Hello readers!

Term 2 has started already, and we’ve already started buckling down in class. Recently, in my ASTU course, we’ve finished reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

The book was intriguing to read, and a little different from what I am used to seeing. Many other students in my ASTU class has also found it an interesting experience, which led many to write about it in their blogs.

Joseph, has fascinatingly written about the use of Beatles’ songs and references throughout the book. He shows readers how song choices and their lyrics match the events in the novel, and the emotions felt at those times.

Others have focused on Oskar, a child and one of the narrators within the novel. Mostly, these people have explored how Oskar works to overcome his grief over his father’s death in the terrorist attack of 9/11. Isaiah examines Oskar’s attempts to seek closure by searching for the lock of the key he had found when going through his father’s things. Isaiah points out that Oskar’s journey to find the lock was an attempt “to stay close to his father just a little bit longer.” Indeed, Oskar acknowledges this within the novel, stating that looking for the lock “let [him] stay close to him” (304). In this way, we can see that Oskar’s journey could have been him seeking for a way to alleviate the grief he felt for his father’s death and absence in his life.

To extend this examination of Oskar seeking closure and trying to overcome his grief, Alex states that he believes that Oskar “serves as a motif or symbol for the thousands of people who lost friends and family” in the events of 9/11. Elizabeth examines the suddenness of death, and how deeply such tragedies can affect people in grief. She also makes note that during such times, there is a regret for not letting those lost know how much they mean to you. Characters within the novel are similar in this respect, because they wish to have let their loved ones know that they loved them before they died. Oskar and his grandmother are such examples. This aligns with Alex’s belief that Oskar represents the people who have lost their loved ones. It is common for those who lost someone to wish they had told their loved one what they mean to them. Oskar (and his grandmother) also wish to have been able to do that.

However, is Oskar only just representing those who are grieving for their losses after 9/11? What would happen if Oskar’s father had died in other circumstances? Ryan expands on this thought, looking into possible outcomes to Oskar’s father having died in an event like a car crash.

Despite this, it is still unclear if Oskar truly is a representation of those grieving in the aftermath of 9/11. Is the fact that the setting of this book was placed at such a time and that Oskar has such a personal connection to it what makes Oskar a representation of it? Or is Oskar, in parallel with his grandparents, meant to represent all who have lost loved ones in tragic events?

– Sandra Maglanque

Hello!

The start of October is upon us, and Halloween (along with many midterms) is coming up. This time, I am a class blogger.

Recently, my class has been going over the graphic narrative “Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood”, written and drawn by Marjane Satrapi. I enjoyed the book very much, and found myself completely engrossed in reading it.

The story it tells is incredibly eye-opening, giving readers a different perspective of what Iran is like. Following Marji, we find out what it was like to grow up during the Islamic Revolution of Iran, and its war with Iraq. Numerous times, I’ve found myself at a loss for words at the experiences that recounted in the book.

pg 70

For example, in page 70 of the book, we see Marji abandon her faith in God. As Isaiah points out, many people (at least, people in our privileged society and those not facing hardships such as war) do not look so critically upon their faith until they are much older than Marji had been. The depiction of this perfectly suits the way a child would behave when faced with the emotional stress of being helpless and finding an outlet  for her frustration. It is also a very good depiction to how any person would act if they lost their belief in their religion. Anger, and frustration are very typical during such times, as well as the sense of bone-deep exhaustion because of the event or circumstance that has led them to questioning their faith.

I especially love the panel immediately after Marji had cast God out of her life.

pg 53

We see Marji seemingly floating in space, dark and nebulous. She is also very much alone. This shows Marji’s feelings of being at a loss of what to do. Having lost her faith, Marji has also lost one of her senses of support and safety in the universe,  especially so shortly after her beloved uncle had been executed.  It illustrates Marji’s bereavement fantastically.

With examples such as this, we can really see how each panel can be important towards the construction of the story.

pg 15

Ryan looks into the drawing style of “Persepolis”, and I agree with some of his thoughts. The black backgrounds fit the moods of certain scenes fairly well, leaving no room for doubt that the situation is ‘dark’. It’s dark in the way that it is tragic, it is sad, that it is a time where you question the good in humanity. Alternatively, the light/white backgrounds help lighten the book, often being used for happy or amusing situations. It makes it more lighthearted, and relieves the reader from the heaviness that usually accompanies those black backgrounds.

pg 106

pg 1

As Ryan believes, Satrapi’s simplistic drawing style may be for the purpose of focusing a reader’s attention to the message she is trying to convey. However, I find myself thinking that maybe Satrapi’s drawing style, distinct in its simple and almost childish form, was to also demonstrate that this is from the perspective of a child.

Of course, I cannot say or know what Satrapi’s intentions were with using this particular art style, so I can only take the stance that this is my own thoughts about her work.

 
To end, I would like to point out that creators of graphic narratives draw with a purpose. Much like writers who carefully chose words to convey a message, the artists of graphic narratives carefully draw these images to convey a message as well. If there was no need to draw a particular object or action, than the artist would not have drawn it at all. Thus, while reading “Persepolis” (or any graphic narrative), I believe we should pay attention to what is drawn as much as we pay attention to what is written with words.

-Sandra