Comix, Comics, Graphic Novels, Persepolis

When I found out that I was to read a 300+ page comic book, I was skeptical. Actually, I was more than skeptical. However, as I started to read the graphic novel, I grew more and more impressed. Marjane Satrapi deals with a very heavy topic in Persepolis, and I was drawn in right away. I fell in love with the liberal, do-or-die 10 year old Marji growing up in Iran during a revolution. She was easy to like, and I loved reading about the shenanigans she got into. I've never heard of a ten-year-old going after a kid with nails between her fingers! The writing style is simplistic which calls for easy reading. Her younger perspective makes it easier for me to understand a topic which I don't know much about. I also thought that Marji's mom was the coolest mom ever! She stands up for women's rights to not wear a veil, and protests all the time! I love reading about strong women in an oppressed nation, and it's not something that you hear or read about that often. Persepolis offers a different perspective on Iran and its revolution. It shows what it was like for those against an Islamic regime and what happened to those who fought it. This book has made me all the more grateful that I have freedom of religion and a stable government. At first, I struggled to get past the fact that this was a graphic novel, but now I have trouble putting it down!!
xoxo
Charlotte

The Final Project and You

Chello. Well as you third-blockers may know, Ms. Schmaling and I had the divine pleasure of making a video presentation on a scene from Ratcher in the Cye (in layman's terms Catcher in the Rye). We made a script using the scene where Holden and Stradlater are in the bathroom and Holden starts to tap-dance. Ally backed out of the Holden gig so I was stuck playing the apathetic teen who uses goddam every other word. Ally gave me some perfect Holden attire-a rumpled checkered shirt, some corduroy pants, Chucks, a red hat, and her dad's old glasses. I looked ridiculous. Ally had on corduroy pants as well, but was wearing a wife-beater because Stradlater was getting ready for a night out... and who prepares with all of their clothes on? We kidnapped my sister, and headed to the primary school. We went in the boy's bathroom by the music room which was perfect! It had a window, loud floors, and urinals! :) We had a blast acting out the very different roommates. The half-nelson was by far my favorite scene. I got to jump on top of Ally 'like a goddam panther' and take her down. When we were editing, we put it in slow-motion for dramatic effect. We included much humor, some of it on purpose and some not. The class greatly appreciated it, and it made the process much more enjoyable. I struggled to not laugh when Ally was doing her crazy Stradlater laugh... chello can you say cheesy?
xoxo
Charlotte

Tiger Woods: the New Ghetto Spokesperson

The photo shoot done by Annie Lebovitz reaffirms the public's opinion of black men: ghetto, muscly thugs. Even though Tiger is black, white, Asian, and Native American, he is known as black. The photo shoot also checks with the public's view of men in general. Men are supposed to be fit, trim, and athletic. They are supposed to be less emotional-and Tiger's grr face does just that. It's a shame that the media portrays men and women based on the stereotypes accepted by readers and viewers. Ms. Lebovitz has had her fair share of controversial magazine spreads (Miley Cyrus's raunchy shoot) and makes a great deal of money for them. Because of this, I believe that she put out a picture that would stir up some controversy and help make her an even more famous photographer. Keep in mind the Tiger obsession with his recent affairs and it appears obvious that Vanity Fair was just using an old picture to make some greenbacks! While it is pathetic, Vanity Fair was able to have a successful ($$$) photo shoot because frankly, a mean, ghetto, hawt black man is who we want to see as an adulterer. Not a nice typical man.... Congrats to you Annie Lebovitz- you gave the world exactly what it wants.
xoxo
Charlotte

Race vs. Culture: One Heated Debate

In good ole' college literature we were discussing the importance of one's race. Did it indeed impact how people lived? It was my personal belief that culture influences people more than race does. For example, a black person growing up in McFarland will have totally different experiences and develop a different lifestyle than a black person growing up in downtown Chicago. It is the culture that differs so the person grows up with different ideas, experiences, opportunities, etc. Lydia also brought up the fact that a person who grows up in an extremely Polish household will have similar upbringings regardless of their race. Many members of the class did believe that culture more heavily influenced how a person grows up than race did. It was a thought-provoking and (sometimes) heated debate. It reminded me of Birdie and the experiences she had. At school in Boston (Nkrumah) she acted one way to fit the culture around her. She started wearing clothes accepted by her black peers and started using black slang to fit in. When she moved to New Hampshire, she had a totally different experience. She did a 180 to fit in with the people there. She started listening to metal and wearing cheap make-up. While her race technically changed, it was the culture that changed her- and the need to fit in.
xoxo
Charlotte

The Part of the Book Where Nicholas Turns Into DAN BROWN

I always had a little inkling that Nicholas and Birdie would do something like this. She had a little innocent crush on him, and she was entertaining to him. When Nicholas offered Birdie the weed I wasn't really concerned. Her mom and dad's friends were pretty open with their drug use so she was familiar with drugs. Then after they were high, Nicholas started kissing Birdie. A little alarm went off in my head and I was alarmed for Birdie. She was 12 and was making out with a 15 year old!! I thought that Nicholas was gross and was using Birdie. He knew that she would go along with it. The pivotal moment was when Birdie didn't want to perform oral sex on Nicholas. On page 203 she says "But touching him felt too real, proof that the game had gone too far. It wasn't Birdie, but Jesse, who lay beneath him..." This is important because Birdie realizes that she is morphing into a new person--this Jesse person, yet she knows that it is not her. Birdie decides right then to stick with Birdie and to not fully transform. She decides to not be like her mother who allowed herself to become someone else entirely and lost herself in the process. Birdie realized that this was a 'game' and that the prize was big. She can't yet see the finish line, but she knows that Papa and Cole will be waiting for her. I was very proud of Birdie when she refused Nicholas. She stayed true to herself and risked losing her only friend in NH. If Birdie keeps up this behavior, she will make it through this ordeal just fine...
xoxo
Charlotte

Introducing the New and Improved (?) Birdie Lee

During this reading, Birdie has gone through many changes. This new Birdie doesn't have the spring in her step that the Birdie who attended Nkrumah did. She has lost all the joy in her life and has paranoia instilled in her. She has become more and more dependent on her mother, but with this new man in her life, even her mother seems to be fading away. Birdie is extremely quiet and keeps to herself especially when accosted by the mean girls in town. This reminded me of her behavior when she was new at Nkrumah--only now Cole isn't there to help her. Birdie is lonesome and misses Cole desperately. I can't imagine living without knowing where my sisters were or if they were alive. Also, I believe that the chances of Birdie seeing Cole again are very slim. Her mother keeps mentioning that they'll all see each other again and that they'll go home right when Cole's plane touches down. I doubt it... Birdie's new friendship with the Marshes' son is turning into something. Perhaps it'll play a bigger part later on. I think it's nice for Birdie to feel some happiness even if it's with a 14 year old boy... While this Birdie (or Jesse) is certainly new I feel she is worse off then she was back home.
xoxo
Charlotte

It Doesn't Matter if You're Black or White. Or Both

Here's to you Michael Jackson... This blog is all about racial (in)equality. Caucasia is filled with racism by both white and black folk. It really makes it a difficult read for me as I find it embarrassing that people are judgemental over the color of skin. The scene where the elderly couple brought the police officer over to Birdie and her father made me cringe. It was blatantly obvious that Birdie's mother was a radical activist with her secret meetings and her paranoia with the government and the F.B.I. She had many secret meetings throughout the book and they got more frequent and intense as I neared the stopping page. I think that she and her cohorts were planning a big rebellion. I believe that she planned a big uprising and intended for violent action. I believe that the bags that Cole and Birdie saw being brought into their basement late in the night had weapons in them. Those weapons were to be used and distributed to those participating in this 'demonstration'. While I respect Birdie's mother for standing up against racial inequality, I have to say that I don't respect the way she is going about it. She has her children to think about, and uprooting Birdie, and having Cole move to Brazil with her father will have a big impact on her life.... Just how big we'll have to see.
xoxo
Charlotte