Hello,

I hope you all are having a wonderful day. In professor Luger’s ASTU 100 class, we recently watched the critically acclaimed film American Sniper. On the surface, this film portrays American heroism and patriotism during the Iraq War. It is depicted through the perspective of the protagonist Chris Kyle; the most deadly sniper in U.S. history. Likewise, the film portrays the effects of the war on Kyle’s home life and the lives of his family members.

The brief summary above outlines my initial perspective of the film. However, as a scholarly class, we have the ability to examine the film objectively; searching for deeper and or hidden meanings. One way we can do this is to relate the works of other scholars to this film; looking at the film through their perspective and or lens. In particular the work of Patrick Deer, in his article Mapping Contemporary American War Culture, provided me a new lens in which to examine the film.

Deer initially suggests that previous wars and or conflicts in America have had a relatively thorough representation. However, when it comes to the war in Iraq, he argues that there is not a sufficient historical narrative. Correspondingly, we must ask if this knowledge deficit allows media sources, such as Hollywood, to create a false portrayal of the truth. Drawing off of Deer’s perspective, I do believe that Hollywood, as a source of media, is able to create a false narrative. As a result, the Iraqi people are made out to be untrustworthy assailants. Simultaneously, however, the American soldiers are made out to be superior. For example, while Kyle and his platoon are on a mission they end up staying the night at an Iraqi family’s house. The family is celebrating a traditional holiday and invites the platoon to join them for dinner. However, after the tensions have eased, Kyle discovers hidden guns and heavy weaponry in the house; suggesting that the Iraqi people can not be trusted. Furthermore, scenes in which Kyle and his crew are depicted gunning down insurgents, and breaking into homes of people they call “savages,” suggest this American superiority.

Media can be a great tool for obtaining knowledge, spreading information, connecting with others, etc. However, with misuse, it can be a dangerous platform. As Deer suggests, films such as American Sniper provoke “a short lived and contentious ‘national conversation’ about the war” (50). If this film is represented as truth, it creates a false representation of the war and the Iraqi people. In turn, during this “national discussion” a sense of superiority can be implied for the American; in turn, there can be a sense of  inferiority towards the Iraqi people, resulting from hate and discrimination.

Hello Readers,

I hope you are all having another great week. Recently, in Professor Lugers’ ASTU 100 class, we have been doing readings, and discussing our experiences and opinions regarding the art of poetry. This form of art has always been based on interpretation, therefore, one may notice a variety of viewpoints on a single piece.

Growing up, I was taught how to compose multiple types of poems; for the most part focusing on the Haiku and the Sonnet. When I was tested on my creation of these poems, it was mainly to ensure that I could adhere to the structuration of the specific styles. As a result, I had to focus on the formation of the poems, rather than on the meaning behind what I was writing about and the message it could evoke. I was left with the impression that all poetic writing was dull, systematic, and not something that I wanted to participate in.

However, this all changed over the past couple of weeks. In the last few lessons that Professor Luger has conducted, we have read multiple poems; my favorite being “In Flanders Field” written by John McCrae during the first world war. He is said to have written it after attending the funeral of a friend that died in the war. McCrae’s poem stood out to me because although it incorporates proper structuration and formatting, it also contains so much history and emotion. This recent experience has opened my eyes to a fresh view on poetry, curving my disinterest, so that I am now able to look at it with a sense of meaning and passion. With this new realization, I have started to encounter poetry all over. I have found poetry to not just be in the classroom setting, but also in advertisements and in music; even rap, standing for rhythm and poetry.

Understanding that poetry spreads across such vast genres, allows us to examine the effects that it has on our society. We don’t just notice the different styles, but the way that those styles impact our views and the way we think. We see this in the music that inspires, motivates and represents people, as well as the protest speeches and consumer messages that influence corporations and politics. With this one can notice poetry’s ability to make a real impact. So if you happen to get asked why poetry is important, don’t only think about the poetry you learned as a kid. Look at the genre as a whole, understanding that it is so much more than meets the eye.

Hello readers, I hope you are all doing well. After a short winter break, Professor Luger’s ASTU 100 class is back and better than ever. Recently, we were asked to explore and research the Amazonia: Rights of nature exhibit, at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Museum of Anthropology (MOA). MOA’s Amazonia exhibit features “basketry, textiles, carvings, feather works and ceramics both of everyday and of ceremonial use, representing Indigenous, Maroon and white settler communities” (MOA website). This exhibit does not only showcase amazing artifacts, but continually works to provide its visitors a way to connect to these extraordinary Amazonian cultures.

One object that particularly stood out to me was a basket donated to MOA in 1960, which was made in the Ecuadorian rainforest. The basket is made of stem and cotton fiber and “each is woven in a herringbone pattern and have dark brown edges” (MOA website). Now, upon first impressions, I would have to admit that a basket, in itself, is not inherently interesting. However, the knowledge passed down from generation to generation in order to create this is extraordinary. The point which I am trying to emphasize is that the basket is representative of a certain culture. In that sense, it paints a story about the lives of the people, and depicts a unique way of life that differs from how most people today are used to living.

When Canada was being settled, the lands were essentially stolen from the First Nations people. It wasn’t until years later, that the Canadian people began to recognize that injustice. Therefore, at least at UBC, we acknowledge the First Nations people before each major meeting or event, and recognize that we are on “unceded land”. The museum states that people may find “unsuspected relationships between Vancouver and Amazonian peoples, ideas, and their struggles” (MOA website). The culture that MOA’s Amazonia exhibit is attempting to preserve is comparable to the culture that Vancouver and UBC are attempting to sustain and rebuild. Ultimately, it is the culture that creates a connection between us all, and that provides a link to the past and a guide to the future. I believe that Museums like the MOA should continue to put time and effort into these collections. By creating an interesting and interactive environment, people are provided an opportunity to learn about these various and complex cultures that they would otherwise not appreciate or know about.

http://collection-online.moa.ubc.ca/search/item?keywords=basket+amazonia&yearstart=&yearend=&row=0

http://moa.ubc.ca/portfolio_page/amazonia/

Hello readers,

       I hope you all are having an outstanding day today. Recently, in my ASTU 100 class, we read the novel Obasan by Joy Kogawa. This memoir is written with the character Naomi Nakane as its focus; a character influenced by the life events of Kogawa. It depicts the hard life that Japanese-Canadians faced post-World War 2. After finishing the novel, Professor Luger lead the class on a field trip to the UBC library of “Rare Books and Special Collections”. The contents in this library include books and artifacts with “Canadian history and literature. English literature, children’s books, and books on the history of cartography.”

        I enjoy reading, and I frequently find myself intimately connecting to books’ characters and becoming deeply immersed in their stories. However, for some reason, this sensation is typically temporary and seems to go away relatively quickly. It is always a letdown when that feeling of connection, interest and escape vanishes after the last pages of a novel have been turned. Books allow people to be immersed in another world, but at the same time that world may not feel real and the emotions it evokes may be temporary.

Walking into the library, a sense of importance washed over me. It’s an extraordinary feeling to be surrounded by so much history and knowledge. For me, as well as some other students in the class, this library tour changed our way of thinking about the novel Obasan. It helped emphasize the reality of some of the events that took place in the novel. It gave them a foundation in realty. Being able to hold and read the same documents that Kogawa held and read was a grounding experience. It allowed me to see her thought process while she was writing certain parts of the novel. It did a great job of depicting how much emotion and effort she put into writing each and every word. It made her narrative feel more real and its effect more lasting.

        This changed my interpretation of Kogawa from just another author, to a real person with extraordinary and tangible experiences. As such, this new perspective changed my perception of the novel from that of another book providing a temporary escape, to something that is a physical and memorable representation of life experiences. The UBC library of “Rare Books and Special Collections” helped make that happen. It provided and continues to provide the opportunity for people to experience some of Kogawa’s history in their life, so I definitely recommend you visit to enhance your experience of reading Obasan.  

 Hello readers, 

  In my ASTU class, we recently began discussing a narrative called Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis is a graphic autobiography that recounts the story of Marjane’s life from her childhood through adulthood, and depicts the struggles she faced during the Iran-Iraq war. Early in the novel, Marjane along with the other young girls in her class, are separated from the boys and forced to wear veils.This is one of the first experiences Marjane recalls being personally and physically affected by the political unrest in her country. During my ASTU class, Professor Lugar went over this part of the novel and briefly brought up the veil. The moment where the veil is forced upon Marjane is significant and sparked my interest. That oppression, experienced by Marjane, is an example of something that people in societies across the world have had to fight against, and continue to fight against. As a biracial male growing up in California, I had a unique opportunity to observe oppression based on socio-economic status and ethnicity.

    Despite the experiences of some others, my own experience of growing up biracial in a predominantly white neighborhood was rather pleasant. I did not feel out of place, and I did not feel put down or oppressed by any other friends, teachers, or students throughout my elementary and middle school education. When I made the choice to attend an all-boys private high school called De La Salle (made up of predominately affluent white males), I was nervous. However, unlike Marjane’s school, which in her case acted as an oppressive force, I was told that my new high school worked diligently to do the opposite. De La Salle gives out scholarships to diverse students from lower socio-economic areas in an attempt to break the cycle of oppression felt in certain communities. The movie, When The Game Stands Tall, directed by Thomas Carter, for example, tells the true story of a De La Salle football player named Terrance Kelly. Terrance was given the opportunity to attend De La Salle on a full scholarship, in an attempt to get him out of the oppressive, ghetto community he lived in. De La Salle pushed him in his academics and in his sports, and he eventually earned a scholarship to the University of Oregon to play football. However, months before graduating high school, Terrance Kelly was shot and killed near his home picking up his younger brother up from a party.

    The reason I bring up this tragedy is because it shows how difficult it is to completely break a cycle of oppression once it has begun.  Despite Terrance being provided academic and athletic support systems, life tools for success and an opportunity to physically leave his poor neighborhood and attend university, he still violently lost his life. Marjane, on the other hand, was lucky enough to eventually leave Iran in that time of oppression. Even though things were not always easy for her when she left, she was able to break that cycle that started the first day she was forced to wear the veil in class. She was able to liberate herself to become relatively free. People have been oppressed for centuries, and even though there are many great organizations, schools, and people trying to end that cycle, it is not a quick or easy fix. There is no direct resolution to this issue, but I believe it needs to be given continued time, effort, and patience in order to lessen or resolve it. In the meantime, raising awareness and stimulating discussion through books like Persepolis can be a good start.

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