Comics!

Comic books are great. They bring people, at least they do for me, back to a time in life when things were easier, life wasn’t so complicated. The comic book has had a huge impact on the way young individuals gained perspective on important life lessons and basic means of behavior, but has only become deemed appropriate for teaching in the recent past.

Graphic novels and comic books are totally different, even if the differences are hard to depict. Graphic novels are memoirs that narrate ideas through the use of pictures that represent allegories and metaphors. Comic books also use these same strategies pretty effectively but they mean to carry more simple plots that don’t run as deep as graphic novels do.

Some great examples of graphic novels that I’ve read are Maus I & II. I’ve heard good things on other graphics like Watchmen and V for Vendetta. I hope to get around to more of these books and hopefully Persepolis keeps my interest for the rest of this magic carpet ride.

War, what is it good for?

One of the greatest war movies that I’ve seen is undoubtedly the film Patton. This movie shows the side of General George Smith Patton commanding the United States army during World War II. The purpose of this film was not to show the horrors of war and the huge negative impacts it has, but to show the art form and honor it takes to be successful through strategy and courage.

George C. Scott who plays Patton is remarkable in this film by the way he conveys Patton’s emotions and intense theories behind warfare and what it means to be a coward. This movie is similar to Slaughterhouse-Five in a lot of ways. Vonnegut doesn’t describe ghastly imagery of war, but rather the personal motives for soldiers. Billy says he wants his companions to leave him alone, he wants to quit and go back home. There is a scene in Patton where General Patton erupts on a soldier who claims he’s been injured and can’t go on. This side character is a lot like Billy because he doesn’t wish to continue on even though it may be dishonorable.

I think Mary O’Hare would not like this movie because it makes war out to be a complex game that is played by loony individuals that don’t have to feel the effects of war because they are simply controlling the pieces, not being the pieces.

Groups

            Being in a group and communicating well with others is a great skill to have. If you find yourself in a situation that calls for action with the help of your group members, you need to have the ability to show the others your skill.

One time when I was in a group which really sticks out to me is when I was on a St.Dennis dodge ball team a few months ago. I was a part of a group that had to make decisions on how to pay for the entry fee, what type of uniform we were going to wear and made decisions on whether or not we needed more players. Being in this group gave me insight on how other people act and how they communicate their point across to other members. Contrary to being an outsider, I enjoyed the experience of being involved with good friends. We took first place by the way.

Microcosm of race in baseball

Fences has been a huge theme of baseball that keeps being referenced mainly by Troy but also by Bono and others. The video we’re watching in class documents the rise and demise of the Negro baseball league in America that was racially routed. I thought it would be interesting to see a miniature timeline of what major league teams look like back then and what they look like today.

The top picture is of the 1926 Pennant winning St. Louis Cardinals. As you can see the team is made up of all whites. Pretty typical. The middle picture was taken around the same time and is fielded by all blacks. The Negro League was installed to separate blacks from playing with whites even though many blacks were quoted as being more talented than many of the white players. The last picture shows the 1987 St. Louis Cardinals which is made up of predominately whites but blacks are equally able to join the team. Today the MLB is not only made up of whites and blacks but many of the league’s top athletes are from the Dominican Republic and other places. So, what do you think about this?

Kafka's Intentions

Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis is a great book that has obvious meaning near the surface and is chalk full of symbolism deep down that isn’t quite so apparent.  The more obvious representations such has Gregor’s existence being surrounded by doors, his major role in supporting his family and his physical lack of control are echoes that are necessary for the story, but don’t hold as much philosophical weight as some others. I loved the way Mr. Kunkle (and James) pointed out that Gregor is eerily similar to that of Jesus Christ. Gregor, like Christ, was very important to many people because he supported their well being. Jesus was punished for his doings and was physically abused much like Gregor was with the apples. I can’t believe that this was interpreted by Mr. Kunkle and Runde because I know for a fact that I would never have made that connection. So what do you think? Did Kafka really intend to make Gregor parallel Jesus Christ? Man, this class sure has taught me to read on deeper level. 

Modernism & Such

The playwright True West that we’re watching in class is a good movie that shows different aspects of metamorphism and modernism. The drunken brother initially was a “parasite” who lived off of anyone he could, hopping into windows and leaving through the front door. The studious brother is hard working and tries to take his writing to the next level by publishing it for Hollywood. The metamorphosis happens when the drunken brother played by Malkovich turns into the concerned writer who wants to see his work complete and his “dorky” brother becomes more apathetic towards the script. The theme of change is very obvious in this film and also has a lot to do with modernism. This play as a whole represents a metamorphosis of the status quo of what is acceptable in film which is the basic principle of modernism—shaking things up (having drunken men scream at the tops of their lungs, smashing typewriters with golf clubs and having alcohol being very present). True West has internal character changes, but it also represents externally what is perceived as normal for various pieces of literature.