Essay on A Rhetorical Analysis of the Killing Joke

One Bad Day: A Rhetorical Analysis of The Killing Joke The Joker was once seen as a comical criminal who committed ridiculously silly crimes, such as spreading laughing gas throughout Gotham City. However, after the reinvention of Batman, The Joker was transformed into a grave and terrorizing character. Continuing the course of the new personality given to The Joker, writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland created a graphic novel called The Killing Joke, â€Å"a much more complex, darker, and ultimately, frightening story† (Wooldridge) which tells one of the origins of The Joker since The Joker himself is unsure of his true inception. However, this particular graphic novel â€Å"isn’t about how the Joker came to be, it’s an examination of†¦show more content†¦Moore continues his effort as the story unravels in a later scene where The Joker captures Gordon and shows him photographs of Barbara, who is gravely wounded and stripped naked. Moore vividly illustrates Gordon’s anger and shock, causing the readers to sympathize with his feeling of despair and perceive that The Joker’s plan to force Gordon â€Å"into a psychotic break† (Wooldridge) may be succeeding. In this scene, The Joker has Gordon trapped on his Ghost Train ride, Gordon’s face in shock as it dawns on him that the person in the horrific images is his own daughter. Moore presents Gordon’s face in an extreme close-up, which is â€Å"a framing in which the scale of the object shown is very large† (Yale Film Studies). The only other thing that can be seen is half the face of The Joker’s minion, who attempts to keep Gordon down; everything else is red, except for their eyes and teeth. Moore uses this particular framing method so that the audience can see Gordon’s aged, appalled, and unkempt face, emphasizing his distress and his loss of control. The red on the faces of the characters in this panel highlights the emotions that Gordon feels: hopelessness, shock, and dismay. The yellow eyes and teeth underscore the horrified look on Gordon’s face. The Joker has forced Gordon to realize that his family has been irreparably harmed, and that he is unable to do anything about it. MooreShow MoreRelatedLinguistic Features of Language6234 Words   |  25 Pagesselection are on the phonological plane (phonemic variations). The possibilities of stylistic variations are not unlimited and some authors maintain that the importance of style is often overestimated (cf. ÄÅ'ermà ¡k 2001). 4.1 Phonetics/Phonology The analysis of connected speech identifies the constructional units on the phonetic/phonological plane which are either segmental - phones (realizations of abstract phonemes) and syllables (basic rhythmical units), and suprasegmental (prosodic), which resultRead MorePeculiarities of Euphemisms in English and Difficulties in Their Translation19488 Words   |  78 Pages The main methods of research are descriptive, comparative, the method of analysis and synthesis. But we consider that the study of euphemisms is impossible without using contextual-logical analysis. CHAPTER I. THE NOTION OF EUPHEMISMS IN ENGLISH I.1. Definition of Euphemisms Euphemisms come from a Greek word meaning to speak favourably, and Greek provides whatRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesReasons ................................................................................................ 236 Deceiving with Loaded Language ................................................................................................... 238 Using Rhetorical Devices .................................................................................................................. 240 Review of Major Points .............................................................................................Read MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesLine 58 Understanding and Appreciating Individual Differences Important Areas of Self-Awareness 61 Emotional Intelligence 62 Values 65 Ethical Decision Making and Values 72 Cognitive Style 74 Attitudes Toward Change 76 Core Self-Evaluation 79 SKILL ANALYSIS 84 Cases Involving Self-Awareness 84 Communist Prison Camp 84 Computerized Exam 85 Decision Dilemmas 86 SKILL PRACTICE 89 Exercises for Improving Self-Awareness Through Self-Disclosure 89 Through the Looking Glass 89 Diagnosing Managerial Characteristics