Class Reflection

This class has offered a buffet of knowledge equally delectable but uniquely prepared in comparison to more conventional classroom spreads. Coming out of Thanksgiving dinner, food is still on my mind :). Through the utilization of blogging opposed to written assignments students are given the opportunity to prepare classroom responses in an environmentally friendly way. Also more significantly I have found that blogging has increased my technological literacy, and heightened the overall feedback received on assignments which has immeasurably helped me to develop ideas through suggested avenues and improve as a writer. In regards to subject matter the food for thought presented in this class has been delicious! Before taking this class I had never been exposed to the idea of comic books as presented by Scott Mccloud. I had predispositions about this mode of representation that were shattered. I learned many things through this process. I have learned to appreciate graphic novels for what they are, beautiful, artistic creations, mature in nature, which open up a new world of literary expression. Multimodality is another term which has now established a permanent place in my mental archives. Overall I have grown as a writer and come out of this class, fattened and rather plump with new ideas and lenses in which to view the surrounding world. I believe this class has lived up to its title and provided new interpretive perspectives for us all to consider when analyzing literature in our future pursuits.

The sandman

Gaiman' text compares to Shakespeare's text in a variety of ways but I think the most substantial correlation that can be made is the plot runs almost parallel to A Midsummer Night's Dream.
At first glance it is conspicuous that both modes of representation; the classic play and the graphic story incorporate fairy creatures, and other elements of the fantastical enchanted forest where all goes array in the name of love. I do think that the graphic form of representation is more comprehensive than the play's written form which contains befuddling words that are no longer used in contemporary language. The pictures also help to serve an explanatory function. Overall I have not had the chance to explore Gaiman's adaptation to the extent that I could formulate a definitive judgement on its nature but from what I have seen thus farNeil Gaiman's adapatation richens the level of understanding.

My fellow classmates (catching up on blog)

My fellow classmates,
I got sick with a flu Sunday night :( I am sorry I couldn't make it to class on Monday. Below is my take on one of the relationships involved in Shakespeare's play. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone would like to provide any feedback/ fill me in about the classroom discussion I went through some of the blogs posted and left a few comments :).

I found that after reading A Midsummer Night's Dream that the social dynamics involved were rather intriguing. Out of the many relationships/ connections interwoven into the story I found one to be resonating due to its often unfortunate incorporation into the real world. Helena and Demetrius represent a rather cliche association to each other. The whole commonly illustrated concept of wanting what you can't have . Helena wants Demetrius and Demetrius desires Hermia who's heart is irrevocably given to Lysander. What a captivating conundrum :)But fortunately in the end, thanks to the efforts of the meddling fairies. Demetrius and Helena find what they want in each other... a sublime ending to a semi fairy tale.

Ideas for thesis

I have a few ideas floating around in my mind but none that have emphatically shouted, " I'm what you should write your paper about!!!" Initially I thought about writing my paper on the conflict of war and how it instigates one to develop their sense of personal identity. I was going to explore not only literary works, but psychological theories on identity along with memoirs and autobiographical pieces on growing up in during war. The one thing holding me back from adopting this topic is the fact it is massive!!

Conversing Texts and Identity

   The panels I choose to consider reside on pages 14-15. In these panels Marjane is listening in on her parents conversation in the next room they are discussing the burning of the Cinema. All of the people were locked inside and chains were put on the doors so they could not escape and then the building was set on fire; it claimed 400 victims. This event is similar to the lines in, I explain a Few Things by Pablo Neruda " one morning the bonfires leapt out of the earth devouring human beings..."These two texts conduct a lively conversation due to the experiences which are described. In Pablo Neruda's poem the slaying of children is powerfully mentioned and it is described that their blood ran in the streets. This converses with Persepolis because the protaganist also indirectly observes the death of children soldiers and family members. She is cognizant of the fact that the ghostly blood of those who died for the war hovers over Iranian soldier. In furtherance of this Pablo neruda is conspicuously changed by the war as is Marjane. In his poem he says that people will ask why he does not speak of flowers and dreams, he responds by saying " come and see the blood in the streets." His world view has changed as a result of the horrific things he has been witness to, he can non longer identify with the more delicate aspects of life on the same level he could before the war occured and in this way the conflict of war has " forged" his identity.

Blankets

The three specific panels/areas I found to be intriguing are pgs 28-29, 206-209. on pages 28-29 the abuse subjected on Craig and his brother is revealed. I believe this is a truly powerful passage depicting the childhood foundation that was established and ultimately compelled Craig to want to escape by drawing and becoming fervently religious. As a child it is evident that this babysitter made sexual acts seem "dirty" and on page 208-209 this muddying up of an almost innate often transitional part of life is further depicted in a more emphatic way. The uncertainty Craig feels when thinking about Raina, and acts of fornication is stemmed from his religious beliefs and the traumatic childhood he endured. The second panel I choose to consider is when he regresses back to his child hood and recalls the shame he felt after his parents caught him drawing a picture of a women; nude. His parent's tell him that drawing such a picture has saddened Jesus. He looks at the picture of Jesus and begs for forgiveness while being haunted by the naked female. A second later he is transported back the present as the naked girl haunting his memories transforms into Raina and he realizes he is in her room. It is almost as though the reader can feel the shame he experienced during his childhood reach out and stretch across time, spanning vividly into his adolescence..

I choose these four pages for a multitude of reasons, I found them to be interesting parts of Craiogs story but more significantly they aid in understanding the young man Craig evolves into. These excerpts illustrate why Craig is reluctant to engage in intimacy with Raina, why he feels ashamed for harboring such thoughts, and where his internal struggle originated from.

There is a very lively conversation going on between the two texts most recently explored. Both of the protagonists are going through an internal struggle between what is natural to them and what they have been taught through life experiences and religion. Both are struggling to accept themselves in their own implicit worlds where their sexual desires are stigmatized.

I find the way the story commences to be intriguing. It starts out with a story of the ideal American family playing like a broken record. Jane lives in a beautiful green and white house, she has two parents and a cat and they are all very happy. Her mother is nice and her father is strong. Jane is perfect and has a kitten and a dog. It appears as though Jane is the perfect contrast of Pecola Breedlove. Jane has security. Pecola has none. The first chapter is a titled from a line from this song, the song most of us hear as a painful backround to our lives......to be cont'd