Are graphic novels going to be replace the classics?

I think that graphic novels are well on their way to replacing the classics from what I read in "You Gotta Be the Book," and the two articles.  Students seem to like them better than reading the classic books that have been read in English classes since, well, forever.

In the one article it talks about the conventions of comics and how it helps better tell a story by using different conventions.  The shape of the word bubbles for one can change the mood of the words in it if it is shaped in a certain way.  And the way the pictures are can tell a story of its own, which brings me to the other article.

In the other article Fisher and Frey use graphic novels to teach a class that is mostly English Language Learners reading a writing.  They do this by starting off using a graphic novel with no words and having the students use the pictures to try and figure out what the message is.  They are told to write a story using words about the pictures.  I think was really awesome.  I love that the kids were into doing this even though they were struggling readers and writers.  I also liked that they used scaffolding instruction with them and by the end of the class they were able to make their own graphic novels.  I would honestly love to do that with a regular class when I am a teacher but expect more from them and hope they have more critical thinking than the English Language Learners.

In the chapter in "You Gotta Be the Book," it talked about three students and how they developed their reading skills using mainly pictures and visuals.  Kae was from another country and had a lot of trouble understanding the books read and class and rarely participated.  By the end of the year with Mr. Wilhelm she was a much better readwe and had much better critical thinking skills because she used drawings and other visuals to help her better understand stories.  Also, she loved to read comic books because they were easier for her to read and this ultimately helped her in the long run just like the students from the class with Fisher and Frey.

The two boys in Mr. Wilhelm's class, Walter and Tommy, were the kind of boys that give teachers major headaches because they never want to read or do work because they think they can't so what is the point.  The boys are both LD students so they both are struggling readers and writers.  The boys liked to draw pictures in their free time and during school time which got them in trouble.  Mr. Wilhelm decided to use this and try to make the boys understand that if you use pictures and other visuals that you can better understand stories that way.  As the year went on the boys were getting a better handle on reading and understanding what they were reading because they were making visuals while reading.  They developed their reading skills and they even started becoming better critical thinkers. 

After reading the chapter from the book and the two articles, I realized that reading really is using your imagination and it is extremely important to use it while reading.  My new favorite quote is from chapter 5 in "You Gotta Be the Book."  Will Eisner said it, who is also the author of the graphic novels that is used the class with Fisher and Frey.  It reads, "We cannot know through language what we cannot imagine.  The image-visual, tactile, auditory-plays a crucial role in the construction of meaning through text.  Those who cannot imagine cannot read."  The last line, I completely and totally agree with!!

Early childhood teacher should teach their students to imagine the story while reading it when they are teaching them to read.  If this is not done, then there will always be students like Tommy and Walter.  Reading can be a lot easier to students if they just try and imagine being in the story.

This is why I think that graphic novels will one day replace some classics.  Most students would enjoy them more than the classics and they can try and relate to them better.  Although, I do not think the classics will ever really diminish.  There will always be teachers out there teaching the classics because well after all they are called classic for a reason and some can be very relatable to students as much as graphic novels.