A World Of Someone Else

The ability to identify with the book you read is what creates that everlasting impression we so often strive for from literature. So, what happens when you are engulfed by a world that is not your own? I don't mean somewhere far, far away in the galaxy. What I mean is this; a country with rules and restrictions that are so dehumanizing, that it doesn't seem like Earth at all. How do you identify with that? This is the exact scenario we see in Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. As I read this book, it was easy to feel invincible like the little girl at the beginning of the book who wants nothing more than to be a modern day prophet. But then, we are exposed to mass killings, and find our main character in the midst of war. What would it feel like to be inside your own version of Holocaust? I couldn't give you an answer to that, ever. Discrimination, oppression, death...something we associate with history textbooks becomes all too real in this memoir. I would like to say that I could empathize with the main character, but I feel as if that would be a disservice to her message for others. As an American in the modern world, my life is privileged without question. I am able to think for myself, say what I want, dress how I like, and work where I'm comfortable. So, yes, it's hard to connect with this book. But that's not to say that I'm not shocked and left with a lasting impression on what life could be like for me. Taking a look at the artwork, we see images that are defined by their lines. I'll use pages 76 and 77 as an example. Page 77 features swirling lines that suggest a dreamlike state, as the narrator mentions that her family escapes on vacation to Spain. I can imagine that a trip like this might seem like going to Disneyland for us. The swirling lines allow us to feel comforted and calm. However, on page 76, motion lines and jagged word bubbles create tension and chaos. We are meant to feel the stress that the narrator takes us through. This patterns is repeated throughout the novel, and provides insight to the author's emotions during each event laid out in the novel. This is truly a remarkable piece of literature.

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Analysis of Aya: Life in Yop City

To begin this week's post, I'd like to first address a few things about the author's duty to his/her readers. When we think of reading material from other countries or cultures, what factors are important to us? What information do we need in order to recognize the significance of the author's work? For me, it's important for the author to find some way to connect to me as a reader. Do we share a common experience? Can I relate your story to mine? This is not to say that a writer's work is rendered unimpressive if they choose not to do this. But I do think it goes without saying that most impressionable works hit us emotionally. I also think that an author should be conscious of the world that they are painting for the reader. Is it true what you're writing? Does it provide some sort of insight into the world as you see it? Are you confirming outside opinions of your culture, or are you breaking the stereotypes that have been placed upon you? That being sai...

Bringing Africa into the Fold

The comic Aya: Life in Yop City does a fantastic job of illustrating a culture different from the more popular Western variety. For those reading this, have you ever considered Africa in any way that was not influenced by main stream media? No? Well me either. It is sad to say, but my view of Africa was just - more or less - a vast land of chaos and poverty. Why? Because is that not what the media would have us believe? As a western country ourselves - presuming, of course, that you are reading this from the US or some European country - we do not consider other nations to have much value in comparison to our own. Because we have created a Eurocentric view of what society should be, we have disallowed other countries to feel that their own culture is worth portraying in novels or media. For example, most people are lead to believe that Africa is riddled with disease, famine, and "uneducated" people who are in dire need of help. This just isn't true! There are places ...

The Two Faces of Anarchy in V for Vendetta

As someone who has only seen the movie version of V for Vendetta once many years ago and have never read the graphic novel, I wasn’t exactly sure how similar or different the movie version would be to the graphic novel. I was in for a surprise when I discovered just how vastly different, they are from each other. With that being said, they do have some similarities when strictly looking at the motives of the characters. Let’s dive into those motives and how the author and illustrator of V for Vendetta achieved getting these motives across to their readers. In Scott McCloud’s chapter of Understanding Comics “ Blood in the Gutter ” we are presented with different panel – to – panel transitions, and an introduction to the term “gutter” as being the white space between the panels which is where the audience of reader “takes two separate images and transforms them into a single idea” (McCloud, 66). After finishing reading V for Vendetta , several themes or ideas that were most prevalent...

ENG 4433: Topics in World Lit

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