Big Paper Topic
How history is portrayed in Graphic Novels.
The question is GN considered literature and my answer is yes. I used the Webster depiction of literature to draw my conclusion. I said that to segue into my Big Paper topic of how GN portrays historical events. Almost all the GN I happen to read had a strong emphasis on history whether subtle or blatant. I love history all forms (world, local, marine, and music etc..)
Persepolis is about a young woman coming of age in Iran. GN novelist, Marjane Satrapi portrayal of life under the repressive regime of Shah of Iran. The executions and the morality as ridiculous as it sounds now but it was a reality back in 1970’s and 80’s. I remember the hostage crisis and the tension Americans felt toward Muslim similar to what is going on now with the Taliban.
In Ethel & Ernest which is my favorite GN. Raymond Briggs incorporates history as a subtle background in his memoir about his parents. His parents meet and marry in 1930 and there is a scène on page 11 where his parents are peeking in the bathroom admiring the porcelain claw foot tub in awe. On page 74 his parents get their first house phone and his mother is afraid to answer it. Briggs doesn’t beat you over the head with history but its there for example his parents like mine were affected in different ways by World War II. Briggs memoir would be just a sweet love story of life, love and death but he wisely infuses historical references through out the novel to make it more real and intimate not mention educational.
Fun House by Allison Bechdel is another personal memoir in first narrative about growing up in a dysfunctional home with secrets. Unlike the other GN l mentioned historical references are not as blatant you really had to look and seek them out. An example would be the style of clothing the characters wore would point to 1970’s.m (pg15). The orphan dress and later in the novel the suits jackets with the huge butterfly collars. Bechdel description of her parent’s avant-garde pre- children lifestyle speaks of the 1960’s (pg 70-75). Then there is the whole issue around her father’s homosexuality. It would be easy to blame his desire for secrecy on the sign of the times, however it appeared to more complex that just society wasn’t ready for a gay man. If it were 2007 her father would have still struggled with his sexuality.
Over all I think GN when done well serve as great and informative way of portraying
Monday, August 20, 2007
Final Exam
Graphic Novel Final Exam
Using p126 of McCloud as a reference/ guide, define the line style of one of the graphic novels you have read SINCE the midterm. How does the line style impact the storytelling of that specific GN?
Based on McClouds description of line style l am going use GN Ethel & Ernest as an example of creative line style that impacts the story and grabs the reader. McCloud gives an example of Graphic Novelist Eisner modern work of full range of lines styles captions a full range of moods and emotions. The example shows a character with a much defined features and iconic. In Ethel & Ernest the graphics are a combination of the particular styles with a mixture of R Crumbs (neurotic quill lines of modern adulthood) The line style depict a calmness (McCloud pg 124) In Ethel & Ernest (pg 18-21) the line style is steady left to right and easy to follow and the facial features are somewhat more obscure but as the characters age their faces take on the aging lines and the thinning hair.
#3
I believe that using first person narrative voice has a stronger impact on the reader and the material. When the author is first person point of view he is using his own voice. Because he is using his own voice it creates an immediate bond with the reader. The reader feels that they are involved in intimate conversation with the narrator and privy to their inner most secrets. In the GN Fun Home, Allison Bechdel takes the reader into her private domain of her dysfunctional family. As the reader l feel she is using her voice to share with me perhaps things she has only divulged to her therapist. On pg 94-95 Bechdel describes her Fathers peculiar relationship with young, good-looking neighborhood boys who he hires as yard workers and babysitters. You can sympathize with her as a young girl smart enough to really know what is going but the family ignores the elephant in the living room and is reluctant to connect the dots.
The one drawback of first person narrative is you have to wonder if they are telling the whole truth or their version of the facts. Are they a reliable narrator? In my own family of six sibling we often reminisce about childhood events and all of us have differing opinion on the same thing. So you have to weigh it against what might have really happened. In GN novel Ethel & Ernest again the same issues arises is Raymond Briggs a reliable narrator since he is an only child and both parents are deceased? I would say yes because how you view things is your own personal truth. The memoirs might be subjective to the narrator but the world history events are reliable because their facts for example in Ethel & Ernest on pg 74 he describes with humor his parents reaction to getting their first telephone. I believe it happen the way he described it. Overall l am in support of first person narrator as a reliable source when telling a story.
#4 Using McClouds description of creation l will explore American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.
1) Idea/Prose: Yang idea is to use a style similar in Aesop Fable where he uses a mixture of human’s and animals to tell his story around self-acceptance and prejudice.
2) Form: Yang uses comic’s book style and format. He also has three stories that appear to be unrelated although of a similar theme but he skillfully connects all three stories together to make a great Aesop morality fable.
3) Idiom: The genre is fable or beast tale.
4) Structure: McClouds definition is bringing it all together and how to compose it. As l read the GN I and the feeling that Yang structure started out as a regular comic book with simple sequence and it later metamorphosed to include the animals and the theme around transformers. He was able to take three stories and merge them into one big story. Personally l dont think when he began writing that was his intent but he used his creative energy to pull it all together.
5) Craft: (Include applying skills, practical knowledge, invention and problem solving) In a nutshell this means to me that the writer has to pull it all together to male it work.
6) Surface: McCloud uses an apple as a example of what he means by surface. Apples look good on the outside their shiny and waxed to look attractive so the consumer will buy them. However you can bite into one and yuk its hollow and no taste. Just a pretty package but nothing more. A GN can be glossy and made to look enticing to the buyer however it has no substance no literary value. The writer failed to concentrate on the craft, idea and form. It’s not a complete package. American Born Chinese has it moments. Originally l wasn’t impressed at all with the story. My thoughts were ok this GN about Asian American youth looking for self acceptance. However Yang took time to cultivate all the steps (1-6) which drew me the reader page after page. The GN actually had multi-layered messages on morality and self acceptance.
Are GN/Comics literature?
Literature is defined according to Webster Dictionary as:
All writings In prose or verse of an imaginative character.
All such writings having permanent value, excellent form.
All writings of a particular time, country.
Using the Webster definition I would say yes some GN are considered literature. In this class almost all the GN I’ve read would fall into the category of literature. I have read Ethel and Ernest and using the Webster definition this is literature. The GN is based the memoir of Raymond Briggs parents. The story evolves against the backdrop of world events. I also read Persepolis another memoir of a young woman coming of age in Iran.
Although these GN are in comic book genre is definitely not light weight fluff. Novelist Sara Ryan (The Rules for Hearts) pointed out there has been many forms of art that have not received proper respect. I am of the school of thought that if a person picks up a classic novel or comic book their engaged in reading and its an opportunity to broaden their horizon and who are we to judge what constitutes “real” reading or fluff. Those that argue against GN as literature are guilty of being literaturey snobs. As young adult novelist Cecil Castelluci wondered, why cant comics are both. It is literature and it’s taught in literature, and it is fine art, and taught in fine art department.
Using p126 of McCloud as a reference/ guide, define the line style of one of the graphic novels you have read SINCE the midterm. How does the line style impact the storytelling of that specific GN?
Based on McClouds description of line style l am going use GN Ethel & Ernest as an example of creative line style that impacts the story and grabs the reader. McCloud gives an example of Graphic Novelist Eisner modern work of full range of lines styles captions a full range of moods and emotions. The example shows a character with a much defined features and iconic. In Ethel & Ernest the graphics are a combination of the particular styles with a mixture of R Crumbs (neurotic quill lines of modern adulthood) The line style depict a calmness (McCloud pg 124) In Ethel & Ernest (pg 18-21) the line style is steady left to right and easy to follow and the facial features are somewhat more obscure but as the characters age their faces take on the aging lines and the thinning hair.
#3
I believe that using first person narrative voice has a stronger impact on the reader and the material. When the author is first person point of view he is using his own voice. Because he is using his own voice it creates an immediate bond with the reader. The reader feels that they are involved in intimate conversation with the narrator and privy to their inner most secrets. In the GN Fun Home, Allison Bechdel takes the reader into her private domain of her dysfunctional family. As the reader l feel she is using her voice to share with me perhaps things she has only divulged to her therapist. On pg 94-95 Bechdel describes her Fathers peculiar relationship with young, good-looking neighborhood boys who he hires as yard workers and babysitters. You can sympathize with her as a young girl smart enough to really know what is going but the family ignores the elephant in the living room and is reluctant to connect the dots.
The one drawback of first person narrative is you have to wonder if they are telling the whole truth or their version of the facts. Are they a reliable narrator? In my own family of six sibling we often reminisce about childhood events and all of us have differing opinion on the same thing. So you have to weigh it against what might have really happened. In GN novel Ethel & Ernest again the same issues arises is Raymond Briggs a reliable narrator since he is an only child and both parents are deceased? I would say yes because how you view things is your own personal truth. The memoirs might be subjective to the narrator but the world history events are reliable because their facts for example in Ethel & Ernest on pg 74 he describes with humor his parents reaction to getting their first telephone. I believe it happen the way he described it. Overall l am in support of first person narrator as a reliable source when telling a story.
#4 Using McClouds description of creation l will explore American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.
1) Idea/Prose: Yang idea is to use a style similar in Aesop Fable where he uses a mixture of human’s and animals to tell his story around self-acceptance and prejudice.
2) Form: Yang uses comic’s book style and format. He also has three stories that appear to be unrelated although of a similar theme but he skillfully connects all three stories together to make a great Aesop morality fable.
3) Idiom: The genre is fable or beast tale.
4) Structure: McClouds definition is bringing it all together and how to compose it. As l read the GN I and the feeling that Yang structure started out as a regular comic book with simple sequence and it later metamorphosed to include the animals and the theme around transformers. He was able to take three stories and merge them into one big story. Personally l dont think when he began writing that was his intent but he used his creative energy to pull it all together.
5) Craft: (Include applying skills, practical knowledge, invention and problem solving) In a nutshell this means to me that the writer has to pull it all together to male it work.
6) Surface: McCloud uses an apple as a example of what he means by surface. Apples look good on the outside their shiny and waxed to look attractive so the consumer will buy them. However you can bite into one and yuk its hollow and no taste. Just a pretty package but nothing more. A GN can be glossy and made to look enticing to the buyer however it has no substance no literary value. The writer failed to concentrate on the craft, idea and form. It’s not a complete package. American Born Chinese has it moments. Originally l wasn’t impressed at all with the story. My thoughts were ok this GN about Asian American youth looking for self acceptance. However Yang took time to cultivate all the steps (1-6) which drew me the reader page after page. The GN actually had multi-layered messages on morality and self acceptance.
Are GN/Comics literature?
Literature is defined according to Webster Dictionary as:
All writings In prose or verse of an imaginative character.
All such writings having permanent value, excellent form.
All writings of a particular time, country.
Using the Webster definition I would say yes some GN are considered literature. In this class almost all the GN I’ve read would fall into the category of literature. I have read Ethel and Ernest and using the Webster definition this is literature. The GN is based the memoir of Raymond Briggs parents. The story evolves against the backdrop of world events. I also read Persepolis another memoir of a young woman coming of age in Iran.
Although these GN are in comic book genre is definitely not light weight fluff. Novelist Sara Ryan (The Rules for Hearts) pointed out there has been many forms of art that have not received proper respect. I am of the school of thought that if a person picks up a classic novel or comic book their engaged in reading and its an opportunity to broaden their horizon and who are we to judge what constitutes “real” reading or fluff. Those that argue against GN as literature are guilty of being literaturey snobs. As young adult novelist Cecil Castelluci wondered, why cant comics are both. It is literature and it’s taught in literature, and it is fine art, and taught in fine art department.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
erican Born Chinese
This a cool story about self acceptance. I originally read only two stories not realizing that all three of the stories are inter-related so l had to go back and read the stories in sequence which I didn’t mind because it tied it all together. The first story is about a boy name All Jin Wang who is new to school (Mayflower Elementary) Get It) and his teacher introduces as the kid from China when he is actually from San Francisco. His classmates due to their inbred ignorance right away want to know if he eats dogs; however the teacher with her big mall hair reminds the students that I’m sure his family stops this culinary practice before they got here to USA. All Wang wants to is assimilate and be one the crowd. Then a new Chinese student arrives and sees in Wang a chance for friendship which Wang at first doesn’t want because the new kid is a reminder of his difference. As an African American I can relate to this experience especially if you’re the only one in your class. However I always seen other people of color as comrades not cast offs. They forge a strong bond while playing with transformers. Transformers are toys which appear to be one thing and can be twisted and manipulate into a totally different character.
The author is a genius at using metaphors especially as a tool to segue into the next story. The next is on e I originally skipped over because I didn’t realize he important tie in with the other two stories. This story is about a monkey who tries to crash a dinner arty and he so certain he is on the “It” list that it comes as quite a shock when he told he cant come in because he doesn’t have on any shoes. He proceeds to give all his so called credentials as why he should be accepted but to no avail. Again the theme around fitting in and also learning to love the skin your in is prominent. There is a scene pg 20 when is directly returns to his cave and the smell of monkey is strong and until then he had never notice it. That is how it feels for those I the minority as long as your in your safe, secure enclave of familiar folks you don’t really recognize your difference as a negative. I grew up in a low income housing project and I was surrounding by a great supportive community of people who cared and protective each other. It wasn’t until I went to school and my teachers, peers discovered where l lived that it began to dawn on me that l am different in there eyes. Or as my cousin who grew up poor said “l didn’t know I was poor until the kids at school made fun of my Value Village winter coat, until then I was proud of my coat it had fur and looked good after that I didn’t want to wear it again because of what it symbolized” The same can be said for youth these days and their desire for expensive tennis shoes it means they fit in. The great Monkey King declares everyone must wear shoes and on page 61 there is a very humorous picture of one of the monkeys with shoes on his ears and the Great Monkey Kng struts past and inform “you feet little one your feet”.
The sequence of this GN is that the three stories flow interchangeably… you have story of Wang then Monkey Kind then the story of Chin Kee then back and forth. The Monkey demands an audience with the great Tze-Yo-Tzuh where he challenges him and his authority. This parable reminds me of the stories in the bible. I saw Tze-Yo-Tzuh as God and Monkey King as maybe David. Monkey King tries to out smart Tzuh and he remind him that he formed him it he gives him power. This reminds me of Psalms 139 when God reminds David that before you were born l formed you I know your every thought there is no place you can go from me.
The next story is about two boys names Danny and Chin Kee who are cousins so were led to believe. Danny wants to fit it by any means necessary and he usually does until once a year his cousin Chin Kee arrives. The author made Chin Kee into a painful stereotype of a Chinese with buck teeth, crazy hair and horrendous English. As I was reading it I felt my own stomach quench Chin Kee is so not politically correct and that is exactly the point the author is trying to convey. On one hand you have the American Chinese who if was for his eyes and skin color would fit right no questions asked but then there is always that slanted eyed, dark skinned relative that appears when you least expect them to. Again I can relate to this because l has great aunts who passed for white during the early century. Only one had children but the other married a white man and feared that black blood would rise up sort like Chin Kee and ruin everything. Chin Kee is really Danny’s conscious. It isn’t until later that the reader begins to see how all three stories are linked together. Danny and Chin Kee duke it out and when Danny belts him a good one Chin Kee heads flies off to reveal his true identity the Great Monkey King and Danny is really Jin Wang? the guy from Jr High (follow me? I’m getting confused myself) The Monkey King is the father of Wei-Chen – Danny’s friend from Jr high. Whew! Just trying to explain that sequence confused me even more.
As I end the graphics in this Novel where off the hook, now I know that isn’t an academic term but the split panels and white backgrounds add so much to story line. The author not only is a gifted storyteller but an amazing artist.
The major themes: Self Acceptance and Love thy neighbor became you never who/how you will need that person.
This is a books that can be enjoyed by all age old enough read and grasp a storyline.
This a cool story about self acceptance. I originally read only two stories not realizing that all three of the stories are inter-related so l had to go back and read the stories in sequence which I didn’t mind because it tied it all together. The first story is about a boy name All Jin Wang who is new to school (Mayflower Elementary) Get It) and his teacher introduces as the kid from China when he is actually from San Francisco. His classmates due to their inbred ignorance right away want to know if he eats dogs; however the teacher with her big mall hair reminds the students that I’m sure his family stops this culinary practice before they got here to USA. All Wang wants to is assimilate and be one the crowd. Then a new Chinese student arrives and sees in Wang a chance for friendship which Wang at first doesn’t want because the new kid is a reminder of his difference. As an African American I can relate to this experience especially if you’re the only one in your class. However I always seen other people of color as comrades not cast offs. They forge a strong bond while playing with transformers. Transformers are toys which appear to be one thing and can be twisted and manipulate into a totally different character.
The author is a genius at using metaphors especially as a tool to segue into the next story. The next is on e I originally skipped over because I didn’t realize he important tie in with the other two stories. This story is about a monkey who tries to crash a dinner arty and he so certain he is on the “It” list that it comes as quite a shock when he told he cant come in because he doesn’t have on any shoes. He proceeds to give all his so called credentials as why he should be accepted but to no avail. Again the theme around fitting in and also learning to love the skin your in is prominent. There is a scene pg 20 when is directly returns to his cave and the smell of monkey is strong and until then he had never notice it. That is how it feels for those I the minority as long as your in your safe, secure enclave of familiar folks you don’t really recognize your difference as a negative. I grew up in a low income housing project and I was surrounding by a great supportive community of people who cared and protective each other. It wasn’t until I went to school and my teachers, peers discovered where l lived that it began to dawn on me that l am different in there eyes. Or as my cousin who grew up poor said “l didn’t know I was poor until the kids at school made fun of my Value Village winter coat, until then I was proud of my coat it had fur and looked good after that I didn’t want to wear it again because of what it symbolized” The same can be said for youth these days and their desire for expensive tennis shoes it means they fit in. The great Monkey King declares everyone must wear shoes and on page 61 there is a very humorous picture of one of the monkeys with shoes on his ears and the Great Monkey Kng struts past and inform “you feet little one your feet”.
The sequence of this GN is that the three stories flow interchangeably… you have story of Wang then Monkey Kind then the story of Chin Kee then back and forth. The Monkey demands an audience with the great Tze-Yo-Tzuh where he challenges him and his authority. This parable reminds me of the stories in the bible. I saw Tze-Yo-Tzuh as God and Monkey King as maybe David. Monkey King tries to out smart Tzuh and he remind him that he formed him it he gives him power. This reminds me of Psalms 139 when God reminds David that before you were born l formed you I know your every thought there is no place you can go from me.
The next story is about two boys names Danny and Chin Kee who are cousins so were led to believe. Danny wants to fit it by any means necessary and he usually does until once a year his cousin Chin Kee arrives. The author made Chin Kee into a painful stereotype of a Chinese with buck teeth, crazy hair and horrendous English. As I was reading it I felt my own stomach quench Chin Kee is so not politically correct and that is exactly the point the author is trying to convey. On one hand you have the American Chinese who if was for his eyes and skin color would fit right no questions asked but then there is always that slanted eyed, dark skinned relative that appears when you least expect them to. Again I can relate to this because l has great aunts who passed for white during the early century. Only one had children but the other married a white man and feared that black blood would rise up sort like Chin Kee and ruin everything. Chin Kee is really Danny’s conscious. It isn’t until later that the reader begins to see how all three stories are linked together. Danny and Chin Kee duke it out and when Danny belts him a good one Chin Kee heads flies off to reveal his true identity the Great Monkey King and Danny is really Jin Wang? the guy from Jr High (follow me? I’m getting confused myself) The Monkey King is the father of Wei-Chen – Danny’s friend from Jr high. Whew! Just trying to explain that sequence confused me even more.
As I end the graphics in this Novel where off the hook, now I know that isn’t an academic term but the split panels and white backgrounds add so much to story line. The author not only is a gifted storyteller but an amazing artist.
The major themes: Self Acceptance and Love thy neighbor became you never who/how you will need that person.
This is a books that can be enjoyed by all age old enough read and grasp a storyline.
Monday, August 6, 2007
earning from the Sequence: The Use of Comics in Instruction
I read this article twice and in order for me to blog intelligenlty l need to marniate on it and get back to you all. It propose some intersting questions and theories. Since l work in a school l'm always looking at creative ways to engage students into learning. Stay tuned l promise
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Tsunami! Review
I read this GN about two weeks and i re-read again. It wasn't until i re-read it that i realize there are a few stories within a story in this piece. Personally the story line sucked me in because it was easy and also very compelling story about surviving one the greatest catastrophes of my life time. The graphic pictures of the woman running for her life were realistic as if i was watching them in real time.
This GN reads like a anthology of short stories, a travel write-up, a narrative news story and a bunch of mumbo jumbo all rolled into on piece. It sounds like I'm putting Tsunami down but actually I'm not. I read it with an open mind. I took a class at Antioch called Narrating Change and the whole class was on the power of telling stories. Stories can be a catharsis to healing and redemption or simple tales deep within us that we want to pull out and place on paper.
Truthfully at times Tsunami got a little confusing with different styles of writing, an example is you start off reading a graphic novel with pictures in sequential order then he drifts to a more traditional approach of story telling then he uses summaries (pg6) then he switches back to comic book format then he switches to a completely different story so as a reader your following along to where this will lead.
I didnt even know that he was relaying a tale about drug smuggling until i did a web search? (probably just me). Anyhow i facilitate a girls group at the elementary school where i work and several of the girls are into Mango and graphic novels and I wont to introduce them to prospect of creating their own work and Halls Tsunami is a good start because it is simplistic enough for them to follow not so much the contents but the layout and graphics. Actually I get excited because l got a feeling these girls will be awesome at this kind of stuff. Peace.
This GN reads like a anthology of short stories, a travel write-up, a narrative news story and a bunch of mumbo jumbo all rolled into on piece. It sounds like I'm putting Tsunami down but actually I'm not. I read it with an open mind. I took a class at Antioch called Narrating Change and the whole class was on the power of telling stories. Stories can be a catharsis to healing and redemption or simple tales deep within us that we want to pull out and place on paper.
Truthfully at times Tsunami got a little confusing with different styles of writing, an example is you start off reading a graphic novel with pictures in sequential order then he drifts to a more traditional approach of story telling then he uses summaries (pg6) then he switches back to comic book format then he switches to a completely different story so as a reader your following along to where this will lead.
I didnt even know that he was relaying a tale about drug smuggling until i did a web search? (probably just me). Anyhow i facilitate a girls group at the elementary school where i work and several of the girls are into Mango and graphic novels and I wont to introduce them to prospect of creating their own work and Halls Tsunami is a good start because it is simplistic enough for them to follow not so much the contents but the layout and graphics. Actually I get excited because l got a feeling these girls will be awesome at this kind of stuff. Peace.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis
I couldn’t put this book down. This memoir reminded of the power of storytelling and the affects it has n its readers.
This is memoir by Marjane Satrapi about growing up in Iran before, during and after the fall of Iran. She recalls her childhood with humor and straight up honesty she doesn’t pull any punches. The story is set in Persepolis Greek for “city of Persians” she lives her parents among a large extended family. Her parents are very modern with Marxist political affiliations. I don’t want to turn this into a book report just yet so I’m going to take a diversion real quick.
One of the questions asks on our midterm was do GN represent history accurately? I would say yes GN doe show us a side of history as told the eyes of the narrator. I remember the Iran conflict well. Satrapi story is similar to a book l read last year Bookshop of Kabul and Goya’s Story about female’s coming of age in Kabul during the oppressive regime. She recalls how she was stopped by the fashion police (that’s not their name but it was just as ridiculous) for not wearing appropriate Muslim clothing. At the time Satrapi had on air Jordon’s, jean jacket with a Michael Jackson button she used humor to try to get out trouble stating that the button represented Malcolm X(black Muslim leader) no go they were ready to take her down to police station and flog her, instead they gave her a stern lecture about being a whore and a slut.
Satrapi’s story appears to be a typical coming of age memoir. In one scene she describes how she wants an Iron Madden poster and cool shoes and then the next scene describes running for cover from the falling bombs. This novel is first person narrator so all the events are from Satrapi point of view. Her narrative style of story is both humorous and profound. One example are her on going dialogues with God who she graphically portrays as all –knowing wise man with a long white beard who appears to her nightly. She also does a realistic job of painting a picture of classis among their culture (Iran). I work with a lady who grew up in Persia and she has told me basically the same things Satrapi talks about such as middle class and educated Persians are very selective about who they marry, associate with and its ingrained so even if you want to branch out its hard because its an unspoken expectation.
This was both a visually appealing GN as well as emotional page turner. There are scenes in this GN that are quite hard to take in. For example on pg 105 of one of their friends being flogged with a whip for planning a party (under the new regime parties were forbiddance) and pg 51 shows her Uncle being tortured and branded with an iron. Whew, that was hard to look at. History can be ugly and makes uncomfortable but the truth must be told. Satrapi states the “images are a way of writing. When you have talent to both it seems a shame to have to choose. I think it better to do both” Satrapi does it very well combing graphics with a strong story liner.
I couldn’t put this book down. This memoir reminded of the power of storytelling and the affects it has n its readers.
This is memoir by Marjane Satrapi about growing up in Iran before, during and after the fall of Iran. She recalls her childhood with humor and straight up honesty she doesn’t pull any punches. The story is set in Persepolis Greek for “city of Persians” she lives her parents among a large extended family. Her parents are very modern with Marxist political affiliations. I don’t want to turn this into a book report just yet so I’m going to take a diversion real quick.
One of the questions asks on our midterm was do GN represent history accurately? I would say yes GN doe show us a side of history as told the eyes of the narrator. I remember the Iran conflict well. Satrapi story is similar to a book l read last year Bookshop of Kabul and Goya’s Story about female’s coming of age in Kabul during the oppressive regime. She recalls how she was stopped by the fashion police (that’s not their name but it was just as ridiculous) for not wearing appropriate Muslim clothing. At the time Satrapi had on air Jordon’s, jean jacket with a Michael Jackson button she used humor to try to get out trouble stating that the button represented Malcolm X(black Muslim leader) no go they were ready to take her down to police station and flog her, instead they gave her a stern lecture about being a whore and a slut.
Satrapi’s story appears to be a typical coming of age memoir. In one scene she describes how she wants an Iron Madden poster and cool shoes and then the next scene describes running for cover from the falling bombs. This novel is first person narrator so all the events are from Satrapi point of view. Her narrative style of story is both humorous and profound. One example are her on going dialogues with God who she graphically portrays as all –knowing wise man with a long white beard who appears to her nightly. She also does a realistic job of painting a picture of classis among their culture (Iran). I work with a lady who grew up in Persia and she has told me basically the same things Satrapi talks about such as middle class and educated Persians are very selective about who they marry, associate with and its ingrained so even if you want to branch out its hard because its an unspoken expectation.
This was both a visually appealing GN as well as emotional page turner. There are scenes in this GN that are quite hard to take in. For example on pg 105 of one of their friends being flogged with a whip for planning a party (under the new regime parties were forbiddance) and pg 51 shows her Uncle being tortured and branded with an iron. Whew, that was hard to look at. History can be ugly and makes uncomfortable but the truth must be told. Satrapi states the “images are a way of writing. When you have talent to both it seems a shame to have to choose. I think it better to do both” Satrapi does it very well combing graphics with a strong story liner.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Update on new GN and my trip to Zandua Comics
I made down to Zandua Comics on 3rd ave and what a fun experience. The book store has such ambience's. All the customers i seen with exception myself all looked like comic fanatics. Emily is the owner and she was real helpful. l told her i was interested in GN by women and she gave me her picks. So i brought Persepolis and an Anthology of women GN and i cant wait to begin. I plan on going back next week when i can really spend time and look around. I love book stores especially the funky/hip stores.
I just begun reading the GN Persepolis and so far I like it. The graphics are very basic but powerful. there is one scene where she is describing how Shah of Iran killed 400 students during a protest and she demonstrates the horror with a childlike drawing of ghost descending to heaven. I've only read about 30 pages so far but l can tell this is my kind of GN (history,politics, memoir)
I just begun reading the GN Persepolis and so far I like it. The graphics are very basic but powerful. there is one scene where she is describing how Shah of Iran killed 400 students during a protest and she demonstrates the horror with a childlike drawing of ghost descending to heaven. I've only read about 30 pages so far but l can tell this is my kind of GN (history,politics, memoir)
Friday, July 20, 2007
Mid Term July 20,007
Tracey Thompson
Graphic Novels
Mid Term Exam
Describe the different art & writing styles of graphic novels you have examined so far. How are the styles similar/or different.
I would describe the graphics in Ethel & Ernest as lush- this my own term in my reading of McCloud he doesn’t use this term on his chapter on vocabulary. Both authors in my graphic novels used first person point of view along with narrative story telling. Fun Home I noticed the frame narrative approach which is a story line within a story. There is a scene in GN where the mother is reading for a play and the material is similar to her life at that moment. (Craig l loaned my book to classmate so I can’t give page #). Both novels I read used interior monologue especially in Fun Home where the narrator is having conversations within herself. Using McCloud picture plane on page 52/53 I would say that Blechdel is in middle and Briggs is toward the lower because his character were more abstract with the facial features were not that defined as in Fun Home where the facial expression were explicit down to the age lines in the parents faces to the style of clothing.
What/How does gender play in the narrative of Graphic Novels
(Plot, character, narrative point of view
In both GN I read both dealt with issues around gender and their roles in the lives of the characters. In Ethel and Ernest is a first person point of view memoir by Raymond Briggs about his parents lives set in early 1920 and ends with their deaths in 1970’s.
The gender issues is subtle, with a strong connection to history
. For example before his parents met his mother worked as a maid and his father worked as delivery man. After their marriage his mother quit work and it wasn’t until the war that she went back to work. During WWII with the men at war and the need for labor many women went to work in factories and airplane plants. On page 51 she announce to her husband that she has been promoted from warehouse to office clerk and they both celebrate. I don’t see any tension around her working outside of home what is illustrated that although she was a working woman the sequences show her doing a lot of housework (washing clothes manually, pressing clothes with old fashion steam iron pg 66 etc..) while her Ernest sat smoking and reading the paper or listening to radio.
Fun Home the gender roles are defiantly more controversial. It also a memoir by Alison Bechdel about her life. The story is told from first point of view which creates questions around how reliable of a narrator is she? Her voice is the only point of view we the reader can draw on. The novel is set in a rural town on the East Coast during the 1960-1970’s.
From page one it is clear without fore knowledge that there is something peculiar about her father. It isn’t stated what those issues are until later but based on the dialogue and graphics such as scenes of father in short shorts, hanging pictures and shining and totally absorbed in decorating the house and making it look like at how piece that her father isn’t the typical father? The sequences show her mother the exact opposite, totally not involved in the care and upkeep of her father. Actually through out the memoir Blechdel has painted a picture of her mother as a bored housewife with ambition of being a great theater actress and l feel kind of a free spirit. She portrays herself as a tomboy (short hair cut, athlete)When you consider the social construct of the time of the three character only the narrator was able to have degree of freedom. The father wasn’t free to be who is due to the expectations placed on him by society. The mother was locked in a box also, l got the impression based on the narration that the mother would have happy to give him the children and she could be free to pursue her acting career. She didn’t come across as the typical nurturing Suzy home-maker type…
How do Graphic Novels address, but aid/problemaitze our understanding of history, and are they historical texts?
Graphic novels and history go hand in hand. A good writer can incorporate history into the text with out it being too preachy of burden down the plot. This is way I look at it, History serves as the backdrop its there and when need be it speaks and then retreats back into its place. For example in Ethel & Ernest this is not only a memoir but a historical time piece also. The story is a simple love story of two people in the early 1920’s set against the historical back of WWII and the invention of automobiles, and household appliances such refrigerator, wash machine. It also tells the subtle story of how women become an integral part of the workforce due to lack of male labor cause by WWII. In Watergate Sue, we the reader get a subtle education on the Watergate scandal of he 1970’s. Again it is told from a point of view of the narrator which we the reader only get one side the scandal. Its there in the back ground as the narrator tells the story of her parents and her journey into womanhood. To bring it all the together I would say that history definitely aids in the telling of a story if used appropriately and not in a judgmental fashion.
Graphic Novels
Mid Term Exam
Describe the different art & writing styles of graphic novels you have examined so far. How are the styles similar/or different.
I would describe the graphics in Ethel & Ernest as lush- this my own term in my reading of McCloud he doesn’t use this term on his chapter on vocabulary. Both authors in my graphic novels used first person point of view along with narrative story telling. Fun Home I noticed the frame narrative approach which is a story line within a story. There is a scene in GN where the mother is reading for a play and the material is similar to her life at that moment. (Craig l loaned my book to classmate so I can’t give page #). Both novels I read used interior monologue especially in Fun Home where the narrator is having conversations within herself. Using McCloud picture plane on page 52/53 I would say that Blechdel is in middle and Briggs is toward the lower because his character were more abstract with the facial features were not that defined as in Fun Home where the facial expression were explicit down to the age lines in the parents faces to the style of clothing.
What/How does gender play in the narrative of Graphic Novels
(Plot, character, narrative point of view
In both GN I read both dealt with issues around gender and their roles in the lives of the characters. In Ethel and Ernest is a first person point of view memoir by Raymond Briggs about his parents lives set in early 1920 and ends with their deaths in 1970’s.
The gender issues is subtle, with a strong connection to history
. For example before his parents met his mother worked as a maid and his father worked as delivery man. After their marriage his mother quit work and it wasn’t until the war that she went back to work. During WWII with the men at war and the need for labor many women went to work in factories and airplane plants. On page 51 she announce to her husband that she has been promoted from warehouse to office clerk and they both celebrate. I don’t see any tension around her working outside of home what is illustrated that although she was a working woman the sequences show her doing a lot of housework (washing clothes manually, pressing clothes with old fashion steam iron pg 66 etc..) while her Ernest sat smoking and reading the paper or listening to radio.
Fun Home the gender roles are defiantly more controversial. It also a memoir by Alison Bechdel about her life. The story is told from first point of view which creates questions around how reliable of a narrator is she? Her voice is the only point of view we the reader can draw on. The novel is set in a rural town on the East Coast during the 1960-1970’s.
From page one it is clear without fore knowledge that there is something peculiar about her father. It isn’t stated what those issues are until later but based on the dialogue and graphics such as scenes of father in short shorts, hanging pictures and shining and totally absorbed in decorating the house and making it look like at how piece that her father isn’t the typical father? The sequences show her mother the exact opposite, totally not involved in the care and upkeep of her father. Actually through out the memoir Blechdel has painted a picture of her mother as a bored housewife with ambition of being a great theater actress and l feel kind of a free spirit. She portrays herself as a tomboy (short hair cut, athlete)When you consider the social construct of the time of the three character only the narrator was able to have degree of freedom. The father wasn’t free to be who is due to the expectations placed on him by society. The mother was locked in a box also, l got the impression based on the narration that the mother would have happy to give him the children and she could be free to pursue her acting career. She didn’t come across as the typical nurturing Suzy home-maker type…
How do Graphic Novels address, but aid/problemaitze our understanding of history, and are they historical texts?
Graphic novels and history go hand in hand. A good writer can incorporate history into the text with out it being too preachy of burden down the plot. This is way I look at it, History serves as the backdrop its there and when need be it speaks and then retreats back into its place. For example in Ethel & Ernest this is not only a memoir but a historical time piece also. The story is a simple love story of two people in the early 1920’s set against the historical back of WWII and the invention of automobiles, and household appliances such refrigerator, wash machine. It also tells the subtle story of how women become an integral part of the workforce due to lack of male labor cause by WWII. In Watergate Sue, we the reader get a subtle education on the Watergate scandal of he 1970’s. Again it is told from a point of view of the narrator which we the reader only get one side the scandal. Its there in the back ground as the narrator tells the story of her parents and her journey into womanhood. To bring it all the together I would say that history definitely aids in the telling of a story if used appropriately and not in a judgmental fashion.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Ernest & Ethel
I really liked this graphic memoir. I find it interesting that my first two GN are very similar in that there both memoirs with a strong historical emphasis.
This GN is by Raymond Briggs a well known and prolific writer with a amazing career I would say that Ernest & Ethel is an autobio because it is based on the life of his parents. And since he was there he would be a first person narrator. The story itself appears to be a simple tale of two people falling in love during the turn of the century and settling in for a relatively unremarkable and comfortable life ( like my parents). But Briggs thanks to Briggs masterful story telling it is much more.
The story is set in England, which is another interesting aspect of this memoir because I the reader get to see what it was like in England during WWII and learn about the political parties and social unrest going on during that time. Also the language is very British and Ethel is kind of a Mss Priss while Ernest is blue collar Joe and Ethel is a maid in a mansion.. In one sequence they buy a simple Victorian house with a beautiful iron gate and indoor plumbing including a claw foot tub. Later in the memoir we then see the same house in shambles with gate missing due to World War II when iron and other precious metals were scarce and hard to come by. I remember my parents talking about rations of pantyhose, food and other stuff. We see the birth of her one and only child and his development from pampered child to long haired hippie. Also the simple things like their first bed and he ask to try it out and Ethel refuse because its broad daylight. In this day of reality televising where all your business is out there scenes like this are a reminder of how prudish our world once was.
What really captivated me about the GN is the graphics, since I'm a visual person the imagery really came alive. The art work is very detailed. For example on pg 7 there are only 3 panels but the last is huge and lush with bright colors of red and the detail down to the maids uniform and on the previous page again the details of the ivy sprouting up the brick home is very impressive.
In McCloud on pg 51-53 he talks about the picture plane? he say most comics lies near the bottom of the picture plane" he then gives an example of Charlie Brown and i mention this because although the graphic art is very detailed through out the book the faces of the characters are about a 55 on the chart (pg53)
Themes: life cycles, politics, love, class, gender roles.
Subjective: Love it i want to his novel When the wind Blows next
The role of the reader: Pull a chair and come along for the ride. Its like if i sat down with an elderly person and ask them to tell me about their life this is the story i would get.
History: World War II, Socialist Politics, great inventions of mankind (television, car, refrigerator), Aquarius age (long hair art student)
I'm really glad i chose this book as my first graphic novel because it wet my appetite for more and also let me see that there are many genres. My 65 yr old Aunt would read this and love it. two thumbs up
This GN is by Raymond Briggs a well known and prolific writer with a amazing career I would say that Ernest & Ethel is an autobio because it is based on the life of his parents. And since he was there he would be a first person narrator. The story itself appears to be a simple tale of two people falling in love during the turn of the century and settling in for a relatively unremarkable and comfortable life ( like my parents). But Briggs thanks to Briggs masterful story telling it is much more.
The story is set in England, which is another interesting aspect of this memoir because I the reader get to see what it was like in England during WWII and learn about the political parties and social unrest going on during that time. Also the language is very British and Ethel is kind of a Mss Priss while Ernest is blue collar Joe and Ethel is a maid in a mansion.. In one sequence they buy a simple Victorian house with a beautiful iron gate and indoor plumbing including a claw foot tub. Later in the memoir we then see the same house in shambles with gate missing due to World War II when iron and other precious metals were scarce and hard to come by. I remember my parents talking about rations of pantyhose, food and other stuff. We see the birth of her one and only child and his development from pampered child to long haired hippie. Also the simple things like their first bed and he ask to try it out and Ethel refuse because its broad daylight. In this day of reality televising where all your business is out there scenes like this are a reminder of how prudish our world once was.
What really captivated me about the GN is the graphics, since I'm a visual person the imagery really came alive. The art work is very detailed. For example on pg 7 there are only 3 panels but the last is huge and lush with bright colors of red and the detail down to the maids uniform and on the previous page again the details of the ivy sprouting up the brick home is very impressive.
In McCloud on pg 51-53 he talks about the picture plane? he say most comics lies near the bottom of the picture plane" he then gives an example of Charlie Brown and i mention this because although the graphic art is very detailed through out the book the faces of the characters are about a 55 on the chart (pg53)
Themes: life cycles, politics, love, class, gender roles.
Subjective: Love it i want to his novel When the wind Blows next
The role of the reader: Pull a chair and come along for the ride. Its like if i sat down with an elderly person and ask them to tell me about their life this is the story i would get.
History: World War II, Socialist Politics, great inventions of mankind (television, car, refrigerator), Aquarius age (long hair art student)
I'm really glad i chose this book as my first graphic novel because it wet my appetite for more and also let me see that there are many genres. My 65 yr old Aunt would read this and love it. two thumbs up
Water Gate Sue
I'm still trying to figure this bloc stuff out. I just post and pray it goes to write discussion board. I'm getting a true education in ways i hadn't planned. I'm always up for a challenge.
On Mondays class we discussed the comic Watergate Sue. The professor raised so interesting talking pints for the class to consider.
History, reliable narrator and character development. The class was a lot more lively than usual. My thoughts on the comic were that the protangist was looking for her mother for a connection and she was hoping that by announcing she was pregnant that would be the link. Watergate Sue due to she was conceived during the Watergate hearings, lam old enough to where i remember that time along with whole Patty Hearst kidnapping crisis. The mother like a lot of women during that time were pressured by society to conform to a certain perspections such homemake, wife and mother. She seemed to be a woman who desired higher learning and most of all wanted her daughters to experience life on their own terms. Was this said - no- but i added that based my own assumptions.
On Mondays class we discussed the comic Watergate Sue. The professor raised so interesting talking pints for the class to consider.
History, reliable narrator and character development. The class was a lot more lively than usual. My thoughts on the comic were that the protangist was looking for her mother for a connection and she was hoping that by announcing she was pregnant that would be the link. Watergate Sue due to she was conceived during the Watergate hearings, lam old enough to where i remember that time along with whole Patty Hearst kidnapping crisis. The mother like a lot of women during that time were pressured by society to conform to a certain perspections such homemake, wife and mother. She seemed to be a woman who desired higher learning and most of all wanted her daughters to experience life on their own terms. Was this said - no- but i added that based my own assumptions.
Watergate Sue
I'm still trying to figure this bloc stuff out. I just post and pray it goes to write discussion board. I'm getting a true education in ways i hadn't planned. I'm always up for a challenge.
On Mondays class we discussed the comic Watergate Sue. The professor raised so interesting talking pints for the class to consider.
History, reliable narrator and character development. The class was a lot more lively than usual. My thoughts on the comic were that the protangist was looking for her mother for a connection and she was hoping that by announcing she was pregnant that would be the link. Watergate Sue due to she was conceived during the Watergate hearings, lam old enough to where i remember that time along with whole Patty Hearst kidnapping crisis. The mother like a lot of women during that time were pressured by society to conform to a certain perspections such homemake, wife and mother. She seemed to be a woman who desired higher learning and most of all wanted her daughters to experience life on their own terms. Was this said - no- but i added that based my own assumptions.
PS more to come i got to get dinner ready.
On Mondays class we discussed the comic Watergate Sue. The professor raised so interesting talking pints for the class to consider.
History, reliable narrator and character development. The class was a lot more lively than usual. My thoughts on the comic were that the protangist was looking for her mother for a connection and she was hoping that by announcing she was pregnant that would be the link. Watergate Sue due to she was conceived during the Watergate hearings, lam old enough to where i remember that time along with whole Patty Hearst kidnapping crisis. The mother like a lot of women during that time were pressured by society to conform to a certain perspections such homemake, wife and mother. She seemed to be a woman who desired higher learning and most of all wanted her daughters to experience life on their own terms. Was this said - no- but i added that based my own assumptions.
PS more to come i got to get dinner ready.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Fun House
Fun House by Alison Bechdel is a memoir told in comic book form. The novel takes place in a small town. Her parents once held illusions of grandeur of living abroad among the more cultured but were forced home to take over the family funeral home. Bechdel and her siblings grew up helping out at the family business which they called Fun Home, ironically the funeral home provided more freedom and entertainment than their house. When i picked this book i didn't read the description too well however it was no big surprise that by page 10 we the reader knew that her father was gay and a Martha Stewart way before his time and the protagonist was dealing with her own sexuality. Bechdel uses subtle narrative and graphics to relay this. I appreciate how she intertwines Greek mythology through out the book.
Themes:
Secrecy, fate, sexuality, family traditions and hope deferred.
The Role of the reader:
She challenges the reader as we delve into her dysfunctional family to look into our own crafted realities. As we reflect on the past were challenge to view events in context of what we really know to be true.
Objective Response:
Themes:
Secrecy, fate, sexuality, family traditions and hope deferred.
The Role of the reader:
She challenges the reader as we delve into her dysfunctional family to look into our own crafted realities. As we reflect on the past were challenge to view events in context of what we really know to be true.
Objective Response:
Understanding Comics by Scot Mccloud.
I've been reading comics since i was 3 yrs old who knew there was art to it?
Who knew comics were an art form? I certainly never did. I always enjoyed reading the comics or funnies for the visual and cool story lines. Here it is some 30 yrs later and now I'm learning about juxtaposed sequential visual art. By itself i have n clue what that means but the beauty of Mccloud is that he does a good job of simplifying the art of comics. According to Mccloud this term means images side by side in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information or produce an aesthetic response in a viewer. McCloud then goes on to break down the history of comic from pre-Colombian picture manuscript in1529 to present day form. McCloud gives us the reader the language of comics by introducing us to words such as : iconic imagery. In the following chapters Mccloud talks about time frame; the concept of blood in the gutter(which i have read 3x and i still couldnt explain it); Closure now i thought this would be simple but again I'm reading and thinking what the hell is he talking about. In closing as i write this blog I'm not going to even pretend, l believe in keeping it real. As I'm reading this i feel like 'I'm in the mind of a demented genius. In order for me to be as authentic as possible and not spout of a bunch of academic garble I think my teacher wants to hear I would rather read and discuss this book in depth with others especially those who have more insight into graphic novels. I found this book hard to read and understand which is a trip since i have read two other graphic novels in between and it just flows.
I've been reading comics since i was 3 yrs old who knew there was art to it?
Who knew comics were an art form? I certainly never did. I always enjoyed reading the comics or funnies for the visual and cool story lines. Here it is some 30 yrs later and now I'm learning about juxtaposed sequential visual art. By itself i have n clue what that means but the beauty of Mccloud is that he does a good job of simplifying the art of comics. According to Mccloud this term means images side by side in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information or produce an aesthetic response in a viewer. McCloud then goes on to break down the history of comic from pre-Colombian picture manuscript in1529 to present day form. McCloud gives us the reader the language of comics by introducing us to words such as : iconic imagery. In the following chapters Mccloud talks about time frame; the concept of blood in the gutter(which i have read 3x and i still couldnt explain it); Closure now i thought this would be simple but again I'm reading and thinking what the hell is he talking about. In closing as i write this blog I'm not going to even pretend, l believe in keeping it real. As I'm reading this i feel like 'I'm in the mind of a demented genius. In order for me to be as authentic as possible and not spout of a bunch of academic garble I think my teacher wants to hear I would rather read and discuss this book in depth with others especially those who have more insight into graphic novels. I found this book hard to read and understand which is a trip since i have read two other graphic novels in between and it just flows.
Monday, July 9, 2007
I have complete reading Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. This novel details the authors strained relationship with her late father. The author and her siblings grew up helping out at the family business, the local funeral home hince the name Fun Home. Ironically the funeral home provided more fun and life than their own home. Bechdel's father ran the home with the flair of a Martha Stewart like tyranny. Bechdel is a gifted story teller she puts you right inside her life and she tells the story of her father not as just a tortured soul but as a multifaceted man of many passions. She doestn come right and say that her father is gay but she lets you the reader draw your own conclusions on the matter.
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