If I were to give advice to an incoming freshman about freshman year whether it be about living, working, or studying at Miami I would try and give them a good idea of what to expect. I would do my best to help them get into a good groove and be comfortable with the new style of living away from home.
When it comes to living at Miami, obviously everyone is going to be nervous in some sort of way. Whether the person is nervous to meet their new roommate or even to live on their own, I would tell them that there is nothing to worry about. I would tell them “yeah, it may be strange to leave your home, but it’s what you make of it”. Also that these ARE the happiest times of your life and if you worry about it and stress about living away it will only get worse. Be open to change.
On working at Miami, I would tell them if they are going to work, they need to find a place that is pretty easy and flexible on the hours. This will make it easier to make money while maintaining your GPA. Also choose something that won’t be something you dread going to. Life after college is where that comes in.
And finally, studying. I would tell an incoming freshman that you need to get into a groove on how you study early. Also I would tell them what my high school senior English teacher told me, “Get ahead on your GPA and then you will be able to relax later”. “Your first year is where your GPA will start and end”. Without pressure you need to get ahead and also take it serious don’t go crazy and party every night. You have four YEARS to do that.
Blog 15- Advice
Circle Game-Persepolis
I plan on looking at the graphic design Satrapi uses where she makes the background full of squiggly lines. It draws the reader’s attention and also causes the reader to see that Satrapi is, in a way, making the point that at this point there is a change. Whether this change is in the character or in the setting/point of the novel. Also it provides the reader with a sense of mysticism or an escape from reality into a dream world whether it is a dream or a magic carpet ride representing the families vacation. I also plan on looking at how Satrapi puts these squiggles into Marji’s uncles hair. I don’t know exactly how I plan on working that in or if it’s significant however for me it seems like the fact his hair is that different it causes him to be a key figure and a “hero” for Marji.
Rough-Thesis: In Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis, the use of the graphic image of squiggly lines causes the reader to better understand the transformation of character and the importance of various scenes throughout the novel.
Exact Examples
-carpet ride
-uncles hair
-64, 60, 77, 30, 22
PURPOSE-The purpose for my paper is to add another level to this novel based on how I perceive the novel to mean. Whether my view is correct or not, the purpose for my literary analysis is to provide another look into what a seemingly simple graphic image means or even could mean.
Blog 14- Sample Essays
Sample 1
For this first essay labeled “Fight for your Right”, I thought it had good ideas and worked well with what the author was going for. Also the support worked well for the idea of how Satrapi represented the image of a clenched fist and what goes with it. Her idea definitely worked and I see how the repetition of a raised clench fist represents power and freedom. Also the way the author continues to connect this with how the fist means power then compares how it could be seen as violent protests supporting violence. Then again the author further puts his point of view about how it is for freedom and power. Although these are all good, the author needs to work on the writing and the flow of the essay. The paragraphs don’t flow very well but all together the essay is good.
Sample 2
How Power and Influence are Graphically Represented in Persepolis
In this essay it was well put together and had good credibility with the various quotes and examples used to support his details about how power and influence are shown through the size of characters in Satrapi’s graphic novel. Also this essay was able to connect the thesis very well throughout the essay further showing how Satrapi was able to show this power and influence. On the down side I feel like this essay could have been a bit more formal and used a less personal reference at the end. Also it seemed pretty bland other than the examples she used. All together it was an overall pretty good paper.
Blog 13-Picture
For my picture I found an image that was of a man protesting the recent elections in Iran by putting his hand up with red paint on it. The red paint representing the recent deaths of protesters in Iran of the elections. This protester has his hand painted red in support of the lives of protesters that were killed by the government.
In my picture I drew my own picture based of this picture. I took the protester and soloed him out and changed the shading of the picture. I also made his beard like the way Satrapi did all black not showing his mouth. I also put a halo type figure around his hand showing the significance of his painted hand like Satrapi does with various characters like Marji. The final thing I did with the drawing was I put the swiggly lines in the background. I did this to fill the background and also show how this is a figure that would be seen by many people and represents many people. Satrapi used it for dreams and happy times in her graphic novel. For my picture it represents the protesters lives being represents by the red paint on this protesters hand.
Blog 12- The Veil
In the graphic novel Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi, the first section is labeled “The Veil”. For what reason is this part labeled “The Veil”? I think that the reason is because for the majority of the graphic novel thus far it has a theme of confusion and questioning. The veil for the main character Marji, I think, is used to show her confusion. She doesn’t understand why she is wearing a veil and is confused for most of the first 61 pages about why there are revolts all the time. She is constantly trying to find answers yet has no idea what the actual truth is. Satrapi uses the Veil as the main picture as well as the first section being labeled “The Veil” because there is an underlying theme of confusion and curiosity, the veil represents this for both the reader and Marji.
Satrapi is articulating that there is confusion for wearing the veil in the first two frames. That the children are very sad and seen as depressed about having to wear them. They even take them off during recess to enjoy themselves. The only reason they are having fun is because they are free from the veil.
Blod 11-Mouse Trap
I feel that Spiegleman used the graphic novel format for his novel because of how it adds another level to the story. The graphic novel format allows the reader to actually visualize what the author is writing and what he is trying to portray. Also the graphic novel format adds to the readers understanding of the novel. In reading the graphic novel and seeing the various features a graphic novel has such as; the emanata, camera angles, though bubbles, as well as narrative box/voice-over. Each of these various graphic novel characteristics allows for the reader to better understand the emotion or even the situation in general.
Graphic novels are also generally for a certain age group. In saying this, Mouse Trap may be for a higher reading level, however most graphic novels are comic books for children so they can see the pictures and visualize what they are reading.
I think that Spiegleman chose to have Art narrate the story rather than Vladek because if Vladek were to narrate the novel, it would only be his point of view rather than getting every character he describes look on the situation.
Apologize SONG LYRICS
by One Republic
I’m holding on your rope,
Got me ten feet off the ground,
And I’m hearing what you say,
But I just can’t make a sound,
You tell me that you need me,
Then you go and cut me down, away,
You tell me that you’re sorry,
Didn’t think I’d turn around, and say
[Chorus]
That it’s too late to apologize,
It’s too late,
I said it’s too late to apologize,
It’s too late,
(Too late)
Ooooooohhh
I take another chance,
take a fall, take a shot for you,
i need you like a heart needs a beat,
But it’s nothing new, yeahhh yeahhh
I loved you with the fire red,
Now it’s turning blue, and you said
Sorry like the angel,
Heaven let me think was you,
But I’m afraid
[Chorus]
[Guitar Solo]
It’s too late to apologize,
It’s too late,
I said it’s too late to apologize,
It’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize,
(Too late)
I said it’s too late to apologize,
(Too late)
I’m holding on your rope,
Got me ten feet off the ground
I think that this song would work well for the end of the movie when everyone is looking back on Chris McCandless’ life. This song goes better with the thoughts of his parents and/or his sister. He basically just left without really telling anyone and ended up dieing in the “wild”. The lyrics I think go to his parents for mostly this part of the song, “You tell me that you need me, Then you go and cut me down, away”. I think this really shows how his parents most likely feel when they realize he left and in turn died by doing so. Although he didn’t always need his parents, everyone has some sort of need for their parents. Chris needed his parents as a kid and growing up: shelter, education, food (the essentials). Then he just runs off without telling them. Although he wasn’t trying to hurt his parents they most likely see it as him being selfish or just him not being aware of his actions on his family directly.
His sister has another quote that really I think pertains to her based off how Chris leaves, “i need you like a heart needs a beat, But it’s nothing new, yeahhh yeahhh I loved you with the fire red, Now it’s turning blue, and you said Sorry like the angel”. In this part of the song I feel that it would work in the movie because Chris and his sister were extremely close and would have to stick together when their parents would fight. Then Chris left her to go out “into the wild”. She was all alone with her bickering parents and is now an only child.
In the end I feel the meaning for this song doesn’t quite work for the movie however if you make the words have another meaning and take a different look into what they could mean for this movie and/or novel then these lyrics, for me, do in fact go well with this movie/novel.
In Jon Krakauer’s novel Into The Wild, I feel that he successfully uses a narrative style and writing style that creatively connects the various aspects of the novel together. The way Krakauer uses various quotes at the beginning of each chapter allows the reader to get an idea of what the chapter is going to be about as well as get the reader to think about a certain point while reading the upcoming chapter. Also these quotes get Krakauer’s points across by taking excerpts from other places or novels like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Along with the style of placing quotes in the beginning of each chapter, Krakauer successfully connects his story of Chris McCandless to the information he was given by various people who were connected to McCandless at some point. For example how he tells the story of how McCandless was a kid and the information he has on it, then he puts various excerpts from his interview with Carine about how McCandless was as a kid. This allows for the reader to get a better more detailed look into what McCandless was actually like as well as the way Krakauer shows him.
The chronology of the way Krakauer narrates the story of McCandless also helps the reader better understand each part of McCandless’ life and journey “into the wild”. Krakauer shows how McCandless is as a kid later in the novel because it allows for the reader to better understand the reasons for what McCandless did throughout the bulk of the novel. This part of the novel thoroughly depicts McCandless’ character further allowing the reader to understand his life choices. The way Krakauer put this at the end makes the novel different than most other novels I have read. It jumps around in dates as well as stories getting various points of view in throughout the novel rather than just McCandless or his family.
His research as well as his interviews successfully depict the life of McCandless up to this point of the novel as well as connect the novel in a way that makes the reader want to continue to read and see what other accounts Krakauer is going to tie in to better understand who McCandless is and what was going on in his head.
Blog 8-“Civil Wild”
While reading the first six chapters of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, it clearly depicts various connections between the text and the article Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau. One connection in particular would have to be the intersection of how Chris McCandless and Thoreau see the government.
McCandless is in the car with Gallien, hitchhiking his way to Alaska for his escape “into the wild”. As the two characters start to talk more and more Gallien realizes that Chris aka Alex is an intelligent person and can keep his side of the conversation going. With this being said Gallien kept trying to insist that he gather more supplies before going into the “bush”. Alex continually declined, then an interesting topic came up, his hunting license.
When Gallien asked if Alex had a hunting license, Alex replied with “Hell, no. How I feed myself is none of the government’s business. Fuck their stupid rules” (6). This quote for me intersected the novel with the article civil disobedience because of the lack of respect for the government.
The government is set in order to protect and serve the people. Each person has a vote and a say whether they think so or not. You choose to live in this country and be given freedom with the one rule don’t break the laws.
This quote speaks to various parts of the article, on the first page of the article where it says “no-government men”(1). This connects to how Alex McCandless feels about the government in the fact that it is rather conservative as well as needing improvement.
Later in the article it connects to the novel as well on page 3. The article states “All men recognize the right of revolution; that it to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable”(3). This connects to the novel because Alex clearly refuses to listen to the law and hunt without a hunting license.
The novel “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer definitely connects or intersects with the article Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau through the way Thoreau thinks of the government as well as the way Alex McCandless in a way rebels against the governmental laws.
Jake’s Thesis
Jake Linz
2/9/2010
ENG 112
Dew Breaker
Literary Analysis
Setting
In Edwidge Danticat’s novel the Dew Breaker, she thoroughly and clearly depicts the setting through three areas: time, place, and social environment. Like other authors, Danticat uses personal experience and memory in order to better depict her novel. In the Dew Breaker, the setting is shown through the memories of Danticat, in my point of view. Danticat is trying to add character and authenticity through depicting what Haiti is like and how the lifestyle is throughout the country. She does an excellent job at getting the reader to better be able to see the actual area she is trying to describe.
One example of this is when Dany goes to see his aunt Estina Esteme and Danticat describes Estemes village. This authentic and very detailed account of what a village is like in Haiti helps the reader better understand the reading. It helps because of how the reader can clearly see the village as well as it shows the family oriented society Haitian people are all about. Also how Haitian people are very welcoming and caring in the way that the people helped Dany and cared about him losing his parents in the fire. The fact that Danticat took the time to show how Dany remembered this village and how the village remembered him from such a long time it adds another level of authenticity and setting to the novel. The reader also can better understand where the characters are coming from in the fact that we can see the feelings and settings of this country.
I also plan on looking at the setting issues given to us:
Setting
• The physical, sensory world of the work.
• The time in which the action of the work takes place.
• The social environment of the characters (i.e. the manners, customs, and moral values of the characters’ society).
Place
• What does it look like, sound like, feel like?
• Is there a dominant impression of the setting?
• What relationship does place have to characterization and theme? In some novels, geographical location seems to have no effect on characters. Indoors or out, in one locale or another they behave the same. In other stories, place affects the characters profoundly.
Time
• What period in history does the action take place; what historical events affect the characters?
• How long does it take for the action to occur?
• What clues does the author give for the passage of time?
• Is the passage of time important to the theme?
• Is the passage of time important to the believability of the story?
• Is time used to structure the story?
• How is the passage of time perceived by the characters?
• Does the slow or fast passage of time help to understand the character’s actions and thoughts?
Social environment
• What is the social environment of the story?
• What does the author feel about the manners, mores, customs, rituals, or codes of conduct of the society?
• What values structure the characters’ actions?
• Does the social environment present conflict?
• If there are multiple social environments, how do they relate and/or interact?
• How do they affect the characters?
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