Heroes In Watchmen

Heroes In Watchmen
The heroes from the early age of comics are grand, god–like, and morally good, without much anxiety to keep them from achieving their tasks.
However, this characterization evolved over the years, showing that such characters have many layers to them. The characterization of heroes, as given
in Watchmen, has evolved to fit that of the problems of the age, and here, we see that there are more problems than just political or economic; the
society itself is faulted, but perhaps due to the different experiences one has gone through, traumatic or trying. Watchmen provides an account of
different heroes that use the mask, such as Laurie Juspeczyk, The Comedian, Rorschach, and Ozymandias, and delves into them to demonstrate the lack
of agency, the addiction, the...show more content...
Often, a parent will push their interests onto their child, thus removing the child's agency. In an interview, Sally Jupiter, Laurie's mom, says, "[...] I
guess, in a lot of ways, it was me who pushed Laurie [...] into this line of work" (–– 312). Laurie even claims that she "was living out [her] mother's
[fantasy]" (–– 217). As David Elkins explains in his article, "–," often, parents are trying to be helpful and have good intentions, but there are parents
who "push their children to succeed in the interest of their own egos [or] use their children to relive their own childhood dreams" (Elkins ––). Sally
believes she is bettering Laurie's life as she says, "[...] she'll start thinking in terms of what I saved her from instead of what I condemned her to"
(––312). The expectations which Laurie must live by have a negative influence on her, causing her to question the meaning of her life and making her
bitter (––, 33, ––). Elkins notes that "millions of children across America feel overwhelmed and pressured," and sometimes may go through depression
because of it (Elkins ––). There
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Analysis Of The Book ' Watchmen ' By Dc Comics '
Colin Ellis
Dr. Angel
ENGL 2322.P01
21 March 2016
Watchmen
Watchmen, by DC Comics, should be considered a literary work for its great use of realism and deconstruction, storytelling and subplots, and the focus
on personal character development and their moral codes. Watchmen utilizes these aspects in a way that makes the reader change the way they think
about their popular culture and what is valuable to them. These aspects help solidify the idea that Watchmen is the first in a new breed of comics, one
in which they make the transition from fantasy to literature. It is a work that is recognized by many as a revolutionary comic series, and is even
lauded as one of the best novels and most significant works of the 20th century. It has solidified its place as a cultural classic in America and it would
be injudicious to not see Watchmen as a literary work.
In order to see Watchmen as a literary work, one must understand what that is. A classic is a literary work our culture studies due to its ability to
maintain being conventional, or popular, and relevant despite times changing. When people think of an American classic, people think of stories like
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. In these novels, the authors
utilize certain aspects of language, such as intense character development, subplots, and realism, and ties them together to create great, detailed
storylines. This use of language and

Essay on Alan Moore's The Watchmen
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...show more content...
Jaded from seeing humanities uprisings first hand, he knows that they are nothing more than symptoms of an underlying disease. Because of his
experience, he is able to see more deeply into the truth of American ideology, but he is unable to do much about it. As he says, "Once you figure
out what a joke everything is, being the Comedian's the only thing that makes sense" (Moore and Gibson, Part 2, Pg. 13). Embittered by the
emptiness of the American Dream and the savagery of human nature the Comedian becomes a brutal cynic. Seeing the rot and wickedness of the
world clearly, he fashions his persona into a parody of it. When told of the difficulty of discerning whether he is joking or being serious, he replies
with rancor, "I am the joke. The Comedian is a pointed critique of this dream. His vision of America is tainted by decades immersed in the festering
guts of forgotten wars, he sees that beast that his nation has become, and rather than fight it he transforms into a monster himself. This is clearly
demonstrated while Night Owl and The Comedian are fighting off a crowd rioting against costumed heroes. Night Owl asks, "What happened to
America? What happened to the American dream?" As the Comedian fires smoke bombs into an unarmed crowd, he coldly replies, "It came true.
You're looking at it" (Moore and Gibson, Part 2, Pg. 18). "The superman exists and he is American" (Moore and

The Elements Of Watchmen
In the comic Watchmen, various elements are at work to bring the comic to life through its pages. Each element working together providing a more
in–depth feeling to the reading and understanding of each page. Looking at chapter X pp.12–13, the size and shape, coloration, and transitions are the
three elements I found most interesting when looking at these two pages alongside what and how the part of the story was being told. On page 12,
panels 1–3, a protagonist is shown in the Tales of the Black Freighter is shipwrecked off the US coast. As the readers reachpanel 6–9 there becomes a
sudden outbreak of violence that would be welcomed to the New World is then transformed into a monstrous murderer, horse thief, and land pirate.
The Black Freighter story is a newspaper headline that is only partly readable for us, making the reader infer the missing letters. The article brings a
sense of wonder towards how the concepts of vengeance and retaliation might be connected. The comic is read by one of the minor characters in the
storyline, who withholds more information than the reader does. In the same panel, in the right–hand corner, there is a person reading the pirate
comics, showing both readers share the same plain of reality. Watchmen continually forces the reader's focus to shift. Throughout Watchmen it is
difficult to tell which storyline is truly relevant, which information needs processing first, and what, in the end should be disregarded. One strategy
used to achieve

Watchmen Book Summary
The following paper will present a brief summary of Alan Moore's Watchmen book as well as one of Declaration, whose authors are Michael Hardt
and Antonio Negri. Also, it will critique and analyze Watchmen through Hardt and Negri's point of view offered by Declaration. Finally, a subjective
argument will be provided regarding a contemporary political dysfunctionality that connects with one of the ones that can be found in Watchmen.
A fairy tale kind of story...
Once upon a time in Common–land, there were two frustrated thinkers who thought of themselves as heroes. These revolutionaries believed they could
make a difference by redefining what had already been defined by their predecessors (Lecture 7/27/15). Their biggest concern can be summarized
...show more content...
In some instances, separating the power from the people can be deadly and also lead to dictatorial regimes that ultimately end up committing atrocities
against its own people (Page 26). Also, this category interferes with the ability of society to work together and cooperate in the sense that regular
people have a hard time trying to get access to the governmental institutions (Page 29). Finally, it is important to mention that a total anarchical system
is not being suggested, but a better way of representation in which there is no abuse of power or misrepresentation in terms of policies that are
malevolent for the multitude (Page

Deontology In The Movie Watchmen
In the movie, Watchmen, the ethical and moral views each superhero characterized in the dark and gloomy world of crime and sin makes us
question which moral theory is the best to follow. Each of them feels a deep need to be a superhero according to their own ideological perspective
that allies with their moral beliefs (Wu). However, the differences setting them apart is their minds. The first superhero Rorschach, who sees evil all
around him and has made it his life's purpose to extinguish it from the world at any cost is of the moral belief from Deontology (Wu). Deontology
says we should not think of in terms of ends and means at all; instead, we should act only in ways that expresses essential moral rules (William Irwin,
p. 64). Rorschach rationalizes his deontology by feeling evil should be punished. The outcome does not matter, what matters is doing the right thing
(William Irwin, p. 64). According to Kant, morality begins with good will. Kant says, "we must ask whether we can imagine our intentions as a general
law for everybody" (Rosenstand, p. 285). That means our intentions have to conform to a rational principle (Rosenstand, p. 285). It cannot be
determined by some gut–level feeling (Rosenstand, p. 285). Rorschach takes his own deontological morality in fighting crime without thinking about
his maxim (Rosenstand, p. 287). Once you start thinking about punishing crime, it really is not a principle any more than a motive (Rosenstand, p.
286). Therefore,

Psychological Disorders Analyzed in Watchmen
Name
Date
Course
Professor/Instructor
Psychological Disorders analyzed in Watchmen Through out the graphic novel Watchmen written by Alan Moore, Moore tells the story of a particular
superhero group referred to as Watchmen whom for the most part possess relatively human characteristics. In a reversed manner, Moore uses these
characters to symbolize the different kinds of human beings in the world rather than the typical super beings so often created in traditional comic
books (Disinformation). Like humans, characters in Watchmen all fall short of their own problems, failures, and weaknesses and struggle like every
day–to–day people in society. One of the many afflictions that the heroes face, in particular Rorschach, Ozymandias, and...show more content...
Beginning to understand Jon, it is always important to look into the character's past. Unlike Rorschach's abusive tale, Jon came from a clean–cut,
educated background before his transformation into Doctor Manhattan. After the transformation however is when Jon can be associated with a specific
disorder called Schizoid Personality Disorder that sums up Doctor Manhattan perfectly. Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD) is a disorder than is
characterized by "lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness, and apathy" (Perry
6). Other providing information about this disorder states that SPD can characterize people as "comfortably dull and at the same time sensitive." Many
are described to have "shut–in personalities" and incapable of common discussion of events (Akhtar 500). Some psychologists struggle to determine if
SPD is considered an illness or an actual personality disorder (Panagiotis 46). Others argue that in fact individuals presented with difficulties may tend
to keep relationships at a distance, choosing to be more self–reliant while they feel discomfort with intimacy and interdependence (Panagiotis 47). The
statements listed above in describing SPD exists very much within Doctor Manhattan. After his transformation, his personality became contradictory of
what his "human" personality use to be. In explanation of this claim,

Watchmen: What Makes a Hero?
1.
Alan Moore's, Watchmen
Rorschach: Hero or Villain?
Leslie O'Sullivan
2.
The conflict between good and evil has been a prominent aspect of literature, and society itself, for ages. Many popular stories are based around the
hero succeeding in their endeavours by defeating the arch nemesis; good conquers evil by performing in a manner that is deemed morally right.
However, in Alan Moore's,Watchmen, the notion of morality is questioned, suggesting that the line separating good from evil does not exist.
Rorschach, the most morally influenced watchman, is a major icon when analysing good and evil in this story. Moore incorporates Rorschach with a
...show more content...
whore?' 'Oh please, don't say that. Not in front of my kids... They don't know. Got what we came for. Finished here now. Let's go." (Moore, X.6)
Rorschach has unmistakably labelled this women as evil; spreading lies and rumours for personal gain at the expense of someone else. However,
as she pleads for him not to call her on her actions in front of her children, he backs down. This act of mercy completely contradicts Rorschach's
philosophy, "There is good and there is evil, and evil must be punished. Even in the face of Armageddon, I shall not compromise on this." (Moore,
I.25) By failing to punish the landlady, Rorschach is in fact contradicting this previous statement. By condemning the women, he would be subjecting
innocents to violence; therefore, he indeed compromises in his "concrete" morality. In addition to this lapse in his moral dedication, Rorschach's
tendency to justify some evil actions throughout the story challenges his moral absolutism and contradicts his later actions, "I liked President
Truman... He dropped the atom bomb on Japan and saved millions of lives." (Moore, VI.31) Although this was quoted when Rorschach was a child, it
is evident that he still admires Truman when he praises him at the beginning of the story, "They could have followed in the footsteps of good men, like
my father or Truman." (Moore, I.1) It is clear that Rorschach approves of Truman's actions, noting that he did what he did for

Summary Of The Book 'Watchmen'
Watchmen Written by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is about masked superheroes being murdered. The first murder was the comedian, his name
was Edward Blake. Edward Blake was thrown out of a window after being beaten up by someone, who isn't known yet. When he was thrown out of
the window the killer left a bloody smiley face as a symbol. Rorschach is one of the few masked superheroes left that still investigate and work to solve
a crime. He finds the body and the smiley face and goes to investigate the crime scene after the police leave the scene. Rorschach goes to the
previously masked superheroes and warns then. The first hero he goes to is Dan Dreiberg, he was the nite owl. Rorschach broke into Dan's house and
was eating beans. When Dan walks

Watchmen written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons utilizes the literary tool of symbols to connect ideas and themes. Time is a major
theme throughout the comic and plays a significant part in the structure and outcome of the story. This theme is successfully coupled to the theme of
destiny by the use of the clock and other symbols that are present throughout the comic. Symbols such as clocks, the smiley pin, and the graffiti are
utilized to efficiently connect the themes of time, justice and the loss of innocence and morality throughout Watchmen. The combination of all of these
themes ultimately allude to Ozymandias' decision to unleash chaos on Manhattan by foreshadowing his betrayal and explaining how impossible it is to
entrench the peace that he has manufactured by unleashing this chaos. The clocks in Watchmen are used to foreshadow crucial future events and
connect the themes of morality and time. Other than the literal connection between calling themselves Watchmen and recurring images of actual
watches, doomsday clocks and time in general plays a huge part in the arc of the comic's storyline. This is because of the impending destruction that the
world is to face at the hands of Ozymandias. Doctor Manhattan's father was a watchmaker before learning that time is irrelevant and therefore useless.
Jon himself finds this out through his own experience with time and seeing back and forth through it. This is particularly important because the whole
reason he

Literary Analysis: Watchmen
Literary Analysis: Watchmen The term postmodernism has been defined in different ways over the past years but it still hasn't had its official
definition. Postmodernism is a daunting subject because of the disagreements between people of how they interrupt texts and art. Postmodernism is a
critic of what we assume to be real or a fantasy of what we want to be real. Postmodernism raises an importance of identity. Postmodernism is a style
and concept of the arts, architecture and the criticism that shows a break from modernism. Postmodernism highlights ideas and theories. It can include
different artistic styles in art. For example, an artist can mix pop art with an icon image such as Marilyn Monroe, or make recycled garbage into new
art. Watchmen...show more content...
Alan Moore put the components of the generation and the real world, making the scenarios vivid and feel like reality. Moore places an alternative
universe and intermingles it with reality. Mankind is built upon two things, wrong and right. In Watchmen Moore takes away the stereotypes of good
and bad and replaces them with truth. People all have different meanings of the truth, which is also one reason why the novel was from each
character's perspective, to be more bias and of course to capture their own definition of truth. Again, in life there are always two options. Man is
inclined to pick one or the other...one answer might not be right while the other might not be better. Moore turning this novel into a comic book
changed views. He took a direction where many people of the time would've thought was an educational form of writing and Moore proved his point
that comic books can too be literature. Moore proved his point with writing devices such as imagery, framework narrative, intertextuality and the mixed
chorological orders. Watchmen proved a point that you can put work of literature into pictures.

If the concept of good and evil was clear and concise, every nation would have an identical criminal codes. However, mortality is subjective as religion,
culture and personal opinions influence human's judgment of what is right and wrong. The graphic novel Watchmen, written and drawn by Moore and
Gibbons is a graphic novel about a mysterious murderer hunting vigilantes formally known as the Watchmen. While the remainder of the former
members of the Watchmen are searching for this mysterious murderer, the graphic novel depicts how each vigilante had his or her version of justice
and how it should be served. By showing the perspective of each vigilantes' view of the world, Watchmen demonstrates that the concept of good and
evil differ for every individual. The vigilante's history, their perspective of how the world runs and their concept of justice, are a reflection of how
people in modern day society cannot fully agree on a set of social standard.
When the world was minutes away from reaching midnight on the doomsday clock, Ozymandis had executed his plan to prevent the world from a
nuclear destruction. By teleporting a monster to destroy half of New York, it forced the world to work together to defeat this monster while forgetting
the fact that they were engaged in the Cold World. Ozymandias' understanding ofmorality was that some sacrifices, civilian casualties and the
destruction of New York, must be made for the greater good, stopping the world from total annihilation.

Watchmen Color Analysis
On the first page of Watchmen, the most impressive note is the color of Moore and Gibbons used. The first picture is a stained yellow smiley face
surrounding with blood on the ground, both colors shows in the different meaning and the mixture of the colors created differences, Moore and
Gibbons choose blood(Red) to represents a suicide case and yellow smiley face as judging the world irony, it expresses the depressing mood. I think
Moore and Gibbons understands the difference of color and use it to reflect the topics, and attract the readers to read. In my opinion, the comics can
be considered as literature, I think comics is a form to express the story visually, it is different with text because they focus on the different area. If the
text

Superheroes In Watchmen
Watchmen is different from most superhero stories. For instance, the superheroes in Watchmen can be considered outcast, unenjoyed by the people of
the city. They have a much different reputation from other superheroes we hear about, such as Batman and Superman. For example, this outcast theme
is seen when the citizens of the city throw shade at Dr. Manhattan for causing cancer (Moore 89–91), and the constant fear when Rorschach appears
(Moore 23). Furthermore, the government passed a law that forbids them from existing in their superhero state. In other words, they are not glorified as
seen in other superhero depictions. After reading and seeing this within the first chapters of the graphic novel, we must ask ourselves: Are the
characters of

Rorschach In The Film Watchmen
In the film Watchmen there are an offel lot of superheros moving around, fighting crime, so it may seem hard to pin out and pick a hero that you
think best embodies the certain traits you're looking for. The hero we want is the Anti hero, someone who is selfish, unclearly motivated, has flaws
that they don't see as a problem, and all around be the kind of person that operated in the morally gray areas of life. At a glance, most people would
probably say that Rorschach is this films anti hero. After all he does kill people because he believes that's what he needs to do. I would argue against
that notion, I don't think Rorschach is an anti hero at all. For one thing he doesn't live in the gray area, as symbolised by his mask, he sees the world
as black and white. He never seeks attention or does things for his individual gain. He isn't concerned with self preservation and always does what he
believes is right. So our anti hero must be someone else....show more content...
In the movie we only ever see the Comedian doing things that are questionable at best and horrific at worst. He is self motivated, greedy, shows no
remorse for his actions, and overall is apathetic to everything in his life (shown by his recurring phrase 'it's all a joke'). The Comedian isn't a nice
man, but he isn't a villain either. We know that if he was a villain he wouldn't be apart of the Minutemen. So he has obviously done some good in his
life too. The good and the bad together with no remorse makes the Comedian the hero that operates in the morally gray parts of

Watchmen Is A Superhero
he Watchmen deconstructs the typical superhero genre in a number of different ways and attempts to explain how they would fit into our world. One of
the most interesting things about Watchmen is how easily it fits into our history. For example, the assassination of JFK is mentioned, along with the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. One of the most notable parts of Watchmen is how it destroys the whole hero versus villain scenario. It suggests to the
audience that the two may not be as clean as one might think. I don't think Moore tried to at all suggest that "legitimate" authority figures are any
different –– that's the point, they aren't. They are simply just like one of us.

Watchmen, A Comic Book
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)
Alan Moore's story offers an immersive and complex plot that raises all sorts of moral questions. It is an extraordinary work of literature that occupies
a well...show more content...
He gets a job as an unskilled worker in the garments industry. He is horrified to see in the newspaper: the murder of a familiar customer. He retells the
tale to his shrink,
"Raped. Tortured. Killed. Here. In New York. Outside her own apartment building. Almost forty neighbors heard screams. Nobody did anything.
Nobody called cops. Some of them even watched. Do you understand? Some of them even watched. I knew what people were, then, behind all the
evasions, all the self–deception. Ashamed for humanity, I went home." (Watchmen, pg. 188)
This event pushed Kovacs into donning his vigilante persona. However, Rorschach, according to Walter, was not created then. He didn't become
"Rorschach" until later in his crime–fighting career. Walter was forever changed after investigating a gruesome case, in which a little girl was
kidnapped, murdered, and fed to the perpetrator's dogs. After solving the case, Rorschach comments,
"It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It's us. Only us. Streets stank of fire. The void
breathed hard on my heart, turning its illusions to ice, shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world. Was
Rorschach." (Watchmen p.204)
Rorschach viewed the world exclusively in black and white. One can surmise this was the reason for his mask, which consisted in ever changing
Rorschach ink blots. When faced with a moral dilemma, Rorschach

Watching the Watchmen Essay
Watching the Watchmen While reading Watchmen with the purpose of textual analysis, there are many different things to consider. Alan Moore and
Dave Gibbons took many original approaches to the typical super hero story when formulating this novel. Watchmen is a story about a group of
outlawed super heroes in New York City. The story lines and backgrounds of particular characters are shown during the comic, and we see how
different these characters are from the stories of typical super heroes. When trying to closely analyze this text, we could consider context, rhetorical
strategies, and the comparison to the Catholic Intellectual Teaching. When looking at the context of this piece, it is interesting to think about why
Moore and...show more content...
Other ways that irony is used within the comic is more general, like the smiley face with a stain of blood on it. This image is originally introduced
on the first page of the whole novel but is also a reoccurring image. (1.1). Something that is usually seen as so happy is now tainted with something
considered so dark. Gibbons frequent use of this image may show the corruptness of the superheroes and the city, or even world, as a whole. Another
example of the general irony used within Watchmen is fighting violence with more violence. A prime character to portray this is Rorschach. His
childhood could be to blame for his crooked ways, but he is always violent in his approaches, even if they are for a good cause. When Rorschach was
trying to save a kidnapped girl, he used violence to try to solve the problem. "Visited underworld bars and began hurting people. Put fourteen in
hospital needlessly." (6.18–25). This is ironic because they are supposed to be superheroes, and saving people. Superheroes are supposed to take the
good way out, but the lines between hero and villain are pretty blurred in this novel. Irony is a key feature in Watchmen because it lets us see how the
author and illustrator wanted us to view the characters. It portrays how messed up and broken the Watchmen actually are. There are many ways that
you could compare the Catholic Intellectual Teaching to Watchmen.

Rorschach In Alan Moore's The Watchmen Essay
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.
The first character the book introduces to the reader to is Rorschach, Walter Joseph Kovacs, one of the main characters. Rorschach reveals his past
and why he wears a mask on page eleven. Walter's past is revealed in chapter six when he is examined by a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist gives Walter
ink blots and...show more content...
Evidence of Walter's anger toward society occurs when Walter reads about the Kitty Genovese's story in the newspaper. "Some of them even
watched. I knew what people were, then, behind, all the evasions, all the self–deception. Ashamed for humanity." (pg. 10, chap. 6, panel 8) Kitty
was raped and murder. He formed an opinion about society that they were inhumane and cruel. Walter lashed back at the rapist. While talking to the
psychologist it is revealed that Walter found the rapist who had murdered the girl. The rapist had fed Kitty's flesh and bones to his two German
shepards. Rorschach murdered the dogs. "It was Kovacs who said "Mother" then, muffled under latex. It was Kovacs who closed his
eyes. It was Rorschach who opened them again." (pg. 21, chap.6, panel 6–7) This is a major turning point in the story. By saying that he opened
his eyes and he was Rorschach his created alter ego could now flourish and develop. When Rorschach murdered the dogs he thought of his mother.
When Walter lashed out he was doing it to his mother not the dogs, this is displayed when Walter mutters mother before he slays the dogs. Because of
this incident and his mother, he took it out on the community and became Rorschach. "I went home. I took the remains of her unwanted dress
and made a face that I could bear to look at in the

Heroes In Watchmen

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Heroes In Watchmen