John Lewis March Analysis

John Lewis’s trilogy of graphic novels, March, serves as a rich account of the Civil Rights Movement. Besides being very informative regarding the history of the movement, the comic serves to reconstruct interpretations of protest and freedom. This excerpt gathered from Congressman John Lewis’ graphic trilogy depicts the violent confrontation which took place in Selma, Alabama in March of 1965. Regarded as “Bloody Sunday,” the march for voting rights was led by Lewis and other young civil rights leaders and involved a historic, and bloody, confrontation by the police. This excerpt includes the iconic image of Lewis and the group crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge only to meet the waiting resistance. This scene belongs to a history which is beautifully told through the lens of John Lewis’ life and experiences in the Civil Rights Movement, spanning from his childhood to Barack Obama’s inauguration in January 2009. …show more content…
In this specific excerpt, the changing focuses of the images on the page work to display the disorder and intensity of the event from varying perspectives—the marchers, the police, and perhaps the media watching. Like what is continued in the pages which follow, this excerpt’s panels not only depict the chaos, but work to employ other senses to create a greater understanding of the violent encounter. Namely, the shape of the speech balloons paired with the image of the bullhorn creates an auditory experience for the reader. Through interpreting these speech balloons—which overlap the frames of the panels allow for greater closure—readers are provided with a complete sensory