I believe that we can all appreciate the diverse styles of literary writing, including graphic text. Typically, I do not read or focus on many visual texts. Still, I can confidently say that I thoroughly enjoyed the graphic text I chose to read this week, Why the Mantis Shrimp is my new favorite animal. This engaging text was written and illustrated by Matthew Inman under the pseudonym, The Oatmeal. I chose this story randomly because I have had aquatic creatures in the past and thought I would move to the next story on the list if the narrative did not appeal to me. From the beginning, I found the author's style informative and educational, but in a fun, charming way, written at a level that most people would understand. In a roundabout way,
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For example, Inman (n.d.) explains that humans have three color-receptive cones, but the mantis shrimp has 16 color-receptive cones making it possible for this creature to see the rainbow as a "thermonuclear bomb of light and beauty" (p. 5). At this point, I thought of how the author provided excellent and memorable information in a fun and delightful way. The next screen in this story includes photos of the mantis shrimp, demonstrating how vibrantly and beautifully colored this creature is with various shades of blues, greens, orange and red, and colors in-between. Seeing the mantis shrimp confirms my thoughts that this creature has taken color to the next level due to its ability to see colors beyond our visual spectrum. Thinking about how people associate beauty with goodness, I realized the author set the storyline expressing this creature as a peacekeeper of the sea. However, in a twist, the author describes the mantis shrimp as an "undersea nightmare" with "two raptorial appendages" that are so powerful and incredibly fast that they obliterate prey, boil the surrounding water, causing shockwaves and creating tiny bursts of light, with its "murder sticks" (Inman, n.d., p.
For example, Inman (n.d.) explains that humans have three color-receptive cones, but the mantis shrimp has 16 color-receptive cones making it possible for this creature to see the rainbow as a "thermonuclear bomb of light and beauty" (p. 5). At this point, I thought of how the author provided excellent and memorable information in a fun and delightful way. The next screen in this story includes photos of the mantis shrimp, demonstrating how vibrantly and beautifully colored this creature is with various shades of blues, greens, orange and red, and colors in-between. Seeing the mantis shrimp confirms my thoughts that this creature has taken color to the next level due to its ability to see colors beyond our visual spectrum. Thinking about how people associate beauty with goodness, I realized the author set the storyline expressing this creature as a peacekeeper of the sea. However, in a twist, the author describes the mantis shrimp as an "undersea nightmare" with "two raptorial appendages" that are so powerful and incredibly fast that they obliterate prey, boil the surrounding water, causing shockwaves and creating tiny bursts of light, with its "murder sticks" (Inman, n.d., p.