Pamela Quezada
ENG 102
21 March 2018
Ms. Marvel comic we read in class had a boundary line in its realism and its fictional aspect of the story. Kamala Khan herself and the other characters were so humanistic that most of their characteristics crossed over that “line” and made it relatable to the readers. One of the scenes I could relate to the most was the family scenes Kamala had with her parents. Her mother appeared strict and unfair but appeared to hide her face after yelling as if she didn’t mean to say that and just expected better things from her only daughter. My mom as a Latina mother does the same thing when we get into heated arguments and seeing that made me feel a connection to the comic. Flashbacks of all the times I’ve let them down began to fill my head as I read on.
Since public school, I’ve always had a problem with finishing homework, and because of that, I never got the chance to get awards or anything. That problem was bad with my parents, who really wanted a kid to show off. They could always get my strong points, my tutoring other kids and my sports awards, but they mostly focused on scholar more, and expected more from me for all the sacrifices they have made in their lives. They already had enough problems with my sister and the disabilities she was born with, which is why all the pressure was usually put on me. With Kamala, her parents pull the same cards on her too, they mentioned the sacrifices that were made for her and her brother so that they could be great. However, both our parents only say it because they care, and they want to remind us of what it took to get us here in the first place. Another thing Kamala and I have in common is our need of helping people. Growing up, I’ve always been an athletic person, and a really curious kid. My curiosity got me in trouble a few times, but it also granted me a skill. I discovered a lot of things to learn in life, I played and mastered a bunch of sports, learned and practiced karate, and even learned 3 new languages besides Spanish. And all these skills and wisdom I never kept for myself, I always had that trait for helping others, so I share a lot of my skills through tutoring, training others, or even helping others with bullies. Like I said, my curiosity got me in trouble sometimes. I was always very protective over innocent and defenseless people, including my friends. Which was why I always took it very personally when someone crossed the line with them. I believed in fair treatment and in what was right. Kamala had a similar experience, since she had the same beliefs. Even though culturally women aren’t considered much, we still stay strong to prove those beliefs wrong. Kamala got a bigger opportunity when she was given powers by the Avengers themselves, since she also had a big heart to help others. Once granted with the powers, Kamala always seized the opportunity to help others, and once she got in trouble, her parents thought she was someone completely different, as if they did not recognize their daughter anymore. I connected with Kamala when reading that part, since I used to get the same talks once I got home. As much as we hate disappointing our parents, we can’t stop what we’re doing since helping others is in our nature.
Overall, Kamala Khan is a really relatable character to read about. I enjoyed making the connections and going on this journey as we ventured farther into the comic. Ms. Marvel was a great experience in comics for any person to start off with since she’s young and we can understand her perspective.
Reflective statement: I learned about how there are deep connections in the comic universe, with every different facial expression, or different dialog within the speech bubbles. I can use what I learned in perhaps other situations since you can always make a connection to what you’re reading about. The process of peer review has also helped my process since getting feedback on writing helps you see the errors in your work and how you can improve it.
Ms. Marvel comic we read in class had a boundary line in its realism and its fictional aspect of the story. Kamala Khan herself and the other characters were so humanistic that most of their characteristics crossed over that “line” and made it relatable to the readers. One of the scenes I could relate to the most was the family scenes Kamala had with her parents. Her mother appeared strict and unfair but appeared to hide her face after yelling as if she didn’t mean to say that and just expected better things from her only daughter. My mom as a Latina mother does the same thing when we get into heated arguments, and seeing that made me feel a connection to the comic. Flashbacks of the times I wasn’t enough for my parents began to fill my head as I read on. Kamala also has one older sibling, which is the same situation for me except I’ve got a sister who my parents spoil often. The cultural norms are one thing we’ve got different. My family isn’t very pushy when it comes to religion and our family culture, not as much as the rest of our family is at least. As I have written here, family is another key term in the comic.