Gandhi: my life is my message

by Jason Quinn, Sachin Nagar (Illustrator)

How did this shy, unassuming lawyer transform himself into the leader of India’s freedom movement? Renouncing wealth, ambition and comfort, Gandhi led by example, becoming one with the people he sought to free, facing imprisonment, hardship and humiliation while never raising his voice in anger. His strategy of nonviolent protest would become the model for the US civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and continues to change history throughout the world.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as the Mahatma or Great Soul, took on the might of the British Empire armed only with a message of love and non-violence. In Gandhi: Apostle of Peace we discover the man behind the legend, following him from his birth in the Indian coastal town of Porbandar in 1869, to the moment of his tragic death at the hands of an assassin in January 1948, just months after the Independence of India.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Comics, Historical, India

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Jason Quinn is the award winning author of Campfire's Steve Jobs: Genius by Design. He learned to read with Marvel Comics and was devastated when his teacher told him Spider-Man did not exist. He has worked in publishing for the last twenty years as an editor and writer, working on everything from Spider-Man toBarbie. He moved to India in 2012 and currently works as Campfire's Creative Content Head

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this and I found myself deeply moved. My recently deceased father was a great admirer of Martin Luther King Jr., who was inspired by Mohandas Gandhi, so I feel a sort of realization that much of my beliefs have been handed down to me from Gandhi, even if I didn’t know the source from which they sprung. It was nice to learn more about the life of such an inspiring and wise human being.

[Rick Joseph]

This book reminded me of not only the impact that Gandhi's life had on non-violence, but the importance of unity for all people, regardless of their race or religion or income level.

[bingus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literary Analysis of Gandhi: My Life is My Message

Introduction
Like many of the tributes to Mohandas Gandhi, Jason Quinn’s graphic novel on the famed ethicist idolizes him and glosses over more disreputable aspects of his person. Gandhi: My Life is My Message is a graphic novel that follows the story of Gandhi’s life, helping the reader to “discover the man behind the legend,” as stated by the synopsis. The author wants to inform the reader of the events of Gandhi’s life and wants readers to take inspiration from Gandhi's life story and morals. The author uses literary devices such as juxtaposition and symbolism to highlight Gandhi's positive traits while omitting negative details that might pose a threat to his legacy.

The Author’s Intent
The graphic novel consists of an overview of the events in Gandhi’s life, with an emphasis on the steps he made towards bringing India independence, rather than his personal experiences. This emphasis on Gandhi’s accomplishments indicates that the author wants the reader to view Gandhi as an important, even heroic figure. More personal details, such as the loss of loved ones, that would help the reader to understand the basis of Gandhi’s values, are mentioned throughout the graphic novel; however, they are quickly moved on from and followed by new chapters in Gandhi’s life that involve or directly lead up to his role in leading India’s independence movement and campaigning for his moral values. For example, on pages 17 and 18, Gandhi’s father and newborn child pass away, Gandhi is shown grieving, however, the impact of these losses is not shown later in the graphic novel. On the following page, the subject of his grief is dismissed and the story goes on to cover the start of Gandhi’s career. The career opportunity given to Gandhi was in South Africa, where he began to realize the injustice against his people. This then led to the initiation of Gandhi’s quest for self-rule. The author’s choice to emphasize Gandhi’s achievements and contributions to the world shows that the author’s goal is to create a sense of awe in the reader, more so than to explore Gandhi’s character and how it developed into what it is. This also reveals what the author thinks of Gandhi’s legacy, his emphasis on Gandhi’s leadership in India’s independence movement instead of the entire course of his life indicates that the author believes that a significant part of Gandhi’s legacy was the independence movement.

Literary Devices
The author uses literary devices, primarily juxtaposition and symbolism, to depict Gandhi’s morals and actions in a positive manner. The positive manner in which Gandhi is depicted shows that the author wants the reader to view Gandhi as a moral figure, subsequently indicating the author believes the reader should take inspiration from his morals.

Juxtaposition is used to highlight Gandhi’s positive attributes; when the idolized figure is compared with a representation of the rest of society, that figure will appear more admirable. An example of the author’s use of juxtaposition can be seen on page 14 of the graphic novel. Gandhi is shown being overbearing, an objectively negative trait that the author validates through juxtaposing him with another character. On the page, Gandhi tries to prevent Kasturba, his wife, from going to the temple, saying that she “should take [his] permission first.” Later, on the same page, Gandhi is in conversation with Sheikh Mehtab where Mehtab says that Gandhi should eat meat so that he can gain strength and “put her in her place.” Though the graphic novel appears to be aware of Gandhi’s wrongdoing, the suggestion of physical discipline made by Mehtab juxtaposed with Gandhi’s more non-violent approach makes the reader more inclined towards Gandhi and his morals. The author’s choice to justify a morally questionable action indicates that the author wants the reader to view Gandhi as a moral person.

Symbolism is used to a similar effect, recurring symbols emphasize particular values that reinforce Gandhi’s significance as a leader in India’s independence movement as well as a moral figure. Many of these symbols serve the purpose of both representing one of Gandhi’s moral beliefs as well as emphasizing how ethical Gandhi is. An example of symbolism can be seen throughout the graphic novel in the form of Gandhi’s spinning wheel. Throughout the beginning of the graphic novel, there are panels with narration from a future Gandhi spinning at a spinning wheel, and though less frequently, the image of the spinning wheel recurs throughout the entire graphic novel. The spinning wheel serves two purposes, it symbolizes a value that Gandhi wanted India to achieve, and the reoccurrence of the symbol shows a value that Gandhi has. Gandhi’s campaign for spinning one’s cloth demonstrated a value that he wanted India to achieve, which was “swaraj,” or self-rule. Spinning one’s cloth symbolizes India’s ability to achieve “swaraj,” it shows that the country and its people can exist and flourish without foreign help or leadership.

The recurrence of the spinning wheel also emphasizes Gandhi’s dedication and commitment, traits that are generally considered positive. On page 128, Gandhi is taken to the Yeravda Jail where Gandhi threatens to fast unless permitted to spin within the prison, and at the beginning of the graphic novel, Gandhi is pictured in his old age still spinning cloth. This repeated showing of a symbol that demonstrates positive a positive trait indicates that the author believes in Gandhi’s values, and wants the reader to do the same.

Detail Choices
The author omits negative details that would threaten the integrity of Gandhi’s legacy, and what is not excluded is justified. Because the author’s purpose is to inform the reader of Gandhi’s life story, the omission of these significant details indicates that the author also wants the reader to view Gandhi as a moral and inspirational figure. One of the most apparent omissions from the graphic novel is Gandhi’s frequent mistreatment of Kasturba Gandhi, his wife. Their relationship is not depicted as perfect in the graphic novel; however, more extreme acts against Kasturba are omitted, and the violations that are included are justified by the author. Gandhi and Kasturba commonly argue throughout the graphic novel, on pages 60 and 61, Kasturba refuses to clean the chamber pot of one of Gandhi’s clerks which results in an argument that leads to Gandhi asking Kasturba to leave the house. On the final panel of page 61, Gandhi reflects on his actions. He expresses guilt saying he must, “learn to convert [his] anger at injustice into love.” This implies that the author believes, firstly, Gandhi’s anger towards Kasturba is just, and secondly, that his remorse justifies his wrongdoing.

What is excluded from the graphic novel is Gandhi’s infidelity. For a period of time, Gandhi allegedly wrote letters containing confessions of love to Esther Faering, a Dutch missionary in the ashram, and openly pursued Sarala Devi Chaudhurani. During this same period, Gandhi was extremely critical of Kasturba, publicly mocking her, even going as far as saying “Her staying in the Ashram is in vain,” (Bhalla). In our society, infidelity is generally considered immoral; therefore, the author’s choice to exclude Gandhi’s infidelity from the graphic novel indicates that the author does not want the reader to view Gandhi negatively.

Another significant detail omitted from the graphic novel is Gandhi’s experiments with celibacy. After Kasturba passed away from pneumonia in 1944, Gandhi conducted tests with young women to test whether he had accomplished the Hindu value of “brahmacharya,” or celibate self-control (Jack). Gandhi believed that those who accomplished this value would be “incapable of lying or harming anyone.” Though both of the women with whom the tests were conducted allegedly gave consent, Gandhi’s position as a key figure in the independence movement and his reputation as a moral figure would’ve been a notable influence on the women’s responses. Including this in the graphic novel would’ve given readers insight into Gandhi’s morals and values, the author’s choice to omit this event indicates that the author wants the reader to look up to Gandhi’s morals, more so than to understand his moral beliefs in their entirety.

A significant detail excluded from the graphic novel that, in my opinion, most clearly demonstrates the author’s intentions is the development of Gandhi’s views on race. In 1903, during Gandhi’s time in South Africa, he wrote that white people should be the “predominating race” of the country and that black people are “troublesome, very dirty, and live like animals,” (Frayer). This is not to imply Gandhi was a racist, later in his life he promoted the end of all discrimination. Instead, this clearly demonstrates the author’s purpose. Because Gandhi does eventually grow out of these discriminatory beliefs, the choice to omit them from the graphic novel indicates that the author wants the reader to view Gandhi as a moral figure. Including this detail would humanize Gandhi and help the reader understand the root of his morals, instead, the author’s portrayal idolizes him.

My Opinion
I disagree with the author’s portrayal of Gandhi and his legacy. Though I agree that Gandhi was an important figure in India’s independence movement and that his legacy holds great influence and power, I believe that Gandhi was a flawed person and that he and his morals should not be idolized. The author omits most of the details and events that would cause the reader to feel disdain towards Gandhi and uses language and literary devices that emphasize his moral high ground, essentially idolizing him. This idolization of Gandhi is not specific to Jason Quinn, Gandhi is widely viewed as an important figure for his contribution to India’s independence as well as his morals. Though Gandhi did, in fact, accomplish a great amount in his lifetime and has left an impact on today’s society, censoring his flaws prevents people unfamiliar with the figure from making their own judgments on his character. A person’s opinion of Gandhi becomes based on the narrative created by the media rather than Gandhi’s morals and values themselves. Idolization also has consequences in regards to people familiar with Gandhi’s life story; it can either lead to morally questionable actions being dismissed, or it can lead to the idolized figure being judged excessively for these actions. When questionable actions of well-known and powerful figures are dismissed, it can influence a society’s view on that action. For example, the dismissal of Gandhi’s early racism could be used as justification for an individual’s racism. More commonly, it can lead to excessive criticism of the figure. When a person is heavily revered and idolized, any wrongdoing becomes more severe. In Gandhi’s case, because he is commonly portrayed as a model of morality, immoral actions would lead a person to believe that his entire image is built on falsehoods. In this process, Gandhi’s actual achievements are overlooked, and his legacy becomes based on his controversies rather than his contributions to society.

Conclusion
The author’s use of literary devices and the details included or omitted indicates that the author wants the reader to take inspiration from Gandhi and his life story. The author includes an overview of the events and accomplishments of Gandhi’s life, indicating that the author’s purpose is to inform the reader of Gandhi’s life story. The events included also indicate the author has a positive outlook on his interpretation of Gandhi’s legacy, and that he wants the reader to have this same outlook. Literary devices, specifically, juxtaposition and symbolism are common throughout the graphic novel and used in a way that portrays Gandhi in a positive light. Negative details that would threaten the integrity of Gandhi’s legacy are omitted, affirming that the author wants the reader to favor Gandhi and his morals.

Works Cited:

Bhalla, B. “Petty, bad tempered Kasturba - What Gandhi said while courting Sarladevi & Esther Faering.” The Print, https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerp....

Frayer, L. “Gandhi is Deeply Revered, But His Attitudes On Race And Sex Are Under Scrutiny.” NPR, https://www.npr.org/2019/10/02/766083....

Jack, Ian. “How would Gandhi’s celibacy tests with naked women be seen today?” The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/commentis....

Quinn, Jason. Gandhi: My Life is My Message. Campfire, 2013.

Zaman, Rana. “Kasturba Gandhi: In love with the Mahatma.” The Tribune India, https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/fea....

[Jared, 19 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: This is an entire literary analysis that I wrote for English class, so bear with me.

Jason Quinn, the author of Gandhi: My Life is My Message wants readers to think that Gandhi was a noble person who stood by his morals to get through tough times; a beacon of hope and a source of inspiration and awe even with his faults. This is shown through the details that were included in and omitted from the novel, along with the use of different literary devices, as to not tarnish his image. But have you ever considered that the Great Soul may not be so great after all?

Quinn did not hesitate to include many details that framed Gandhi in quite a positive light. He fasted to atone for the sins of others, rather than punishing them. He preached non-violence, wanting only peace in the world. He stood up for untouchables when they were segregated from others in their own community. However, you can find that many details were quickly skimmed over, or even omitted altogether, if you look closely. A quick search on the internet provides a large variety of sources that all claim disturbing things about Gandhi. Many articles state that Gandhi, while portrayed as a hero, was actually a racist individual who sexually abused and degraded women. It is documented that in 1903, the Great Soul himself expressed that he thought “the white race in South Africa should be the predominating race.” He also took it upon himself to say that black people are “troublesome, very dirty and live like animals,” while lamenting the fact that Indians are considered to be closer in relation to black people than white. It has also been discovered that he slept with his grandnieces when he was an old man and they were teenagers as an alleged test of willpower to overcome his sexual desires. He would force women to bed him with promises of purification and salvation. He conducted twisted “experiments” on many individuals, forbidding them from sleeping with their own husbands in favor of indulging his own wishes.

None of this is represented in any way in the novel, which leads one to think that perhaps the author does not want to acknowledge Gandhi’s major flaws, only cherry picking certain smaller faults of his that would make him seem like an actual human rather than a shiny copper statue or a monster that clawed its way up from hell. Instead of showing him as a corrupt individual who brought pain into the lives and legacies of many, he is portrayed as a good man who made simple mistakes as we all do, stressed over things that we all would stress about, yet still always does what is right. He sticks to his faith and his morals to make the correct decisions, even accepting his death with God’s name on his lips. In reality, Gandhi frequently did not uphold his Hindu faith, oftentimes twisting the concepts and morals he claims to solidly stand by to suit his own needs at the time.

One thing, however, that is touched on in the novel is Gandhi’s mistreatment of his wife, Kasturba. This was likely included due to the fact that it is quite inevitable, as Kasturba did play a large role in his life, though the majority of their interactions see her as a victim to his aggression and neglect. Gandhi repeatedly leaves his wife and family to pursue his current interests, not taking her advice, and treating her like she knows nothing. He rids her of all her possessions, saying that she is being selfish and that they should go to the better of the community rather than one person. He fails to look after his family time and time again, then comes running back to them expecting everything to be normal. However, characters in the novel rarely question this, accepting him back immediately with open arms. Any slip ups and mistakes made by Gandhi, big or small, are quickly brushed over in the novel. The author even implies that Gandhi was in the right in many distasteful situations that occurred due to him. This is a clear sign of bias, as the author wants to paint him in a positive light, and is very forgiving of his faults.

Many patterns surface in the events that occur in this novel, both visually and through the events that take place. This can be a good thing in some cases, but a bad thing in others. The use of visual repetition – usually through colors – helps the reader decipher the tone of certain parts of the story, and also ties events together using a common element throughout the book.

However, the use of repetition in events that occur is a whole different story. This novel sees the same things happening over and over again, resulting in a muddled mess of what is supposedly Gandhi’s entire life. He runs into a problem. He solves it peacefully. He runs into another. He fasts. The cycle repeats. He is able to worm his way out of all the issues that come his way, using his “morals” and his “faith” to back him each time. However, he repeatedly changes the meaning of his beliefs to suit his current situation, and this is always brushed off like it’s nothing. Then the cycle repeats once more. This creates a storyline that is difficult to follow, as similar events occur frequently, yet the standards that are set for the reader are constantly changing. This can prove to be quite confusing, as readers wouldn’t be able to recall a consistent and solid plot for this novel since everything blends together simultaneously like bananas in a smoothie and sheets of metal in a food processor, with events drawn out and repeated but messages and themes strewn all over the place. The use of colors too, in this case, suddenly becomes a negative aspect of the novel, as it makes all the events jumble together even more.

The same themes do resurface often, but in different ways from before and unexpected places. The idea of nonviolence is an example of something that comes up often in the novel, yet is portrayed by the characters in a peculiar way. Gandhi pledges to this ideal, refusing to ever harm another person and resolving to solve every conflict through peace and negotiation. However, he has handled arguments with his wife physically, threatening to throw her out of the house and dragging her forcefully through a doorway. He also demonstrates violence in non-physical ways, harming his son emotionally through threatening to hurt himself if he misbehaves, slapping himself and planning to fast in order to teach his son a lesson for doing something as trivial as buying and eating a piece of candy. This can be even more scarring than any act of physical violence, and Gandhi is repeatedly shown to be quite manipulative of those around him too. However, as per usual, this is disregarded and quickly dismissed, being briefly sandwiched between the cycles of conflicts and “peaceful solutions.”

Through all of this, Gandhi is still always portrayed as a saint. Juxtaposition is often used in this book as another method to highlight the positive traits of our main character, and emphasize the bad sides of others. Gandhi is juxtaposed with war hardened soldiers as a kid to emphasize his innocence, and with rich politicians as an adult to show that he stayed humble throughout his life. This is a simple method, yet a very effective one all the same. It makes it seem so that even if you believe he is not a great person, he is still at least the lesser of evils in a situation where nobody is completely right. However, for the most part, Gandhi is still framed as a good person through comparisons with others, seeming like a person who simply wants the best for everybody even if that may not always be true.

Personally, I don’t quite agree with the author’s methods for writing this novel. Nobody should be praised as a hero, as we all have flaws. And taking in the things that Gandhi actually did, I’d say that his actions are more than just mistakes, and he should be held accountable for them instead of being painted as a saint who did no wrong. The author does a pretty good job of making Gandhi look like a good person, but the amount of censorship in the story makes for a choppy plotline, and it’s difficult to remove all of his wrongdoings completely. Trying to make him seem like a flawless hero backfired in a way, as it sets expectations that are not easily met, especially by a person like him. Many of the events that occur in the novel are historically accurate, but there were definitely fictional events that were included to help boost Gandhi’s image. Generally, I think that the author’s detail choice was a bit questionable as it makes for quite the boring read, and not everything adds to the story or is important in any way. Still, kudos to the author and the artists for this novel for putting in so much effort to make a graphic novel like this one. A product like this takes a lot of time, but the faulty plotline and apparent bias push me to say that it was not worth the read.

Jason Quinn, the author of Gandhi: My Life is My Message wants readers to think that Gandhi was a noble person who stood by his morals to get through tough times; a beacon of hope and a source of inspiration and awe even with his faults. It works, in some ways, but in others it falls flat. Recurring themes and detail choice make for a pretty picture of a seemingly perfect life. While there are some lessons that can be learned from this figure, he must be remembered for his wrongdoings as well, and not only the things he did right.

[Charles Collyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a biography of Gandhi in graphic novel form. It is remarkably well done, both in the artwork and in the composition of the narrative. Recommended.

[Christopher Reichun · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author wishes to communicate the beliefs and teachings of Gandhi through a biography that takes the form in a graphic novel to communicate to a broader audience as they are less stressful and more entertaining to read. It also seems like the author has a slight bias as the presumption of Jason Quinn, the author, is likely writing this in a form to reach a wider audience while only including positive messages by Gandhi, to spread the positive ideas of Gandhi during these times of crisis can be made.



The author informs the audience by communicating the teachings of Gandhi in his graphic novel. Many pages show Gandhi's teachings in a storytelling way through dialogue or thought bubbles. For example, on page 195, he teaches a person to "Recall the face of the poorest and weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him." when that person asks "Mahatmaji, do you have an answer to doubt?"
Many other pages also include these kinds of context, such as when he thought to himself, “In the future I should treat everyone alike, as a friend.”

According to Shuriah Niazi, Gandhi “... preached the philosophy of non-violence.”
Lessons of non-violence is constantly repeated throughout the Graphic Novel, and is one of the most important themes, if not the most, of the story.



For example, on page 51, when a person states that they were “going to give this Government a real fight,” Gandhi agrees, but goes on to say that they “... will not fight with violence,” and that their role was to change things through “... conversion, not aggression.”

Many other examples of his beliefs on nonviolent resistance are also very present in the story.

Gandhi also expresses his disappointment numerous times in the Satyagraha Movement demonstrators as they cause violence by scolding them or fasting until they prove that they are capable of truly peaceful protests by coming to consensus in front of Gandhi or handing over all their weapons.

The author communicates teachings of Gandhi’s through dialogues, texts in thoughts, and the overall storyline in a Graphic Novel.



Although the purpose of this book is mostly to inform readers about Gandhi, there are also many details suggesting that the author has a slight bias, often only including information that portrays Gandhi as a protagonist. Even when messages that might suggest more antagonist aspects of him, the author quickly backs Gandhi up by showing him saying or thinking more positive things like turning injustice into peace and love.
For example, on page last panel of 61, right after he loses control over his anger, he starts talking about his philosophy on the ineffectiveness of anger/injustice and how love is a better alternative.

Jason Quinn, the author of this book, is a great Gandhi fanatic and currently lives in India, where he moved to in 2012.



A very direct and harsh but accurate, in my opinion, to directly state how I feel like the author is biasedThe whole book, in some ways, seems slightly like it’s a book of propaganda. Although Gandhi isn’t alive today, books in this format with these contexts can easily persuade the general audience into believing that some people are “good” and others are “bad.”

For example, I used to think Winston Churchill as an, although quite lazy, but “good” person because he fought against Hitler. However, after reading this book, although I’m aware that the author is biased, I started to have more negative opinions about Winston Churchill and not think him as a such a great person as I used to think he was just because he opposed Gandhi and the author wrote that he spoke certain words that would make many think more negatively of him.

Some things that the author writes in the biography also suggests direct contradictions with some of what was found in his multiple letters written to Hitler. For example, while he states that if a war was ever to be fought, it would be against Hitler, sources have found things like "We have no doubt about your bravery or devotion to your fatherland, nor do we believe that you are the monster described by your opponents" or Gandhi calling him “My dear friend” in his letters.

This, yet again, provides evidence for the author’s bias for Gandhi.

Not only are exclusion of certain details present in this graphic novel suggest that the author has a bias for Gandhi. The author uses many symbolism, often even juxtaposing them to convince readers to think of the protagonists and antagonists like he does.

For example, while the authors often use brighter colors, such as yellow and white to draw Gandhi, his opponents, such as Winston Churchill are drawn with darker colors. This happens many times throughout the book, and many motifs, although not obvious, become present. Another pattern seen is antagonists often using absolute language against the beliefs of Gandhi or Gandhi himself. A very effective persuasive technique through the use of symbolism and juxtaposition that the author uses is when Gandhi teaches or forgives the suggested antagonists and they turn into protagonists or supporters of Gandhi. It works very well as readers see the change in character of those antagonists as they turn to support Gandhi, hence becoming protagonists.

Choosing to write about Gandhi’s overwhelming dislike for Hitler by including Gandhi, a huge believer in anti-war, saying that if a war was ever to be fought, it would be against Hitler instead of writing about Gandhi’s letters to Hitler that might suggest otherwise, the use of symbolism through colors and tone and juxtaposing them, and his devotion and love for India and Gandhi all suggest that he has some obviously biased thoughts for these events in the book.




The author chooses to write in a form of Graphic Novel so the story could appeal to a wider range of audience and the stress the reading process causes is relieved. Many other biographies or memoirs of Gandhi, including the Autobiography written by Gandhi himself, take form in a traditional novel.
Graphic Novels are said, by some, to be “Stress Mitigation Tool[s].” If positive lessons about a figure, like discussed before, can be taught through forms that are easy to receive, they can be very impactful and effective.

Again, examples of this being true is present in the example with Winston Churchill. Because there were graphics depicting him a certain way and the author used certain words or adjectives to describe him, and because the messages were so easy to recieve, I quickly changed my mind and original perception of Winston Churchill, and only reminded myself to be not as effected and think logically first after I realized that this author was pretty biased, often depicting people who opposed him as a bit extreme or even evil, while describing Gandhi as a very likable person by the general audience.









I agree with the author when he suggests that Gandhi was a peaceful, wise, and persevering man throughout the whole book. I don’t agree completely on how the author views Gandhi as a person who completely believes in equity and never raises his voice in anger when facing hardships.

Outside sources used all confirm that Gandhi did undergo many long fasts to fight against injustice, including those caused by his own movement that he started. He also insisted on keeping his movements non-violent, even postponing or canceling protests for long periods of time as soon as acts of violence were committed in those Satyagrahas.
Keeping generally calm and not attacking back, giving his love to those attacking him when facing the insane amount of hardships.
Those were just little of the things that he did to prove the amazing amount of courage and persistence he had.

Everyone can commit actions that go against their principles, though, and Gandhi is no exception. While the author describes Gandhi as a man who faced “imprisonment, hardship, and humiliation while never raising his voice in anger,” according to many outside sources, Gandhi did get angry at his wife in the book several times, and he also revealed his anger in his wife for keeping 4 rupees a stranger had given to her according to common legal law to the public through a newspaper he published weekly.

In the book, he also gets mad at his wife at least several times. The more notable one was when he prepared to throw the wife out of the house after she didn’t want to clean a pot “cheerfully” (pg 61).






Although the author chooses to exclude many flaws of Gandhi in the book, I still see him as a hero that we can all look up to. I agree with and respect many of his philosophies, even if they seem strange at times. Every person can make mistakes, but as long as they learn from their mistakes and change themselves for the better, they can be considered as very respectable people. Only a man with great persistence and insistence in his philosophies and principles is able to act like Gandhi: Fighting for what you believe in while following your principles, even if it means that sacrifices must be made and loss must be endured.


The author wishes to communicate the beliefs and teachings of Gandhi through a biography that takes the form in a graphic novel to communicate to a broader audience as they are less stressful and more entertaining to read.
Teachings of Gandhi and the life of Gandhi are taught through graphic novels. Many information is excluded and the author uses lots of literary devices to persuade the readers, suggesting bias, but I still believe that Gandhi is a respectable hero who has unique qualities we can all learn from.



Citations
Cite Your Graphic Novel

Quinn, Jason, and Sachin, Nagar. Gandhi: My Life is My Message. Campfire, 2019.

Cite at Least One Outside Source

Ziazi, Shuria. “Gandhi's message relevant in India of today.” 100 years, www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/gandhis.... Accessed 18 November 2020.

N/A, N/A. “List of fasts undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of.... Accessed 30 November 2020.

Hourani, Laurel. “Graphic Novels: A New Stress Mitigation Tool for Military Training: Developing Content for Hard-to-Reach Audiences.” Taylor and Francis Online, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/.... Accessed 1 December 2020.

Sharma Shashikant. “When Mahatma Gandhi got angry with wife Kasturba for just Rs 4.” News Nation, https://english.newsnationtv.com/indi.... Accessed 1 December 2020.

Kuroski, John. “19 Gandhi Facts And Quotes That Reveal His Hidden Dark Side.” ATI, https://allthatsinteresting.com/gandh.... Accessed 1 December 2020

[Keith Dickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was walking in my public library, looking for books on organization, life hacks, and simplification, when I saw this graphic novel on a display stand. I didn't think much about it at first, but as the people shuffled by I did a mental inventory. What do I know about Gandhi? I am an educated man, I know a lot. He was born in India. He wore glasses. He was half naked a lot. Oh, yeah, he was a pacifist. And I also knew from a book on plant based cooking I had read a few months ago that Gandhi was a first rate vegetarian. See I's know lots.
I stood there staring at the cover and come to the conclusion that somehow that I know little to nothing about the man. Being a graphic novel fan, I gave it hardy what-the-hell and sat down on stool and started to flip through the book.

I was on page 50 by the time I left the library with the book checked out to me. I kept asking myself "How do you not know this? I'll bet everyone else knows this?" I am ashamed to admit, that no, I didn't know Gandhi was a lawyer or that he spent many years in London studying law. I didn't know that his life in Calcutta began in South Africa. I didn't know he had 5 sons, one of whom died days after birth. I didn't know how much he truly accomplished by force of will alone.

After reading this graphic novel I took some time to reflect because it had a strange but profound influence on me. To be honest, the script was only mediocre, the art was good and professional, but it was not great or ground breaking. Large parts of his life are glossed over. Some scenes should have had more emotional impact and the art/script failed at a key moment. So what was it that got to me?

If you were looking for review of the book, stop here. You've got it. It’s good, really good. But it’s not great. The remainder of this review highlights goes off on a tangent. Thank you for reading or for continuing to read, either are acceptable by me.

It wasn't until I started thinking about my 7 year old son starting 2nd grade that it hit me. I worry about him academically. Not because he is behind his peers - at the end of 1st grade he was assessed at reading at a 5th grade level and performed math at a 3rd. I worry because I see my young cousins and their friends’ graduate high school on a free pass or they drop out, often shortly after turning 18. That means that in all the years of schooling the value of education was never instilled in them. For those that do graduate I've observed that it was their tolerable behavior, not their academic efforts or body of knowledge, which allowed them to pass from grade to grade. They stayed out of trouble and didn't mouth off too much. I have a cousin that graduated high school several years back and he argued with me that George Washington couldn't have been the first president of the United States because he was dead by then. Wow. I worry for my son because no one seems to be worried about this. It all seems so disingenuous and dispassionate and apathetic. I have longed for massive education reform for years and discovering my own ignorance about a man that everyone should be taught about gave me an insight to how we might just get a little student passion back in our STEM and history classes.

In reading this book, I absorbed more information about Gandhi than I had the whole rest of my life. It has inspired me to study more. I want my sons to learn about great mean and women and the sacrifices they made. Making learning emotional would go a long way for our growing classrooms. I would say that this kind of teaching could be beneficial in schools. Teach them about great people and use graphic mediums that introduce them to their great works. They don’t have to use it to become masters of the subject. But do you know how many questions this graphic novel presented to me? How accurate is it? What was missed? Who were his students? What was his favorite food? Get kids to ask the questions and seek answers. For that effect alone, this book earns it’s 4 stars.

[Bubbles · Rating 3 out of 5]

School Review of “Gandhi: my life is my message” to analyse what the author (Jason Quinn), wants readers to take away from the graphic novel:



“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

This eloquent quote is attributed to Gandhi, a famous peace-maker and causer of change, who helped India gain her Independence from the British, and improved women's rights, He had clear moral values that he demonstrated throughout his campaigns, with strong ideas of non-violence, unity and achieving self-rule. He faced obstacles the whole way, from colonialists to and even family. Gandhi: my life is my message is a graphic novel detailing his life. Jason Quinn, in his graphic novel "Gandhi: my life is my message" conveys his admiration for the historical figure Gandhi and his achievements. This is done through the use of colour and weather, which in some scenes of Gandhi's success, become a lot more bright and sunny; but transition to some darker red tones when undesirable characters are present, such as the caste who outed Gandhi and a racist magistrate. Jason also conveys a message of negativity about the people causing Gandhi (and India) obstacles - namely the white colonialists - using pessimistic adjectives in scenes involving them. Finally, Jason identifies Gandhi as somewhat of a unique person, juxtaposing him in a white suit during a dark, rainy, storm.

As I mentioned above, the tone of moments in Gandhi’s life is often dictated by the color and weather choices used. For example on page 83, Gandhi is in peaceful conversation with a friend, walking through bright green meadows and sunny weather. This is much different from the next pages in which the color changes dramatically as more serious subjects are brought up. This page even has a different color to the previous page which is the exact same location, meaning the color really is dependent on the presence of Gandhi, not just location. This shows how color is linked to the author’s opinion of some of Gandhi’s actions - because Gandhi’s discussions on how problems should be solved are in green. Following the pattern of setting the tone and feeling using colors, this graphic novel uses darker colors and shading during more heated moments. An example of this is on page 21 of the book, where lighter yellow and green tones become darker and more red while Gandhi is interrogated by his caste on his decision to travel to England to study to become a lawyer. Again, the colors express the author’s feeling on the caste, which is more negative as they were an obstacle to Gandhi.

Page 83 (Gandhi chatting):

Page 21 (Caste outcasting):

Another way Jason Quinn shows his feelings about events in Gandhi’s life is his (Jason’s) use of adjectives while describing actions of the “enemy”, aka the white colonialists causing Gandhi many obstacles during his life. An example of this occurs throughout pages 116-118 in the graphic novel, covering the Jallianwala Massacre, where troops of a man called General Dyer shot into a crowd of Indians enjoying some time at a park. Some of the subtitles included adjectives, such as “...only to drown in its unforgiving waters...”, or “...infamy did not stop there...” These are negative adjectives, purposely said that way, and were written by Jason Quinn, not anyone physically at the scene. This means Jason wrote these adjectives to describe this major event negatively by himself, showing it is his opinion. It might even be that Jason is biased towards Gandhi, as this kind of thing happens a few times throughout the book.

Page 116-117:

Page 118:

Finally, Jason Quinn communicates the idea that Gandhi is quite a unique and unconventional person with use of Juxtaposition/Contrast. An example is on page 23, where Gandhi is shown wearing a white suit during a rainstorm. This event is a true story, Gandhi wore a white flannel suit on his friend’s advice, however the artist’s dramatic contrast of colors during this scene highlights the contrast between Gandhi and the other regular people on the doc. This contrast also suggests that the author feels Gandhi’s views were different to the people there, and since the color Gandhi is wearing is lighter than the outside weather, it might show that Jason feels Gandhi’s views are better (stereotypical story device that light > dark). Because these scenes of difference may directly relate to the disparities between Gandhi and others, I believe Jason Quinn feels Gandhi should be remembered as being different to others and we should pay attention to why those differences matter.

Page 23:

Personally, I do not always agree with Gandhi’s beliefs which were similar to the idea of “turning the other cheek”, which symbolized the action of letting someone strike you again after being struck, or giving even when someone takes from you. This line of thinking is developed for pacifism and non-violence, which I agree with, however the method in going about is not. I believe an additional method of protection, if possible, would be a better alternative, or finding the root of the problem and dealing with it. I also feel sometimes Gandhi is too confident in himself and he believes his beliefs are superior, which can put down others. He doesn’t like to lose an argument - he will stubbornly go his way. An example is him continually asking Kasturba to give back the jewelry she received until “she finally relented” (These are just my personal feelings towards Gandhi based on how the book illustrates his personality, don’t take this as factual). One part of Gandhi I really like is standing up for weaker people or oppressed people to gain them rights and make the world a more fair fighting ground. Also, i find it interesting that Gandhi chose to adapt to some lifestyles of the people he fought for - wearing the simple loincloth and

I think Gandhi has a very powerful legacy - he was the one to gain India her independence and is widely known for that. Gandhi is also a symbol for how you can create change without using violence, manipulation or power struggles. Instead, by winning over someone’s heart and doing peaceful strikes, they (Gandhi or others) are able to achieve these changes. Something I want to mention though is that Gandhi’s actions still caused bloodshed and violence, on the part of the government to protesters, and even from some of Gandhi’s followers who turned to violence against the colonists, such as the lynching of a white bank owner who was peaceful. Because of this, I feel people shouldn’t see Gandhi’s method as the only way to deal with obstacles, instead it should be considered a good solution that can still be taken with a grain of salt. Gandhi is also an inspiration to many people, such as famous rights activists like Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Llama, and Martin Luther King Jr.

In conclusion, I feel that the graphic novel Gandhi: my life is my message conveyed some ideas about what the author Jason Quinn thought was good and what was bad, conveyed through the text and illustrations of the graphic novel. Jason held high opinions of Gandhi, using warm, positive colors in scenes of Gandhi’s success, however, he turns to colors used to emphasize anger and negative adjectives to show his feelings towards the people causing Gandhi obstacles - particularly the British colonists as well as the caste that outed Gandhi. Gandhi was also thought as a quite distinctive person due to his new, opposing ideas about some groups or things in his time. I have mixed feelings about Gandhi, due to some elements of his personality and problems he caused with his method of dealing with obstacles, however he had a great legacy and inspired many.


Citations (MLA 8th Edition)

Novel:
Quinn, Jason and Sachin Naggar. Gandhi: my life is my message. Campfire, 2019.

Outside Sources:
Plenneth, Ketcher. “Jallianwala Bagh Massacre”. Britannica, 18 July 1998, https://www.britannica.com/event/
Jallianwala-Bagh-Massacre

O’Yeah, Zac. “Back In Time: Mahatma Gandhi’s Unpublished Travel Guide to London.” National Geographic Traveller India, 6 June 2014, http://www.natgeotraveller.in/back-in...
ide-to-london/

Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica. “Outcaste”. Britannica, 20 July 1998, https://www.britan nica.co m/to
pic/outcaste

[Jwang42215 · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the biography, Gandhi: My Life is My Message, the author emphasizes the ideas of love and non-violence throughout the usage of tone, literary devices, and Gandhi's experiences. Confident tone is frequently used for parts describing the message, juxtaposition of British and Indians throughout the writings, in addition to experiences of imprisonment, hardship, and humiliation but never raising voice in anger.
Authors of biographies use different elements of an individual’s life story to convey an intentional message. For example, different use of literary devices, mood, and tone can identify the intention or the purpose of the author. Gandhi is a well known figure who is the leader of India’s freedom movement. From the biography, Gandhi: My Life is My Message, it illustrates detailed descriptions of life of Gandhi where there are some intentions that could be identified through different elements used in the book.
The author of Gandhi: My Life is My Message uses confident tone overtime with
scenes that describe the importance of love and non-violence. For example, from page 60 and 61 of the book, this scene is about having Ghandi’s clerks live with him and his wife. His wife, Kustarba, did not like to live with the clerks and for that reason, Gandhi was treating his wife unfairly and telling his wife to get out of the house. At the end, Gandhi realized the fact that his wife cannot leave him and he cannot leave her and apologized. This scene is written very dramatically as well as with the confident tone. There has been foreshadowing describing the necessity of converting anger at injustice to love which will basically lead to Gandhi's main idea and also the theme author has chosen to emphasize. Throughout the stories, the format of struggles, overcome, and foreshadowing, similar to the example, has been used frequently which can be identified as a motif as well. These scenes are mostly about how love and non-violence can or could be important, in addition to that they are illustrated in a dramatic way to create a confident tone.
There were literary devices to emphasize the idea of love and non-violence as well. Throughout the stories, there are conflicts between the British and Indians. Juxtaposition as a literary device was used to emphasize the difference and how Indians were treated unfairly by the British. As a graphic novel, scenes are illustrated with shapes and colors which oftentimes the visual also described the comparison of British and Indians. From page 45 of the book, this scene visualizes how un-powerful or non-violent Gandhi is and how powerful or violent the British soldier is. The idea of non-violence could be emphasized effectively in both literal and visual contents with the use of graphic novels to compare two figures with one that is much more powerful than the other. This method has been used in the book frequently as well as to describe that Gandhi’s love and non-violence will eventually overcome the injustice of British soldiers. At the end of book from page 204 to 205, Gandhi will be assasinated and a visual juxtaposition is used by drawing a man with a gun and Gandhi without any weapons or armors. Again, the idea of non-violence has been emphasized, in addition, the narrator gives a sentence about how those ideas would give hope and light to the people after the scene to emphasize the scene dramatically.
Author’s intentions have stood out through the scenes illustrated throughout the graphic novel. The book had lots of scenes where Gandhi faced difficulties as being a leader of India’s freedom movement. Imprisonment, hardship, and humiliation were kept on occurring to become a conflict for Gandhi and his people but the book illustrates Gandhi not raising voice in anger at any time. His main idea of converting anger at injustice to love would be delivered to the readers very effectively. As well as the fact that Gandhi never went against those difficulties with violence to support the main point of non-violence as well. The contents of the graphic novel is about how each scene is drawn and what kind of scenes are chosen to be the timeline of a figure. From page 79 to 80, this scene is about Gandhi taking the registration where a man blocks his way and leads to violence. There was a dramatic irony happening where it was obvious that the man has a stick and will use that to harm Gandhi or anyone who tries to register. Gandhi did not take any violent action against him where after the scene Gandhi even seemed to be forgiven him with love. The man who hurt Gandhi was arrested, however, Gandhi said to release him. The idea and importance of love and non-violence are conveyed throughout the scenes of difficulties.
I agree that the author illustrated Gandhi’s life into one graphic novel that also helps us understand Gandhi’s legacy. Usually, we tend to think about a famous figure as someone who is beyond our level, however, the author gives the contents into each scene with details and helps us to gain a clear understanding of the figure. It is able to reflect the characters inside the book as people we are close to and allows us to understand the importance of love and non-violence as a legacy of the figure. Therefore I like how the book is written with specific details. In addition, the accuracy of those details are proved by outside sources and the book itself has a bibliography on the back. I have checked those sources and it was obvious that the book has a well organized structure to record all those information into a graphic novel. Which made me think this graphic novel has a high standard to be a source to deliver the history of Gandhi. However, I did not like and disagree with some parts where some parts of the graphic novel were dramatic. This book has a structure of struggles, overcome, and foreshadowing with the message of love and non-violence illustrated dramatically. Even those times where it was kind of a wrong decision made by Gandhi, the scene somehow gets solved to be dramatic. From page 60 and 61 analyzed above will be an example. Gandhi used the word “injustice” to describe her wife’s attitude and “converting anger to love” with a confident and dramatic tone. I did not like how those scenes were illustrated to be kind of forced to relate to the theme or the main idea.
In conclusion, the author of Gandhi: My Life is My Message uses confident tone, juxtaposition of British and Indians, and choice of scenes with difficulties to emphasize and deliver the messages of love and non-violence successfully. There is a specific structure of how Gandhi overcomes the struggles with love and non-violence throughout the stories which are illustrated very dramatically. It helps the reader to understand the importance of love and non-violence as well as to know the legacy of the figure. Scenes were obviously illustrated in the way to support the message that the author wants to convey and this book has done this very effectively. It also creates some of the persuasive intention to talk to the audience about ideas of Gandhi. Since those details are historically correct and this book gives clear understanding of Gandhi as a figure to the readers with entertainment purposes as it is a graphic novel, it will be a great source for readers who have not yet known about Gandhi. However, it does not really contain entertaining contents as much compared to graphic novels as a genre in general, readers should have an attitude of reminding themselves that it is more of a biography.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read or seen much about Gandhi. This graphic novels hits the highlights and gets at the essence of the man. Good for bedside reading.

[Haha Man · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to a book written by Nathuram Godse, the last words of Mahatmas Gandhi were “ah” due to an involuntary reflex. Gandhi is a familiar name to most people, as he has done great duty to the Indian people, giving them a chance to have their own form of government, no longer controlled by the British Empire. And as perfect as Gandhi is, he definitely has made mistakes, which were often briefly mentioned or not mentioned in the slightest. This leads me to believe that in the book, My Life is my Message, the author, Kevin Quinn, wants readers to understand through incidents in the biography that Gandhi is an ideal figure and that we, as human beings, should look up to him. His morals are commonly brought up and were used as examples to resolve conflicts which, for the majority of the time, led to peaceful endings. His morals and beliefs all have a positive impact, thus, I believe that the author wants to shape our thoughts on Gandhi as a flawless human being.

First of all, his fasts led to a stop of violence and a start to unity. On page 197, it describes the situation of how there was violence in between the different religions in India. However, once he started his fast, people realized that their leader may die and that they may no longer have a leader that’s capable of helping them. Without their leader’s help, they would struggle to achieve peace with the British government and will not be able to lead their protests because nobody will be left in charge to do so. Gandhi is influential, no matter what he has done, good or bad. Without him, the Indian public has no power and nobody to help advocate their thoughts. That’s why the Indians so desperately need Gandhi as a leader and this shows his importance, which the author is trying to focus on, pointing out that he is in fact a significant figure who people will obey to.

Throughout Gandhi’s portrayed life in the book, he was the one that always accepted everything, whether it was his enemies or people that had beliefs against him. He never rejected anybody (in the book) and he even greeted his assassin with welcome. I think parts of this aspect of his life may have been over exaggerated as he welcomed the untouchables when the entire village was against him, and when he greeted all the British and South African with warm welcome even though he knew that they, in no way, were on his side. This, in the book, gained him respect from the people, including the British leaders that were sent to stop him. And perhaps, the assassins that were sent to kill him during a meeting but “chickened out” maybe because of their respect for him.

Liberation of India from the British Empire was accomplished by Gandhi and because of so, he is widely regarded as the father of India, the man that brought peace. When India finally achieved peace with the British Empire and forced the British to leave India. However, once peace was announced, the author never went back to describe the amount of people that died within the chaos and that the country went through great chaos because of this movement. Many lives were rocked and this was the reason that many Hindus rejected Gandhi’s idea in cooperation between the main religions in India. Although from Gandhi’s perspective portrayed by the author, there was peace and tranquility in between the Indian people, many believed that this was not true, which was also a reason that motivated his assassin and their group of people.

In my personal opinion, Gandhi was portrayed like a hero when he shouldn’t have and this was done by the author by only pointing out the most significant and positive events in his life and by skipping or only briefly mentioning the many “unholy” things that Gandhi has done. For example, Gandhi has been said to have slept with a young woman, including his grand-niece, naked, to practice his celibacy. This is not only a sexist move but also a disrespectful move to all the people who respect him for his good deeds. According to vice.com, Gandhi, reportedly, scoffed when he discovered that Indian prisoners were kept with the black criminals in South Africa and not the white criminals. The book however, mentions none of these things; despite the fact that many sources with evidence point to these claims, the book seems to have neglected them. Or, because of the way the author wants to depict the character, skipped it on purpose.

In the book, on page 84, Gandhi slapped and announced that he was going too fast because his child used some money on the floor to buy lollipops. This is an incorrect behaviour as punishing a child by letting them look at their father suffer is too much for a child who’s at such a young age. This, however, was brought over in a matter of one page, and was also viewed as just another fast. After fact-checking, this fast never really happened as well, which means that the author added this based on his perspective of Gandhi to emphasize Gandhi’s morals in fasting to stop things that Gandhi considered “sinned.” The legacy of the individual should not just be somebody who’s all perfect, even though the book didn’t explicitly state that. However, I believe that he should be known as somebody who was considered great, yet has made countless mistakes and a person that shouldn’t just be worshipped like a god because of what he has done for the independence of India.

Indeed, Gandhi has done a lot for the independence of India and the problems of racism in South Africa, but he is not a perfect figure. Nor is he any close to being like god. My intentions are not to send hate on Gandhi, but the book itself is not descriptive of Gandhi’s life. The positive aspects of Gandhi’s life is covered in the book, but the balance between the good and bad parts of Gandhi’s isn’t correctly weighed. His fasts and protests, along with his desire of peace, in combination with his ability to include others. This is a trait that we should admire from Gandhi but the fact that the entire graphic novel was exaggerated on these characteristics of Gandhi makes the book incompetent to describe Gandhi’s life, and unsuitable to describe his successes and failures.

Citations
Quinn, Jason and Sachin Nagar, Gandhi: My Life is My Message, Campfire, 2019
"Gandhi Was A Racist Who Forced Young Girls To Sleep In Bed With Him". Vice.Com, 2020, https://www.vice.com/en/article/ezj3k.... Accessed 24 Nov 2020.

[Kiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband found this book for me while perusing the graphic novel section at our local library. I was excited to sit down and read it, as I have read very little about Gandhi's life.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was the perfect gateway for the uninitiated to learn about this man's life. I love the simplification and that it starts from the moment he was born to the moment of his death. You really get to know Gandhi through the pages, and are able to form your own opinions of his life and words.
This would also be a fabulous book for children- something with actual substantial content.

After finishing this book, I promptly ordered it from Amazon to add to my personal library. A book I think I would pick up again and again, and reference every so often.

[Marco]

The truly inspiring book called My life is my message written by John Quinn shows the past life of Gandhi and how he became a leader by following the path of non-violence, forgiveness, and fairness. This graphic novel provides information about the lessons Gandhi taught and learned as well as his journeys that made him who he was.

Gandhi believed that people could advocate non-violence in all things, he believed that passivity was more adequate and effective to send a message to society. On page 88:

According to the panel on page 88, it can be seen that Gandhi was arrested and was taken away by British soldiers. Gandhi quickly calmed the protest group and reminded them to keep a peaceful nonviolent protest. After Gandhi was taken away, on page 89, it can be seen that the British army started shooting at the peaceful protesters. Although Gandhi was not there when the shots happened, the people still kept their word and did not fight against the army. Instead, they resisted with their lives to keep a nonviolent protest. The author wants the reader to know that even without Gandhi being there, people still believe in his words. This, therefore, symbolises the importance of Gandhi to the people. In my opinion, this page shows the importance and belief of non-violence because the protesters did not fight back even though they were getting shot by the army.


Gandhi also believed in forgiveness, the right to forgive others for what they have done. Gandhi thought that forgiving other, allowed them to learn and change positively. Gandhi certainly acknowledged the fact that revenge destroys both the person who is being harmed and the person who is acting the revenge. On page 80:


This scene shows how Gandhi forgives people even though the man could have killed him. Gandhi believes that people do everything for a reason they think is right and correct, or because the message is not sent to them. The author, therefore, wants the reader to understand that Gandhi is a very forgivable person and believes that people try to do the best for themselves. This page demonstrates the belief in forgiveness because it shows how Gandhi forgave and did not agree with the fact that the man that could have killed him was arrested.


Fairness played a colossal role in Gandhi's life in the book. He believed that everyone should be treated equally without any excuse. During his life in the novel, it can be seen that Gandhi witnessed a lot of racism, there were times in which he couldn't cut his hair because he was Muslim and was dark-colored skin. Page 48 shows where Gandhi was not accepted in a barbershop:



The author John Quinn wants the reader to understand that Gandhi did not give up on fighting for fairness and equal rights. The page also shows how the barber said that Gandhi was crazy and that they don't serve coolies in the shop. Gandhi later had to cut his hair himself, this shows the difference of life from a white person's point of view compared with a dark colored skin one.


On page 89 again, posters about rights for all and equal rights could be seen lying on the floor, this, therefore, supports the idea of what Gandhi is protesting about:

One more page that shows racism to Gandhi is on page 46:


This page shows that there are two different types of people, one that is pro racism and the other against racism. This page shows that Gandhi was walking on a sidewalk and suddenly was attacked by a soldier. The soldier said that the road was only for white people. Suddenly, another person came and defended Gandhi. The soldier later apologizes for the unequal action. The author, nevertheless, wants the reader to understand that Gandhi went through a lot of unfairness and learned a lot throughout his journey. The author also wants the reader to know that being racist harms society, Quinn, therefore, takes advantage of this page to give a message to the readers.

I agree with the fact that the author John Quinn gives clear messages on how to be a reasonable person for society to be better, just like Gandhi. I agree with fairness and equality as well as some parts of non-violence because it is what people should do in the first place. However, I do not agree with the fact that Gandhi was very passive during protests because, at the end of the day, the government will take advantage of the weakness. Therefore, I believe that the message of nonviolence is positive in a more stable environment, however, violence should be used for self-defense. Or else it will give a weak impression of the protestors. The legacy of Gandhi according to the graphic novel is mainly about non-violence and forgiveness as well as fairness. Gandhi left India in peace and free from the British rule, he also left future guides for future leaders. Non-violence inspired many civil rights movements, including the one led by Martin Luther King Jr.


The superb inspiring book: My life is my message written by John Quinn, shows the importance of non-violence, forgiveness, and fairness in society that played an immense role in Gandhi's life. I can straightforwardly conclude that Gandhi was a truly inspiring man that believed in peace and equal rights. He never gave up and fought until the end.


Quinn, Jason. Gandhi: My life is my message. Campfire, 2013.
Dharmadhikari, C.S. “ Mahatma Gandhi: My Life is My Message”. Press Information Bureau, https://pibindia.wordpress.com/2016/0.... Accessed 19 November 2020.

[P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

stop trying to fit gandhi's life into one comic

[Serena Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introduction:
In the story “Gandhi: My life is my message”, the author introduces Gandhi’s entire life, and tells about Gandhi’s life message, but what is Gandhi’s life message?

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, best know as Mahatma Gandhi, took on the might of the British Kingdom, and spread non-violence, peace, and equality to the world, and make an international impact.

In the book “Gandhi: my life is my message” the author wants the readers to take away the fact of non-violence, peace, and equality after reading, the author show non-violence by writing the part of Gandhi being beaten but not hitting back, and the author shows that Gandhi spread the idea of peace by leading people that are also peace lover, and let the soldier fought on them, and not hit back, the author also shows equality by drawing out a page people holding a sign that has things about equity on.

First Point Supporting the Thesis-non-violence:
The first point the author wants the reader to take away from the book is the idea of non-violence.

By looking at the picture, is easy to tell that Gandhi’s head is injured, but what happens? Well, Gandhi is hitten by people that don’t like Gandhi’s action, but when the Attorney General says “I am so sorry about this. Things got out of hand. If you wish to prosecute those who attacked you, I will understand.” and Gandhi answers him with kindness, “Those people were acting under false information. They are not at fault. I don’t want to see anyone punished for that.”
This evidence shows the idea of non-violence by Gandhi being hitten but not hitting back, this shows that Gandhi advocated non-violence, and don’t like to see any violence.

The second Point Supporting the Thesis-peace:
The second point the author wants the reader to take away from the book is the idea of peace.

In this panel, you can see the Government armies are unilaterally hitting the peaceful demonstrators, and the peaceful demonstrators don’t hit back, just letting the government armies hit them.
These actions of peaceful demonstrators actions show that they expected peace, so they don’t want to hit back, but the government armies are just trying to use extreme force to force the peaceful demonstrators and Gandhi to listen to them and stop protesting.

Third Point Supporting the Thesis-equality:
The third point the author wants the reader to take away from the book is the idea of equality.

According to this picture, you can see a lot of black holding sign, the most attractive on is the one at the front, “We are not criminals, No to black act” this shows the inequality at that time period, and Gandhi is also one of the black, and he get very unfair treatment because of this, so one thing that he wants to do is to change the inequality, and Gandhi actually do the action of it.


Opinion:
I agree with the ideas of equality and peace, but I disagree with the ideas of non-violence, when you are hitten by other, and you don’t want to hit back, you should at least call them to stop, or they will think that you agree with the violence, and then they will hit you more harshly next time.
I think Gandhi’s legacy has a lot of impact on society, which is all meaningful, and respectful, Gandhi leaves a lot of legacies behind, and are mostly still be known now, Gandhi is a hero, and he is the father of non-violence.


Conclusion
Overall, Gandhi is a meaningful person to the whole society, he started the act of non-violence, which is a very important act, just like the topic of “Gandhi: my life is my message” Gandhi successfully make his life into a whole message, he left the message of non-violence, peace, and equality to people after his death. Mahatma Gandhi is a respectable person.



Reference:
Quinn, Jason. Gandhi: my life is my message. CAMPFIRE,2013.

C, Dharmadhikari S. “People: Mahatma Gandhi ‘My Life Is My Message.’”
Diplomacy&Commerce, www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs/my-life-i....

[Mahathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first graphic novel and I came to know about this book through a women's group. I have already read Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography 'The Story of my experiments with truth' in my childhood. So, I have some expectations set on this book before reading it.

This book is in the first person, as said by Gandhi himself. Even though the book covers all his important life events, it highlights more on his morals and why he believed in them. This book also portrays clearly the dilemma faced by Gandhi in different situations and how he has overcome a lot of problems undeterred. It is definitely an inspiring read. The autobiography of Gandhi is more detailed than this graphic novel. This novel seems like a quick recap or summary of the autobiography. One thing I liked most about the book is, it also portrays the dilemma in Gandhiji's mind when someone suggests him to go against his conscience. The clarity of his thought, ability to take the right decision, his patience and reasoning behind each decision are very well depicted in the book. I personally liked the details about his role during India and Pakistan partition and his feelings.

The concepts of Satyagraha, self-reliance by using spinning/charkha, Enabling villages, leading a simple life, his opinion on Untouchability and finally, the Quit India movement is very inspiring to learn about.

I would recommend this book to people of all ages and especially young, as there is a lot to learn from Mahatma Gandhi, our Father of the Nation.

PS: I have picked this book from the library and this is my honest opinion on the book.

My Rating:
4/5

[Apratim Mukherjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

यह पुस्तक गाँधीजी, जो भारत के स्वाधीनता संग्राम का एक प्रमुख चेहरा थे,उनका जीवन परिचय है |यह पुस्तक जैसन क़ुइन्न द्वारा लिखी गयी पुस्तक का सुन्दर हिंदी अनुवाद है | गांधीजी के जीवन को 205 पृष्ठों में समेटना बहुत कठिन है पर लेखक का प्रयास ज़बरदस्त है |उनके जीवन के कई पहलु जिनसे मैं नावाकिफ था,इस पुस्तक ने मुझे उनसे परिचय कराया है चाहे वह गांधीजी के बचपन के मित्र हो या लन्दन में उनका नृत्य सीखने का प्रयास या बटवारे को लेकर उनके मन में दुविधा या मुस्लिम तुष्टिकरण का आरोप |
किन्तु यह भी कहना होगा कि कई ऐसे विवादित पहलु भी है जिन्हें पूर्णत: या तो हटा दिया गया या सिर्फ थोडा सा चि���्रण किया गया जैसे गांधीजी अच्छे पिता या पति नहीं थे,दक्षिण अफ्रीका में अश्वेतों पर उनके विचार क्या थे,भगत सिंह जैसे क्रांतिकारियों के बारे में उनकी क्या सोच थी,नेताजी से उनका विवाद शुरू क्यों हुआ इत्यादि |
यह पुस्तक सभी को पढनी चाहिए क्योकि गांधीजी का जितना भी विवरण इस पुस्तक में है वह सत्य है और इससे गाँधी को समझने की ओर एक कदम और आगे बढ़ा जा सकता है |
गांधीजी ने अहिंसक विरोध को अपना शस्त्र बनाया और यह कहना गलत नहीं होगा कि आधुनिक समय में वह समाज ही सफल है जहाँ हर विरोध अहिंसक होता है | फिर भी आज के समाज में यह मूर्खता पूर्ण विवाद चलता है कि एक 79 वर्ष के कमज़ोर वृद्ध को मारना सही था या गलत |

[Vishnu H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic graphic novel. The story is told in first person through Gandhiji's eyes. The subject matter is too vast to be depicted in a boom of this scope. Even then the authors have done justice to Mahatma's life.

The book is not to be treated as a history book because it leaves out a lot of details. Many important personalities like Patel get only mentioned in bits and pieces. Many like Rajendra Prasad are completely ignored.

There is also some age appropriateness introduced into the novel because it is primarily aimed at children. For example, Gandhiji missed being by the side of his father before death because he wanted to have sex with Kasturba. The book depicts it as him just going to sleep.

However, where the book succeeds is in evoking a genuine interest in the reader in Gandhiji's life. And the art work of the book is truly impressive. A book that should definitely form a part of your collection.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive graphic novel biography of Gandhi. Quinn covers a lot including his young arranged marriage and the years he left his wife and children to seek an education and equality in England and South Africa as well as his activist work in India.

It moves slowly but briskly through his life with this interactions including racism and prejudice and his work with world leaders and his feelings on unity among people and religion.

The art style works well to let the story itself shine but still showcases his changes over time especially physically as he fasted often in protest with a powerful second-to-last-page where he is assassinated. It's truly the power of the picture rather than the words which kept the information flowing throughout the biography.

[East Chapel Hill High School Library]

In this graphic novel the author and the artist have amalgamated very well to give life to the biography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the British educated very unassuming lawyer who transformed him to be the leader of the freedom movement of India. Realistic art combined with the dialog highlights and amplifies the beautiful historical moments of Gandhi’s life, the non-violence movement he led, and also gives life to the great saying "My life is My Message" to a great detail. Reading this graphic novel created a colorful collage in my mind of Gandhi’s life from birth to his tragic death in January 1948 just after fulfilling his dream, which I think is a good tribute to his great life.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biography of Gandhi, told in first-person in a graphic format. The artwork is fairly muted for the most part, except for the two page spread about the Amritsar massacre, which is jarringly fiery. The spreads are well done. The writing bogs down a bit - after all, there is a lot to tell! - but it makes for slow reading. I feel that I got a good overview of what drove Gandhi and the various movements he was a part of. It must have been difficult to be a member of his family or a close associate.

[Rebelah Maestas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars because first I love the way he was so excepting of death. Second I like how he would surfer get heart for others that he did not even know there names. Third I loved how he was not afraid to speck hi point / opinion . forth I see why he did this and how he made a difference I see a parts of him in me. I did not give it a full 5 stars because of the way it was formatted i don't very much like the design of a graphic novel.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I think it's difficult to fit Gandhi's life into one graphic novel, but this one does a pretty good job. The pages are quite text-dense, and the artwork is impressive - I especially enjoyed the creative shading methods. The story covers Gandhi's achievements from birth to death, though the years go by quickly and I'm sure lots of information was omitted. This book definitely helped me learn about the impact Gandhi made with his life and the morals he kept consistent throughout.

[Kendra Ashcraft Coffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Telling a biography as a graphic novel? Who knew it could work so wonderfully? The format makes the material more approachable, concise, and flowing. This book is something both youth and adults can enjoy.
Ghandi's life is an amazing story of service, human rights activism, and the belief that all of us should love and be loved because, as humankind, we are all brothers and sisters.

[Nancy Reynolds]

I saw the story of Ghandi through a movie when I was young and was impressed with who he was and how he accomplished change. When I found his life shared as a graphic novel at the school library, I was compelled to read it. Ghandi: my life is my message is my first graphic novel ever read (that I can remember)!

[Ben Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't that great of a comic book, but it does seem like a good crash course in Gandhi. What really struck me as I read this was how little I already knew about the man. I might buy a copy for my class just because of that.

[Anne Kantola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quinns comic take on Ganhi's life is a solid story from cradle to grave. If you're already familiar with Gandhi's grand moments and overall arch of his life, this book won't probably give any new thoughts. For me it worked as a good way to gain basic and deeper knowledge of Gandhi's principles for life.
In my opinion the book stayd quite true to it's source. It's told from Gandhi-s own perspective, which I would preferred to be even slighty challenged. Gandhi get's the first and last word at every point and when I don't necessarily mean that he's sayings are not valid, I think the book would have benefitted from some other views also. For example I would have loved to read more about Gandhi's wife and of their children, who were they and how did that life change them.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I didn't despise the illustrations so much for being unclear and ugly, I would have given this five stars. So much wisdom from the leader, and so much for me to learn about history. An important, engaging, and concise book. I highly recommend it.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a remarkable life. He was the right person in the right place at the right time for India. I think the world still needs his message: ALL humans are equal. Non-violence is true bravery and strength. Resist oppression with love.

[Ariel Rahimzada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art, & nicely done biography. I only wish it had gone beyond Gandhi's own life and discussed more of the impact this legendary leader had- eg on MLK Jr.