What is maturity?

English historian John Finley wrote that, "Maturity of mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty," which I believe is an excellent definition to apply to Aleksander Hemon's Love and Obstacles. The nerve-wracking scramble for female affection, as other bloggers have pointed out, is a test of maturity that leads him into some gray areas riddled with doubt mitigated by his faith in the effectiveness of the "pill." The image I see clearest in the story is of a young man who is uncertain about himself, where a quest for sexual gratification mirrors a metaphysical search for identity. But when he is beaten and kicked by Franc and his woman chasing ends, the first thing he thinks of is his home, his regular family life, and his breakfast - comforting thoughts, but perhaps indicative of a reflex urge to return to certainty? How long did he endure? Was his pill perhaps symbolic of a lingering childhood optimism that finally gets washed away or was it like the freezer that malfunctions at the end of the story, rendering his journey moot?

Thoughts on Sbrenica

When reading on the atrocities that occurred at Sbrenica and the ineffectiveness of the UN to address leader Ratko Mladic, it got me thinking about how international institutions, though well-intentioned, consistently enable wars like these through their collective silence. One would wonder that if a leader's actions are publicly condemned, why would he still be allowed to participate in international circles and continue to receive politeness instead of protest? This reminds me of how a country can denounce one thing while still feeding their economy - a casual look-the-other-way, if you will...consider Equatoguinean President Nguema Obiang, who has been long cited by the U.S. for violation of human rights and political fairness, yet continues to receive support for his government-backed oil companies.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/7221.htm

Sanctions for abusers of human rights should be swift and absolute, and should, for all reasons, involve a dissolution from international trade and communication. Could Mladic have been stopped? I feel he could have been.

Aleksandar Hemon writes of Sarajevo

I was browsing Aleksandar Hemon's website, www.aleksanderhemon.com, and found one of his recent projects entitled, Nowhere Man, which I encourage everyone to visit. It contains a series of photographs and short entries of prose and poetry that are based on locations, like Sarajevo and my hometown of Chicago. His entry on the the buildings of Sarajevo, Not Buildings, was particularly chilling and a stern departure from the comical nature of Love and Obstacles, and presented a significant case against wartime violence with a slight nihilistic slant.

Humor and the Graphic Novel

One thing that I noticed while reading Persepolis was that owing to the work's visual content, the work was generally funnier than standard texts; I think this is because though humor is conceptive, it is also physical, it is also visual. This is the same principle that makes one laugh at a video reel of John Cleese doing funny walks but one barely snorts at a description of his outrageous postures. Had Satrapi placed the same tale in any other medium without visual context, I doubt the fragile humor would be well sustained. Perhaps this also speaks to the ability of the graphic novel format to "carnivalize" normal representations and make them more palatable to our senses. A good example of this is the graphic adaptation of Shakespeare's controversial Merchant of Venice by Gareth Hines, who carefully places the characters in deliberate postures to convey a certain degree of levity previously unnoticed. Take for example the following image:

The Chase

When the narrator of Love and Obstacles chased the two girls down the street at first I thought it was naive, desperate, and comical. Like most of this thoughts about relationships and sex he was as misguided as he could be. A few days later I listened to speaker from True North talk about sexual violence. I thought about all of examples I read over the semester as walked back to my dorm. After re-reading that piece of the story again I wondered what would've happened had he reached the two girls? What if in his drunken and desperate state he became violent in order to lose the virginity he was ashamed of? If this happened how would it affect his actions in the future? The same story that caused me to laugh and shake my head now became more unsettling. I realized that the narrator could've started down a path to become a rapist similar to the ones mentioned in the previous books we've read. Who knows how many of those men had the same urges and acted on them.

Below is a link to True North, a shelter and aid for people in abusive relationships.
http://www.truenorthofcolumbia.org/sexual_violence.php

Parents

Marji's parents in Persepolis allowed her to express herself everywhere. At home she was allowed to sit in on conversations and at times contribute. They defended her argumentative attitude when she caused disruptions at school. She was even sent to Vienna so her self-expression could be fostered. At a time when oppression was mainstreamed Marji's parents made room for her to voice her opinion. I feel that it is healthy for any teenager/young adult to be open with their thoughts. The mistakes and achievements that come from it are worth the wisdom that's gained. Marji's parents were not thinking of how she could become a successful child but how she could grow into a strong adult.

This link promotes the idea that free expression early in life is an important part of becoming a stable adult.
http://www.cse.nd.edu/~skuntz/FoodForThought/FiveEmotions.txt

An Apology

After 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were murdered what does an apology mean? Women who were pulled away from their fathers, brothers, sons, and companions will always suffer. The decimation of an economy leaves those willing to stay with little to purchase. As foreign forces stood idle neighbors were killing one another and burning each others homes. I do not fully relate to any of these situations, but an apology still holds value. If it's scoffed at by the generation that survived, then so be it. But for the Muslims growing up in Serbia, and the youth around the world, it is a sign of acceptance. The majority of the government admitting shame for being absent when their people were in danger. A short statement that requires an removal of pride and employment of empathy gives people hope. Not necessarily a gratifying sense of optimism but a chance that the future will be better.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8594625.stm

Judy Bernstein

Throughout our discussion of "They Poured Fire On Us From The Sky", we often addressed the validity of Judy Bernstein's representation of what the Lost Boys went through. I searched for about an hour for any reviews that addressed this idea in detail and couldn't find one. I just thought it was kind of interesting we found the need to question this, but that I was unable to find any information of anyone else questioning this as well.

Although, I did come upon an article addressing the definition of "creative non-fiction": http://www.creativenonfiction.org/thejournal/whatiscnf.htm .

Often, we spoke about Judy Bernstein illustrating the boys' experiences in a different way than they actually happened. However, as stated in the article, creative non-fiction authors simply present events that actually happened "..more interesting and often, more accessible." Therefore, I think we ridiculed Judy Bernstein a tad much. Although I do think it is justifiable to question the validity of Bernstein's literature, I do not believe what she has written is in any way, false. I now believe she conveyed the boys' experiences in a thought provoking and illustrative manner.

Power of Photography

After watching the videos on the Abu Ghraib incidents, I began to analyze the power photography has. I came upon this article containing a video of an author presenting her transcripts to an audience along with a slideshow of photographs: http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2010/04/the-storytelling-power-of-photography.html .

As I watched the presentation of the author, I found myself fully engaged the whole time. And it needed no fancy presentation or even advanced vocabulary. My main focus remained on the photographs. And after seeing each photograph, new emotions were evoked in me. This is very similar to how I felt when I watched the Abu Ghraib videos. The ability for a single photograph to capture a whole event in time is incredible. And I had not realized this ability until after watching the Abu Ghraib video and coming upon this article.

Underage Prostitution and Somaly Mam

http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2011-11-03/news/commercial-sexual-exploitation-of-children-john-jay-college-ric-curtis-meredith-dank-underage-prostitution-sex-trafficking-minors/

I read this article a little bit after we read the Road of Lost Innocence, and thought it was a very interesting contrast to the book. For anyone interested, the article is about a study done on underage prostitution in New York City that shows that the myth of the teenage sex worker (a teen girl controlled and sometimes even held captive by a pimp) is, at least in NYC, largely just a myth. I thought this was interesting in light of the messages sent by Somaly Mam. It seemed to me that she promoted this stereotype of victimized girls, brainwashed by society and helpless (until Somaly rescues them.) And while it is a touchy subject, obviously this is a real problem and Somaly is helping a lot of people, I thought it interesting to read a different perspective on the issue. I know this comes a while after we read the Road of Lost Innocence, but it is an interesting article, and gives us another story of underage prostitution (if we want to avoid the danger of a single story.)

Love and Obstacles

In the story Love and Obstacles we talked at length about the symbolic connection the author was trying to make between the teenager trying to lose his virginity, and the idea of war and independence in the region of Yugoslavia. At first when I read the story, I was thinking to myself "Why am I reading about a boy trying to lose his virginity?" but as I continued to read I started to pick up the subtle connections between the teenager's journey and the region's journey. I think also maybe what the author was trying to do, was to show the absurdity of life and war. For instance one day all the kid can think about is sex and his desires, and then a war or conflict comes about and all of that changes in an instant. Similarly the author does this with the freezer at the end of the story. He shows how at one time a freezer maybe so important and then the next minute it is useless.

Here is an article showing the absurdity of war in different movies and films
http://arashworld.blogspot.com/2011/04/symbols-revealing-absurdity-of-war-in.html

Without a Mirror

"But the beauty of youth is that reality never quells desire." That is a quote from the narrator of Love and Obstacles. As a 17 year old he is captive to his passion for adventure and the idea of sex. Once he reaches Murska Sobota, far removed the guidance of his parents, he tries to fulfill his desire with drinks and uninterested women. Throughout the story he is only concerned with himself. The narrator never makes an honest effort to see how his desires would affect others or how he would be viewed. In the end after he is beaten and returns home he gained a new perspective. The narrator realized there were obstacles (age, ignorance, immaturity etc.) that prevented him from getting what he wanted. His recognition of reality calmed his cravings and made him more appreciative and humble.


This is an article about the aspects of teenage angst from The Independent.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-truth-about-teen-angst-1646351.html

L&O; Youth in a War Zone

The main reason I thought the story "Love and Obstacles" was so compelling and well-written was because the author was clearly able to deliver his point that no matter where young people grow up, they will go through exactly the same phases their parents and grandparents did before them when they were the same age. Lust, rebellion, and spontaneous forays into uncharted waters are what young people live for. It is quite easy for the protagonist in this story to turn an otherwise monotonous journey to secure the purchase of a family freezer into a drunken adventure in which he plays the role of the desperate teenage boy seeking physical gratification. He writes down every scenic detail he can find in the world around him; his need to document every aspect of his life and creatively use every plot twist as poetic inspiration shows his unquenchable thirst for life, and his refusal to let anyone else tell him how to live it. He is determined to make his own mistakes, and to have the time of his life while doing it.

Although the author makes it clear that this young man's journey is by no means a safe one--he encounters some thugs on the train and the town he stays in is run-down and not at all modern or secure--the boy is excited rather than anxious at this sense of danger, for it makes the journey all the more intriguing.

Unfortunately, not all youth were able to experience their late teenage years quite so freely. Growing up in Srebrenica during the massacre robbed the children who survived of their childhood innocence, and forever changed their lives in ways adults aren't able to understand.

Although "Love and Obstacles" ends when the war begins, it can be assumed that the boy's life was never the same after the war started; all we know from this excerpt is that the electricity was cut off and all the food in the beloved freezer rotted.

Here is a link to an interview with a young woman who grew up in Srebrenica; she knows that the Srebrenica massacre will be a part of her for as long as she lives.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2011/06/03/18232186.html

Genocide--Who is to Blame?

In hindsight, it is appalling that a genocide operation was able to execute over 8,000 Muslims, running smoothly without any outside interference or opposition. It is even more disturbing that this took place a mere 40 years after the Nazi genocide exterminated over 6 million Jewish people. Fifteen years after the Bosnian genocide took place, citizens are still aghast that neither the United Nations nor the Dutch soldiers stationed in Bosnia did anything to prevent the Serbians from stampeding into Bosnia and ruthlessly murdering Bosnian Muslims as though they were poisonous creatures that needed to be wiped out.

Over a decade later, the mourning continues in Bosnia. Citizens have still not recovered from the loss of their loved ones, and many are still irate at the thought that if perhaps someone had interfered in time, their loved ones might still be alive. Why didn't the soldiers or the UN do anything to stop these horrible killings? Are they truly to blame, or was there anything the Bosnian citizens could have done? What really allows a genocide to happen? Can blaming a specific group of people or holding the government accountable fully explain why the genocide took place with almost no resistance? Hopefully, providing answers to these types of questions will help prevent another mass gathering to mourn loved ones whose blood was shed fighting someone else's war.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Thousands-Mourn-on-15th-Anniversary-of-Srebrenica-Massacre-98194039.html

The Evolution of Evil

During the massacre at Srebrenica, the Serbs slaughtered almost ten thousand men and boys in Bosnia-Herzegovina. One of those men was Emir Suljagic's father, who suffered greatly before being killed in the horrible mass defiling of human life that occurred in the summer of 1995. Emir survived, but now has a mission--to create a museum that will remind future generations of what happened at Srebrenica and will serve as a tribute to those who were killed so their families will know they will not be forgotten.

In this video, Emir talks about why it is important to recognize the fact that genocide is still happening today. He explains that the nature of genocide has changed from the Holocaust of World War II and says that action must be taken if we are to live in a world where genocide is not allowed to exist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_Opab3PY30

Love and Obstacles

In "Love and Obstacles," the author examines the unique relationship young people have to the world around them. There is a large gap between the world as it is and the world that young people live in, which is mostly comprised of their own imaginations. Although the main character's parents try to force the young man to develop some practicality, he resists this as much as he can and instead pursues his own goals to recklessly experience the world and discover the lustful urges of desire.

I found an interesting link that suggests teens who experiment with so-called "risky" behaviors, such as this 17-year-old does, actually have more mature brains than those who play it safe. This relates directly back to the story because being a rebellious teenager is something everyone who has gone through such a phase can relate to; it's all part of the struggle of growing up.

http://www.newser.com/story/68427/reckless-teens-have-more-mature-brains.html

Yugoslav wars

The Yugolslav wars was a series of wars fought from 1991 to 1995. These wars were typically ethnic conflicts between the Serbs and Croats/Bosniaks and is generally considered to be the deadliest European conflict since WWII. According toInternational Center for Transitional Justice, the Yugoslav Wars resulted in deaths of 140,000 people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslav_Wars

Author's background

The author of "Love and Obstacles", Aleksandar Hemon, was born in Yugoslavia and became a published writer at the age of 26. He has lived in the U.S since 1992 when he became stranded here at the outbreak of the War in Bosnia. All of his books have to do with either the Yugoslavia wars, or Bosnia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandar_Hemon

Shot Through The Heart

"Love and Obstacles" and Serbrenica: Ten Years On are both interesting stories about the Bosnian Genocide. In both stories th reader is able to see the perspective of victims who had to leave and stayed in Serbrenica during the Bosnian conflict. These stories reminded me of a class that I took in high school about the genocide and for a couple of weeks the class covered the Bosnian Genocide. Reading through the facts about the genocide did not make me realize how real and impacting this event was. It was a film that we watched in class that showed how the people of Sebrenica had lived through these events. The movie was called "Shot Through the Heart" and it is based on a true story. The movie was about two childhood friends who eventually grew up to be olympic sharp-shooters and how they were made into enemies once the Bosnian War started. One of them is recruited by the army to be a sniper and the other is forced to make a decision to leave home because he is Muslim. At the end they both end up having to make a decision whether they should kill each other because of the sides they are on. It is great movie and the things that happen will really make anyone surprised that something like this happened not to long ago.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171741/

Relating Love and Obstacles to the Bosnian War

When I decided to explore Aleksandar Hemon’s motives for writing Love and Obstacles, I discovered that the Bosnian War was of much importance for many of his works. I then did more research to understand how the war began so that I could relate it to the story. I found quite a few similarities when I thought about it. The war started when Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence from the Yugoslav Federated Republic. This event sparked up a conflict that would become very destructive for those involved. This reminded me of the narrator from Love and Obstacles. On his journey alone to obtain a freezer that his father so desperately wanted, the teen decides to take advantage of his situation. He decides that he is going to act independently and eventually start his own life away from his parents. His first experience out on his own landed him with severe consequences. His attempts to find a woman who will take his virginity result in trouble for him when he comes off too strongly in a couple of situations. In the first attempt, he is chased through the streets for following 2 women all around town in pursuit of them. Then, when he sees an American woman in the hotel he is staying in, he offers her a contraceptive pill in hopes that she will get in bed with him. Extremely offended by this, she reports him to the desk clerk of the hotel, who barges into his room and kicks him repeatedly. This mirrors the events of the Bosnian War in that his attempts for independence landed him with consequences. Not only does he fail in his endeavors, but they were all for nothing. Shortly after obtaining the freezer, the power in Sarajevo is cut off and all food items in the freezer thaw and spoil. This event in the story marks the beginning of the war.

A timeline of the events of the war is helpful in relating it to Hemon’s writing:
http://selenasol.com/selena/struggle/bosnia_timeline.html