I was raised to think critically about information and ideas that I encountered, and from a very young age I have been doing so. CAP, and especially ASTU, has further developed this way of thinking for me. A theme we have focused on is the representation of narratives. As I have said, I often do look at media with a critical lens, and I did so even prior to my first year of studies. However, after this year, I find myself looking at such a wide variety of things critically, and noticing much more than I ever have, revealing new and counter descriptions and explanations of stories and events. How I thought before does not come near to how my mind is trained now. I think about things more often and more in depth as result of the furthering of my education.
The ideas of Judith Butler have been the greatest influence on my understanding of many texts we have studied in ASTU, especially American Sniper. In her book Frames of War, she speaks of “frames of recognizability” and how if we don’t consider other humans to be included in these frames, therefore as “like us,” we will not “mourn for their lives”. This idea is evident in all war zones, and therefore present in American Sniper. We mourn for the lost lives of the American soldiers we get to know, but we also see many Iraqi people die and often do not react in the same way. How can we mourn for them in the same way when we have no story, no background, and no name to recognize?
There are many connections between the texts we have read in class and American Sniper. While reading Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi we looked at how heroism is presented, in the case of Persepolis, through the character of Uncle Anoosh. I went into American Sniper with a similar question, “Are veterans portrayed as heroes?” and also got a similar answer. In both cases, heroes were often martyrs, victims, and displayed great courage and sacrifice.
While studying Obasan by Joy Kogawa and Stories We Tell, a documentary by Sarah Polley, we discussed memory. We spoke about forgetting, remembering, and whose right it was to do both of these. Memory is something important to consider when watching American Sniper, as it is retelling a part of the Iraq war. We must recognize the distinct point of view it is coming from, and that this memory is coming from an autobiography that was then interpreted and displayed, perhaps not completely true to the story.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist revolves around the events of 9/11, and the action in American Sniper was commenced by the same events. We spoke about witness after 9/11, and the authors of the above texts both act as witness to the events after 9/11, as well as Julianne Spahr in her book of poems entitled This connection of everyone with lungs.
Similar to Spahr, Butler speaks of human connection in her book Frames of War. They write beautifully and exemplify this interconnectedness and similarity and relation of humans, but American Sniper is a demonstration of our conflict and hatred towards one another to the point of murder despite this. “How lovely and how doomed this connection of everyone with lungs,” indeed, Julianne Spahr. Relative to the texts we studied in class, a quote I love from her book of poetry reads, “The space of everyone that has just been inside of everyone mixing inside of everyone with nitrogen and oxygen and water vapor and argon and carbon dioxide and suspended dust spores and bacteria mixing inside everyone with sulfuric acid and titanium and nickel and minute silicon particles from pulverized glass and concrete.” These lines move from the basic components of air to the man-made debris of warfare. She beautifully illustrates the basic interconnectedness of humankind, but then continues to bring in the destruction and conflict that is still present in the world despite this. Many scenes in American Sniper show direct imagery of this. She continues, “In this everything turning and small being breathed in and out by everyone with lungs during all the moments….” “Then all of it entering in and out. How connected we are with everyone.”
ASTU has provided me with an opportunity to continue to think critically and has deepened my understanding and awareness of media I encounter, in class and in everyday life. I am grateful for what I have learned.
