P E R S E P O L I S (Blog#2)

The world rotates, each time it does, voices are heard.


Okay so here I sit at home wondering what should I do because obviously I need to catch up on A LOT of things. Apparently, this is one of the things and so I FINISH THE BOOK! It makes me want to read more of it! Maybe I should go check the second book. Anyways back to where I wanted to began. No matter where we are, or who we are, or what make us, us, I think that fashion and pressure will always make us want to look hip. I really don't know how to explain that thought- but when the kids in Persepolis, still wanted to look hip even under the risk of being arrested, made me really wonder. They did this by buying things. For example, when Satrapi's parents went to Turkey and bought her the jacket and the posters, they had to hide the posters, which made me realize a few things. If it was me, I would obey the law and then find a way to destroy that law. I wouldn't even care about being cool, I would care about leaving that country and start new as long as all my loved ones are there. Yet, when I thought of that thought, I actually thought it was normal for Satrapi to think and act that way. It's normal yet there's so many reasons why kids do that.

Satrapi's family really reminded me of my family. When her parents had said that they are sending her to Austria and when they had send her to France once, it made me think. Satrapi's parents wanted her to live like no other. They wanted her to learn, to experience more things and just not live under their religious laws or beliefs. That made me think of my parents when we came to the United States. The core of the story was her family, and my parents were the roots of me, and it made me think of my parents. My parents thought exactly like Satrapi's parents. They wanted her to experience more exotic and new things just how my mom wanted her children to. Satrapi's family probably got their strength from experiences and their lifestyle. Like my mom always had said to me, "You cannot live like me. You must live better." When she says that it makes me wonder a lot. If our parents had a bad childhood of wars just like how Satrapi's and my parents went through, I think they wouldn't want their kids to follow that path. Therefore, I think that's why Satrapi;s family always allow her to do what she wants and only punish her when she do the wrong thing.

At last, I applaud Marjane Satrapi. I loved this book. I really did. It made me imagined even more than what the picture showed. I would say that the voice or tone that Satrapi used, in my opinion, was appealing. It made her who she was and it actually spoke like a kid, how she was back then in her childhood. An aspect or charateritic that I can identify and relate to would be her "manly side." For example she would demonstrate at her backyard or garden even though she know she can't do much. I really like that side of her. It relates to me being the only tomboy one who will play with my boy cousins. I thought that was cool. I think the least part I like about Satrap's character is her knowing that is wrong but still do it. Like, smoking. Yet I cant blame her for doing so because of course, we all learn some few things that hard way.

Persepolis reminds me of myself being an immigrant even though I am a citizen. It's a book with haunting memories that have shape many of us. It not only explain about her life- but other people lives that cant be put into words, but pictures. It's awesome.

Now its time for journeys just like how Satrapi's life continue. We all must continue ours...

P E R S E P O LI S (Blog#1)

Important memories or images of our lives will never be forgotten.

In Satrapi's book, Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi not only hold a strong meaning but a strong story that none of us can ever tell. When I first read the first chapter, "The Veil" it suprises me because I always had thought that, people in Tehran always had wear the veil, therefore it suprises me. Like you, Erin, said- "pictures are as powerful as words." I must agree with that. Satrapi's memoir means more than what she written and drew. Pictures often sometimes have a deeper meaning that words. Like an old saying always say, "a picture can tell a thousand words." I believe it is more powerful than what Satrapi has fictionalized because we only can have a visual of what happening, we had never witness it with our own eyes therefore it may not seem that powerful but behind it all, its meaning is undescriable. I had read couple of memoirs before like the book, Memoirs of a Geisha. Memoirs have more deeper than we think they do. They are the stories that take our breath away and make us wonder how it'll be like if we were the one witnessing it instead.

Since the society that we all like in are sometimes rank in social classes, it depends on the social classes of which people are in. I believe that no matter what, women will always play a role of cooking and being a household. Indeed in this modern world, we as women had have more rights but we're still the same. The government of Tehran wanted all the women to cover their skin by having a viel, and I thought that was just insane. Marji is expected to go to school and she actually go and learn. Her mother and grandmother, I would say, do the same as some women in the USA do. The maid is expected to not have dinner with them. I find that very true about the old days. The teachers obey everything and every women is expected to wear the veil. Satrapi may had not said out that women didn't have that much right as men but when I read it, I myself, see that Satrapi try to show that, she did a great job showing it. No matter what women will always be treated differently.

Religion play a very very big role in Persepolis. I remember reading the part when Satrapi wanted to be a prophet and would talk to God. Right then, I knew that religion play a huge role, just like how it plays a role in me. It's very interesting how, not just the charaters in Satrapi interact with each other due to religion, but everyone around us interact differently through our religion. Like the teachers had taught Satrapi that the king was chosen by God but instead Satrapi's dad said that, that is not true. I think Satrapi is in a way making a social commentary on religion. I think she is saying that sometimes religions are an aspect in which holds our lifestyle and it is important. For example is that culture is strict, then you must live your life strict and obeying the law of that god. Her meaning of religion is deeper than this which I cant really explain.

Childhood- Satrapi explain her childhood so far so good with powerful meaning. We all should have a story to tell too.

ReflectionESSAY (FEEDproject)

At the beginning of the project, it was very hard to choose what I wanted on my feed because I didn't want a feed but suddenly I went, "KA-BAM! I got it!" I wanted my feed to contain memories that I can pull from my mind. Just like the characters in FEED, they could pull memories out from their mind and show others. To be able to look back on those memories and see how far I have gone in life, makes me have good chills about myself. I also wanted my feed to contain some kind of translation where I can communicate in other languages. I think that'll be cool and more easy to meet more people. I think it is nice to have a few poems in there and to be able to chat with friends would be amazing. Poetry is awesome and keeping touch with friends is useful. I think it is a pain to have advertisements and commercials in my head so I dont want that even though I hate shopping. Since I am a music-addict, I think it'll be fantastic to have music in my head ONLY if I get to choose it like the internet.

It's hard to define American culture in a positive and negative way because it'll offend people, but I, myself will defind America as an intelligent, reliable country yet a country which rely on non-existance things. It's good to rely on things so it makes it easier to live yet when someone rely tooooo much on that, it makes it difficult to do things on your own.

It is a good thing that we can interact together through each other an in instant. It is more useful to socialize with people through technology because we have became so advanced that different speaking languages can be translated. It helps a lot to be able to interact with people through technology throughout the world but there is pros and cons to it. One con about interacting online is that its harder to see if the other person is telling the truth or not. It's hard to have comman sense through emails or chats. I think anyone can resist it. It isnt like the past people before us started with technology to be able to interact. Interacting is more realistic if both person are talking face to face.

Media and consumerism affect everybody. It has affected me. It brings pressure of wanting the good things that people condsider good. It can sometimes make me addicted but Im more addicted to music than shopping so it is a good thing. Still, it has affect me to the point where I would go and check my emails almost everyday. This then can affect my eyesight. I think it definately mold us in some way but without us there isnt any media, consumerism or technology (unless there's real robots.) It define me in a way that really cant be explain. Without technology, our lives would be harder but yet we dont really have the limit of when not to use it. One of the hobbies I love to do is write poetry and sometimes there is so many thoughts and ideas that it is much easier if I just typed it instead so thats why it'll be kind of nice to be able to have poetry in my head. I dont really know yet how it define me as an individual.

In every story, I believe there is a moral to it. Feed, has a lot of morals. One of them would be, if we used technology to much it can take over our lives. I think Americans kind of ignore the fact that we are using technology too much sometimes to the point where we cant even do most things by ourselves. We know we are relying too much yet due to the pressure of our peers and our surroundings, we kind of ignore the right thing to do. People are nothing without the feed in the story. I find that kind of sad. It's plain stupid. Everyone is something no matter what.

When Titus ordered all those pants, I really thought to myself that he know that he is affected by the Feed to the point where he is so mad yet cant really do anything about it anymore. It was a very harsh scene for me or should I say, emotional in some sense because there was so many ways to explain why he did it. Everything should go. I bet it said that because it explains the whole moral of the story. It is a good ending, I would say but it left me wanting for more.

I hope that my poster or my piece of art will help deliver everything I just said. Now I hope that me myself will be a better person by not relying so much on technology and accepting the truth.

All units and unettes should do that...

photo MANIAC (VisualEssay)

All of the images from below are images that, maybe not tell a story, but tell a perspective from my point of view. The theme that I have chosen was conformity versus individuality. I have chosen images that describes characters in the book FEED. The first three images represent individuality which Violet often shows. She says she wants to be "normal" but yet she wants to fit in. For the others, Titus and his group of friends often shows conformity, which means the "...result of a process by which people's beliefs or behaviors are influenced by others within a group in the formation and maintenance of social norms" (www.reference.com).

My message is that, no matter how much we are advance in technology, technology plays a huge role in individuality and conformity. The first picture that I chosen was purposely to show my viewing of Violet. She seems to be more alone, independent and more alive than the others yet yearning to be "normal." In my opinion, I think she dont know that she already is normal but by not having the FEED, she feels as if she doesn't belong. The other pictures like the one with the hairstyles, conofrmity sign and the robot picture represent Titus and his group. Calista and Quendy always change hairstyles, so I purposely used that moving image of hairstyle to portray that with a little bit of exaggeration since they always changed hairstyle right then.

I chose those images to portray a better understanding of my point of view in the theme of individuality verses conformity. The book FEED have many examples that explain this theme therefore I just chose the top examples that shows this theme. For conformity, I chose the three images to describe that technology plays a role in influencing others. The FEED would always introduced the newest updates like the haristyles or the trends for clothes. For example, the lesions started to become popular, so Calista went and made a fake lesion to empress Link so Quendy got jealous, so she went and got a whole bunch of them. This shows comformity. Then Violet on the other side would mess around with the FEED. This then shows individulity.

I, myself has been influence by others in a positive and in a negative way. I remember being back in middle school, girls would cut their hair short, and I would always want to cut mines but I could never. My friends back then would always talk about celebrities or girls who are acting like a total snob or something like that. So technology plays a role. Whenever the characters in the book change hairstyles or have trends it always reminded me of that. Conformity has always been something that all of us has experience or has been through. We as individual will always be an individual that is going to be affected by conformity but yet at the same time, we have a choice. Influence shapes who they are today. For example, my mom is my influence to being a good person, therefore I listen and help others because I am influence by her. That, makes me into who I am as an individual. I have been like Violet. Im always observing what others are going through, or why they function like how they do but at that same time, I am in a group of friends of which I am influence by. In which, I have learn from their behaviors.

I would have to say, the book Feed, relates to anybody especially the theme of conformity and individuality. Without both, we can't really understand the world or the people surrounding us and we wouldnt be who we are today. Hairstyles, trends, technology plays roles into influencing others which connects to being an individual.

Violet's perspective eye of normality

And somewhat Violet is alone as an individual

She's the only one with life compare to the others

VERSUS

Quendy's behaviors influenced by Calista

And they say that skin falling is a trend



Hair influence by animals? Pretty much