ASTU has been such an experience this year and it is frightening how quickly the school year flew by. In the past year, I have learned a great deal and gathered many memories. Looking back at this academic year, I can confidently say that I have had many ups and downs. ASTU has been a class where I have made many good friends as well as learned many new things and developed previous skills but it has also challenged me in many ways nonetheless I think it will help me a lot with my future at university.

During this class, I have also learned about academic writing. The skills I have learned will help me throughout my entire academic future as it taught me how to write in a scholarly way as well as the principle of academic misconduct. The ASTU course as talked about in class has opened me up too many opportunities such as being a part of the CAPCON as well as learning transferable skills to help me in the future.

A major assignment that I enjoyed this term was the archives group project. I enjoyed working my peers, with new material and producing the wiki page. I had never done anything like it before so it was really nice to try something different and new. Showcasing this work at CAPCON was a great experience and I am proud of the work we produced as a group.

The texts that we have studied in class were very different to texts that I studied in high school and studying a different type of genre was a good experience. It has opened me up to think about topics in new ways and by reading autobiographies, I have learned the significance of individuals sharing their stories through their own personal thoughts and experiences. Missing Sarah was a really interesting narrative for me to read and it made me think about people in different ways. From this, I learned a lot about the downtown east side of Vancouver as well as the missing and indigenous people in BC. Persepolis was another one of my preferred texts we studied and I was intrigued by her graphic narrative of a young girl living in a very challenging situation. This course has further made me think about the representation and reception of the marginalized population and how autobiographies have helped people express themselves.

Overall, I have gained a lot from ASTU and I appreciate all that I have learned. I think this class has definitely extended my personal knowledge. I think I have come a long way in my academic writing as well as an individual and it has set me up well for my future at university.

The time that we live in today revolves largely around technology and the use of social media. Individuals invest lots of their time online and it has come to the point where people have a different version of themselves which they only express online. A world where what we share on a social media site reflects who we are as a person. Recently Facebook has made a major change and introduced further changes to the algorithms used on their cite. They use what is called the ‘echo effect’ where Facebook filters through your likes, comments, posts to find what they think you like and what you don’t like therefore you are feed changes and you are surrounded by news and ideas that you are expected to relate to and like.

This blog will talk about different media sites and how social media changes the way people these days consume news. Social network sites allow people to stay connected to each and there is the ability to share information with a click of a button making it easy and efficient for all users however some use it more than others.

Personally, I don’t often read the daily news about events happening worldwide whilst my dad on the other hand will read the Guardian UK every morning to stay updated. This is a big difference between our two generations as I receive news about event through posts that people have shared on Facebook instead of reading a fuller more in depth description about the world news today on proper news website such as the BBC or the New York Times. Facebook is one of the top media sources that people use to get their news about events as people can view posts that their friends have shared however Facebook has been receiving consumption that wasn’t anticipated

According to the Journalism and Media website, 6 of 10 people in the US get their news on social media websites. Reddit is the most popular followed by Facebook then Twitter. Reddit is a social media platform where they share social news, web content ratings as well as a discussion page where people can contribute by voting on articles or stories and add to a conversation that others have previously
shared. In a study conducted by the American Press Institute, about 9 in 10 say they use Twitter for news daily as one can receive up-to date live updates based on multiple tweets anywhere on their cell phone. Even though snapchat isn’t in the top 3 sources the application has become ever so popular in the recent years and with a new feature they call ‘discover’ where the application combines different social networks, online magazines and news articles it is making it easier for people to stay connected to what is happening. Discover features publications such as the Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, The food Network, The Washington Post, CNN, National geographic and a whole lot more.

Bibliography:

http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/

Graphic novels are an alternate way to share stories. The use of comics is becoming increasingly popular as it is found to be a different and more enjoyable way of reading as it uses a series of separate drawings combined with little text tell a story. Persepolis and Maus both use this medium to share personal experiences of trauma and challenging life events they had been exposed to or have heard of.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic narrative about her childhood years living in Iran during the Iran-Iraq war and the Islamic revolution, It is her “disjuncture in her child’s-eye rendition of trauma” (Chute 98). The novel is composed of about 150 pages of black and white drawn images each telling us a significant memory or experience that Satrapi has chosen to share with the readers. In my opinion, I feel that Satrapi chose to write this novel to share with everyone what it was really like for a child to grow up in Iran at a time of crisis, a first-hand witness to the events going on. Her simplistic and childlike drawings remind us that this is a child sharing with us her the difficulties growing up, it is her perspective of things at the time and her opinions to trauma.

A further analysis by Hillary Chute explores possible concepts as to why Satrapi has made these visual and literary choices. Chute mentions that comics lets the readers feel more involved as if they are “bearing witness” (Chute, 93). Chute states that graphic images about disturbing events engages a reader as it makes them visualize the scenario and puts emphasis on the realness of it. He also talks about the effect having the images only in black and white and not even shades of black (Chute, 98) and the effect this has. This gives us a focus, it does not distract us from what the image is trying to show and in most part it is showing trauma.

Maus by Art Spiegelman, is a graphic narrative about him talking to his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and a holocaust survivor. This comic is more detailed and less childlike, it uses shading as well as the use of animals instead of humans. For example, the Jews are the mice and the Germans are the cats. This adds some humour to the story however the meanings behind them is very much serious and the graphic images shows the view of trauma then from a second generation.

I think the main difference between the way the two comics are showing trauma, is that one was imagined to be from a child’s perspective therefore everything is simple and only black and white whilst the other is of an adult therefore it is more complicated with shades of grey.

One of the most devastating earthquakes hit Haiti on January 12, 2010. ‘The World is Moving Around Me’ by Dany Laferrière is an autobiography that gives the world an eyewitness account to the 7.0 Magnitude earthquake and its disastrous aftermath.

Laferrière write a series of short stories before, during and after the quake based on what has experienced and observed. Throughout the sequences of short stories, Laferrière makes references to the media and the western world, about how media outlets from all over the world were interested in getting the information from the event. In the passage Semantic Battle which is dated after the earthquake, Laferrière gives the history of Haiti and how the Media represents it. Laferrière is asked questions by the Canadian TV and the French TV but he isn’t interested to share his opinions at that moment as he is thinking about how Haiti got to where it is today and because of all the struggles it has faced. To Haitians, Haiti is place where everyone is fighting with energy and dignity as they face challenges, they do not give up no matter what comes before them. Western societies view Haiti as a place which is cursed and full of poverty and corruption. However, these may be true, the people of Haiti are always willing to forget and forgive all.

In his passage January 11, the day before the earthquake Laferrière talks about journalist Chantal Guy and photographer Ivanoh Demers coming to Haiti wanting to see the city through the eyes of Laferrière. The journalists came to Haiti to write about the country however the editor wanted to go deeper and therefore they asked Dany Laferrière to show them his favorite places in the city. The media didn’t want the generic tour of the city they wanted to explore what it is really like to be in a place like Haiti.

A Night of Distress tells us about the scary moment when Laferrière’s wife had heard about the earthquake but had not heard from her husband. The media was asking her questions at a time when she didn’t have any answers, they gave her little privacy and she was even asked if it was okay for her to be recorded.

Laferrière also expresses his concern for who will write about the event in New Art Forms. He states that the earthquake belongs to everyone and therefore anyone can write about it. But who truly gets to essence of what had happened – not someone who hasn’t witnessed it for themselves. Laferrière was there when the earthquake hit and thus has first-hand witnessed the tragic event and was able to see the damage and suffering of the people. From this he is able to write about it in a way which will truly help people, both in Haiti and around the rest of the world to understand the event for themselves.

How society views information and actions can both benefit and harm individuals depending on the situation. Disability refers to ‘the impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental or combinations of these that result in restrictions on an individual’s ability to participate in what is considered “normal” in everyday society’ (Wikipedia) As a disabled individual, you are a minority and are often discriminated against. Thomas Couser’s Signifying Bodies – Rhetoric and Self-representation in Disability Memoir – writes about what it means to be disabled based on narratives by disabled individuals. By allowing disabled people to represent their personal experiences through writing autobiographies it allows them to argue back against stereotypes and to make them feel more like they are part of society and that they belong as they have a ‘high degree of control over their own images’ (Couser, 31)

In the early years’ society has viewed people with disabilities as evil because there was a lack of understanding about how they function and why, but since the 1960’s attitudes have changed and people are understanding more about the topic and don’t view disability as evil (Munyi) but as people who are just considered to be more abnormal than others. In today’s society, lots of people empathize with disabled people and the understand the challenges they face (Helen). However, in general people with disabilities are heavily discriminated against in society. People with disabilities are just like normal people except they have some restrictions on how they are able to behave. Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer is mentioned in Couser’s memoir and she states that good things come to the disabled too, she was able to get ‘married’ and ‘move out’ even though she is diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy (Couser, 42).

Society needs to notice the disabled and understand that they can’t change the way there are, societal barriers should be taken away and they should not be discriminated against because they are more physically or mentally challenged than people without disabilities. Couser tells multiple stories of disabled people; overcoming their struggles of their impairments, living normal lives, people mourning and accepting these impairments as well as people seeking cures. He writes about the social and cultural experiences of living with a disability and being able to write autobiographies and examines the effects of stigma and stereotypes by documenting their lives.

‘Stigma serves to silence the stigmatized’ (Couser, 32)

 Works Cited

Couser, G. Thomas. “Rhetoric and Self-Representation in Disability Memoir.”Signifying Bodies: Disability in Contemporary Life Writing. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan, 2009. 31-48. Print.

“Disability.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Oct. 2016. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

Okobokekeimei, Helen. “People with Disabilities as Social Outcasts: Shifting the Perspective from Victim to Advocate.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

Munyi, Chomba Wa. “Past and Present Perceptions Towards Disability.”Disability Studies Quarterly. N.p., 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2016. <http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/3197/3068>.

The peritext of a cover is very important in catching a reader’s attention. The book cover is the first thing that someone sees when identifying a text. It gives the first reaction and therefore will influence how attracted a person is to the book. The common phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” is widely used and many agree with it however research shows that how a cover looks will in fact in one way or another influence the reader. In this blog post, I will be analyzing the peritext of I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Cockeyed by Ryan Knighton. I will look at the image represented on the cover, as we as the blurbs, comments and the typography of the covers.

Firstly, I will be looking at the autobiography I am Malala written by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb. I feel the cover immediately catches and audiences eye. One way it which it does grasps the attention is by looking at how colour is used to represent a deeper meaning. The pink Malala is wearing shows her femininity and compassion. The bright colours attract a reader and the contrast between the pink and yellow makes the words ‘I am Malala’ stand out. As well as the colours used, another focus of the cover is Malala’s face which is located in the center of the cover with a plain contrasting green background again focusing out attention on her face. Her smile makes the reader feel sympathy for her as she looks so innocent and kind yet the sentence below shows us that there is more to her than her face. The sentence reads ‘The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban’. This contrast appeals to the reader and engages us to want to know more about the situation thus making us read the text. This book is a best-seller and was named the ‘Non-Fiction Book of the Year’ as well as this Malala won a Nobel Peace Prize. The fact that this is placed on the front cover ensures to the reader that it is a good read.

The second autobiography is Cockeyed written by Ryan Knighton. The cover is very simplistic and plain which can imply that ever since Ryan went blind his life has been plain and boring. The central image on the cover is a man who appears to be blind, he is wearing black glasses and is holding a walking stick. It is a mostly in black and white with touches of red. It highly contrasts with Malala in ways of colour, simplicity and attracts a reader in a different way. The back of the book is a blurb with comments from others, it reads a true story of being blind. Ryan does not sugar coat what it’s like to be blind, he states true facts. This draws the reader’s attention as they know the get to know the truth, sometimes being harsh is what readers want to read.

I will be exploring Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young girl by researching and discussing some historical background as well as context based on this memoir. It was set in the early 1940’s when World War II was occurring, the Frank family decided to leave their home in Germany and move to Amsterdam hoping to live a more secure life. By the 1940’s the Franks were stuck in Amsterdam by the German occupation of the Netherlands thus went into hiding.

Anne was the youngest child at 13 years old at the time.  She had recently received a diary to which immediately started writing down her experiences as well thoughts and feelings – she was very attached to it. The diary was written by Anne during her many years in hiding where she was trapped and unable to experience anything in the world, it gave her company, Anne said that “The nicest part is being able to write down all my thoughts and feelings, otherwise I‘d absolutely suffocate” (Anne Frank, 16 March 1944). Anne, unfortunately died at the young age of 15 in a concentration camp back in Germany after being found however the diary was recovered. Anne’s father Otto Frank was the only one of her family to survive once the war ended and managed to get a hold of Anne’s diary. He then wanted to get her diary published, to share this experience with everyone.

Anne’s diary was originally written in German as she could not yet speak a different language when first published it was called “Het Achterhuis” and since has been translated to what we know as Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl or sometimes known as The diary of Anne Frank. It was published in 1947 and translated into English in 1952. Since then it has now been translated into more than 60 different languages such as French and Chinese.

By researching about her story and her experiences I have become very interested. As the text being explored here is a diary it is essentially an autobiography. Autobiographies are really good ways to explore personal feelings and experiences. Anne often wrote in the form of “Dear Kitty” unlike the typical “Dear Diary” as it figuratively allowed her to write and talk to her best friend back home and Germany it allowed her to make some sort of connection. What I find really interesting is Anne’s character. She has a very outgoing personality and at the age of 13 was able to write a text that influenced a great load. One question I would raise is the idea of that there is often a loss in translation. It also links into the idea of globalisation and how ideas spread across the globe instantly.

Works Cited:

• Stichting, Anne Frank. “The Story of Anne Frank: Anne Frank, the Writer.” Anne Frank House. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/A-diary-as-a-best-friend/Anne-Frank-the-writer/>.
• “The Diary of a Young Girl.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Sept. 2016. Web. 17 Sept. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl#Format>.
• Stichting, Anne Frank. “The Story of Anne Frank: The Story in Brief.” Anne Frank House. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/Anne-Franks-history-in-brief/>.