Analysis Of The Book ' Watchmen ' By Alan Moore

Watchers, by Dean Koontz, describes the themes of the powerful effects of love and the dangers of technology. Watchers starts off with three different subplots but ends with one cohesive story. Travis Cornell believed his life was in a constant downhill spiral until he meets a dog who he later names einstein. Vincent Nasco is an mentally-ill cereal killer who will do anything for money and fame. Nora Devon is a quiet person who believes she is not anything special, until she lets her guard down and meets the love of her life. Throughout the story, Nora and Travis meet and fall in love and discover what Einstein truly is. When a creature from a secret experiment escapes, the Outsider, Travis, Nora and Einstein are faced with a series of difficult

Symbolism plays an important part in this story. The ebony clock is particularly significant “there stood against the Western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony.” Poe placed the clock against the western wall for a symbolic purpose. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. The clock is nearer to the setting sun. The placement of the clock indicates an association with an ending. A sunset indicates the ending of a day, while the ebony color of the clock suggests its relationship with darkness and death. The characters react to the sounding of the clock’s chimes in a nervous fashion. “…While the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale.” Poe uses this clock to remind the characters that they have lived through another hour to build up the time of revelation. At each strike of the clock the characters stop everything as if they are waiting for the "Red Death" to come for them at any minute. At twelve, the stranger dressed as the "Red Death" appears. This time everyone begins to fear death. The darkness of the rooms causes shadows to form by the fires' light to increase suspense.

When read with a critical eye, the world of superhero comics often offers a lens with which we can examine society, our values, the meaning of justice, and the role of the individual in regards to the greater community. If all of this information is garnered from critical reading, then the way in which the medium of comics constructs these meanings will reflect an embrace or a rejection of the common symbols and ideology of it’s source culture. In the case of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s 1987 graphic novel, Watchmen, the second approach is used, as Moore’s writing draws upon the common cultural understanding of superheroes and exaggerates or tweaks them, exposing their underlying ideals. In this way, Watchmen functions not only as a

I think the clocks are a very important component to the song. It was surprising to me to find out that it was Alan’s suggestion. This just goes to show that the band trusted his creativity and engineering skills.

Through the character Rorshach, The Watchmen explores the issues of nature verses nurture for him. Moore adds that a super hero, can be a psychological argument. A super hero is neither born nor shaped by environment, it is the creation of an alter ego to suppress childhood conflicting inner issues. Rorshach dealt with issues as a young child that rationalized in his mind to hide behind a costume and a mask in order to live.

Throughout the work, Poe employs a seemingly simple ebony clock to symbolize the destined time of life, which no one can control. The clock is first introduced by describing the pendulum’s “dull, heavy, monotonous clang”, which automatically gives the idea that the clock is oppressive and evokes fear in both the readers and guests (Poe). As the story goes on, the characteristics of the clock unfold even more and reveal the emotions and actions it suggests. For instance, the clock’s “chiming imposes a start-stop movement on the festive

The giant clock also was symbol of horror in the story. "Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang." Every hour the clock

In Aldous Huxley’s novel a Brave New World, published in 1931, there are several attacks on society. Throughout this essay it will be seen what these problems were and if they were fixed. If the problems were fixed, it must be determined when they were. The primary focus is to answer whether we have changed for the better, women’s role in society and the social classes. In the end it will be obvious that a perfect society is impossible but we have made improvement.

You never paid much attention to your clock. It’s just something that was just there, like your nose or the mole on your forearm. They all say you’re wrong to ignore it, to avoid it because you can’t stop fate. No matter how much you wanted to. However, you were never one to follow the rules. Instead, you push the limits, bend it all until it breaks. But as the seconds slowly counted down, you found yourself getting more and more nervous.

Bruce Wayne once said, “As a man, I'm flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed; but as a symbol... as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting”. Symbolism is used in literature to create a deeper connection or meaning for the audience. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a deeper meaning is shown through the green light on Daisy’s dock and the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. In Batman Begins by David Goyer, bats and Thomas Wayne’s Stethoscope bring out a deeper meaning. Therefore, symbolism is prominent in The Great Gatsby and Batman Begins to show deeper meaning.

Watchmen is a revolutionary piece of literature. It is technically a comic book, some prefer to call it a graphic novel. There is a negative connotation that goes along with that. Graphic novels are frequently presumed too childish and fantastic to actually teach any insightful lessons or even make you ponder them at all. Watchmen is a graphic novel that transcends this undue criticism of comic books. It is, “One of the first instances ... of [a] new kind of comic book ... a first phase of development, the transition of the superhero from fantasy to literature." (Klock, pgs. 25-26)

Subsequently, while most superhero plots involve an element of fantasy, the characters in Moore’s graphic novel are, for the most part, embedded into pessimistic version of reality with only lifelike traits. Obviously, the one glaring exception in Watchmen is Doctor Manhattan, who is transformed into a being capable of a number of otherworldly abilities. However, the other five heroes in the story are regular humans who take the initiative to aid in the protection of society. This is unlike most superheroes in previous comics, who are often blessed with a divine power that allows them to conquer all evil. Additionally, referring to the society in which Moore’s heroes are immersed in, it is situated in a location known to its readers, with a certain twist. While Superman has his Metropolis and Batman has his Gotham City, the six costumed adventurers are based in New York City, or more accurately, a filthy parody of it. The universe in which Moore sets his story is the closest to reality, with a hyperbolic emphasis on the evil in society, in which superheroes have been set it. Hence, the problems presented to the superheroes are not something to be combatted with fantastical talents, but more nuanced with realistic obstacles without a clear solution. In Watchmen, the imminent threat of nuclear war is a state of affairs that would have been realistic for readers, particularly during the time period of the graphic novel’s release in 1987. This, coupled with the urban violence

Allen Moore’s sordid depiction of twentieth century life presents a complex world, where the distinction between a virtuous hero and a villainous wrongdoer is often blurred. In stark contrast to the traditionally popularized portrayal of superheroes, whose unquestionably altruistic motives ultimately produce unrealistically idealized results; the realistically flawed characters of Watchmen exist in a multi faceted world characterized by moral ambiguity. America’s imperialistic ambitions have long been justified as an expression of American idealism. Much like the portrayal of superheroes in popular culture, America’s intervention in foreign affairs was portrayed as the result of a clearly defined problem, where American intervention was

WATCHMEN REFLECTION The novel watchmen is a fiction work written by Moore A. The novel is fiction based on the reality happening in America in the 1980’s thus the author draws his inspiration from real world to create a captivating novel. From the title of the book, the writer hints on what to expect inside the book; watchmen. ‘Watchmen’refers to a group of super heroes believed to have super human powers that enable them to do supernatural things.

Alan Moore is seen as a titan among comic book writers. Throughout his lifetime he has produced many great works that include From Hell, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, and many others. I will focus on the Watchmen comic in particular because it can be considered rooted firmly in the superhero genre. Watchmen is the only comic, and only example of the superhero genre, to make it onto TIME’s list of 100 best English-language novels. This deserves some explanation. Resting besides works such as The Grapes of Wrath and Infinite Jest on a list of 100 best novels is no small feat for a comic book. This represents the transcendence of a craft. From superheroes being boring, gaudily dressed Mary Sues to real people with real issues whose struggle helps us tackle our own humanity. Watchmen transcends the superhero genre by giving us deeply flawed heroes, making us question if those heroes are capable of saving us or even themselves, and by concluding with an ending that leaves us asking questions rather than feeling satisfied.