I think that today social class is still a rallying point for Canadians looking for change. However I think the main issue is that class divisions today look very different than the class divisions in 1919. In 1919 there were clear defined lines between the working, middle, and upper classes. The working class was the biggest of all the classes and as such was able to effectively push for change through things like strikes. The working class did this to fight for the right to organize and better working conditions. They were successful in their push for change getting things like the right to unionize and the 8-hour day.
Class can still unite people for change in 2014, however the classes that exist today look much different than the classes that existed in 1919. Today the middle class is the biggest class and the rise of globalization has drastically shrunk the size of the working class in Canada. The upper class, while still small has some of the highest concentration of wealth the world has ever seen. Today class is less dependent on the type of work you do but rather on the amount of wealth you have. The astronomical differences between the Haves and the Have-Nots is what I see as being the main antagonizing factor that can cause people to unite along class lines. Movements like Occupy have shown that people can still be unified for change based on social class to try and raise awareness/fight wealth inequality. However it is not as much the working class fighting for better rights for its self from the middle and upper class. The struggle today is the middle class and the now smaller working class fighting to ensure they get a decent share of the wealth and to keep the upper class from gaining all the benefits of their work. It is the struggle of the 99% against the 1%.
I think class identity is still an effective way to try and organize Canadians to create change. The main issue is that trying to view class today through the lens of 1919 social structures is a major failure due to the massive differences in society. Movements like Occupy are the first step in getting people to start to develop a 21st century class consciousness that recognizes the imbalance of wealth in today’s society and decides to take action against this unfairness.
The argument being made in the graphic novel is that many of the things now considered common place in the workplace are in fact things that were hard won by workers of the past through things like strikes, protests, and other direct actions. Things like the 8-hour work day and the 5-day work week were won at the cost of lives. The graphic novel encourages us to remember those who fought and died for workplace rights that all of us expect to have today.
I had a very emotional response to the graphic novel. This is probably a result of my family’s heavy history of involvement in workers and union movements. To see what people were put through simply for fighting for better lives made me very sad and upset. But at the same time it was inspiring to know that there is a huge history to draw on for inspiration in fighting for change. The novel shows that there is a huge precedent for taking direct action to change the world. My favourite part was at the end detailing how the Quebec students took up the cause and helped to make May Day celebrations relevant to young people and to help young people understand why May Day matters.
I feel that the graphic novel format is very helpful in conveying the message. It helps to humanize those who fought and died for better rights. It also allows you to easily draw sympathy for those who were involved. The image of the men on the gallows on page 12 is particularly powerful. I think it would have been difficult to get this kind of emotional reaction without the graphic depiction. I thoroughly enjoy this book and plan to keep it around for future use in teaching people about the importance of unions and May Day celebrations.
Response to the Q sent in the email last week: Please blog about your response to the novel – What is the argument ? how effective is the graphic format and why?
May Day is unique in the sense that the story/argument is told through pictures like storybook.The images werent all that convincing to me, but it was a nice change from reading another long article.The goal of May Day was a day to get better work conditions, wages, and shorter work hours. The struggle of workers, their lack of rights and class power got attention worldwide. I think the writers are emphasizing the importance of being active citizens because it is our country and history. The story proves that worker power can change policies and structures and fight towards change in society if we really want it. It is effective b/c the novel shows many powerful aspects that show the commitment of working class people who were willing to do anything, even sacrifice their own lives (ie: 4 people hanged in 1887) to get better work conditions for everyone, incl. future generations, which affects us today. For example, people refused to go back to work and demanded better hours/wages/conditions in the On-The-Ottawa-Trek. The need for a better government and solving unemployment and poverty issues was a major problem.
It shows us that we need to be active voters b/c it affects our current life, and will afffect future generations. We are all affected by the decisions made by our government in some way, so this novel was a very good way of showing what citizens are willing to do when they believe in change. We continue to see the issue of unemployment and poverty today, however, it is an ongoing struggle that does not have the same amount of commitment compared to a century ago now that globalization and gaining wealth is the main focus. Even though May Day is a story of celebration, and workers got what they fought for, the government today has some what shifted back to what it was like before May Day protests began.. Post May Day, the government created programs such as the Worker’s Compensation Act and Employment Insurance in response, but today these services are becoming reduced b/c of government cuts, which means we still need to continue to improve conditions in the workplace. In general though, this was an important historical event that affected people worldwide, and brought out the importance of solidarity and a day for workers.
This is a response to the questions in the email from last week:
“please blog about your response to the novel – what is the argument? how effective is the graphic format and why?”
The graphic novel May Day is an attempt to tell the history of labor struggle, class tension and worker mobilization through a visual medium, and I have to say for me it fell very flat. The argument that the book was making was not only that the history of May Day was an important milestone in the attempts of workers to unionize and demand better wages and hours, but that this history itself has been somewhat forgotten by the general public, and that it is essential to raise awareness of the day in order to help the struggle for workers’ rights. While the argument itself is an interesting and relevant one that is worth reading about, and raising awareness of, the manner in which the book presents it is poorly executed, which is a shame.
The way the book presents its argument is not conducive to actually conveying the context of the history it presents. The book doesn’t read like a history book or an article, but seems more like a piece of propaganda. The tone of the book is very straightforward and simplistic, and it clearly feels as if it is a children’s book on labor history rather than the serious social commentary is tries to be. The events are laid one after the other with almost no connecting information, feeling more like a collection of interesting facts than an actual story or argument. Although even the simplistic nature of the presentation is sabotaged by the amateurish and often confusing art, where on several occasions I had trouble determining where the flow of the narrative was going on the page and what was supposed to be connecting panels.
I feel I should mention that I actually do agree with the argument they are trying to make, and moreover, the graphic novel format is one which I hold a great deal of admiration and joy for, which is why this attempt at using the format feels to me to be hamfisted, cursory and disappointing. The foreword of the book tries to draw comparisons to some of the greatest historical graphic novels, including Art Spiegelman’s Maus and Chester Brown’s Louis Riel, but the fact is that this book completely missed the points that made those works great, hoping that the graphic novel format alone would be similar enough. What this book lacked that the others have is a personal touch. Those stories had nuanced protrayals of characters, a strong narrative, powerful themes and emotional gravitas which made you feel attached to the story, the situation, and the characters, long after you’ve finished reading.
This book feels as though it was intended for a young audience, and if that was their target, then I suppose the short length and simplistic presentation is what they were aiming for. I feel like trying to raise awareness of labor issues is admirable cause, and if they think this format will help reach people then good for them. I do feel though that if they were aiming for a young audience, the authors seem to have forgotten the fact that children are generally a lot smarter than people give them credit for, and if they were trying to aim for a more mature audience, the shallowness of the narrative is not going to help them convince anyone. As is, the story doesn’t feel like it provides anything more than a cursory overview of the history behind May Day without giving much context or depth to the issues they are trying to raise awareness of.
Question from email sent out- please blog about your response to the novel – what is the argument? how effective is the graphic format and why?
The argument presented in May Day focuses on the importance of May Day through the use of images, while also presenting and describing the history and goals associated with May Day. For me, the images were not a helpful tool in trying to convince me of the importance of May Day and did very little in trying to push home the underlying significance of what was achieved in the history of May Day. I think that it is effective because of how it uses art to try and enhance the reading experience to some level (as shown with the hanging of the 4 workers, and August Spies quote), but because of the organization of much of the book it drops off on the impact it attempts to make. The arrangement and clustering of most of the book makes it feel cluttered and at times confusing to read. However, I do agree in the books end message about voting involvement and the history and future of the struggle described.
May Day describes the hardships and challenges that faced workers as they tried and later succeeded at getting shorter work hours, better wages and better working conditions, going up to 2007 and including not just the struggles of Canadian and US workers but workers all over the world as they got these new and improving rights. Showing that change is always possible and can be achieved if you stick to it and that we do need to be involved. That involvement involves everyone and that we need to be active in these issues and can be a part of change. Most importantly, that May Day is historically significant and that the struggles of the past will be important to know in the future and that we all need to be aware and participate.
Question from email: Please blog a response about the novel. What is the argument? how effective is the graphic format and why?
I think that writers: Folvik, Carleton and Leier try to present via the graphics created by Bradd and McKilligan aren’t exactly presenting an argument so much as an argument through detailing a narrative of the history of May Day. The writer’s narrative of the history of May Day, focuses on the social movements and protests that workers used to fight for their labour rights. Not only do the authors of the graphic novel depict these labour movements, they justify them in a graphical sense, often portraying the bosses as rich, callous and the workers as those who are oppressed by the government and factory owners. Moreover, they chart the struggles of the working class, trying to evoke their audience’s sympathies so that the importance of May Day may be acknowledged. Their end goal with this graphic novel, is to use the history of May Day and the social history surrounding the labour rights movement to inspire political action (as noted in the end of the novel) and cement the significance of the labour rights movement.
Personally, I must say the graphic format, would be effective, for some people, but not for me. Reading graphics and depictions as well as symbols allows the authors to convey a very condensed argument that is also very entertaining to read. In a short period of time, one can absorb the history of May Day and the labour rights movement. Additionally, the drawings also do something a written argument can’t really do or not do so easily… They evoke sympathy for the workers, it has an emotional pathos based argument that is viable because this is a graphic history/novel, but isn’t viable for more academic history/textbooks.
But I found… well I found this novel to be very… well I found the novel to be very left-wing and filled with socialist propaganda. The graphics, while expanding an emotional argument and helping in relating simple concepts… lack the ability to give context. The graphics also are unable to forward any specific argumentative points, which explains to why they used a narrative to present an implicit argument as opposed to an explicit one where various concepts and perceptions would be discussed in context.
The novel especially fails to address where the values of the bosses and governments came from. The novel labels that the bosses are greedy and evil without even bothering to explain the fact that in a sense, they were just a product of an economic system that produced the workers, who are also human and are not immune to greed themselves. Also, the novel presents the images and the struggle from a very worker-supportive perspective, which is useful because mostly we hear what the government says of workers, but still… once one notices the rather one-sided nature of the images, its jarring to read. While I might agree that the workers were oppressed, this heavily one-sided perspective and I severely doubt the workers were so idealistic or noble as the ones painted in this novel.
So I liked the attempt that May Day: A Graphic History of Protest attempted to do and the graphics are effective to a degree. Yet, the execution and the limitations of the graphic content create issues as to the ability to establish historical context and discussions without stereotyping or polarizing the situation.
Question from email: Please blog a response about the novel. What is the argument? how effective is the graphic format and why?
The graphic novel May Day portrays the argument that the working class were determined to fight for better working conditions such as higher wages and shorter work days no matter the consequences through the use of graphic representation. It shows the struggle of the working class and how they were so eager to improve it. They set out with the intent to captures the governments attention and to be heard and eventually, that was what occurred. The citizens were persistent and they never let any obstacles such as police interventions during protests or losing jobs stop them. May Day became an international issue and it was recognized by many as a very important issue. Through out the protests, labour unions were created and this is a significant event because labour unions today guaranteed many rights to a lot of workers. It efficiently and effectively shows how the working class citizens were very united and never backed down from what they believed they deserved. The countless numbers of strikes they conducted over long periods of time, the commitment of the working class and the numbers of them who joined in the strike showed just how important this was for the average working citizen.
The graphic format is an effective format because it gives you a visual of the actual events that took place. It can eliminate confusion and help us to understand May Day better. It conveys the historical events in a powerful manner, showing the reader the intensity of the events that took place such as the conviction of the eight random activists for the bombings despite the lack of evidence and the hanging of four of them in 1887. Hearing what happened in history is not often an effective way of understanding what happened, but when we are given images of history, we are able to get a realistic portrayal of the historical events. I was more engaged in this graphic novel because the images were more appealing than just words on a page and for that reason, I remember more about the events leading up to May Day and May Day itself. The graphics relayed the historical content in an emotional way and it was from a very socialist perspective, but the reader is more likely going to relate to the citizens of the working class than the powers in charge at the time. If it were written from the perspective of the government, there would be a lot of criticism siding with the powerful side because the working class was indeed right. They did deserve more than they were being given.
Please blog about your response to the novel – What is the argument? How effective is the graphic format and why?
May Day: A Graphic History of Protest is a graphic novel written by Folvik, Caleton and Leier and illustrated by Bradd and McKilligan. It tries to convey to the reader, the history of labour struggles and how the working class was able to bring about change for themselves. The novel argues that May Day is very significant in history when in regards to better working conditions, and most importantly, it is trying to raise awareness about an event that has been forgotten over the years. Thousands of workers protested to get us the better working conditions that we take for granted today, such as an 8-hour work shift, better pay, and benefits that include safety standards.
In this story, through images, we are shown how May Day has been celebrated from the late 19th century to the present. At the beginning, May Day was mostly used for large strikes to better the working conditions overall, especially in the industrial sector. During the cold war, working conditions were improving drastically, however, there was an overhanging fear of communism, causing the number of protests to decrease. Near the end of the graphic novel, we see how modern-day unions are using May Day to improve their sectors, including the teaching industry.
For me, I thought the graphic format was very effective and engaging as the authors were able to capture key scenes in a way that would be relatable to readers today. Furthermore, the pictures draw attention to specific images, so that the message will really stand out in my mind. These images were able to convey specific events in a way that just reading or hearing about it, would not seem so important. The images invoked emotions within me such as sympathy for the workers. Before reading this novel, I honestly had no idea what May Day was, and now I am able to see that it was a very significant event that affected many people across the globe and brought a sense of community and unity within the workers.
The graphic novel May Day tells the story of worker-led protests against the capitalist structures that oppress workers. The novel focuses on the work of Canadian protestors, and uses the celebrations around May Day (May 1st) to tie it all together. May Day represents the struggles faced by workers around the world, and in the over a century since the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago, it has served as a rallying point for workers to fight for change in areas such as workplace safety, reduced hours and increased wages.
The era of industrialization was not an easy one for workers to endure, and they fought hard to be recognized as more than simply a commodity to be used in the generation of capital. Certain jobs, such as mining, had an extremely high fatality rate for workers in this industry, and workers were desperate to change the status quo. Governments and the Captains of Industry of the era were reluctant to make the changes workers desired, and thus conflict ensued. The workers were forced to utilize the only bargaining tool they had at their disposal – themselves. Without the workers at the machines, companies would not make any money, and were forced to take note of the protests.
The graphic format of this text aids in the telling of the story, as the illustrations offer more than simply a basic narrative. The illustrations give some visual context to the movements of the period, allowing the reader to glimpse more into the world of the workers. As well, the graphic format also makes the somewhat dreary story of workers protesting their rights more colourful. The way in which the illustrations are drawn show a definite pro-worker stance, which also aids in the argument of the text.
The story of how worker’s rights came to be in Canada follows the Marxist class conflict archetype. Two opposing parties, the workers and the owners, were in conflict over the question of the rights of the worker. This conflict spilled over into a political issue, with the passing of the Trade Unions Act in 1872, legalizing the assembly of unions. This conflict was also a bloody one, with the most infamous confrontation being at Haymarket in 1886. However, the determined efforts by Canadian workers, and their counterparts around the world, directly led to the working standards seen in Western society today. Without the tireless efforts of these ordinary workers, the working conditions enjoyed by Canadians today would not have come about.
Please blog a response about the novel. What is the argument? how effective is the graphic format and why?
“May Day” is a graphic novel that focuses on the importance of May Day and its history. It is a day that celebrates work, renewal, solidarity and the struggle for better. It outlines the past of the working class and their fight for more reasonable pay and work hours, from ten to twelve hours a day, to 9 and eventually 8 hour work day. It also highlights the protests and strikes that were highly prevalent throughout the period, such as 9 Hour Day Movement made in 1872 by workers who formed the Canadian Labour Protective and Mutual Improvement Association, the gathering of workers in Chicago at Haymarket in 1886, and the newly created type of strike in Canada – the General Strike. Workers who felt unfairly treated did would not show up to work, and every city that did this caused a ripple effect, for another city to raise awareness by calling for a strike in demand for better work wages and conditions. May Day eventually became an international issue, causing a world wide movement. Governments were forced to re-evaluate policies to accommodate the rights of the working class.
A picture is worth a million words, and the graphic format of this novel is highly effective. It makes a topic largely believed to be boring into an interesting and colourful issue to be reading upon. From a personal stand point, reading long pieces becomes tedious and difficult to read. I tend not to be able to focus on readings over ten or so pages. This novel makes the issue of May Day and the history of protest and strikes very digestible as the text is minimal but meaningful and highlights the message that hit home. The graphic aspect of it brings the issue to life and gives better context of how it may have looked like during that time. It also helps me remember the facts and details of May Day history.
Response to the email: The graphic novel, Mayday: A Graphic History of Protest, is intended to demonstrate the importance that Mayday has help within North America as well as Internationally, throughout the world. Having this story be told in a graphic form allows the reader to visualize some of the struggles these works went through, and what it was like to have them gather en mass and come together, the working class, to stand up for their rights, and to fight for better conditions in the work place. Better conditions in the work place however were more than just that, they led to happier employees, as well as wealthier employees, and wealthier employees had a higher chance of being able to spend more money, therefore stimulating the economy even further. The Mayday graphic novel show that many governments, even today, are not very willing to make the conditions of the work place any better for their people. The novel visually demonstrates how when a crowd of large numbers demands something of its government, or an establishment in general, the crowd has the power of the people, and often, especially when taking the proper tactics when protesting, can get what they want (at least to some extent on most occasions). The main point that the novel gets across is that we, the people, have the ability, the right, and the dexterity to stand up for ourselves, and better our situations in the world. -Campbell Hart
May Day: A Graphic History of Protest is based on a series of events which led to the claiming of May 1st as a day for political protest. The time period covered goes from approximately 1872 to 2007, and focuses on working-class people who have been militating for better work conditions and higher wages since the late nineteenth century, especially in Europe and North America. The main theme developed is the struggle of laborers against the oppression of their bosses and the overgrowing capitalism and industrialization.
As a mean to protest, working-class activists and other people who supported their fight organized strikes and demonstrations in order to be heard by the government and the employers. For example, before 1872 labor unions were illegal, but the march of the 1500 Strong in solidarity to the 9 Hour Movement pressured the Canadian government to pass the Federal Trade Unions Act. It was the first victory of the working-class uprising, but the history of May Day as a day of worker protest after that has been written in blood, sweat, and tears. Indeed many protests turned into riots and were violently repressed by the police or strike-breakers. However, working-class people never gave up their ideals and the movement spread worldwide.
Concerning the argument of the graphic novel and its effectiveness, I think the format is well adapted for an introduction to the topic, focusing on major events and not sweating useless details. Even though the arrangement of the graphics was not always easy to understand, it did not affect my overall reading so much. Moreover, the use of images and short written sections to convey the message really stroke me, I am especially talking about some quotations such as August Spies’ “The time will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today.” My personal background is not directly related to middle-class working people, but this graphic novel showed me that you can and should support this fight even if you are not a laborer, if you can relate to the idea of never giving up your rights and contesting what you think is wrong in society.
Pierre-Marie B., 
hartcamp, 
doraleung, and 8 others are discussing.
maxgardiner 4:15 pm on February 10, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I think that today social class is still a rallying point for Canadians looking for change. However I think the main issue is that class divisions today look very different than the class divisions in 1919. In 1919 there were clear defined lines between the working, middle, and upper classes. The working class was the biggest of all the classes and as such was able to effectively push for change through things like strikes. The working class did this to fight for the right to organize and better working conditions. They were successful in their push for change getting things like the right to unionize and the 8-hour day.
Class can still unite people for change in 2014, however the classes that exist today look much different than the classes that existed in 1919. Today the middle class is the biggest class and the rise of globalization has drastically shrunk the size of the working class in Canada. The upper class, while still small has some of the highest concentration of wealth the world has ever seen. Today class is less dependent on the type of work you do but rather on the amount of wealth you have. The astronomical differences between the Haves and the Have-Nots is what I see as being the main antagonizing factor that can cause people to unite along class lines. Movements like Occupy have shown that people can still be unified for change based on social class to try and raise awareness/fight wealth inequality. However it is not as much the working class fighting for better rights for its self from the middle and upper class. The struggle today is the middle class and the now smaller working class fighting to ensure they get a decent share of the wealth and to keep the upper class from gaining all the benefits of their work. It is the struggle of the 99% against the 1%.
I think class identity is still an effective way to try and organize Canadians to create change. The main issue is that trying to view class today through the lens of 1919 social structures is a major failure due to the massive differences in society. Movements like Occupy are the first step in getting people to start to develop a 21st century class consciousness that recognizes the imbalance of wealth in today’s society and decides to take action against this unfairness.
maxgardiner 5:26 pm on February 13, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Email question:
The argument being made in the graphic novel is that many of the things now considered common place in the workplace are in fact things that were hard won by workers of the past through things like strikes, protests, and other direct actions. Things like the 8-hour work day and the 5-day work week were won at the cost of lives. The graphic novel encourages us to remember those who fought and died for workplace rights that all of us expect to have today.
I had a very emotional response to the graphic novel. This is probably a result of my family’s heavy history of involvement in workers and union movements. To see what people were put through simply for fighting for better lives made me very sad and upset. But at the same time it was inspiring to know that there is a huge history to draw on for inspiration in fighting for change. The novel shows that there is a huge precedent for taking direct action to change the world. My favourite part was at the end detailing how the Quebec students took up the cause and helped to make May Day celebrations relevant to young people and to help young people understand why May Day matters.
I feel that the graphic novel format is very helpful in conveying the message. It helps to humanize those who fought and died for better rights. It also allows you to easily draw sympathy for those who were involved. The image of the men on the gallows on page 12 is particularly powerful. I think it would have been difficult to get this kind of emotional reaction without the graphic depiction. I thoroughly enjoy this book and plan to keep it around for future use in teaching people about the importance of unions and May Day celebrations.
Susanna Chan 1:13 am on February 11, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Response to the Q sent in the email last week: Please blog about your response to the novel – What is the argument ? how effective is the graphic format and why?
May Day is unique in the sense that the story/argument is told through pictures like storybook.The images werent all that convincing to me, but it was a nice change from reading another long article.The goal of May Day was a day to get better work conditions, wages, and shorter work hours. The struggle of workers, their lack of rights and class power got attention worldwide. I think the writers are emphasizing the importance of being active citizens because it is our country and history. The story proves that worker power can change policies and structures and fight towards change in society if we really want it. It is effective b/c the novel shows many powerful aspects that show the commitment of working class people who were willing to do anything, even sacrifice their own lives (ie: 4 people hanged in 1887) to get better work conditions for everyone, incl. future generations, which affects us today. For example, people refused to go back to work and demanded better hours/wages/conditions in the On-The-Ottawa-Trek. The need for a better government and solving unemployment and poverty issues was a major problem.
It shows us that we need to be active voters b/c it affects our current life, and will afffect future generations. We are all affected by the decisions made by our government in some way, so this novel was a very good way of showing what citizens are willing to do when they believe in change. We continue to see the issue of unemployment and poverty today, however, it is an ongoing struggle that does not have the same amount of commitment compared to a century ago now that globalization and gaining wealth is the main focus. Even though May Day is a story of celebration, and workers got what they fought for, the government today has some what shifted back to what it was like before May Day protests began.. Post May Day, the government created programs such as the Worker’s Compensation Act and Employment Insurance in response, but today these services are becoming reduced b/c of government cuts, which means we still need to continue to improve conditions in the workplace. In general though, this was an important historical event that affected people worldwide, and brought out the importance of solidarity and a day for workers.
brendanjf 4:15 am on February 11, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
This is a response to the questions in the email from last week:
“please blog about your response to the novel – what is the argument? how effective is the graphic format and why?”
The graphic novel May Day is an attempt to tell the history of labor struggle, class tension and worker mobilization through a visual medium, and I have to say for me it fell very flat. The argument that the book was making was not only that the history of May Day was an important milestone in the attempts of workers to unionize and demand better wages and hours, but that this history itself has been somewhat forgotten by the general public, and that it is essential to raise awareness of the day in order to help the struggle for workers’ rights. While the argument itself is an interesting and relevant one that is worth reading about, and raising awareness of, the manner in which the book presents it is poorly executed, which is a shame.
The way the book presents its argument is not conducive to actually conveying the context of the history it presents. The book doesn’t read like a history book or an article, but seems more like a piece of propaganda. The tone of the book is very straightforward and simplistic, and it clearly feels as if it is a children’s book on labor history rather than the serious social commentary is tries to be. The events are laid one after the other with almost no connecting information, feeling more like a collection of interesting facts than an actual story or argument. Although even the simplistic nature of the presentation is sabotaged by the amateurish and often confusing art, where on several occasions I had trouble determining where the flow of the narrative was going on the page and what was supposed to be connecting panels.
I feel I should mention that I actually do agree with the argument they are trying to make, and moreover, the graphic novel format is one which I hold a great deal of admiration and joy for, which is why this attempt at using the format feels to me to be hamfisted, cursory and disappointing. The foreword of the book tries to draw comparisons to some of the greatest historical graphic novels, including Art Spiegelman’s Maus and Chester Brown’s Louis Riel, but the fact is that this book completely missed the points that made those works great, hoping that the graphic novel format alone would be similar enough. What this book lacked that the others have is a personal touch. Those stories had nuanced protrayals of characters, a strong narrative, powerful themes and emotional gravitas which made you feel attached to the story, the situation, and the characters, long after you’ve finished reading.
This book feels as though it was intended for a young audience, and if that was their target, then I suppose the short length and simplistic presentation is what they were aiming for. I feel like trying to raise awareness of labor issues is admirable cause, and if they think this format will help reach people then good for them. I do feel though that if they were aiming for a young audience, the authors seem to have forgotten the fact that children are generally a lot smarter than people give them credit for, and if they were trying to aim for a more mature audience, the shallowness of the narrative is not going to help them convince anyone. As is, the story doesn’t feel like it provides anything more than a cursory overview of the history behind May Day without giving much context or depth to the issues they are trying to raise awareness of.
Connor Munro 10:38 am on February 11, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Question from email sent out- please blog about your response to the novel – what is the argument? how effective is the graphic format and why?
The argument presented in May Day focuses on the importance of May Day through the use of images, while also presenting and describing the history and goals associated with May Day. For me, the images were not a helpful tool in trying to convince me of the importance of May Day and did very little in trying to push home the underlying significance of what was achieved in the history of May Day. I think that it is effective because of how it uses art to try and enhance the reading experience to some level (as shown with the hanging of the 4 workers, and August Spies quote), but because of the organization of much of the book it drops off on the impact it attempts to make. The arrangement and clustering of most of the book makes it feel cluttered and at times confusing to read. However, I do agree in the books end message about voting involvement and the history and future of the struggle described.
May Day describes the hardships and challenges that faced workers as they tried and later succeeded at getting shorter work hours, better wages and better working conditions, going up to 2007 and including not just the struggles of Canadian and US workers but workers all over the world as they got these new and improving rights. Showing that change is always possible and can be achieved if you stick to it and that we do need to be involved. That involvement involves everyone and that we need to be active in these issues and can be a part of change. Most importantly, that May Day is historically significant and that the struggles of the past will be important to know in the future and that we all need to be aware and participate.
Vincent Yam 2:38 pm on February 11, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Question from email: Please blog a response about the novel. What is the argument? how effective is the graphic format and why?
I think that writers: Folvik, Carleton and Leier try to present via the graphics created by Bradd and McKilligan aren’t exactly presenting an argument so much as an argument through detailing a narrative of the history of May Day. The writer’s narrative of the history of May Day, focuses on the social movements and protests that workers used to fight for their labour rights. Not only do the authors of the graphic novel depict these labour movements, they justify them in a graphical sense, often portraying the bosses as rich, callous and the workers as those who are oppressed by the government and factory owners. Moreover, they chart the struggles of the working class, trying to evoke their audience’s sympathies so that the importance of May Day may be acknowledged. Their end goal with this graphic novel, is to use the history of May Day and the social history surrounding the labour rights movement to inspire political action (as noted in the end of the novel) and cement the significance of the labour rights movement.
Personally, I must say the graphic format, would be effective, for some people, but not for me. Reading graphics and depictions as well as symbols allows the authors to convey a very condensed argument that is also very entertaining to read. In a short period of time, one can absorb the history of May Day and the labour rights movement. Additionally, the drawings also do something a written argument can’t really do or not do so easily… They evoke sympathy for the workers, it has an emotional pathos based argument that is viable because this is a graphic history/novel, but isn’t viable for more academic history/textbooks.
But I found… well I found this novel to be very… well I found the novel to be very left-wing and filled with socialist propaganda. The graphics, while expanding an emotional argument and helping in relating simple concepts… lack the ability to give context. The graphics also are unable to forward any specific argumentative points, which explains to why they used a narrative to present an implicit argument as opposed to an explicit one where various concepts and perceptions would be discussed in context.
The novel especially fails to address where the values of the bosses and governments came from. The novel labels that the bosses are greedy and evil without even bothering to explain the fact that in a sense, they were just a product of an economic system that produced the workers, who are also human and are not immune to greed themselves. Also, the novel presents the images and the struggle from a very worker-supportive perspective, which is useful because mostly we hear what the government says of workers, but still… once one notices the rather one-sided nature of the images, its jarring to read. While I might agree that the workers were oppressed, this heavily one-sided perspective and I severely doubt the workers were so idealistic or noble as the ones painted in this novel.
So I liked the attempt that May Day: A Graphic History of Protest attempted to do and the graphics are effective to a degree. Yet, the execution and the limitations of the graphic content create issues as to the ability to establish historical context and discussions without stereotyping or polarizing the situation.
slali 2:51 pm on February 11, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Question from email: Please blog a response about the novel. What is the argument? how effective is the graphic format and why?
The graphic novel May Day portrays the argument that the working class were determined to fight for better working conditions such as higher wages and shorter work days no matter the consequences through the use of graphic representation. It shows the struggle of the working class and how they were so eager to improve it. They set out with the intent to captures the governments attention and to be heard and eventually, that was what occurred. The citizens were persistent and they never let any obstacles such as police interventions during protests or losing jobs stop them. May Day became an international issue and it was recognized by many as a very important issue. Through out the protests, labour unions were created and this is a significant event because labour unions today guaranteed many rights to a lot of workers. It efficiently and effectively shows how the working class citizens were very united and never backed down from what they believed they deserved. The countless numbers of strikes they conducted over long periods of time, the commitment of the working class and the numbers of them who joined in the strike showed just how important this was for the average working citizen.
The graphic format is an effective format because it gives you a visual of the actual events that took place. It can eliminate confusion and help us to understand May Day better. It conveys the historical events in a powerful manner, showing the reader the intensity of the events that took place such as the conviction of the eight random activists for the bombings despite the lack of evidence and the hanging of four of them in 1887. Hearing what happened in history is not often an effective way of understanding what happened, but when we are given images of history, we are able to get a realistic portrayal of the historical events. I was more engaged in this graphic novel because the images were more appealing than just words on a page and for that reason, I remember more about the events leading up to May Day and May Day itself. The graphics relayed the historical content in an emotional way and it was from a very socialist perspective, but the reader is more likely going to relate to the citizens of the working class than the powers in charge at the time. If it were written from the perspective of the government, there would be a lot of criticism siding with the powerful side because the working class was indeed right. They did deserve more than they were being given.
Tamara Ling 6:58 pm on February 11, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Please blog about your response to the novel – What is the argument? How effective is the graphic format and why?
May Day: A Graphic History of Protest is a graphic novel written by Folvik, Caleton and Leier and illustrated by Bradd and McKilligan. It tries to convey to the reader, the history of labour struggles and how the working class was able to bring about change for themselves. The novel argues that May Day is very significant in history when in regards to better working conditions, and most importantly, it is trying to raise awareness about an event that has been forgotten over the years. Thousands of workers protested to get us the better working conditions that we take for granted today, such as an 8-hour work shift, better pay, and benefits that include safety standards.
In this story, through images, we are shown how May Day has been celebrated from the late 19th century to the present. At the beginning, May Day was mostly used for large strikes to better the working conditions overall, especially in the industrial sector. During the cold war, working conditions were improving drastically, however, there was an overhanging fear of communism, causing the number of protests to decrease. Near the end of the graphic novel, we see how modern-day unions are using May Day to improve their sectors, including the teaching industry.
For me, I thought the graphic format was very effective and engaging as the authors were able to capture key scenes in a way that would be relatable to readers today. Furthermore, the pictures draw attention to specific images, so that the message will really stand out in my mind. These images were able to convey specific events in a way that just reading or hearing about it, would not seem so important. The images invoked emotions within me such as sympathy for the workers. Before reading this novel, I honestly had no idea what May Day was, and now I am able to see that it was a very significant event that affected many people across the globe and brought a sense of community and unity within the workers.
Tyler Cole 7:40 pm on February 13, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Regarding the May Day graphic novel:
The graphic novel May Day tells the story of worker-led protests against the capitalist structures that oppress workers. The novel focuses on the work of Canadian protestors, and uses the celebrations around May Day (May 1st) to tie it all together. May Day represents the struggles faced by workers around the world, and in the over a century since the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago, it has served as a rallying point for workers to fight for change in areas such as workplace safety, reduced hours and increased wages.
The era of industrialization was not an easy one for workers to endure, and they fought hard to be recognized as more than simply a commodity to be used in the generation of capital. Certain jobs, such as mining, had an extremely high fatality rate for workers in this industry, and workers were desperate to change the status quo. Governments and the Captains of Industry of the era were reluctant to make the changes workers desired, and thus conflict ensued. The workers were forced to utilize the only bargaining tool they had at their disposal – themselves. Without the workers at the machines, companies would not make any money, and were forced to take note of the protests.
The graphic format of this text aids in the telling of the story, as the illustrations offer more than simply a basic narrative. The illustrations give some visual context to the movements of the period, allowing the reader to glimpse more into the world of the workers. As well, the graphic format also makes the somewhat dreary story of workers protesting their rights more colourful. The way in which the illustrations are drawn show a definite pro-worker stance, which also aids in the argument of the text.
The story of how worker’s rights came to be in Canada follows the Marxist class conflict archetype. Two opposing parties, the workers and the owners, were in conflict over the question of the rights of the worker. This conflict spilled over into a political issue, with the passing of the Trade Unions Act in 1872, legalizing the assembly of unions. This conflict was also a bloody one, with the most infamous confrontation being at Haymarket in 1886. However, the determined efforts by Canadian workers, and their counterparts around the world, directly led to the working standards seen in Western society today. Without the tireless efforts of these ordinary workers, the working conditions enjoyed by Canadians today would not have come about.
doraleung 8:13 am on February 14, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Please blog a response about the novel. What is the argument? how effective is the graphic format and why?
“May Day” is a graphic novel that focuses on the importance of May Day and its history. It is a day that celebrates work, renewal, solidarity and the struggle for better. It outlines the past of the working class and their fight for more reasonable pay and work hours, from ten to twelve hours a day, to 9 and eventually 8 hour work day. It also highlights the protests and strikes that were highly prevalent throughout the period, such as 9 Hour Day Movement made in 1872 by workers who formed the Canadian Labour Protective and Mutual Improvement Association, the gathering of workers in Chicago at Haymarket in 1886, and the newly created type of strike in Canada – the General Strike. Workers who felt unfairly treated did would not show up to work, and every city that did this caused a ripple effect, for another city to raise awareness by calling for a strike in demand for better work wages and conditions. May Day eventually became an international issue, causing a world wide movement. Governments were forced to re-evaluate policies to accommodate the rights of the working class.
A picture is worth a million words, and the graphic format of this novel is highly effective. It makes a topic largely believed to be boring into an interesting and colourful issue to be reading upon. From a personal stand point, reading long pieces becomes tedious and difficult to read. I tend not to be able to focus on readings over ten or so pages. This novel makes the issue of May Day and the history of protest and strikes very digestible as the text is minimal but meaningful and highlights the message that hit home. The graphic aspect of it brings the issue to life and gives better context of how it may have looked like during that time. It also helps me remember the facts and details of May Day history.
hartcamp 11:08 am on February 14, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Response to the email: The graphic novel, Mayday: A Graphic History of Protest, is intended to demonstrate the importance that Mayday has help within North America as well as Internationally, throughout the world. Having this story be told in a graphic form allows the reader to visualize some of the struggles these works went through, and what it was like to have them gather en mass and come together, the working class, to stand up for their rights, and to fight for better conditions in the work place. Better conditions in the work place however were more than just that, they led to happier employees, as well as wealthier employees, and wealthier employees had a higher chance of being able to spend more money, therefore stimulating the economy even further. The Mayday graphic novel show that many governments, even today, are not very willing to make the conditions of the work place any better for their people. The novel visually demonstrates how when a crowd of large numbers demands something of its government, or an establishment in general, the crowd has the power of the people, and often, especially when taking the proper tactics when protesting, can get what they want (at least to some extent on most occasions). The main point that the novel gets across is that we, the people, have the ability, the right, and the dexterity to stand up for ourselves, and better our situations in the world. -Campbell Hart
Pierre-Marie B. 8:03 pm on February 15, 2014 Permalink | Log in to Reply
May Day: A Graphic History of Protest is based on a series of events which led to the claiming of May 1st as a day for political protest. The time period covered goes from approximately 1872 to 2007, and focuses on working-class people who have been militating for better work conditions and higher wages since the late nineteenth century, especially in Europe and North America. The main theme developed is the struggle of laborers against the oppression of their bosses and the overgrowing capitalism and industrialization.
As a mean to protest, working-class activists and other people who supported their fight organized strikes and demonstrations in order to be heard by the government and the employers. For example, before 1872 labor unions were illegal, but the march of the 1500 Strong in solidarity to the 9 Hour Movement pressured the Canadian government to pass the Federal Trade Unions Act. It was the first victory of the working-class uprising, but the history of May Day as a day of worker protest after that has been written in blood, sweat, and tears. Indeed many protests turned into riots and were violently repressed by the police or strike-breakers. However, working-class people never gave up their ideals and the movement spread worldwide.
Concerning the argument of the graphic novel and its effectiveness, I think the format is well adapted for an introduction to the topic, focusing on major events and not sweating useless details. Even though the arrangement of the graphics was not always easy to understand, it did not affect my overall reading so much. Moreover, the use of images and short written sections to convey the message really stroke me, I am especially talking about some quotations such as August Spies’ “The time will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today.” My personal background is not directly related to middle-class working people, but this graphic novel showed me that you can and should support this fight even if you are not a laborer, if you can relate to the idea of never giving up your rights and contesting what you think is wrong in society.