Beasts of No Nation post

This book is very horrific. I started reading it and was shocked at how stylistically it was written. The way he uses a broken english really conveys the characters message. It helps the reader to get into the mind set that this kid is in simply by the use of this langauge. Although it is a relatively short book it remains poignant. The saddest thing about Beasts of No Nation is that its real. There really are kids that go through these horrible things. A reader might think that it is fiction because of the horrible atrocities that Agu faces. But its real. Over the course of this class I have really began to think about the world in a different persepctive. I always realized that people live in poverty and have nothing. I knew that kids were starving and that countries were torn by war. But the books we have read this semester really brings the awarness to life. It gives it a face and name and partents. The real life account of what some people must endure is sure to make anyone stop and think. Satrappi brings the war in the middle east into a new light. Beasts of No Nation conveys the tragedies that occur in Africa daily. The Indian caste system is a real thing. I am suddently more aware of the human struggle because of these stories. I think that Beasts of No Nation in particular is more difficult because Agu is a child. Horror stories are always harder to bear when children are the victims. After researching Iweala's life and his reasons for writing I was skeptical. He comes from money from privilage. I almost wanted the author of this story to have gone through what Agu went through. His mother is the financial minister of a country in West Africa. He grew up in D.C. and graduated from Harvard. That, to me, screams spoiled rich kid. But at the same time to able to create something so dramatic and heartbreaking you must be in tune. He must be in tune with his roots, realizing that he was one step away from being Agu. In a way I think we all are. In that case I believe it is important to akknowlege human struggle and do something to stop it.

When you said we would be reading a graphic novel I thought graphic as in intense violence and sex. I never thought it would be something like this. However weirded out I was about the prospect of reading a graphic novel I am actually enjoying it. I think that after last class discussion, books such as these deserve as much or not more credit then non graphic novels do. Creating something as compelx as Persepolis would not only take a inordinate amount of time but character development would become a totally different kind of task. Using pictures to illustrate such a grown up topic is an interesting concept. I think that Satrapi is incredibly gifted. Her illustrations only completely prove what she is conveying. The black and white drab pictures demonstrate her point about individuality as seen in Iran. Obviously, Satrapi grew up in a collectivistic society where personal opinion and ideals were not valued. The rulers of Iran all seem to have had a common goal: kill the individual so they cannot think on their own rather as a group. I could never imagine growing up in circumstances that Satrapi describes and illustates. I find it almost unimaginable, and at the same time I wish at some point I had experienced something like seh did because it obviously gives you a unique and wise perspective on life. This story is told from the eyes of such a young child and that persepctive is very valuable. I think that her life experiences are worth more than the those in textbooks. It is impossible to get as close to an occurance such as the one described without getting personal accounts of feelings and thoughts. These people are real. They are not scholars or professors. They do not have doctorates in history or ethics. These are ordinary people who went through exra ordinary things. Not only is the viewpoint unique in that, it is also unique because it comes from the eyes of a child. Rarely do readers see experiences through the eyes of youth. Children most definately have a unique and invaluable sense of life and what it means to be a human. Children are far closer to basic instinct and intuition than adults are. They are closer to innocence and farther from corruption. I also find the premise of this story to be similar to One Hundred Years. Although the plots are compeltely different and the authors could not be farther from each other in every way, they explore similar realities regarding human nature and basic human rights. It is interesting that in every story we have read so far the moral imperative is severly questioned in each instance. I also think that the author in these two stories in particular seems very transcendent. They hold absolute power and without them there is absolutely nothing. This remains true for other books as well, however I thin that these stories remain unique in that they are based in fact just as much as in fiction. I think that each author yeilds an extrordinary power over the lives of their charcters. I never realized any of this Iranian history until I started to read this book. I think it is important for people to familiarize themselves with world history and hear stories like Satrapi's. History always repeats itself and if we do not take measures to correct the mistakes of the past the future will be mistake ridden as well. I think that is Satrapi's point in writing this.

Last blog on One Hundred Years

I wish we had another week or so to discuss this phenomenol book. THere are so many things to look at and explore that are pertenent to the story. We did have a lot of cool discussions on the author and his story. I really enjoy having philosophical discussions in this class because most teachers dont want to risk offending someone. I think this story does require some difficult thinking. I was thinking after class about what we talked about regarding Remedios the Beauty and her heavenly ascention. I feel as though she is definately pure. I have to say something about the idea that children are born inherinently evil or sinners. If the Catholic church really believes that I am questioning my descion of having my son attend church. I believe that children are born pure and that they are taught to be cruel and taught to lie. I think that Remidios resembles the simple purity of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. She is the only character who avoids death and is taken directly to heaven. This book has definately made me question the Catholic church. I believe that Garcia Marquez created this book as a comment on the bible and organized religion. The bible is up for discussion as to whether the events inside are real and actually occured. All these character repeat the mistakes of their forefathers and seem to be doomed to continue doing so. It seems as if Marquez comments on the human race. The race will continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over and over until the earth as we know it implodes. You would think that with all the horrible things that humans have done to each other and to the earth over the thousands of years we have existed the human race would realize the negative outcomes of all these things. The last sentence of the story "...he would never leave . . . races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth." The curse of this family just like the curse of the human race ultimately leads to the demise. In addition, Ursula and Jose Buendia,the Adam and Eve figures of Moncando, develop this entire family and are ultimately responsible for their creation. In the end I feel that Aureliano II and Amaranta Ursula's incest brings this family full circle, the last event before the end of Moncando and the Buendia family. THe discussion of time in this story means nothing. I dont think that time is an important aspect of life. In this book time runs concurrent. Past, present and future swirl into an empty abyss. Before the ultimate end of the town and the family the town experiences some sort of plague, maybe similar to the plague of Egypt. They experience five years of rains followed by a time of horrible heat. These natural occurances may be punishment to those sinners living in the town. Was this towns desinty predetermined? I think that Marquez's development of this story is awe inspiring. I thought that Aureliano's depiction of the massacre of the banana workers was interesting. It seemed like he had a different idea of what occured than other people and it just seemed as though his depiction was swept under the rug. I couldnt believe that no one seemed to care about this tradgedy excpet him . It seemed as this occurance really blended the line between reality and fantasy. The truth sometimes seem less true than fiction. Overall I believe that this story has been one of the best I have ever read. I definately have a ton more ideas and wish we could discuss more...