I recently read Ryan Knighton’s Cockeyed – a memoir of blindness, for our ASTU class. This text as a life narrative allows audience to peer into the life of Knighton who shares his experience with us of him going blind. In our discussion of disability memoirs (such as Knighton’s), G.T. Couser enlightens how we can see this genre of literature compares to those of other marginalized communities (African American, aboriginal, women, LGBT etc.) (Couser 31-48) . Moreover, how life narratives of marginalized groups have the potential to contest the social attitude but in most cases further reinforces the stigmatization.

Couser’s ideas became apparent when I was flipping through TV channels to find something to watch earlier today. As usual, I scrolled through the TV guide while listening to the elevator music to see if anything interested me. Of course when “The Learning Channel” (TLC) title came up, I am curious to see what crazy show is on the air. Some series include “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”, “Breaking Amish” an “My Five Wives” (shows that I do not personally watch but their titles are intriguing enough). I recall when I was younger that I would watch certain documentaries on TLC such as “Half Man Half Tree” or “Abby and Brittany” (the conjoined twins), stories of unique people with very special lives. Yet today, their featured shows and target audience have drastically changed throughout the years. Now, the channel features predominantly ‘unique lives’ where the abnormal or atypical person(s) is under the limelight.

I compare the shows featured on TLC to Couser’s notion of how marginalized life narratives can hold the potential to influence social attitude. Couser analyzes a variety of disability life narratives to support his argument. Couser identifies the five rhetorics of disability memoir:

–          Triumph – Ideal model or “super crypt” of disability

–          Gothic – revulsion, pity, disability needs to be corrected

–          Spiritual Compensation – disability is “God Given”

–          Nostalgia – focuses on the past, omits disabled body

–          Emancipation – critiquing the social construct of disability

Although we may not identify TLC’s series as academic literature, we can see how some series can reflect or compare to some of Couser’s rhetorics. For example of “Triumph”, Little Couple features a dwarf couple who overcome their struggles as dwarfs. Dr. Jen Arnold is a dwarf, but she went through university and became a medical doctor, is married and in the process of adopting their second child. Not all individuals with dwarfism can strive to achieve what this extraordinary couple can (trying to live a normal life and achieve the nuclear family). In other words, by having “the little couple” as the ideal model for dwarfs it may further divide of dwarf community by those who can and can’t strive for success.

An example of “Gothic”, I look to “My 600lb life” in which different individuals who suffer from obesity are featured in a series of one-hour segments. We, the audience, see the hardships of such individuals in hopes of evoking empathy and support. However, this reaction may not always be the case. In fact, comparing Couser’s work of gothic rhetorics with shows like “My 600lb life” we can see parallels in which pity, revulsion and the disability of obesity “needs to be corrected”. Moreover, series such as “My 600lb life” may only further reinforce common attitudes towards obesity as an “individual problem”.

I chose to relate the different TLC series with our work with Couser and Cockeyed because of how they both bring marginalized life narrative discourse into light. Although the intent may differ between the different sites, we may still identify similar elements throughout. Moreover, how the use of publication and media exposes stories of marginalized groups such as Knighton’s creation of Cockeyed for a literary audience, and TLC for public appeal. However we must realize the limitations in which the TLC series may attempt to “normalize” the atypical individual by accessing the public’s everyday life through TV. Yet, it seems as though series like the ones discussed, have and may continue to stigmatize and marginalize these groups of people.

Last week I had an incredible opportunity to visit Cuba during reading break. It was my first time in Cuba (and won’t be the last) and it is beautiful there. A place so pure and untouched by Americanization it was quite the breath of fresh air to not see a McDonalds or Starbucks at every second street corner. We stayed in Varadero but as they say “in order to see the real Cuba you have to go to Havana”. So while we were in Cuba we went for a full day excursion to explore the “Real Cuba”. We got to see all the different buildings, artworks, and museums and roamed the streets the sites seen along with the architecture bears close resemblance to a cross between Venice and New Orleans. While there, I was able to learn more about the local lifestyle in Havana along with hearing the intimate life stories of the locals.

Since coming back, I decided to pay a visit to the Belkin Art Gallery who is currently hosting an exhibition “The Spaces Between” of Contemporary Art from Havana (A massive thank you to Rachel for sharing this exhibition to our ASTU class!). This exhibit “explores contemporary Havana from artistic, cultural, sociological, and anthropological perspectives within a new social and economic reality that has made itself evident in Cuba in recent years”. I thought that having recently seen Havana that it would be interesting to see these artists see the “real” Havana in comparison to my recent experience there. Moreover, with the work our ASTU class has been doing in the archives and with the TRC, for myself I feel as though having the opportunity to both see Havana first hand and visiting the exhibition here at UBC to see the contrasts in how Havana’s collective identity is both conveyed and received.

I first want to point out the similar representation of Havana from both “The Spaces Between” and my tour of Havana:

When you visit Cuba (Havana especially) it feels like a time warp back into the late 1880’s to 1950’s. Everywhere you look there is a beautifully restored 1957 Chevy, and architecture dating back from the 1800’s or 1920’s depending whether you are in “Old Havana” or “New Havana”. The buildings are mostly kept in good shape, however only certain parts are restored with a nice colourful paint job. Grethell Rasua’s Cubiertas de deseos 2008-13 in “The Spaces Between” exhibition showcases this iconic style of Havana of having all similar 1920’s architecture but only a portion of the buildings are painted.

 Given the history of Cuba and the limited trading due to the US embargo, Cuba is seemingly stuck in a retro-period of time. Therefore, it is only fitting that the short films displayed at “The Spaces Between” exhibition are played through very old TVs. The intent of using older technology is fitting for the iconic culture that is Cuba in which they are limited to a certain period of technology.

“The Spaces Between” really hones the iconic culture of Havana with the architecture, colours, and use of old TV’s to show their short films. When you first walk into the Belkin Gallery you hear the sounds of bongo drums beating (Habana Solo: Video), if you close your eyes those are the same sounds you hear in the streets of Havana. The difference is when you open your eyes, that gallery shows a whole different Cuba than what I saw. As I mentioned earlier there are resemblances to how Havana is being represented both during my time there and in the gallery, however most of the artworks I witnessed made me feel as though I was not in Havana at all.

There was a great contrast in artistic style to the Cuban culture in which many of the paintings created were very modern and abstract, featuring simplistic shapes, bold colours and one word text. Luis Gomez Amenteros created a piece with a large incision into the wall which reads “Would you like to buy my misery?” (Un sufi suena 2011). Moreover, in the exhibition there was a prevailing focus on the controversial agricultural aspect of Cuban society. This was something that I had no idea about, even while visiting a state farm in the state of Mantanzas.

Although there are many more differences in how the “Real Cuba” is represented between the two experiences, I am more interested in the significance of how they are being portrayed. Throughout our ASTU course we have developed key skills in trying to understand the knowledge making process. Our close study in the archives as an institution of creating and preserving societal memory while allowing for certain identities to emerge in history. Moreover, applying those skills to our most recent visit to the Museum of Anthropology and seeing how that exhibition represented the events of the Canadian Residential Schools. So I then look to the Belkin Art Gallery’s latest exhibition and “The Spaces Between” as showing what the “Real Cuba” is, the truth that lies within the city of Havana. Whereas, I physically had the opportunity to go and see the “Real Havana”. So what I bring into discussion is… which one is real? Which representation is ‘authentic’? Experiencing the city first hand or seeing the city through art which is exhibited in a gallery, at a Canadian university in Canada. Readers… what are your thoughts?

Ever heard of the saying “If a tree fell in a forest did it make a sound?” I have always been curious as to what that phrase meant and what it was intended for. There are so many trees in a forest how can we be sure that we heard one, or multiple trees falling. As I continued to analyze this phrase (which my dad says to me ALL the time) I started to think about our studies of autobiography, and more importantly the biographies of marginalized people.

I recently watched the movie 12 Years as a Slave, such an incredible story. If you haven’t already watched it, I highly recommend it.

This movie in brief, is about Solomon Northup and his story as a free black man who was kidnapped back into slavery in pre-civil war America. This autobiographical film is based on both secret letters he wrote during time as a slave and also his own personal memoir. His writings became an important piece of public history for both the USA and for the identities of the black community and their history. This film reaffirmed my understanding of the significance and implications archival material have on collective and societal memory. We have to then wonder… if Solomon’s writings were never discovered, persevered and shared for the public to hear, how would that affect the social memory? If his story is the tree that fell in the forest, did it make a sound? If so, how did we come to hear it? This is where I look to media and in particular the film industry as exposing the sound of the fallen tree.

Watching 12 Years as a Slave has sparked my interest to further delve into the film world of autobiography. I first look to movies as a main source of media and with reading week coming up this seems like the perfect time to binge. One movie in particular I am looking forward to watch is “Once Were Warriors” which exhibits the struggles of the aboriginal people of New Zealand (Maori) which perhaps may relate to issues closer to home such as our First Nations community. The film makers and script writers who are a part of the process of creating such films also play a careful role in making these stories heard. Although, we must recognize that most things in the Hollywood industry may not always be true, we can still appreciate the exposure gained for stories like Soloman’s.

Relating all this back to my “tree” saying, there are so many trees in forests, and when a tree does fall… of course it makes a sound! It will always make a sound. It all depends who heard it. The media industry not only gives sound to these stories but also amplifies the sound for a global audience to hear. However, this notion is not limited to films. I look at what we are currently studying in ASTU by revisiting our studies in the Truth and Reconciliation of the First Nations people in Canada. The ways in which the TRC is the media that is exposing the “fallen trees” or testimonies of the marginalized, making sure these sounds are heard.

On an end note, with February being Black History Month, this is a time to recognize not only the black community but to also reflect and educate ourselves of other marginalized communities such as First Nations, Asian, Latin etc. within our own home, Canada.

Over the past couple of weeks, our ASTU class has had the opportunity to work within the Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) archives located in UBC. It has been quite an eye opening experience, being able to work so closely with the archives and holding pieces of history at our fingertips. During this time of research, I have had the privilege of exploring a small fraction of the Chung collection which exhibits “early British Columbia history, immigration and settlement, particularly of Chinese people in North America, and the Canadian Pacific Railway Company”.

Given the vastness of material within the RBSC I have only really looked into a fraction of the Chung Collection (Box 122 and Box 100). While looking through the different folders I came across many legal and formal documents such as records, insurance claims, business documents etc. But every now and then I would find a personal letter, children’s school notes and some photographs or pictures. It is through exploring these more intimate materials that I begin to try and piece together what these individuals would look like or their story. By seeing pieces of actual history, it seems as though these archives are telling a story, perhaps and autobiography of certain individuals but it is up to us (the audience) to “fill in the gaps” as Rodney G.S. Carter would say. I continued to rummage through the archival materials and piece together a story for some of the individuals portrayed in the archives. The closer I came to completing a story of an individual I found myself hesitating because there is so much information that is missing from this person’s life, and that what I perceived to be his/her story may in fact be far from the truth.

This is where I began to look at the connections between our studies of autobiography and the archives…

One of the most interesting things about studying autobiography and the archives is the parallels between the two genres. Autobiographies are written and provided to the audience, as is. The information is being described to us by author, we are to trust that he/she is telling the truth because they are creating within the genre of autobiography. Take for example our studies of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Dave Egger and Achak’s What is the What and of course Fred Wah’s Diamond Grill. Although they disclose that these biography themed works are based off personal experience and memory, we as the audience are to trust that the information is true. Now looking at the archives, the material within the collects are artifacts, they are tangible pieces of history and truth emanates with this institution. However, as noted in Carter’s article there can be a level of discrepancies within the archives themselves. Therefore a major parallel between the role of autobiographers and archivists in which they hold the power to alter the story. Stories such as What is the What bring into question the accuracy of the events in Achak Deng’s life, and whether or not these events were manipulated to gain popularity. Or, if the Chung Collection never made it to the RBSC, how could we know the real history behind the marginalized Chinese population of Canada? It is undeniable that both autobiographers and archivists hold great power in shaping how personal and societal memory is depicted. Although, there may be instances of scepticism we can only continue to rely on these individuals to uphold their obligation of sharing the truth.

I am very certain that “Autobio-music-o-graphy” is not an actual word, but one that I made up to introduce the topic of my new blog post to (hopefully) capture you readers.

To start off the semester, my ASTU class (Art Studies) is bringing together the genre of autobiography and archiving. Archiving being the collecting of media to restore and preserve history, and applying this field as a means to develop one’s biography whether it be a testimony of an individual or a collective. We were asked to read Diamond Grill by local poet Fred Wah who explores issues of race, family and his life through a combination of poems and archives. This text is extraordinary in the way it is presented – as Wah labels it – “a bio-text”. “Biotext” crossed with “biofiction” allows for Wah to depict his life story without “being hijacked by ready-made generic expectations such as the novel, autobiography, and life writing” (Diamond Grill, Wah, p.184). This concept of biotext, although it may seem a bit avant-garde, the style may be more noticeable in other areas of the arts. This train of thought is what led me to my crazy word “Autobio-music-o-graphy” by applying the concept of biotext and archiving to the subject of music.

I did not think much of this concept until my partner and I were having a discussion about music over dinner. He was explaining to me how you can see a progression in an artist’s life through their songs, changes in musical styles and the albums they release. This aspect allowed a new perspective of ways music can be seen as blend between archiving and autobiography of a certain time in one’s life.

In our class discussion about archiving, we concluded that archivists play a key role in how both individual and collective history and social memory can be depicted. What gets saved and what is left behind is extremely significant. I am now thinking of how artists in the music industry may play the role of an archivist and an autobiographer when it comes to developing their own music.

Artists generally have an array of written songs and lyrics needed to compose an album with. Many of these albums are a direct representation of one’s life journey during that precarious time in their life. The release of an album marks a point in time while songs within the album may portray a story the artist is trying to tell. This is where the artist plays the role of an archivist, because it is during that specific time period they are selectively choosing which songs gets published and which are abandoned. Meanwhile, each song may depict points of the artist’s life and attribute to their own autobiography. Although lyrically the songs word for word may not stem from actual events, they do represent genuine emotion. In addition, these songs can act as archives themselves, they are presented as a primary source and generally portray a first person perspective as an individual or a group.

I am hoping with this new-found knowledge to delve into music and find the potential parallels between specific artists and albums and how they act as archive and autobiography.

As we end the first semester here at UBC, so far it has been a truly eye opening experience. I have had the pleasure to experience the Coordinated Arts Program which features certain course studies that all interconnect to the central idea of “Global Citizens”. Although we have been slowly delving into defining what this term means and how it is applicable to broader knowledge, I am still in the process of understanding “Global Citizenship”.

In our Art Studies course, we have been focused primarily on the genre of life narratives and more so, the global sense of these stories, and how “Global Citizenship” is applied to these stories. We have looked at autobiographies and articles which feature texts from all over. In particular, we have looked at Persepolis, What is the What, God Grew Tired of Us and life narratives in new media such as blogs and social networking sites.

Although we have not had a chance to really explore traditional autobiographies, we have been more focused on new mediums, it is very interesting to see the evolution of how life narratives are progressing, and in turn how scholars are advancing to keep up with the ever evolving nature of this genre. As I continued to write more blog posts, I have been noticing a trend of interest per say. I have been more intrigued with applying our state of knowledge with autobiographies but applying them to new forms of media. I looked at Facebook, PostSecret and UBC Confessions, Tattoo Culture and also the East Side Gallery. It is amazing to think that all of these very different subject matters share a commonality in which they tell a story, not just any story but someone’s story.

And as we move along the course of the year, I am becoming more aware of the ways in which how we use technology to document our lives. I touched upon this idea in my earlier post about Facebook and how it is becoming our own autobiography. However, Facebook is not the only source. I see how apps like Instagram, Vine, YouTube and Twitter all share the same utility to document our lives. I think back to my old baby photos and videos and how I was privileged enough to have access to so many memories. Then some of my other friends, their families could not afford a camera growing up, so there were seldom any photos of videos of them during their primary years. Yet we see how technology has advanced so far and how almost everyone has a camera on them, whether it be a digital camera, iPod or phone. I see family friends documenting key moments of their child’s life just on the click of a button, then the child’s picture is uploaded to Facebook and Instagram. And I cannot help but wonder, when this child is our age, how much access he will have to his old pictures and stories about him as a child.

It seems as though for our generation especially, that to take a picture, or post a status update is so natural to us. We may not even be consciously aware that we are constantly adding to our own life story with every upload. And when we look down at our phones and scroll through our Facebook Profile or Twitter account we, and our friends have an actual autobiography right at our fingertips. Although these life narratives may not be as eloquently presented as works like What is the What or Persepolis, we have to think that with the times maybe they style of autobiography is changing. Quite possibly that autobiography in itself is shifting from the premeditated and publicized works, to a colloquial everyday means of documentation, through our smartphones and social networking sites. I am starting to believe that today’s autobiography honestly captures the true essence of life narrative because there are no filters or edits, it is simply and purely sharing what we think and feel at this very moment in time.

Thank you UBC for a great first semester! Good luck on exams! And see you after the break

Inspired by my earlier post about tattoos and life narratives, I have been on an ‘artistic high’. So, last night I was rummaging through my old photos of my trip Europe trip this past summer. I came across some pictures I took of the East Side Gallery in Berlin and all of the incredible artwork that is shared on a piece living history. If you are not familiar with the history of the Berlin Wall (click here) for some context. Each section of the wall has a piece of art to commemorate and remember the hardships of Germany during its separation. Many of which are in the form of graffiti or paintings, they are all beautiful to look at. As I continued to delve into my album I began to notice certain trends and patterns within the artworks. They were all connected by paying tribute to Germany and more than that its people.

We have been exploring the idea of identity, remembering and trauma in the Art Studies class that I am taking at UBC. By looking through my photos of the East Side Gallery we can see how these artists in a way are preserving their German identity and marking history through their art work. The significance of having these works displayed publicly and openly on one of the most infamous pieces of architecture shows the process of healing through art.

Here are some of the photos I took:

We can see within these particular artworks as a means to illustrate and convey identity and trauma during the precarious times of Germany’s division. During this time, there were many individuals trying cross the border, especially those living in Soviet controlled East Berlin wanting to escape to West Berlin. Many people were killed attempting to cross, which inspired some of the artwork on what is left of the wall.

From the pictures that are displayed and the patterns I noticed within the artwork. Either through the form of quotes or illustrations of people, the artists convey the voices of those who perished trying to break away from the separation. We can see in the second photograph a flood of faces that are unidentifiable, yet… are meant to be represented for the victims affected by the wall. In photos 1, 3, & 4 the use of text can be seen as a way to narrate the thoughts and spirits of those who suffered through this tragic time. #1 pays tribute to those who died trying to escape but remain unknown and also those affected but remain voiceless, this artist is giving voice and identity to those individuals through his artwork. #2 shares the thoughts of why many artists chose to paint on this infamous wall as a means of healing the traumatic past. Finally, #3 has its text in both German and English, representing two identities coming together as one to show how individuals can defeat these hardships. These of course, are my analyses of the artworks, they are all open to interpretation.

The East Side Gallery is not only a wall full of artworks, but they are a collection of narratives that convey the life during and after WWII and the times of the Berlin Wall. Many artists used this form of art to convey a message, and to share the experience of living during those tragic times. Moreover, how they choose to publicly convey these messages through art and have them open to interpretation rather than published in official text. There is something very empowering with how these individuals choose to confront the tragedy by painting directly on the structure that confined them, and sharing their healing process for others to see.

This collection of art is not only to help narrate the times of the Berlin Wall but also to give identity to the fallen. Furthermore, the paintings on this wall is a way to remember, remember trauma and healing for both the individuals and the nation. By having this wall and artwork on display and freely open to the public sends a powerful message of how a nation together has overcome all battles.

If anyone is truly interested in looking more deeply into the artworks you can check out this link here: http://www.eastsidegallery-berlin.de/  or simply Google images “East Side Gallery”.

A few weeks ago, in one of my university courses we were researching and exploring the blog PostSecret. In short, PostSecret is an online community where people mail in personal secrets on a postcard to Frank Warren (the founder) and he uploads them onto the blog every Sunday. A few colleagues and I shared a presentation on our findings to our classmates about PostSecret.

You will find your answers in the secrets of strangers. – Frank Warren

Elaborating on that quote, our presentation highlighted the key idea that through PostSecret and the act of confession by sending in a postcard provides the individual and the audiences of PostSecret a sense of community. This online network encourages a safe environment for blog followers to discuss and share their reactions or thoughts on the secrets.

With this community and act of anonymous confession can relieve a sense of burden through this blog by having individuals share a connection with the secrets posted by relating to or empathizing with them. For me, and my immediate friends we can relate to these secrets given our shared circumstances:

I chose these secrets to share because of how relative they are to us (us as in my readership, my fellow university students). It is through reading these secrets we can feel a connection to the anonymous writer and to the others who share similar outlooks.

We can see how these acts of anonymous confession in a public realm can bring people together. On a more local scale, the school I attend – University of British Columbia – has also established their own confessional site “UBC Confessions” which offers a similar service to PostSecret but created through Facebook. UBC Confessions allows students to anonymously email in their secrets, and the Facebook page administration monitors and posts the secrets to the public page.

Although many of the confessions can be humorous or vulgar, we must recognize that a lot of the posts are intended for a university audience of young adults. However, there are some posts that are relevant to us…

“All my life people have called me smart because I get good grades. However, being academically successful is all that I am because I have absolutely no practical or social skills. I base my self-worth on my ability to get high marks and If I didn’t have them to validate my intelligence I’d probably have a nervous breakdown.”

• “Dear fellow arts students,

• As a student of philosophy, I find that the highest grades that I receive are, naturally, in philosophy. This generally ranges from A- to A+ although the latter are more rare. As this is anonymous, and thus doesn’t reflect back on me, I don’t intend to boast. So, enough background information and let’s move on to why I’m really making this post…”

• “Does anyone actually have their sh*t together because I am so lost.”

A lot of the time, when confessions like these are posted, I know for myself that I can relate. Since I can relate to these specific secrets, I feel that I am not alone with how I feel, and that there are many others who feel the same. As mentioned earlier, this is how “community” is established.

Within our own district of UBC, we have established our own confessional page for students just like us to share our secrets and find our answers. What is significant about this specific Facebook page is how it is catered to us, UBC students. We all have a shared commonality that we are students of the same institution, but more importantly sometimes we can relate to the confessions being posted. Unlike PostSecret where it is a blog open to the entire public, UBC confession limits its readership to the UBC population. This smaller setting secures the sense of our local community because we are posting and sharing amongst our own people. It is through this act of anonymous confession and this sense of community that can relieve some of the stress we burden.

In the recent weeks, I have been looking into getting another tattoo, another art piece to add to the collection. This topic may seem to stray from the world of academia, well at least in comparison to what we are studying in university. Although, in my Arts Studies course, we are encouraged to look for patterns and trends between literary works and explore the significance behind our findings particularly in the genre of autobiographies. Since getting my first tattoo, I have always been intrigued by tattoo culture and now I’m looking into connecting this subject matter with the study of autobiographies, sparking the idea of this blog post.

Before committing myself to getting inked I always ask myself…

“Why do I want tattoo? And Why do I want another one?”

Here are two main reasons:

1)      My decision to get a tattoo is usually in response to a recent life event

2)      The act of getting a tattoo is a way of remembering

These motives are very common amongst many tattooed individuals. In an article from the University of Denver “Newsroom” they confirm this knowledge by stating:

Why do so many get tattoos? The answers are as varied as the individuals who have them. Many tattoos express feelings toward family members; others document significant life events. One woman in the Schwartz photography exhibit said she had the image of her mother tattooed on her back so that she would be with her forever. 

In my case I got my first tattoo when I became of legal age, a way to commemorate my coming of age and transitioning from a child to an adult. My tattoo is a small reminder of that experience and a way to record my memories. Like many others who want a tangible means to “document” their memories, they look to the form of tattooing as a tangible and easily attainable method of remembering. As we have studied, other individuals remember through writings and autobiographies such as Mariane Satrapi’s Persepolis and how she actively remembers through creating a graphic narrative (comic) on her life experiences. Since not everyone is able to have a publication of their life, some may look to tattooing as a cultural form of memory preservation. Moreover, how tattoos can be an expression of one’s life stories, events or other personal attributes.

As seen in this video here, a mother explains the reasoning behind her tattoos and how she chose to share her life experience.

My Tattoos Document My Life

In our studies we have also looked into the concept of “Private vs. Public” and the lines crossed between sharing private thoughts in a public manner. Though an individual’s tattoos are not distributed or commodified for global readership like blogs and non-fiction texts, they are in a way publicized. By choosing to get a tattoo, it is exposed on your skin which in a micro sense (small-scale level) a way to publicly display the artwork. When tattoos are noticeably visible, they may spark questioning and interest. What does your tattoo mean? Why is the story behind it? Now, through the questioning one may choose to share what their tattoo means. As I mentioned earlier before, many tattoos are done for personal and intimate reasoning. Therefore, by getting the tattoo in the first place illustrates the “private” aspect of this form of remembering, and by having it exposed on our skin satisfies the “public” concept. Moreover, my connections between the two are generally limited on the micro-scale (or immediate surroundings) unless we start talking about tattoo reality TV shows – but that discussion can be saved for a later date. Therefore by exposing our tattoos we openly share the artwork allowing others to see it, and to see our stories.

Through these trends between storytelling and art, more specifically tattoo art, we can see the correlations between tattoo culture and life narratives. I must reiterate that these findings are not a formal generalization, but rather ideas derived from my own personal findings and observations. By analyzing the patterns behind the “why” people choose to get tattooed it can be compared to the “why” life narratives come to be created and shared.

No matter how big or small a tattoo may be, significant or impulsive… a tattoo is a permanent way of remembering, and I hope to continue to add to my collection throughout the course of my life and share my stories.

When we watched the film God Grew Tired of Us in class, we had a discussion board, and what started as a 200 word post, I felt as though I needed to elaborate and continue the discussion. Which is why I am incorporating my original post, and discussing it further…

“As we discuss the film God Grew Tired of Us, there has been many conflictual reactions between colleagues. I personally enjoyed the film very much, but I understand the concerns our classmates have because this film was portrayed through an overwhelming American lens. This portrayal of the documentary may have reduced the urgency of political action by only focusing on the Lost Boys in America and their pursuit of the “American Dream”. However, as devil’s advocate, I felt as though this film during that time could not have been portrayed any other way due to kairos, or culturally relevance of time. During the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005) there was not enough global awareness and publicity on the matter therefore limited action was taken to help. For this reason, it allowed the conflict and the genocides to continue without international aid, so by having this film produced as blockbuster Hollywood documentary may have been the only way to bring this urgent matter into light.”

Making note of the actual timing of the film’s release in 2007, during the 2000’s was when a number of publications on the Lost Boys of Sudan was brought into the market (including What is the What 2006). This was nearing the end of the civil war when these publications, books, novels, documentaries and autobiographies were established. This timing for the release of these narratives of the Lost Boys and War in Sudan, was during a time where there was limited political aid and public awareness on the issues. Therefore, by having a documentary on the Lost Boys sub-produced by Brad Pitt and narrated by Nicole Kidman brought a lot of global attention whereas without the contributions of these starlets, it may not have gained the publicity if otherwise.

The prevalence of American movie stars in the political and humanitarian community generates a lot more public attention, especially for issues like the Sudanese civil war because these stars have no political affiliation with any of the involved nations, but they have the money and power to address these issues. Thus, the timing of this documentary to be released nearing the end of the civil war, and also the western cultural influence on this film had a great impact on the publicity of this film. Although the film was dominantly portrayed for western audiences with a strong overtone of American nationalism, given the time and place, this was probably the most viable option to spread awareness of the issues.

Looking at the War in Darfur Sudan, although the political unrest and genocide continues to happen, a great proportion of the media and attention it received was due in part of celebrity activism. Some celebrities hoping to stop the conflict in Darfur are George Clooney and Don Cheadle.

This is a compilation of videos of these Hollywood starts hoping to gain global awareness on the crises of Darfur and inspire a humanitarian movement…. 24Hours4Darfur

Although this post took a bit of a political science turn, I still believe that it is relevant to our literary studies of autobiographies and how they are being portrayed, more importantly how they are coming to life. It is undeniable that the Western presence and influence on the world plays a major role in bringing these issues to the global community. I am grateful for the celebrities who genuinely care and take proactive measures for humanitarian aid such as George Clooney and Angelina Jolie. However, it is much more disturbing that we rely on the movements of large figureheads to initiate a movement, or to expand on a smaller movement of cause. Again, we can accredit the West who brings public awareness to issues like the Lost Boys, and the War in Darfur (in this context).