V For Vendetta Symbolism

Terrorism, fake news, and political overload are words that are being heard more and more often, but what do they mean and how can we discuss them academically. The world we live in has always been volatile. Humanity is difficult and unpredictable, but at the same time it loves routine and order. We are influenced by power and fear even when we know that those in power are not doing what is right or just. We accept it to spare ourselves from pain, death, or shame. However, at the same time it only takes one person, one symbol, one spark of hope to incite revolution and a chance for a better world. V for Vendetta, a graphic novel by Alan Moore, shows us a story of a “man” or at least a figure named V living in an alternate England that has been

They see freedom as the price for safety. There are many parallels between this and the perceptions we have of our modern world and where it is head. V for Vendetta serves as an outlet for these thoughts about government and the media, a chance to think about them and contemplate how they fit into our daily lives. Not only that, but it does so in a very accessible form. Moore is attempting to be a “literary V” showing us that our world may not be what we think it is and we have the power to control our own destinies. V for Vendetta and more specifically the first book of the story, as I will argue, are a perfect story for the Norton Anthology and an English Literature class. It presents a chance to show our students unusual forms of media, grapple with themes that are relevant in our world today, connect to current cultural events, and at the same time focus on the literary history of

The story is different in many ways between the two productions, but none-the-less the same themes remain. This provides another outlet in which to engage students. I understand that this would be for an English Literature class not an English cinema class, but much like we encourage our students to go out and see the dramatic arts we must also encourage them to look at the cinematic arts as well. The graphic novel has often been looked down upon compared to other forms of literature and the same goes for movies as compared to the theater. Though often the theater is more focused on cultural engagement and literary tradition, we must not forget the effect that movies and pop culture have on our everyday lives. These are the things that children, adolescents, and young adults often look to for models and we must critically evaluate them if we want to see how these perceptions and ideas shape our reality. I know that I personally loved the movie long before I knew that it was based on a graphic novel. Its exciting action and storyline draws in audiences and opens up another opportunity for us to work on interdisciplinary work between literature and cinema. The most intriguing part of using this movie as a supplement for the graphic novel in a classroom is that it resets the story in a more modern context. It shows us a world not of the Cold War, but of post Iraq