"Look Out, The Saints Are Coming Through," a piece created by Lea Carpenter presents some heavy-hitting themes in its text. Its interesting to think about how complicated empathy can be and question whether or not our sympathies should or even could truly be our driving force in our relationships with other people.
It was a little difficult to connect with the story, I'm not much too familiar with Bob Dylan's music and haven't had any experience either being in military or having family being in military. Lies, however are something I'm familiar with, or perhaps more accurate would be the feeling of not wanting to know or face what you think to be the truth. Perhaps we realize that terrible and unsavory events have a ripple effect to them, and we fight against that.
If I were to adapt this story into another medium, I would probably convert it to a graphic novel so that I can maintain the non-chronological nature of the piece without making it too uncomfortable or confusing. I would probably use a simplified style of caricature and oscillate between periods of narration and non-narration. I would probably break the frame a lot to maintain the more storytelling reminiscent feel of the story.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Discussion of "Even the Queen" by Connie Willis
Q: What constitutes masculinity and femininity in the world of the story?
A: In the context of this piece, the distinction of masculinity and femininity is largely defined by biological functions, as in, women menstruate and bear children and men don't have to worry about that.
The central conflict in this piece, between the cyclist and the rest of the women, seem to argue more about whether they should or shouldn't be defined by the biological differences between the sexes.
The majority of the women agree that menstruation is a handicap that was used by the patriarchal society to explain away why women shouldn't be equal in power and authority (citing that the biological function makes a woman irrational).
The cyclist however believes that menstruation is a symbol of womanhood, to her one of the most important aspects of her feminine identity.
In some ways the author shows that while the future is pushing to redefine what is possible and acceptable for women, the tradition models of masculinity and femininity will persist. Some of it because it is our history, and some because there are still biological differences between the sexes. Even if you put a stop to menstruation the very ritual of stopping that biological difference would provide an experience for women that is different than men and that will play at least some part in shaping their female identity.
But of course, women are becoming more recognized as creatures who aren't quite so limited as they were previously defined, and this story seems a little bit of celebration in that idea.
A: In the context of this piece, the distinction of masculinity and femininity is largely defined by biological functions, as in, women menstruate and bear children and men don't have to worry about that.
The central conflict in this piece, between the cyclist and the rest of the women, seem to argue more about whether they should or shouldn't be defined by the biological differences between the sexes.
The majority of the women agree that menstruation is a handicap that was used by the patriarchal society to explain away why women shouldn't be equal in power and authority (citing that the biological function makes a woman irrational).
The cyclist however believes that menstruation is a symbol of womanhood, to her one of the most important aspects of her feminine identity.
In some ways the author shows that while the future is pushing to redefine what is possible and acceptable for women, the tradition models of masculinity and femininity will persist. Some of it because it is our history, and some because there are still biological differences between the sexes. Even if you put a stop to menstruation the very ritual of stopping that biological difference would provide an experience for women that is different than men and that will play at least some part in shaping their female identity.
But of course, women are becoming more recognized as creatures who aren't quite so limited as they were previously defined, and this story seems a little bit of celebration in that idea.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Samia - The Lady Hero
If I were to create a female heroine her name would be Samia. She has dim brown hair, cut at shoulder length and tied back into a lazy tail. Her facial features have a droopy quality to them which makes all her smiles look a little insincere.
Samia is a sort of wandering trickster character, largely defined by her power to travel instantaneously through an organic medium. It's like teleportation but it requires her to touch part of a biological body (ex. a root of a tree) and she can only teleport to anywhere else the same biological body reaches to (ex. just above one of the tree's branches).
Other people and organic things can be taken with her when she performs her teleportation, but Samia cannot take anything else such as metal. Because she lives in a time period before paper money, Samia ends up losing her money all too easily and as a result often resorts to relying on other people's goodwill to be fed, clothed, and sheltered in the duration of her travels.
Throughout her journeys in unfamiliar lands, Samia becomes exposed to the intimate problems that affect the people she imposes upon. Some issues can be solved with her intervention but many of them cannot. Samia herself is largely a simple-minded character, getting caught up in helping whichever party she comes across first without question. She's an honest woman in her dealings, but acts to hastily which sometimes leads to more harm than good.
The entire theme of her story would be one of the interplaying mechanics between control and helplessness; between independence and dependence. It's a battle strongly tied to gender, but it isn't necessarily restricted to it.
Samia's role as a woman and a wanderer is questioned and prodded at, her lifestyle is not always seen as welcome in the societies she travels to, but there is a sense of envy among many of them; after all, Samia can be virtually untouchable if she so desires, which is a freedom so few can enjoy (especially for the women). While Samia's strange power can be a means for heroics, it also distances her ability to connect to people on a social level, which continues to reinforce her wandering ways.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
About True Grit
True Grit is a rather powerful piece of American mythology, however it feels strange to call the experience mythical. After all, the story is for the most part grounded in reality; referencing real world events and places as well as respecting the barriers of our physical reality.
So what makes this story mythical if there are no fire-breathing dragons? I would say the myth is in the characters. Rooster, LaBoeuf, and our narrator Mattie, are characterized by their uncommonly headstrong disposition of recklessness and courage. I think the strongest part of the myth, one that is now all too common throughout every medium of storytelling, is the myth of the underdog.
Whether it is pursued for heroism, vengeance, or personal gain our characters motivations drive them to a position where the odds are stacked against them. One horseman in the middle of four bandits, one youth girl beside a strong grown man, three wounded versus a pit of venomous snakes.
I think this book touches on a very traditional american ideal of self-reliance and self-mastery. That a person is defined more by their actions than by who they were born as. That regardless that Mattie is a young girl, she is shown to have true grit through her determination to see her father's murderer brought to justice, even though it would be easy to leave it to the marshal alone. I think also attached with this idealistic value is also one of independence, independence which leads to extremities.
So what makes this story mythical if there are no fire-breathing dragons? I would say the myth is in the characters. Rooster, LaBoeuf, and our narrator Mattie, are characterized by their uncommonly headstrong disposition of recklessness and courage. I think the strongest part of the myth, one that is now all too common throughout every medium of storytelling, is the myth of the underdog.
Whether it is pursued for heroism, vengeance, or personal gain our characters motivations drive them to a position where the odds are stacked against them. One horseman in the middle of four bandits, one youth girl beside a strong grown man, three wounded versus a pit of venomous snakes.
I think this book touches on a very traditional american ideal of self-reliance and self-mastery. That a person is defined more by their actions than by who they were born as. That regardless that Mattie is a young girl, she is shown to have true grit through her determination to see her father's murderer brought to justice, even though it would be easy to leave it to the marshal alone. I think also attached with this idealistic value is also one of independence, independence which leads to extremities.
Monday, January 23, 2017
About Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice
In the past two weeks our class was tasked with reading Pride and Prejudice or any likewise novel scripted by Jane Austin. As I was completely unfamiliar with any of this author's writings, I settled with Jane's most well-known work, as you can surmise from the title of this post.
First I'll express my thoughts on the language of the Pride and Prejudice. Going into the piece, I had anticipated that I would struggle with the interpretation - that I would become lost as I read along as I have experienced before when reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Thankfully I found Jane Austin's words easy to follow. Her language is not entirely relatable to how most people speak today, but the organization is simple and her choice of words heavily appropriate to describing the fictional scenes and events.
One thing I also admired is her use of summarization. The brief setting descriptions and the oft times implied character action that goes on in the background of scene changes helps to keep the story from getting stale for me. Sometimes however I do feel like the author summarizes interactions between characters that I would have been interested in having more detail.
The narrative itself is rather strangely paced. We are quick to understand that courtship and marriage is the direction and general goal for the Bennet sisters, but the process of which the relationships transpire is different from many other romance/relationship stories that I have experienced. Letters in writing are used very prominently in Pride and Prejudice, and they contain some of the most pivotal and interesting information for the overall narrative. The delayed form of correspondence, and the fact that letters are more monologue than dialogue, seemed to throw off what I normally expect in the pacing of a story, but in an interesting manner.
All-in-all my experience was enjoyable. While Pride and Prejudice did not incorporate any intense form of buildup and payoff, Jane Austin was able to hold my attention for the duration of the story with an array of playful characters. I actually quite like how the drama was not exaggerated - it gave a grounding sense of reality to the story which helped me empathize with Elizabeth Bennet more than I think I would have otherwise.
First I'll express my thoughts on the language of the Pride and Prejudice. Going into the piece, I had anticipated that I would struggle with the interpretation - that I would become lost as I read along as I have experienced before when reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Thankfully I found Jane Austin's words easy to follow. Her language is not entirely relatable to how most people speak today, but the organization is simple and her choice of words heavily appropriate to describing the fictional scenes and events.
One thing I also admired is her use of summarization. The brief setting descriptions and the oft times implied character action that goes on in the background of scene changes helps to keep the story from getting stale for me. Sometimes however I do feel like the author summarizes interactions between characters that I would have been interested in having more detail.
The narrative itself is rather strangely paced. We are quick to understand that courtship and marriage is the direction and general goal for the Bennet sisters, but the process of which the relationships transpire is different from many other romance/relationship stories that I have experienced. Letters in writing are used very prominently in Pride and Prejudice, and they contain some of the most pivotal and interesting information for the overall narrative. The delayed form of correspondence, and the fact that letters are more monologue than dialogue, seemed to throw off what I normally expect in the pacing of a story, but in an interesting manner.
All-in-all my experience was enjoyable. While Pride and Prejudice did not incorporate any intense form of buildup and payoff, Jane Austin was able to hold my attention for the duration of the story with an array of playful characters. I actually quite like how the drama was not exaggerated - it gave a grounding sense of reality to the story which helped me empathize with Elizabeth Bennet more than I think I would have otherwise.
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