Persepolis: The Effect of the Graphics

It is hard for me to describe how this book has a different effect on me than other books. I read books with illustrations all the time when I was in elementary school. Persepolis has illustrations but it has bad words and disturbing content and it has witty humor that preteens start to get. And it is not much of an adult book because of the comedy it has throughout the book in the illustrations and dialogue.

I really gives that feeling that it is written about the past. The pictures and the words are like memories, to me. When I think of something in the past, I have a glimpse picture of the highlights and how I felt about certain issues. In the book, the author puts pictures of what she saw, pictures of her interpretation of events she heard about, and dialogue that fit her young definite attitude. What I mean by the young definite attitude is that what she heard was the truth to her and that she would defend the truth. The way it is written just seems like what she saw in her head was what she put down. She kept that child-like view on the situation.

Website:
http://uwindsorcomics.blogspot.com/2010/04/comics-bildungsroman-analysing.html

Standard Operating Procedure: Nazi Soldier Syndrome?

The video confessions of the Abu Ghraib soldiers was very similar to what the Nazi soldiers said. The Nazi soldiers always said that they did the things they did because they were just following orders. It was the same for the Abu Ghraib soldiers. They did it because everyone else, mainly the authority figures, did it or they were ordered to do it, like paying the music really loud to keep the prisoners awake. It was strange how it worked out. The new people followed along but some higher authority figure who was visiting noticed that something was wrong. Why do people do that? The website that I looked at says that this behavior results from the imbalance of power, and people are to willing to give themselves to a job.

However, the girl who wrote the letters knew how horrible eveything looked but she did not speak up. This showed that the soldiers had the urge to follow orders but also not to question them. When things are not questioned, the truth is not seen or found and people will continue to think or do wrong.

This also reminds me of the movie An American Crime that has this crazy mother who tells her children it is ok to abuse this girl they are supposed to be caring for. Then the neighborhood kids come to the house to abuse her too. They all responded in court that they did not know why they did those things or did not get help.

People seem to take authority figures as their dictator over their souls. Conscience is blocked and sympathy is lost. The only thing that matters is keeping their job and reputation with their bosses.

Really Good Website: It lookes at different scenerios of power influencing people's decisions including Abu Ghraib soldiers.
http://www.kon.org/urc/v6/patros.html

Abu Ghraib photos:

The photos we observed in class seemed like incomplete literature to me. Looking at one photo, I would describe it like this:

There was a dressed blue and black corse, most likely male, lying on a cot. There is a white woman dressed in military uniform who looks like she may be American. She is leaning towards the body and facing camera with a thumb up and a smile. She looks like she is taking pride in getting her picture taken with the corpse, who may an enemy to her.

But I had no idea about anymore of the picture. If the picture was titled with "Ice Man" I would add to my description that the corpse is the Ice Man. If I knew the background story of Abu Ghraib, I would say, "the woman is American and the Ice Man is a tortured prisoner from the Middle East. He was frozen after being tortured to death." And there could be more to say about the Ice Man and what the military did and the morals of the military. Then, the picture could be worth a thousand words, so they say. But just having the photo without any other description or knowledge can hardly produce 100 words and it leaves the observer in the dark.

People can know what is happening in some pictures but I think that is because they already have seen something similar read a description before that matches a photo or they can relate to the photo. A picture I see often is easy for me to give most or all of the story:

A kid is standing on a chair or something tall in front of a counter. He is reaching for a jar on the counter. He probably would get in trouble if he were caught.

I see this and I think the kid is getting a cookie because I know cookie jars are kept on the counter and I have seen pictures like this before. I also know that if the kid was allowed to have a cookie, the mom or dad would be handing it to the kid instead of the kid standing on something.

Website: It's long but describes the investigation and some of the photos we looked at in class. Also, it says that these photos give more description to people but the photos do not tell everything about the military involvement or reasons for doing what they did.
http://www.salon.com/2006/03/14/introduction_2/

Death and the Maiden: character analysis

First, I want to talk about some thoughts I had. (1) Did Gerrldo really tell Roberto the true details that Paulina claimed she told in lies? Is she crazy and told the whole truth to Gerardo but thinks she didn't? or Did Roberto really change it so it was true? (2) I'm wondering if Gerardo was really in on it and he already knew Roberto from before. And maybe the whole thing was a test to see if Paulina would give up his name under pressure? But given the author's theme he was creating, it doesn't seem likely and the author does not hint on this enough but it would be an interesting twist. (3) I like Paulina's character. It's dramatic and crazy and a little creepy (especially when she turns to look at Roberto at the end when she hadn't seen him before).

Here's my analysis:

Before reading the afterward, I was thinking about the focus the author was placing on each character. There are only three characters that are seen in the play, and Ariel explains in the afterward taht it took him years to create all three characters. These characters would represent each part of the society in Chile when it is becoming a democracy. Paulina is the part of society consisting of the people who have found the chance or opportunity to get revenge for what was done to them. When Chile decided to become a democracy, people were thinking that they would get justice or revenge like Paulina thinks. Roberto represents just someone who revenge is taken out on, caused by the people who take advantage of the country's attempt to have more justice. Then Gerardo is the outside party who wants who is trying to make the situation obey the justice that the state wants to create.

I think the author did not tell the audience right out if Roberto was guilty or not because he is saying that people like Paulina will accuse them anyway if Robertos remind the Paulinas in any way of their attackers. And because of the democracy, the Paulinas will believe they should take revenge and they will take revenge just to have the matter resolved within them.

Website: It describes the character conflicts and roles.

http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-synopsis/death-and-the-maiden/

Painted Bird: how the boy changes

This boy has gone through a number of different villages, each one with one with different customs and each one with a different influence on him. He is only a boy. The novel covers his life from six years old to twelve years old. This is a very influential age. He has little knowledge or understanding of societies and has little way of learning more. All he has to go by are what he sees, hears, and participates in these secluded villages.

He begins as a boy who only wants to be loved and comforted, but is pushed away. He is constantly told that he is not accepted because of the way he looks. he is beaten. He sees continuous violence that he does not approve of or like. He is taught some sort of superstitious religion, then is told of God and changes his belief. All this time his thoughts and opinions are scrambled. He is told he is no good, then does not understand why he is. He thinks that his misfortune is due to his unfaithfulness toward God then he thinks it is because he looks like the cruel men on horses. It is all very confusing to him. He reaches for an opinion of himself that satisfies him and a life that is made well by this opinion. What I am trying to say is that he needs to be a certain way in order to have the life that he wants.

Well, everything becomes clear to him when the Soviet soldiers care for him and teach him all sorts of things. He is given more answers than anyone has given him , and they make sense and his life is good. This attention and infrmation given to him influence him and he forgets everything form before. But when he goes to the orphanage, he is a bad egg. He is filled with confidence and vengeful violence. This is not the same boy who looked at violent acts with distaste.

I am not sure if the author is saying that this is how war influences people or if this is how anybody can inflence a child.

This is the website. It talks about TV influencing children but the boy did see things that influenced him, like the train carrying the Jews and he thought how he now had lives in his hands. So it is like he was watching TV.
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_tv_violence

The Painted Bird: Why do they take care of the boy?

The way the people of the several villages are treating the boy is a little puzzling. One moment, they tolerate and sometimes protect him, and other times, they are as cruel as can be. The author seems to show this constant changing throughout the reading so far.

The boy goes from village to village. Most of the times, he is teased, abused, or seen as a demon that the villagers cannot be around. However, these people sometimes let him into their homes, some people hire him as a helping hand , and sometimes he is a companion. He is fed and cared for and he is not treated like a slave. They recognize him as a human friend like themselves, but they abuse him physically and mentally. These people view Gypsies almost like demons and unfit to be with them or be favored by God. If this is how they thought, they would treat him as a slave if they really needed him for work or they would get rid of him.

A few times, the villagers who house the boy either hide him or tell him to run away when the soldiers search the village. I did not understand if they did this because they cared for the boy or if they were protecting themselves from being punished for housing a Gypsy. The latter was explained in the italicized letters in the beginning, but i think that they did for both reasons because they could have thrown the boy to the soldiers claiming they had caught him for the soldiers. This would show an incomplete hatred for the Gypsies.

Also, the people do not like the Gypsy magic the boy is believed to possess, but they encourage the rituals and superstitions and magical medical practices. Then they treat the boy as a necessity for their fortune.

This is all put together becomes puzzling. These people are discriminatory but they are not completely. It is like they were told to behave a certain way but they are not those type of people. They may be violent, but they show their violence to anything and anybody, not just those they discriminate towards. They are more violent towards those they discriminate against because the rest of their society does and they do not get in trouble for it.

Here is a website for the psychology of discriminators:

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Prejudice-and-Discrimination.topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26886.html

Why Prostitutes do not Leave

It's easy to be someone on the outside of a situation to tell someone what to do but it is so much more difficult to do it. While reading the book, I'm thinking, 'Leave! Don't go back! You are already gone! All you need to do is to build another life.' Then I remembered that Somaly is only a teenager who has little skill and little knowledge and she repeatedly goes back to the horrible people she was with because she has nowhere else to go. She tried to go, but her trust in the people of the outside world disappeared when she found they were like all the other abusive people she knew except they did not care for her because she did not cost them money.

All Somaly needed was a little boost. Dietrich and then Pierre were her boosts that showed her how to get a better, more respected life. From her experience, Somaly helps these girls how she was helped: with money, care, and encouragement. I really like that she tells the girls that there is a fulfilling life outside the brothel. If you think about it, these girls are terrified to leave because they think they will be tracked down and killed, they are sick and tired so they cannot leave, and they are so young that they have not lived much of a life besides the brothels. Also, making the prostitutes addicted to drugs is a common way to make them stay. They drugs not only make them weak and less resistant, it also makes them want to stay to get their drugs.

Story (interesting enough to share): I watched a video in my Contemporary Issues class of a girl who went out with this hot guy from her new high school. He raped her and then threatened to show her catholic family the video of the rape. Then he made her come out every night to be raped and sodomized until dawn. They later threatened that if she did not come, they would kill her family. One night she left the place where she was raped and went to a diner where a woman asked her if she needed help. The girl said that she did and they went to the police. Unfortunately, when her family found out, they practically disowned her. Then, she did not go to the place one night and they killed her dog.

I thought this was a good example of a girl having a tough time getting out of her situation. I wish I could find the video.

Website: (For those of you interested, this is a simple website. This link is related more to my blog but the other parts of the website are also relevant)

http://stoppinghumantrafficking.weebly.com/effect-on-women.html

"Luxurious Hearses": Friends become enemies

I think that "Luxurious Hearses" says that people are friendly towards others that are like them but mean towards people who are not like them. The title of the book, Say You're One of Them, is a give-away of this idea because it warns people to be like others or else something bad will happen.

You see this with Jubril when he is with his two friends who accuse him of not being a true muslim. Jubril says that he is so that he will not be burned alive. Then he turns around and says that he is a Catholic so Emeric, when he is possessed, will not throw him off the bus or reveal his wrist without a hand. Then, you see it with the Chief who says he is like the Christians on the bus because he is not a Muslim. When the Chief expresses his negativity toward Muslims, then the people on the bus like him. But then they don't like him when he does his feather ritual because it is not Christian. Then there is the Colonel who comes on board and no one likes him, except Jubril, because he is a newcomer and is dressed in military attire and he is also not Christian. There is also Emeric who they raise money for to get back on their bus.

In addition to the people on the bus, Jubril also has his own issues with people who are different than him. Jubril does not like the women because they are not acting appropriately according to his religion and he starts to like the Chief because he is like the resected chiefs in his community.

My point is that the people like other people when they see that the other people are like them in one way or another. If someone else is acting out or showing his or her differences from other people, the other people will make that person their enemy no matter what they thought of that person before. The passengers on the bus changed their attitude toward a couple of the characters a few times depending on what the character expressed. They wanted to feel safe and comfortable and they feel that when they are with people that are like them and they favored who they thought would relieve them of discomfort.

I think this is a good article about human naturewhen it comes to finding comfort and making enemies in the process:
http://firelink.monster.com/training/articles/9547-ignorance-is-the-enemy

Muhammad Atta's Struggle Through the Day

The author, Matin Amis, puts lot of events into Muhammad's day that should make Muhammad stop this plan. I almost get the sense that I dislike Muhammad even more due to the fact that he pushed through all his fears, the sickening voise in his head, and all the things that went wrong.

He starts with a bad morning where he is in this run-down inn, he slips and hits his head, he cuts himself shaving, and he does not like the way he looks (or who he is: think about that). Also, he does not want to be caught in a plane crash eternally in Hell so he tries to make himself feel better by asking for holy water. He is upset with the airline security procedures. He is upset with killing the stewartists. He is not even doing this for religious purposes; the narrator even says that he is a fundamentalist if you look at his real beliefs.

All of these events are almost like signs saying do not do this. He has little passion for it. He was not jumping out of his seat to volunteer, he did not like the consequences, and he had a guilty feeling when he thought about killing the stewartists.

These are not events to make the audience feel like they should sympathize with Muhammad. His bad day does not compare with what he did to the victims of 9/11. If the author wanted the audience to do that, I think he would have talked more about Muhammad's past and he would not have put in the part where Muhammad calls the other men on the mission to gloat about his holy water and to insult the living they have created. In the end, the author puts in a description of how long and painful Muhammad's dying moments were. Then Muhammad regrets this suicidal mission (he should have read the signs).

Website: This website just tells about guilt and how guilty people behave. I really liked the part towards the end that says someone does not feel guilt not only from not knowing right from wrong but not thinking it is important. How important did Muhammad think this mission was to him? He did not foresee how much he thought his life was important and he did not care about the punishment because he would be dead.
http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/guilt_shame/

Separation of Realities

In All Quiet on the Western Front, I think the author really emphasizes that war is not at all the life that the soldiers were born for. He starts the novel out, as we discussed, in a domestic environment. This shows that this camp is their reality; what they have adapted and what they live for. The others become family figures to Paul, such as Kat role playing as a father. When they go into the line of fire, I look at it as their career that they have built in their life in the military. The new recruits are almost described as naive and shy children who have yet to learn the ways of life: the military life. It is as though they were just born when they signed up. Paul even describes most of the soldiers, including himself, as only boys even though they are seen as men. Inside, they are little boys in a man's body, which is symbolically noted when he takes off his uniform that makes him look bigger than the small boy he really is. This life, or reality, is different from their lives they created at home.

When Paul is at home, he is in a familiar but foreign place because he is in another reality and he has trouble separating from his military life. At home, he received schooling for a career that would require such information. However, in Paul's military life, he knows that the school gave him useless information. At home, they look at the war from a big picture. On the front, Paul has been looking at the added up details, and the others from his home cannot comprehend it because it is not a reality they know of.

When Paul leaves from home, though, he has trouble separating from the life he tried to get back into. Therefore, he is caught up in a limbo where he trying to combine the two realities he knows of: he tries to look at the big picture but still pays attention to the detail of who is the enemy and who is the ally. Paul has lived two different lives, but his life in the military is not accepted at home and his life at home is useless and stressful in his military life.

Mentions of Alternate Realities:
I also wanted to add that Paul thinks of the poster girl when he is with the brunette as an example of creating an alternate reality for the purpose of being successful at the moment. Also, when Paul is with the dying Frenchman, he creates the life he thinks the Frenchman has outside of the war so that he thinks of the man as a stranger with a "normal" life rather than an enemy who he is trained to kill.

Websites:
This website has some critical essays on the major themes of the novel. I am only referring to the first essay, The Lost Generation, which hits on the idea of there being two separate lives that the characters prepared for.
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/All-Quiet-on-the-Western-Front-Critical-Essays-Major-Themes-of-All-Quiet-on-the-Western-Front-Major-Themes-of-All-Quiet-on-the-Western-Front.id-6,pageNum-26.html
This other website is a description of how returning soldiers behave.
http://www.4militaryfamilies.com/articles/returningfromthewarzone.htm