Hi bloggers!

Recently we’ve been read three articles: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer; “Regarding the pain of Self and Other: Trauma Transfer and Narrative Framing in Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” by Ilka Saal; “Survivability, Vulnerability, Affect (Frames of war: when is life grievable?)” by Butler Judith. What Butler provide us is a theory through which Saal use to analyse Foer’s novel.

It takes me a long time to read Butler’s articles because it appears to be theoretical and hard to understand without specific instances. What Butler states is that our life are precarious due to the interdependence we share. However, this interdependence is also illustrated by the distinction between “we” and “them”, in which the gap is the difference of value, culture, norms as well as identity embed among us, consciously or unconsciously. On the one hand, “we” only exist on the condition of the existence of “them”, on the other hand, individuals rely on others in their particular groups in which they share their similar identity. The inter-dependency existing within and outside our groups indicates the frangibility of the relationship as well as our precariousness.

However, in this blog I’d like to focus on “we” and “them”. How should we understand this distinction? What framework would a global citizen apply to interpret the concept of different value of life?

“We mourn for some lives but respond with coldness to the loss of others.” (Butler.36). The reason we hold such a difference moral reflection is the different level of moral relation. That is, we only mourn for a perceivable loss, which originates from social structure we live in, which is decided by our society and community. Nevertheless, dose it indicates that we lose our initiative on choosing interpretative framework?

In my perspective, the answer is no. Let’s take a look at the definition of global citizen by Kosmos Journal :”A global citizen is someone who identifies with being part of an emerging world community and whose actions contribute to building this community’s values and practices.” This definition is based on the assumption that there is an emerging community which share the ascent set of values. But it doesn’t mean that to be a global citizen, we are required to abandon what we used to believe, our original value and political beliefs. Since World War II, efforts have been undertaken to develop global policies and institutional structures that can support these enduring values. These efforts have been made by international organizations, sovereign states, transnational corporations, international professional associations and others. In the world in which globalization is prosperous and blooming, we face more opportunity to step over the boundaries and eliminate “we” and “them”.

Hi bloggers!

It’s been a while since we shared our last blogs! In the first and second of week in this term we finished reading the book Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. In this blog I will first post my POV on “What is the significance of Setting the background in 9/11 attack rather than a car accident”

The book is written by Janathan Safran Foer in which a young boy, Oskar, lose his father because of terrorists’ attack on World trade centre. While the book focus on the process of searching for the locker of the key left by his father, Thomas Jr, it is also talk about the trauma experienced by grandma, grandpa as well as others such as those who share Black as their last name. During reading I feel that the trauma is more than an individual issue as “How a young boy memorize and search connection with his father” rather than dig 9/11 from the angel of politics or national defence. This is what differentiate the books from the mass media. But a question arised as “Will it be difference if his father didn’t die in a historical event but a ordinary accident?”.

On average in 2012, 92 people were killed on the roadways of the U.S. each day, in 30,800 fatal crashes during the year. Although the trauma left by those trauma can not be measured, but obviously the 2996 lives pale when compared to the number of those get killed in car accidents. The first thing 9/11 left to us is a community in which victims, both the dying people and mourning ones, supported each others and fight together in going through mental illness and sharing the same grievance and affliction. Poeple doing their condolence in their own way. However, their ceremonies of memozing their beloved are somewhat link together, thus feeling less painful. Such as the relationship between Mr. Black and Ruth, both of whom suffered from the pain of losing lovers and chose not to leave a place conveying their memories. It is rumoured that Patriotism is promoted in America. That is to say, Americans draw the distiction bewteen “we” and “them” and enforce their identities and this is what makes the trauma more powerful and curring process meaningful.

Another significance is the conjuction between what is right or wrong. Dying from a car accident is a matter of fate, nevertheless, dying from a terrorist attack is a matter of crime and guilty. The 9/11 attacks did have significant impact. They highlighted the global significance of non-state actors and radical Islam. They alerted the country to the vulnerability of our way of life.

Thank you for reading!