Overview

Standard

Hello readers!

It is finally our last ASTU blog! Looking back on the year our prominent focus was on trauma and memory. We read countless of graphic novels, scholarly articles, and novels that depicted the on trauma and memory, which investigated the social, personal, cultural, and political factors that traumatic events can have on people and society. First we read Persepolis where Marjane conveyed her ongoing struggle in the Iranian revolution. Next, in Safe Area Gorazde we discussed hoe an American journalist (an outsider) focused on impacts of the Bosnian War. In Obasan we observed Naomi’s devastating past that caused her to alter her perspective as an adult. This term we read many pieces of work where the underlying effect was to emphasis on the tragedies of War on Terror. In Redeployment we read bout how a veteran’s from the war suffered from PTSD and how he could never have the same life and be able to continue is daily life from before the war. In the last two novels we read, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Closer and The Reluctant Fundamentalist both characters were affected by 9/11 because they were suffering from the trauma. While focusing on trauma all year it is evident how miserable and dejected it can affect people. However, through these intense and bold stories about trauma it gives readers something amazing to read and keep in their hearts forever. Not only can “trauma narratives” provide comfort for authors, but they can also give readers a deeper understanding of the human experiences behind the facts and dates of traumatic world events. Through the terms the trauma framework varied but to the different scholars we fixated on. Most of the characters trauma resulted from the fear and vulnerability that was transformed in their minds. This fear was most of the time a result of the creation of some sort of social divide.

Reflecting back on all the novels throughout the year these traumas were based on countless social oppositions while also being unified through the emotions the characters felt. However, no matter where a person is in the world, or their race, or age every human has been brought up to have the same emotions. With these emotions shown it allowed our class to highlight on the meaningful viewpoints of all the texts and feel somewhat connected to the characters. With all the recent current events in the world today many individuals struggle with these difficult issues. Yet these issues allow people to be connected all around the world even though it is not a positive aspect. This is why through literature or any medium people are able to voice their emotions. These creates a community where people can have a sense of comfort reading literature so they can understand how other people are going through the same obstacles as they are. Trauma is something that will never be easy to cope with but from the self-expression from authors all around the world it allows these powerful experiences to be voiced. Finally, “Trauma narratives” connect individuals, which is such an amazing coping mechanism for people all around the globe and will hopefully always be there for generations to come.

It has truly been an amazing year in ASTU and I hope you all enjoyed reading my blog!

-Imaan

Redeployment

Standard
Hello Readers!
Last week in ASTU we read Philip Klay’s insightful, riveting, and wholehearted short story, Redeployment. This short story depicts upon the experience soldiers and veterans had when they served in the Iraq War. As a class we discussed countless aspects about the short story; however, the significance of the dog, Vicar, distinctively stood out to me. When I first read Redeployment I didn’t really see any importance to Vicar except that he was the  Sergeant Price’s best friend. While Klay tackles many different perspective of Vicar’s representation, I believe that Vicar is a metaphor for an Iraqi soldier. When Vicar needed to be euthanized, Sgt. Price thought he needed to take matters into his own hands and end his best friends life. With the connotation of Vicar being an Iraqi soldier it conveys how Sgt. Price’s emotional trauma altered mind set because he thought killing Vicar was the only choice to ultimately end his suffering forever. As well, the physical trauma plays into context because he used his rifle from the war to shoot Vicar intimating what it would be like in the war. Even though the brutal image of an owner shooting their own dog it was almost a normal aspect of Sgt. Price’s life. This extends to explain how nobody knows the feeling of war until they have gone through it themselves. This was probably something Sgt. Price had to do everyday when he was on the war zone, which made it a normal part of his life and something that had to be done. While suffering with both emotional and physical trauma Sgt. Price is trying to adapt back to the way his old lifestyle was yet he is extremely struggling to adjust to life outside of the war zone. In another manner, a close friend with my father served in the Iraq war. He did not kill his own dog although my father told me that when he came back home he was not the same man. My father could only imagined what he had gone through as he would tell him stories about the war but he would never truly understand every single obstacle his friend must have faced. Even though my father could not relate to his stories it was more traumatizing to hear because my father knew he could not do anything about it which made him feel miserable. Similarly, Cheryl felt like there was nothing she could do to make Sgt. Price go back to the way his life use to be. Reiterating the interpretations about Vicar I purpose this is why he believes that ending his dog’s life is his responsibility. This reveals that since his life had changed so dramatically he could never be the man he once was. Although Vicar is only one part of Sgt. Price pain and trauma being displayed after the deployment there are still so many aspects about his life that have changed significantly which I really enjoyed reading. This short story real made me ponder how the severe the affects from war can alter one’s mind set in such a horrific way.

How Does Our Identity Shape Us?

Standard

Hello readers!

Since I was class blogger two weeks ago I did not get to discuss “Survivability, Vulnerability, Affect (Frames of war: when is life grievable?)” by Butler Judith. Bulter provides a theory through the analysis of Ilka Saal essay. While reading Butler’s work I had great difficulties following along, especially with her vocabulary. However, when we I read it over again with the class I had a better understanding of the concepts she was trying to convey.

The notion of “framing” can be described as one in which a story or scenario where Butler’s essay examines the war on terror but ignores side arguments. People use frames in order to interpret the world around them and how they should respond to it. This basic foundation of the frames allows individuals to organize and interpret information into something they can comprehend. What Butler states is that our lives 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, and norms through the way our societies and cultures have shaped us. We identity ourselves with and how we differentiate ourselves based on personal values, beliefs, culture, gender or looks. Butler inquiries how one decided one person’s value over another’s and how we decided whom we go to war with. She made a very interesting point by illustrating that there always seems to be sides and the ‘us’ and ‘them’ almost seems unavoidable in some situations. In one sense, Butler reveals how “we” only exist on the condition of the existence of “them”, yet individuals rely on others in their particular groups in which they share their similar identity. The interdependency about existing within and outside our groups indicates how precariousness a relationship can be.

We use previous knowledge from our societies and cultures to form opinions and beliefs, which we then use as we interact with the world around us. But this knowledge we gain from our communities, media, or culture tends to be biased or leaves out factors that do not fit into the narrative that is being built up. Thus, we see things from one perspective, dismissing others and being ignorant. From the context of war Butler uses America’s War on Terror as her framework. She compares grievable lives and ungrievable lives, which is the result of our interpretative framing. But at the end of the day all that matters is how we interpret something, how we make sense of things with the frames we have.

Works Cited

Butler, Judith. “Survivability, Vulnerability, Affect.” Frames of War: When is a Life Grievable? London: Verso, 2009. 33-62. Print.

Did 9/11 affect you?

Standard

One of the main concepts of this term in ASTU is demonstrating different perspectives about the “War on Terror”. The various memories and traumas from this historical event reveal how many people have suffered and were tremendously distressed. In class we are reading the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Closer and it gives an entertaining yet sentimental viewpoint on tragedies of 9/11 and Dresden. The book depicts how the protagonist Oskar is facing countless obstacles to get over his father’s death after the terrorist attacks. In my blog today I wanted to discuss why tragedies like 9/11 have such a great effect on people’s lives.

After 9/11 Oskar struggles with severe depression, which he likes to call “wearing heavy boots” where he likes to give himself bruises to make himself feel better. Another way this tragedy affected him was his insomnia as he would not let himself stop inventing nor allow himself to stop thinking about the key. As well, his panic attacks made him terrified to take the elevator or use the phone. His struggles are largely correlated to a lot of other people’s experiences during the terrorist attack. With the numerous painful memories that were caused from this day, everyone has their own story to tell. For instance, it was a normal day in New York for my cousin, Salima; she was taking the subway to work and would always get off at the World Trade Center stop. That day when she got to the station everyone was getting evacuated because the twin towers had just been hit. She told me it the most chaotic and stressful situation she had ever been in, in her entire life. Luckily, she got home safely but she has always been traumatized by that experience and it took her a very long time to feel comfortable taking the subway again. As we can see so many individuals suffer from this day even people we are very close to. Moreover, the novel does an upright evaluation on the true emotions that are conveyed by the three narrators about 9/11.

Furthermore, both Oskar and my cousin Salima have been severely impacted yet so many other people have undergone the same effects. On a broader aspect, when faced with tragedies it is almost impossible to completely erase the memory from someone’s mind. Misfortunes allow for negative connotations to have such a large impact on an individual’s life; however, most certainly after long periods of time the traumatizing memories can slowly start to dissipate but only if one allows it too.

 

 

Gender Inequality

Standard

In the beginning of October I wrote a blog post about Marjane Satrapi graphic memoir Persepolis. However, for my blog today I wanted to re evaluate Persepolis by looking at it in through a different perspective. Satrapi’s graphic memoir embodies a prominent theme of feminism and gender inequality. Persepolis conveys issues of gender equality and how it is an ongoing problem, which still exists in today’s society. For instance, the boy’s clothing in Iran was altered but not the extent that they were restricted. Whereas for the women they have great limitations as they were forced to wear a veil and it was of great importance that they would do so. Setting the strict dress code for the women is fundamentally reducing their rights. Moreover, Satarpi emphasized in the graphic memoir that women are even told how to act, think, and how to raise their family.

Similarly, in my anthropology class I was assigned to write my term paper about anything that interest me in the field of anthropology. I decided to write an essay on female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation is a practice amongst countless of religions around the world for thousand of years. In 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East more than 140 million women have undergone this mutilating procedure, experiencing physical and mental trauma. The procedure is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights for girls and women. The reasoning for this practice is to have control over women’s sexuality where their virginity is a pre-requisite for marriage and is allied to female integrity. This entails that women will not be accepted into their society if they do not complete the procedure. On the contrary, men are not put in the position to be alienated from their community. Men that undergo circumcisions are not done for the equivalent reasons that women have to go through it.

With all the extensive research I have been doing the past couple of weeks for my paper it has made me think of how Marji is experiencing the same violation of rights because she is a women. While Iran’s government is imposing their thoughts about what women should wear it relates to how women in places like Africa are being forced to endure through this procedure. Both situations come back to the same theme because even though individuals are aware of the matter it is always going to be an ongoing problem in the world.

If you want to learn more about female genital mutilation you should take the time to watch this video by UNICEF. Thanks for reading my blog!

https://youtu.be/MsdeI5JkbEo

What is a Global Citizen?

Image

Hello readers!

I am going to back track to the beginning of the year when we just started classes in the CAP stream of global citizens. At first it seemed as if every teacher in CAP was asking us what a global citizen means to you. Personally the question “what is a global citizen?” still ponders through my mind even though we discussed it so intently at the start of the year. As a couple of months have gone by I feel like I have gained an enhanced understanding of what a global citizen means to me. Through my interpretation there is not a set definition for what a global citizen is. Nonetheless, I believe a global citizen allows an individual to learn from people from all over the world, to study issues, and to connect and interact with other individuals. By advocating, at the local and global level most people feel a connection to others around the world who are facing similar challenges. The initiative of being global citizens seeks to bring together people to discover a common issue that they want to try and resolve.

Craig-and-Marc-January-2007-Kenya-770x300

When I was in high school, co-founder, Marc Kielburger from the organization Free the Children came to our school as a guest speaker. Marc came to speak to my school about the organization he and his brother Craig created to “free” children in developmental countries. When Marc spoke so passionately about his organization I became more aware of this issue in the world and realized how he created a role for him and his brother to make a difference. They both have a vast understanding of how the world works and that the concern about children is “complex and [roots] in a number of correlated social and economic obstacles” that are created in today’s society (“Free the Children”). How Free the Children participates and contributes to the community at the range of stages from a local to global scale is incredible to me. The willing act to make the world a more sustainable place got me inspired to help the cause. The goal for these brothers is to “strive to free children from poverty, exploitation, disease and thirst” and by creating this organization they have already made a substantial change as they are getting this issue out to the world (“Free the Children”). Free the Children formed an event called WE day, and luckily I was able to attend last year. This event gives the youth the opportunity to make a “difference in their local and global communities” and in this yearlong program individuals “nurture compassion in young people and gives them the tools to create transformative social change” (“Free the Children”). This day was life changing for me and to all the people reading my blog I highly recommend that you try to go this year. Here’s a short video about this astounding event!

http://www.weday.com/we-day-events/vancouver/

 

 

 

http://www.freethechildren.com

 

Innocence

Gallery

This week in my ASTU class we read Marjane Satrapi, graphic memoir Persepolis. This graphic memoir displays the challenges Marjane has to face while living in Iran with her family during the Islamic Revolution. For today’s blog I want to concentrate on children’s innocence and how this can create different affects about the way they live and will grow up.

Residential School

When Marjane meets her uncle Anoosh, it is evident through the images of her face in the graphic memoir that she became very captured by his stories about Iran. The way she cares about her country and heritage is very optimistic. Marjane’s innocence is extensively revealed because she does not understand or know everything that is happening in her oppressive regime. With all the attacks, restrictions, and constraints Marjane recognizes that she needs to step up and act like an adult. Masking her vulnerability allows her to take on the responsibility of having to be an independent woman when her parents send her to Austria. In comparison, this is what made me think about my sociology class. In class this week we were assigned to write a reflection paper about the effects of residential schools. We all know that residential schools are a significant topic in Canadian society to this day. The “assimilation of aboriginal children” is very aggressive and strip children of their innocence but more importantly, their identity (“Where are the Children).

Both Marjane and the children in residential school are exposed to violence, terror, and aggression. The children’s hopefulness is destroyed when a dominant figure, or petrifying situation comes into affect. The innocence they once had is gone. The children feel unsafe and essentially feel like they do not belong anywhere. Furthermore, being unprotected in the place where they are forced to learn or are living makes them frighten, and defenseless. For instance, Marjane had to wear a veil against her will to her segregated classes other wise she would be punished. In another manner, when children are taken away from their family at a very young age to go to residential school they mandatorily lose all of the culture.

Persepolis

I cannot imagine myself going through the obstacles these children go through. I know that children are still losing their innocence everyday and feel as if they need to grow up because the government, culture, and city is changing so severely. Nonetheless, Marjane and the children from residential schools innocence are both conveyed in different ways but are still experiencing the same affects.

 

http://wherearethechildren.ca

Satrapi, Marjane, and Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis. New York:             Pantheon Books, 2003. Print.

 

Syrian Refugee Crisis

Standard

In my ASTU English class we read Farhat Shahzad’s academic article, The Role of Interpretative Communities in Remembering and Learning. Shahzad’s analysis is constructed from narratives of students on their interpretations on the War of Terror. The student’s cogitated understanding comes from the influence from their communities, and the variety of technology of memories. Whether it is from family, or social media what I found engaging was how the students alter their mindsets, which is formed by different perspectives that they are exposed too.

One of Shahzad’s main elements focuses on the perception digital sources has on today’s society. In my sociology class we extensively discussed the crisis about the Syrian refugees. A lot of attention on social media was created when the three-year-old Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi’s, body washed up on a beach as his family was trying to reach Canada. “Many Syrian Kurds have reported difficulties getting their applications processed” and when the Department of Citizenship and Immigration of Canada rejected Aylan’s family’s offer to come to Canada it made it even more challenging for them to leave Syria (Guardian). This is only one of the many incidents that have been brought up in the media recently. A coastguard emphasized how he “had rescued more than 42,000 people in the Aegean Sea in the first five months of 2015” (Guardian). Scrolling through my news feed on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter I was exposed to countless articles, videos, and images about the topic. This correlates to the theme of media that I am learning in my sociology class and how it impacts the sociological lives of students, in which it conveys how key issues on social media can spread so rapidly and influence today’s community.

Shahzad emphasizes how “memories and learning strategies are situated in their social relationships, political orientations, cultural meanings, world views, and historical experiences” (Shahzad). Similar to the traumatic experience of the War of Terror I shared this upsetting incident about the refugees with my family to see what their interpretations were. The heated discussion I had with my family allowed us to evaluate what our Society needs to do to aid to this problem. From the interpretative community of my family my perception on the topic was altered from the notions they accentuated. In comparison, the students in Shahzad’s article articulate their experiences and opinions on the War of Terror and how individuals shape memories and distinguish them based on their “interpretative community” (Shahzad).

Shahzad’s study investigates how an “agency, information available through digital source and an influential community” are emphasized extensively throughout the article (Shahzad). The interpretations that were illustrated through her research made me recognize how my discussions with my family and current events on social media influence me to change my perception on society.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/03/refugee-crisis-syrian-boy-washed-up-on-beach-turkey-trying-to-reach-canada

http://search.proquest.com/docview/903202568?pq-origsite=summon&accountid=14656