reader can overcome the anger by laughing. Moreover, humor is a good way to attract reader and keep their interest. Gene Yang has focused on the stereotypic nature of his characters. They are all expected to do something. As discussed by Scott McCloud, comic writers always try to shake things up, they are revolutionaries. Yang tries to end the neglecting problem from the locals to those who come to live among them. Even though it is hilarious at this century, it meant a lot during other centuries where interactions between different cultures were minimal. People viewed themselves as totally different from others and even better than them. They may not have showed it directly but the way they behaved and associated with them show total undermine of other cultures. Yang uses humor unintentionally to show the need persistence in our activities. We may face difficulties, rejected, despised but we should never give up on our goals. The society never gives an easy way of achieving what we need, nothing comes on silver plate. We must toil and moil to achieve it, the light hearted never reaches their goals. If the characters in American Born Chinese had given up, they could still be on the sidelines of racial abuse just like they had been going through, but their persistence to achieve what they want paid at the end. Finally, performance of humor is very important in graphic book. It is funny how we run from our destinies only to find ourselves accepting it with full heart. Humor has been used to point out rejection of our own self. Rejecting where we come from, our culture or even those related to us in an attempt to be like others who seem to be more superior than us in our viewonly makes us like puppets. It is humorous how Yang’s characters try thick and thin, rejecting their own origin to be like what they deemed better than them. We should accept our traditions and know that even with our shortcomings; no race has more qualities greater than yours. At the end, you shall come to appreciate your origin. Works cited McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art.Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, Inc., 1993. Print. Yang, Gene. American Born Chinese.NY 10010. 2006. Print Read More