Saturday, December 11, 2010
Persepolis is Complete
My impression of Marjane is that she is a kind hearted girl but gets influenced to easily by her family and peers. She hangs out with the wrong people that gives her the idea to make bad judgements. She still is family oriented but slowly separates from them physically and emotionally. She had to leave them to be free from Iranian control but then she does not speak to them for a long period of time. So when they are reunited it is a little awkward being that they do not know what she looks like or even what she has gone through. By the end of the film, Majane is liberated from her past and forbidden to return to Iran as her mother tells her so this we can see that she is her own person ready to take on the rest of her life and make her own decisions. (Mason Roessler Post 21)
The Complete Persepolis
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Graphic Novel Within the Film
The only thing that the film really has over the book is that you are able to pick up on sarcasm, characters attitudes and body language because they are moving and actually speaking the dialogue instead of a person just reading it off the page. I really enjoyed both the book and the film and I don't really read much except for when it's for classes, but this novel I could see myself reading outside of class. It had an interesting topic that is still in our current news and the way the author presents it is easy to learn from. (Shawn Parkhurst, Last Post!)
Film vs Book
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Changing Stereotypes
Cailee- #
Motion Picture or Graphic Novel??
It is difficult for a motion picture to portray these fundamental components that comprise the book. Where an author can narrate a characters complete reaction to an event, person etc; a character in a movie can only use his actions and dialogue to portray this same reaction. However, in the motion picture, "The Complete Persepolis," Marjane is able to narrate her own feelings and reactions. She is also able to better depict the reactions of others through her narrations and through the animations. Her use of sarcasm and exaggeration enable Satrapi to clearly illustrate her thoughts, as well as the thoughts of other characters. For example, when Marjane catches her boyfriend cheating; she uses sarcasm in her images and word choice to literally paint a picture of her feelings to the audience. She portrays him in the the exact opposite way she did earlier in the motion picture. Instead of being romantic and loving, he becomes a disgusting, lazy pig. This exaggeration helps the audience to understand her feelings at this time in a way a movie cannot. Instances like this help the audience to gain insight in order to better understand the important themes of the film.
Cailee J- #
Majane's life on the big screen
Putting things in motion for the comic book into a movie really helped to get a better picture of how Satrapi wanted things displayed in my mind at least. I could see the way she really sounded and the humor she involved in her story. It didn't really change much from book to movie just made it easier to understand the actual tone of the story.
Post 1 Kevin Ostempowski
Marjane in motion
Not only does it lead to more observable characters, but now their emotions dont have to be exaggerated as much in order to get the point across. What I mean by that, is that in graphic novels and comic books the emotions on the characters face, and their over all posture presents their feeling to the reader. Usually, in order to assure that it is clear what emotion the character is feeling at the time they make their expressions extreme. In the movie however this is not necessary, because the characters can show full movements, giving them opportunity to be more natural and subtle about how they actually feel while still easily showing what's actually going on in their minds.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Which is Better?
This is one instance where I actually can’t decide if I like the book or the movie better. Usually I always side with the book, mostly because I find that it has more detail than the movies. But in this instance, both the movie and the book have positive and negative qualities.
The book is wonderful. I loved it, once I got into the storyline, and got used to the different style of the graphic novel. I actually feel that the book was better as a storyline. It seemed to flow better, even though the stories were the same in the movie. I expect movies to have some sort of transition between the different scenes, but this movie really seemed to jump around. This jumping around during the scenes could be Satrapi reminiscing about her childhood. Memories like that never seem to flow in a coherent manner. We are just observers looking in on a woman’s memories of her traumatic childhood. Another thing I liked about the book more than the movie was more detail into her adolescence and young adulthood. I feel like the movie really focused on the details in her childhood, and not so much her time in Europe, and her time in the university. The book was more detailed about her life, while the movie, like most movies, had to cut things out, most likely for time reasons. Another thing I like about the book is that the still images of all of the soldiers, and other frames where it is one figure used over and over are more dramatic as still images. The movie takes away a little bit of the striking quality of the still images.
I also like the movie better than the book for different reasons. As a design student, I really liked the fact that they left the childhood memories in black and white, while the present Satrapi sitting in the airport is in color. It gives a sense of drama to the war scenes from her childhood, while also lending an idea of Satrapi not remembering them in all their detail. She remembers what happened in them, but not well enough to remember the colors of the scene. This happens to everyone. Memories tend to get foggy or faded after long periods of time. I like that they brought that idea into the film. It really gives a sense of reality to the whole thing. Another thing that I liked about the movie more than the book is that the movie allows the characters to become more real. The characters are now able to move around, and show better facial expressions. This allows the audience to better understand exactly how the characters are feeling. In the book, we can get a general idea of how the characters are feeling, but the animation allows Satrapi to show minuscule signs in the facial expressions of the characters that really tell us exactly how they are feeling.
So far the movie has done a good job of imparting the story line, and I can’t wait to see the rest of it!
(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 23)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Motion Picture Novel
Upon viewing the film, I noticed that all the events that took place in her early childhood were in black and white. I thought this was interesting, because it showed how long ago Satrapi's childhood must seem to her, like looking at photographs of one's grandparents from the 1930s. She seemed to grow up so fast only leaving her past behind with memories of the war and the death and destruction that had embodied that portion of her life. As she grew older, the film transitioned to color, thereby representing the present day, and almost like it was a fresh new start to her life. Her present life is free from war and the military that had destroyed much of her early childhood. She is now an adult woman and ready to start a new chapter in her life.
(David Roberts, Post 23)
Marjane's vision
I've never really been a fan of reading a book and then watching the movie on the book it never usually works out. I'll be honest when I saw we were watching the movie I was quite surprised that in an English class we'd be watching a movie on a book, but I'm glad we did. I loved that fact they kept many of the frames from the novel especially the scene where they black out a whole picture after she saw her friends bracelet. Overall great movie good book but either way enlightening.
Thomas Moss (final post)
Monday, November 29, 2010
Film vs. Graphic Novel
(Kelcey Summers 22)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
what they say
One piece of hair
Persepolis 2
She couldn't even go out into public without being completely covered or risk getting arrested. I would never be able to live with that, I felt like every one of her rights as a human being was completely taken away from her.
Cali Simmons (Post 14)
Persepolis
I couldn't imagine being sent away from my parents just like that to live in a different country, a completely different world with people who aren't even related to me. I don't think under those circumstances i would be able to adjust.
Cali Simmons (Post 13)
A Whole New World
While reading by herself and eating pasta in a pot, a nun confronts her. Even though she really isn't doing anything wrong the nun feels the need to tell her off for eating in a pot and makes fun of her heritage. This is where her responsibility should have stepped in and she should have properly chose her battle. Even though what the nun did was wrong and in complete disregard to her own feelings, succeeding in the school was of importance and had she ignored the nun and not snapped back at her, she could have made it through boarding school.
Marjane's development as a Child
The reason her development is significant is because this is how children are influenced all over the world. When things happen in a child's life and they wonder why, if they are not convinced of why something is the way it is, they tend to assume otherwise. For example when i was younger i would hear something from my teacher and repeat it to my parents (or vice versa) and there were often times when i was told that the other party was incorrect. Often i believed the reason that disproved my initial teachings because more than not, it was easier to make it seem like something was wrong even if it wasn't. More often however, I (as I'm sure many other children do) believed my parents over my teacher for the sole reason that they were my parents.
Breaking the Chain of Conformity
Expanding upon the idea of the extremist view and how Satrapi depicts them, this is no different from soldiers of Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, many of the soldiers are actually children much like the soldiers who are Islamic extremists. The children are not only used as physical man power, but also to psychologically mess with their enemy. It is hard to picture a child trying to kill another person and for many adults to even point a gun at that child is almost impossible. The children of Sierra Leone most of the time are taken from other villages and drugged and told what to do. They do not have a voice and are manipulated into thinking that their actions are good and for a good cause. They try to instill a fear in those around them to feel power and kill anyone who refuses to break free. This is no different than how many Islamic extremists opperate and carry out their actions. Their message to instill fear becomes the teaching method to those around them and anyone who does not share their ideals are then the enemy. Satrapi's character is not the enemy in this notion, but rather she is the unheard voice that is trying to break the barrier. She is trying to convey her side of the story and show that one should not be afraid to speak out to the world.
(David Roberts, Post 22)
God's Help
The one night Marji was picturing herself as different military leaders to imagine herself being a focal point of the revolution. That was the first night that God left her and didn't come back when she wanted him there because her parents wouldn't let her be a part of the revolution. As her life went on she obviously got farther and farther away from him. At one point she became a drug dealer which is the farthest in my mind as you can get from God, compared to the way she acted when she was younger. This is a major changing point in her life in my mind because that is as low as she got. She realized that she wasn't getting anywhere because of it and changed her life afterwards.
Kevin Ostempowski Post 2
Change of view
Also in reading this book Satrapi points out her personal views as to whats taking place. God was a big point of her life. She would point out how the leaders who were in charge were chosen by God to be there. Her father instead told her that the leaders actually weren't chosen by God instead they got there by greed and wealth. It put a focus on how things should have been and what they truly were. When a person wanted to change things to how they should be they were swayed by money to not change a thing.
Kevin Ostempowski Post 1
Questionable Gender?
Views
The World Needs to Change Iran?
The Complete Persepolis doesn't mess around when it comes to depicting life under the current leadership, but it also makes you realize there are amazing and wonderful human beings who are doing their best to live dignified and noble lives. This leads back to our discussion where how has your viewed changed after reading and it really has changed my opinion because I realized that it is not the whole country, but the actions of a few that give everyone a bad name. They love their country and would it being invaded by a foreign power than just as much as we would. I'm sure they would fight against any such invasion in spite of their disagreements with those in power. Just because you don't like your leaders, doesn't mean you don't love your country and want to see it taken over by a foreign power.
The Complete Persepolis is a powerful story because it shows of a person's struggle to find her place in the world. The biggest thing for me is that Marjane Satrapi has chosen to tell it in the form of a graphic novel not only shows us how far means of expression as changed, but allows us a glimpse into a world that few of us know anything about. Before anybody makes any decisions about whether they think the world "needs to do something about Iran" they should read this book. (Shawn Parkhurst, 22)
the use of the graphic novel to tell the tale
Marjane Satrapi could have told her story just as easily in a straight autobiography, and I'm sure it would have made for a good read. But by telling it as a graphic novel, she brings a visual part to it that increases its impact. The graphics themselves are plain black and white drawings, but her ability to use imagery to tell the story along with the dialogue and narration makes them as effective as if they were in full color as a film.
The visual element allows her to include the offstage, and imagined part that the reader normally has to do on their own. Instead of having the information as separate incidents, where its impact is reduced by removing it from the context of the story, we see things as they happen. In my opinion this technique increases the emotional power of the moment. Something about the directness of her style that allows her to do two things: distinguish between individuals easily, especially portraying all the women as completely clothed in black (suggesting they are just objects that are all the same). It also allows her to make her own depiction of horrors, death, torture, and anguish, emotionally realistic without being graphic or gruesome.(Shawn Parkhurst, 21)
Poverty
The Iranian regime has much to do with the outcomes of the Islamic faith. Children are brought up as corrupted individuals who are forced to join their military at a young age so they can increase their military numbers. They are trained to kill soldiers and civilians and have the advantage because nobody would want to see a child be killed. They use this strategy as a psychological effect so that children with guns can get closer to the opposing forces and exterminate them. In order to stop this crisis, the regime must be stopped and brought down and train the corrupted individuals to become normal people once again. (Mason Roessler Post 20)
The Islam Faith
If we look at Iran, there are many different stereotypes that can we assume. We may look at Iran as a terrorist country or one full of fundamentalist views, but that is not always true in some cases. It can also be seen as a country that produces a lot of oil that we acquire for our country's use. There are many people like us who live in Iran that are innocent and everyday civilians just like us. In other words, Iran does not seem to be such a bad acountry as it is made out to be. It is full of postives and some negatives but the good can out weigh the bad. (Mason Roessler Post 19)
Not So Very Different
I am coming to understand Satrapi more and more as the story goes on. She is such a real person. It sounds terrible, but there is always some sort of detachment between myself and the authors I read, that this open honesty, with no metaphors or anything to hide behind, she just makes Satrapi feel more real to me. I feel like she is completely baring her soul to the audience, no matter their feelings on the subject. She doesn’t hide anything, and that makes her more real to me.
Another thing I really like about this book, is that despite her different upbringing, Satrapi “rebels” in the same way the “classic” American does, or for that matter, any teenage does. She smokes, she loves rock and roll, and she participates in drugs, even at one point selling them. She just comes across as so relatable because she is flawed. She has grown up in a major time of war in her country, but she still manages to “rebel” or act out as a normal teenager would. Mind you her parents supported her rebelling against the government with the rock music, but some of it was against her parents as well. She has made mistakes in her past that she is not afraid to come clean about, and that she grew from in the long run, so she is like a normal person. Even though she is not of our culture, she still experiments to find out who she really is, cutting her hair, experimenting with make-up, making new, not totally acceptable friends, and making other mistakes along the way, just like we do.
One scene that I really enjoyed was the scene where she was in the diner and overheard some girls talking about her behind her back (pg 196-197). This scene displays Satrapi most as a real person I think. She had been holding information back from people for so long, that eventually she just burst, and screamed that she was Iranian and proud at those girls. Not that they didn’t deserve to be screamed at, but every person that I have met has, at one point in their lives, blown up at people because they decided to withhold information. It happens to everyone. It is a very human thing to do. We want to fit in with the majority, and there is nothing wrong with that.
I completely agree with some of my classmates who have already posted that despite our different cultures, we still need to treat people from the Middle East with respect. There is a huge difference the radical extremists, and the everyday person. We need to acknowledge that difference, and respect that these people had nothing to do with the attacks on our country, even if they are from the same country or religion as the attackers. I think that the teenage Satrapi rebelling in the same way that we might, really stresses just how similar we are to each other, and how much we need to embrace our similarities, instead of focusing on our differences.
(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 22)
Not Appropriate or Perfect?
This style of writing can be more expressive of feelings and ideas than another form might be. Satrapi literally draws her characters’ faces to represent their feelings at the time. It allows us to interpret said emotions more accurately. I also think that this style allows us to connect with the characters even more than we might if it was written straight. We have someone to picture in our mind when we think about what happened in the story, and it helps me anyway, to have someone to picture, even if it is a cartoon version of a person. I think that this style of writing also lends a lot to the fact that this story is a story of growth, and it helps portray the time of her life that we are in.
Writing this as a graphic novel is also very fitting in that the main character is a growing child when all of this is happening. All of these extremely serious things are going on, and I kind of forgot that she is a little kid for a good portion of what we have read so far. She doesn’t really act like a kid in the “normal” way of being a kid, but reading about her story in this kind of form helps accentuate the fact that she is in fact little kid who has seen terrible things happen. It is also interesting to see how her little girl mind interprets all of the things that she is experiencing, and I feel like we get a better understanding of how she did interpret it through the drawings in the graphic novel.
I also think that this for of writing also helped Satrapi keep her readers interested. It manages to keep a sense of levity through the stories, even though the topic is quite serious at times. I think, as it is quite a serious a subject, that if she had written it straight, as a novel, or another form, that it would have gotten quite heavy, and she would have lost some of her readers. She lightens the mood with funny anecdotes from her childhood, and clever illustrations for the darker parts of her story, without losing the seriousness of the moment.
(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 21)
Friday, November 19, 2010
Two Sides of the Story
Satrapi writes in such a way that we almost question ourselves what is truly happening, or what is the significance of this event. One such a story would have to be "The Veil." The story really demonstrates the radical side of Satrapi's character and her rambunctious attitude to cease to conform with her fellow people. A specific scene would be the class photo that was taken in the beginning of the story. As it was discussed in class, a possible explanation to why her character is separated from the rest of the class could be that she does not feel like she belongs. Her character comes across as being an outsider, especially later on the book when she leaves to go away. She wants to be independent from everyone and live the life that she chooses, rather than live a life that is pre-determined much like the rest of her classmates. It is similar to how American associate anyone of Islamic faith as being a terrorist. This is horrible to think like this, but it is the truth of the majority behavior in this present time. It's almost as if Satrapi recognizes herself as being the "enemy" and doens't want to have that association anymore. She wants to leave her past behind in a sense to start her own story, one that spells the truth of the harships that she had to endure.
(David Roberts, Post 21)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
After reading my article I started taking a closer look at the reading. I have to say I'm really enjoying it. I started to notice what was mentioned in the article about how it's a story about a "girlhood" not about Satrapi herself. It's about the country around her. I think the fact that her speaking out when many women of that culture have to stay silent makes her an "Outcast" and thus a part of our course study. Good choice. Thomas Moss (post 16)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Changing Viewpoints
She had to go through a huge change in school and even a huge change with having to wear the hood after not having to wear anything. That is a huge difference in how you live your life. She learns about all the struggles first hand but it is nice that we can gain this knowledge and understand all they have gone through. My perspective of Iran was that they were mostly fundamentlist extremists and plot against the US but in reality that is only a small portion of the country. The people are the ones that have to risk their lives everyday hoping that the regime ends its power and a new one comes that will be better. Unfortuneately, it doesn't happen that way. Your impressions of Iran definitely change reading this and I think putting it into a comic book form helps to incorporate the importance of the imformation.
(Kelcey Summers 20)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Revenge
cailee-11
Offend One, Offend them All
Saying this led to his/her feelings being hurt and her feeling like an outcast. Things like this are devastating truth bringers, because even the freaks make fun of and mess with the other freaks. One example being when the Siamese female twins were arguing with one of their significant other who had a stuttering problem and as he stuttered they told him to spit it out already or something to that extent. This goes to show that even disabled people sometimes poke fun, but dont realize how much damage their statement actually may do.
-Derek Guarino
Modern Day Freakshows?
Medical professionals and students need to think about the feelings of the disabled when they are being presented in front of large groups. They need to understand that in a sense, they are gawking at the disabled as people gawked at freaks in the past. However, the disabled need to be more understanding that the intentions of the students and doctors are essentially good. They are not being gawked at because it is entertaining for others, but rather to educate others about disabilities and improve the lives of those that are disabled. It is for the benefit of the disabled as well as the students to be studied, because the ultimate goal is a better life for those that are living with a disability. Because of this, there needs to be a compromise. Rather than displaying a disabled person for hundreds to look at, there should be a much more personal approach. For example, maybe one or two medical students will sit in on a disabled person's visit to the doctor. This way the students can observe and learn both about the person with the disability, as well as how they should interact on a more personal level.
-cailee 10
Eli Clare and Stones
However, one of the passages in the story makes me debate whether Clare really does attribute the abuse to him becoming a transgenders person.
“How did his gendered abuse reinforce my sense of not being a girl? How did his non-abusive treatment of me as an almost son interact with the ways in which fists and penis and knives told me in no uncertain terms that I was a girl? ... and later “How did my mother’s willful ignorance of the hurt he inflicted on me influence what I absorbed about femininity and masculinity?” (126)
Clare states that he does not know and will never be sure if the abuse or neglect he was exposed to in life caused him to be transgender or homosexual. (Shawn Parkhurst, 20)
right vs. wrong
Lastly who would this benefit? Does it benefit the child? I would say yes all those doctors discussing one child the more thoughts and ideas the better. Will it benefit the medical profession? Why sure it's cost affective and unfortunately in the state we live in that has to be a factor. So does time with the amount of time some children are given to live with disabilities the more help the better. Unfortunately this whole idea is not pretty, but getting over the political correctness of somethings is the best way to help people. I just think this maybe one of those occasions. Thomas Moss (post 15)
Freaks? Or Just Different?
I do not believe that Browning meant to portray the freaks as objects of interest. Naturally, they are going to attract attention, not all of it positive, because they look so different from the typical person, and they are not usually seen an everyday person’s everyday lift. In fact, it seems that he does just the opposite of portraying them as “freaks”. If he truly wanted to show them as being “freaks,” I believe that Browning would have shown the acts that they performed for the circus. He does not do this, in order to keep the film from becoming another platform on which to prove their “freakiness”.
I think that Browning successfully allowed his viewers to see the “freaks” as people. We got to know each character and what their personalities were like, which were not freaky or different in any special way. They seemed like regular people that just had different bodies. They had their own family, and they all fit in and served a purpose to that family, just like normal people have certain roles and purposes in their own societies. I also think that Browning effectively portrayed how the circus people react when their family is threatened. They had absolutely no problem accepting Cleopatra and Hercules into their family. They wanted to include them, as equals in their “circus people” family. They showed this at the wedding feast.
It was only when Cleo and Hercules began showing threatening behavior to members of the family that the other members began to react and treat them accordingly. When they did begin threatening bodily harm to Cleo and Hercules, it was with switchblades and guns, probably two of the most common weapons for everyday people to have. If Browning had truly wanted to play into the “freakiness” of his characters, I think he would have had the circus people act in completely unexpected ways. He would have really gone to the extremes and possibly pulled stereotypical fears of physically deformed people like having them have particularly gruesome ways of killing people. Instead, he gave them two very common weapons. They did end up turning Cleo into a chicken-woman. I think that was justified, and just a play on her being terrified and prejudiced against the circus people, effectively turning her into a freak, so she could experience how she had treated them from the other side.
(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 20)
From Beginning to End
In the end of the movie the "freaks" were also shown as being freaks but in their own way. When the second part of the movie started with the family accepting Cleopatra into their family it was showing her as being the "freak." Most people would see her as being the normal one but since they were the freaks and she was normal she was a freak to them. When Cleopatra poisoned Han the family acted like the mob and attacked her and Hercules. When thinking about the family attacking them it almost seems like the childest side is still coming out. The reason it seems this way is because I feel like they could have called the cops as Venus wanted to do, instead they went the easiest way out and killing Hercules and turning Cleopatra into a chicken woman.
Kevin Ostempowski Post 2
Freaks
I do think the freaks changed throughout the movie, as we watched and were introduced to the characters we began to learn more and more about their individual characters. Even though they all had physical and mental deformities they soon became more human, or normal to us as viewers we began to relate more to them once we were able to see they experienced emotions and struggles just like we do, and we began to feel emotions towards and about them. As we learned more about them they became more friendly and we soon began to see the characters true colors. As the film went on we saw the freaks change at the end going from friendly to down right dirty at the end of the film killing one performer and seriously mangling another. I do not think the film reinforces the notion that individuals with deformities are outcasts, since throughout the film it allowed us to become closer to the characters and begin to forget more about their disabilities.
Cali Simmons (Post 12)
Abuse and Sexuality
Another important part in this specific section was when Eli writes about how she asked her mother if she was feminen. This seems important for a few reasons one of which it stops her growth as a female in a way. Her mother didn't remember her response to the question. Therefore could not help with her growing up and not being raped by her father and acting like a normal girl. Another possible reason in my mind atleast for this to be such a key factor is because of the fact that she always saw her sister putting make up on and other things like that. Eli could have possibly seen that as being wrong and the way she acted being normal.
Kevin Ostempowski Post 1
Freaks
These people are no different inside than you and I but they are treated horribly wrong. There "owner" makes a profit off of people to come and watch a circus involving these "freaks." To me this is way worse than the verbal torment that Rachel received in her story.
Anthony DiChristopher
post 16
Eli Clare
She was born a female but had an aspiration to be a male at a very young age. She then started dressing and acting like a man. The question now is present, is Eli Clare a man or a woman?
Anthony DiChristopher
post 15
Who exactly are the Freaks?
Eli Clare
Freeks Are People Too
When Hans was lonely, Rita was his only friend. She looked out for him and stuck up for him and cared for him. She loved him more than anybody else. Those were the last words in the movie. I think this is giving the message of not to look past the people that care about you for something that was never even there in the first place. This is how it started out in the beginning to when Rita and Han were talking about their engagement. The story revolved around Han and his desire for love but did not find it because he was looking in the wrong spots. When he spent his fortune on the house he had purchased, it showed that he felt a little better about himself and was not wasting his time on people that never cared for him. (Mason Roessler Post 18)
Eli Claire- Person of Nature
Eli Claire can be labeled as a freak. This is not saying that he is a freak and should be bannished from society. It is saying that he is a freak where he had a sex change which made him different which caused him to act differently which is where the term freak comes in. Being a freak can be looked at two ways. It can be seen as a person who is abnormal and seen in society as weird and an outcast. It also can be seen as a person who is different but has a very unique ability which is labeled as a freak as being not human but in a good way where it would be impossible to out beat him. Eli Claire is a freak in a way where he is different, but has a unique ability to write just like anybody else and have a passion for it too. (Mason Roessler Post 17)
Who is the real Freak?
The people that we may have seen as normal (Hercules and Cleopatra) are actually the real outcasts. They reject the circus family or what could be viewed as society. Because of their disrespect to people that they find inferior they end up being subjected to either desk or an even worse fate of the ones that they called "Freaks." I think what Browning was really trying to suggest that our true being is not judged by the way that we look on the outside, but the character and attitude that we display which comes from the heart. (Shawn Parkhurst, 19)
Friday, November 12, 2010
Blog Prompts: Browning's Freaks
Hi everyone,
If you are stumped as to what to blog about this week consider responding to one of the discussion questions I passed out in class on Freaks. I will re-post them below for your reference.
1. Browning (a former circus performer himself) never represents his characters’ actual performances within Madame Tetrallini’s circus, but rather chooses to depict their lives behind the scenes. Why do you think this is?
2. Why is it that the freaks are viewed as children or as child-like? How do they challenge this view within the film?
3. How is sexuality represented in the film? In what ways do freaks trouble traditional sexuality?
4. Are women depicted in a positive light within the film? Give a few examples.
5. Is Browning’s film problematic in that he depicts the freaks as objects of interest, fascination, and visual curiosity, or does he ultimately allow his viewers to achieve a more sympathetic understanding of them?
6. How do the freaks change throughout the film? Does the film reinforce the notion that individuals with disabilities are outcasts and to be feared?
7. Did the film at all make you uncomfortable? If so, why?
Or you may want to analyze the above image that was used to advertise the film.
Best,
--Jeff
Stones
“I turn my pockets and heart inside out, set the stones—quartz, obsidian, shale, agate, scoria, granite—along the scourged top of the wall I once lived behind, the wall I still use for refuge. They shine in the sun, some translucent to the light, others dense, solid, opaque. I lean my body into the big unbreakable expanse, tracing which stones need to melt, which will crack wide, geode to crystal, and which are content just as they are” (Clare, 134-135).
I think this is my favorite part of any of Clare’s work that we’ve read. It sums up her writing in a beautiful way. I love the imagery of placing her stones on her wall that she built to protect herself as she was growing up. Building a wall around one’s personal self is a thing we all do. There are certain things that we don’t want people to know, fearing that if they knew, they would like us less, if they are “friends,” or mock us for, if they are “enemies”.
Placing stones on a wall or other kind of monument is an act of remembrance. Clare is placing her stones on her wall of protection, remembering each one of these experiences that shaped her life, that made her want to hide behind that wall. There are several different kinds of stones in her heart and pockets, just like she has different kinds of experiences and memories. Each one of these experiences was important in shaping who she is today. She has overcome so much, just by growing up, learning, meeting new people, and perhaps through the act of writing about them, showing the world who she is, and how these experiences shaped her.
The act of deciding which stones need to “melt” is important in life. I don’t think that the experiences represented by these stones ever really go away, but Clare is acknowledging the effect that these stones have had on her life, but she knows that she doesn’t need or want to carry them around with her anymore. She knows how they have shaped her life, but she doesn’t need to constantly remember them or the effect they has on her anymore. She is letting them go.
The stones that will “crack wide, geode to crystal” are the experiences that had such a profound effect on her and her life that she will never be able to not carry them around with her. They started off as just ugly stones, experiences that were not pleasant in the time they occurred or the time soon after. But as time went on, Clare realized that these experiences had the most beautifully profound effect on her and her life. They cracked open, and revealed beautifully colored crystals just below the ugly stone surface. She had to carry them around for a while before she learned of the true beauty of their lesson.
And of course there are those stones that are “content just as they are”. These stones are either good memories of life and its lessons, or the ones that haven’t yet explained why they are important. They deserve their time in our hearts and pockets just as much as the other kinds of stones. They have their purpose, or we will soon learn of what they mean.
We all have all of these kinds of stones. The important thing to remember is that every stone we pick up in life is somehow important in shaping us as adults. Whether we know their purpose now or in the future, each experience happened for a reason, and each experience deserves a spot on our wall of protection, to remember each one, and give it its due respect.
(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 19)
Looking Beyond the Skin
Confusion
As the movie progresses it continues to portray the characters as normal human beings. When we get to the second part after the wedding is when the changes occur. At the wedding dinner Cleopatra poisons Hans because Frieda told her about his fortune. Cleopatra becomes intoxicated and starts making fun of the freaks just as they are welcoming into being one of them. Hans is very upset about this. After the dinner the freaks all come together to find refenge onto Cleopatra and Hercules. All the freaks turn into "monster-like" creatures in order to refenge Cleopatra for what she has done to Hans. As they attack her and Hercules you see the animal like behaviors come out. UNfortunately, refenge is a normal human being action and sometimes we do act like animals when we want refenge but the movie portrays more aggressive monster-like actions.
(Kelcey Summers 19)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Real "Freak"
The freaks in the movie are treated more like passive children than actually adults. Hans is a perfect example of this claim, because although he is an adult man, he looks more like a small child. He dismissed by some of the other circus performers because of his appearance, which is sad to watch, because he wants to be treated like every other adult. Cleopatra does no justice by pretending to love him and playing with his emotions. She is the real freak in this movie, because she does not have a heart at all, and finds pure enjoyment in destroying someone else's life. She only cares about herself and only sees herself as being the perfect image, when in fact she is more disfigured that any of the other circus performers. This will most likely have an impact later in the movie as she is about to marry Hans as some of the freaks are beginning to catch on to her plan.
(David Roberts, Post 20)
Identity
Although Clare is a successful person now, he had to endure much pain and hardships while growing up. There was one certain scenario that I found odd at first, but perhaps the purpose of this certain scenario was to compensate for something else. This, of course, is when Clare was raped by his father when he was younger. The father could have done this to prove his dominance over Clare, who was beginning to portray himself as a man. The father could have wanted to show Clare what it means to be a man, although to rape Clare was an extreme method to go by. However, if the father had wanted to show Clare who he really was, then why did he treat him as a son for so many years? Maybe, the father wanted to show what the life of a man was like in hopes that Clare would not be satisfied, however, Clare had loved working with his father and doing the hard labor each day. Clare was free to feel and do what he wanted to do, and by doing so would eventually set him free.
(David Roberts, Post 19)
Consent...right or wrong?
On the flip side if a child has an overprotective parent then they risk the chance to learn important failures in life. If a parents protects their child from ever failing at something how do you learn to be a better person? Again if a parent makes all the decisions for a child while they are growing up what makes them think they can make decisions when they get older. They will be afraid to make decisions because their parents are there to do it for them.
(Kelcey Summers 18)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Medical Advances Weigh Heavily Against Human Morals
Addressing the issue of someone being disabled helplessly, the government should make much more specific guidelines and/or laws to aid in the determination of whether someone is responsive enough to handle themselves or not. These guidelines should include things such as reaction times, their ability (based off of their disease and the level of the disease they are at) to handle real life situations and their decision making skills. For example an elderly person who cant speak at all should still be able to live by themselves instead of in a nursing home by law.
-Derek Guarino
Consent
Some parents are excessively protective and wind up sheltering their kids and overpowering them when given such a responsibility. Due to this, many children lose out on endless amounts of opportunities and lack the trait earned otherwise, which is being a well-rounded individual. Without this necessary trait, many kids wind up missing out on proper decision making skills when it comes to something of actual significance where they let the parent/guardian take over.
-Derek Guarino
Challenges
Who Is to Judge?
How do we learn?
You may think why back the viewing of disabled people in this way. I worked with the disabled for awhile young and old. Many don't live that long and the lives they do live are never easy. It was hard to not get close to these people especially the children. However I learned quickly that if I allowed my emotions to take control I wasn't helping them I was doing things that I thought would allow them to not have pain because I didn't want to see them hurt. I think doctors run the same risk when allowing emotion to get in the way. I say allow these medical students to view whatever they need in a way that THEY need and yes it may make the patient uncomfortable and cause some mental anguish, but in the long run these students won't make it personal. They will keep their professional opinions that will BEST help the patient.
Thomas Moss (post 14)
Sexuality and Disability
I think that it is wrong for people to share this view and know that I have become more aware it may cause me to think differently in the future. Personally I don't think that people with a disability should not be allowed to have a family or spouse and should have rights like everyone else. However, if that disability, whether it be mental or a serious physical disadvantage impairs their ability to be a responsible and caring parent then we should question whether or not they have the right to bring a child into this world. (Shawn Parkhurst, 18)
Having a Disability is an Advantage?
On a similar note, yet different topic I think the title as a story of its own. "Exile and Pride," although people may be excluded from certain advantages or opportunities in society, those individuals are proud of who they are. These are the individuals that although are denied of certain rights and are looked down upon, ignore the insults and the dirty looks and continue to live their life in a way that makes them happy. (Shawn Parkhurst, 17)
Freek to Sheek
In class we were discussing our papers with our partners for the paper 2 assignment. It was very helpful to have some other person look at my paper for revising bevause they see differently than I do. My partner have me helpful tips and revising corrections to fix to make my paper better and more professional. It took a lot of time to have a good finished copy ready, but after numerous revisions and look overs of my paper I believe it is strong enough to achieve a good grade. Looking in depth to the stories I have chosen were also helpful in writing my paper because it allowed me to see what the message of the stories were and how they relate to everyday life. (Mason Roessler Post 16)
Making it Difficult
The sexuality of disabled people can be a very uncomfortable topic for the general public. It is not something that we really think about. We subconsciously think that disabled people should not be sexual; they are children who don’t necessarily have a gender. Eli Clare touches on this topic in her essay, “Reading Across the Grain”. I believe the points she makes about how uncomfortable the idea of disabled people’s sexuality is for non-disabled people are correct.
When she spoke about how disabled people used to be forced into sterilization, I was shocked to hear that it was legal until the 1970s. Hitler started sterilizing and killing disabled people before he started persecuting the followers of the Jewish faith. I thought that alone would want our government to make illegal, even if it was just to make us a little bit less like Hitler. I was also surprised to hear how difficult our government makes it for disabled people to get married, have children, and keep their children. I have a good friend who is in a wheelchair because of a complicated illness when he was a child, but he is one of the smartest people I know. I don’t believe that physically disabled people should have any difficulty from anyone about getting married or having children. Just because their bodies are disabled, doesn’t mean that they don’t understand what they are doing, or can’t take care of their children.
While I don’t think that it is necessarily right, but I can understand the point if it focused on mentally disabled people. They truly might not understand the consequences of their actions, and might not be able to take care of a child. It does take a certain level of understanding and knowledge to raise a child, so if mentally the parents were children themselves, I can understand why people might be concerned. I have heard of a case where the parents of a mentally disabled child had her uterus removed, based on that fact that she could not keep herself clean when she got her period. She didn’t understand what was going on, and how to keep herself clean. I think this might have been a little extreme of a reason to sterilize their child, but I understand their reasoning. I don’t think I would have been able to make this decision, especially because it is such a final decision. That young woman will never be able to have her own children, even if someday there is a medical breakthrough that miraculously cures her of her problems. But this idea of making it difficult for physically disabled people to get married and have children is upsetting to me because it doesn’t necessarily mean that they can’t understand what they are doing or be able to take care of a child just because their bodies don’t work the same way ours do.
(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 18)