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

Children's Thoughts of War and Conflict

In class today we talked about about how Marjane was being told and taught different stories from all different sources about the Islamic Revolution and conflict in her home country of Iran. One hand she gets stories and thoughts told to her by her parents, mainly her father and this shapes her mind one way. On the other hand she is being taught something completely different at school which is leading to her confusion about the conflict. I can recall from my own experiences during the 9/11 tragedy, that I felt confused in a similar way to Marjane. Right after 9/11 I remember my parents having their own thoughts about who attacked us, also I remember kids at school had their own ideas and thoughts about what happened which of course came from their parents. The point is that when conflict or tragedy occurs in a country, everybody has their own opinions and ideas on what is actually going on, and kids are so naive and impressionable they for the most partbelieve whatever adults put into their heads. We see this in the story with Marjane, she believes one thing at school and then once she gets home her dad tells her another thing which she begins to believe.

Below is article about Children's reaction's to War and Terrorism
http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/talking_kids_about_terrorism_or_acts_war

Jerzy Kosinski

In class we seemed to talk a lot about whether or not, The Painted Bird was a work of fiction or non-fiction. It seems as though this question was never truly answered, and left many people wondering if Kosinski's story and life were somewhat fraudulent. As is the case with most of his books, Kosinski really blurred the lines of what was reality and what was purely made up for literary purposes. While doing some background research on his life, I found out that, there was actually Off-Broadway play based on Kosinski's life. I found this play very interesting because, as a New York Times Article from 2001 puts it "it raises the same questions about itself that it asks about its subject. The play, which opened on Sunday at the Vineyard Theater, is about authenticity and fabrication as they pertain to both writing and living, and it presents its central figure with the same mixture of fact and fiction with which Kosinski himself evidently wrote and lived."So in other words what the creators of this play did, blur the lines of fact in fiction in the play, the same way Kosinski did in his literary work and also his life. So even though he died in 1991 and this play was back in 2001, many people like us still wonder what exactly was fact or fiction in The Painted Bird, and also his own life.

Here is a link to the New York Times Article about the play
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/23/theater/theater-review-the-painted-bird-caged-what-is-the-truth-about-art.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Judy Bernstein response

My Question: Hi Judy, We just finished reading They Poured Fire on us From the Sky
in our English class, and I thought it was a very good, heart-warming
story. However in our class discussion about the book many students
felt that the actual dialogue in the book was somewhat fabricated.
Many people brought up the fact that these boys were just 5 or 7 years
old at the time, and could not remember specific conversations they
had with other people. We were all sort of wondering how much input
you had in their writing and if some of the dialogue is just added to
help the book seem more real. This is in no way to diminish the
struggle and hardships these boys went through in their lives, it's
just to gain a better understanding of the experience they had.

Thank you.

Her Response::

That is a very good question and I am impressed that you and your classmates are interested in the process of memoir writing.

In the case of the dialogue, I used what they gave me. I coached them very little with their writing and they relayed it in different ways and each of them had their own style. I do believe they had a unique style, you could call it a "story telling" tradition perhaps, that differs a bit from ours. Then there was the second language to consider and their young age, both when they lived it and wrote it (ages 20 - 22).

Surely they could not in most cases remember exact conversations, but often they told me parts of their lives with the dialogue you see in the book. I wish I could make up dialogue that well! Many times the dialogue was the memorable part of the story, such as Benson remembering his encounter with the jeep, or times with their parents or friends.

There is another big issue to keep in mind. Traumatic events are burned into our brains and unfortunately for many, can never be forgotten. The only coaching I gave them was to write about what stood out in their minds because that was what would interest everyone. Then I asked a few things to bridge those events or fill in cultural background, like life in the village before the disaster.

Of course no one can remember the exact words in conversations throughout our lives. But we recall the essence of those conversations, at least from our own point-of-view. But just like events, someone else make recall it quite differently. But that is what memoir is, writing how one saw it themselves. And we the reader, want to walk in their shoes for that time.

All and all, I was astounded by the detail of some of their memories and in some cases it could not even all be included.

Please thank your class for reading our book. Judy

Hardships faced

Death for people of any age is without a doubt a traumatic ordeal, but in They Poured Fire on us From the Sky these kids are just 5 through 7 years of age and must deal with it on there own. These kids are so mentally strong, that when someone does die they have the ability to move on and continue on their journey. Along with death, they must also deal with the fact that they are on this journey pretty much by themselves. The do have the soldiers guiding them and helping them a little along the way, but not with the same love or care that a parent would provide. It is unfathomable to me how these boys were able to keep their minds off there parents, off death, and really just keep their eyes on the prize to continue on their journey to freedom. As we discussed in class I doubt any of us would be able to do what these boys at the age we are now, let alone when we were 5 years old. Throughout there journey they also faced hunger and weather issues, making their journey even more impressive. Whether some of the dialogue in the book was fabricated is really irrelevant to the hardships and difficult circumstances these boys went through and endured.

Below is a link to a video that shows a very similar experience to the ones shared by Alepho, Benson and Benjamin
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/movies/god-grew-tired/from-sudan-ggtu.html

Coming of Age

In the beginning of the book Paul decides to join the war effort, which begins his process of transferring from boyhood to manhood. While on the front, Paul has many experiences that strip him of his child like innocence, and force him to become a man. He witnesses friends wounded and dying, animals being forced to suffer, and even has to take an enemy's life in hand to hand combat. For many people their transition from to childhood to adulthood is much more normal and slow-paced, however with Paul his transition must occur rapidly otherwise his life could be in immediate danger on the front. His rapid transition becomes even more clear when he gets to leave the front and return home for a few weeks. When back in his hometown at his own house, Paul sits in his room and wishes he could return to his childhood and just forget about the war; "I want to think myself back into that time. It is still in the room. I feel at once, the walls have preserved it. My hands rest on the arms of the sofa....There are a couple of flowers on the table. Pencil holders, a shell as a paper-weight, the ink-well-----here nothing has changed."(171) This quote demonstrates that Paul wants to return to his childhood, he wants that innocence back even if just while he is on leave. Sadly, the fact of the matter is that Paul cannot return to his childhood, he is now a soldier and a man, for better or for worse.

Here is a experience of coming of age during a war, from Lance Cpl. Ernest Prempeh from the war in Afghanistan.

http://www.marines.mil/unit/iimef/Pages/ComingofagethroughwarLanceCplErnestPrempeh.aspx