Showing vs. Telling

    “Using words and images interchangeably. It didn’t really matter which we used, so long as it worked,” (McCloud). When I was a kid, I would explain things with words, but for the most part I would usually show how something works instead of verbally communicating it. I remember in Kindergarten we did a show and tell and for the majority of my time presenting I mostly showed the class how my toy action figure can fly around and jump really high. Then during the beginning of Sophomore year, in my American history class, we also did a show and tell but this time I only explained in words how my soccer ball and soccer in general plays an important role in my life. 

    I never really thought much of it until now, but it was really interesting to see how as I grew up the more I used words instead of showing to illustrate and explain something. I never realized how much words and illustrations work together and play a key part in communication until I read “Show and Tell” by Scott McCloud. After reading the short comic, it came to my attention that words and illustrations ultimately have to work together in order to effectively convey a message. Words and illustrations can’t work alone, they both have their own roles in communication, words help explain what is going on while illustrations provide a deeper visual representation for the audience. Essentially, we use words and illustrations to explain something in our everyday lives, and it is important to consider how they work together in order to effectively communicate what we have to say.