Maus

How did Maus as a book work for you? In your opinion was the graphic format a plus, a minus, or both? How?

Maus was definitely my favorite thing we have read this semester. When I heard that we had to read it, I was rather disappointed because I did not know what it was about. It was something we were given as an option to read my senior year in high school but  I decided not to read it because I thought it would be weird since it is a comic book story. Comics have never really been interesting to me, well besides Peanuts. I love the Peanuts! But, when I found out the plot of the story I was intrigued. This story is a survivor’s tale of Vladek Spiegalman, a Jewish survivor of Hilter’s Europe, and of his son who wants to make peace with his father, the story of his life and history in general. The moment I received the book in the mail I picked it up and read it all the way through. It only took me about 2 hours and it has now become one of my favorite books of all time ((and i have read many many books)).

The graphics in Maus are incredible. They are not very clear but that leaves a lot to the imagination. The reader has to almost study each frame because the graphics are very sketchy and sometimes hard to see what is going on. One the other hand, portraying the Nazis and Jews as cats and mice was an interesting and very clever choice by Spiegelman. The Jews were always being stalked and hunted by the Nazis so the choice of cat vs mice was perfect. It is almost an easy way to explain World War II to children because it is an idea they can grasp and it is appealing to them as well because of the cartoon aspect. I loved reading this book because it was not too graphic but still allowed me to visualize what life would have been like during World War II and also how I might have felt if I were the son talking to my father about his past and about the history I learn about and that he lived through.

It was easy for me to read Maus and understand all of these thoughts completely.Even the hard parts that would normally be difficult for someone to read or visualize are made much “easier” through the comics. However, it was still definitely an emotional book and does not put the hardships of the Jews down. They are still very real and very apparent through the comic. I think that through the suffering, humor and daily trials the mice have we are able to still be drawn to their emotions and feel what they would have felt. Spiegelman did an incredible job writing the story and drawing the graphics. I hope to read Maus II in the near future.

If I were Chris McCandless…

If I were Chris McCandless, things would have been much differently on my part. I definitely would have stuck to the same plans as he did because they are super interesting and super adventurous. I love going on adventures like that. Personally I have gone on my own adventures to Colorado and Arizona. However, these adventures were a little different from Chris’s. First of all it was not a solo trip. The group of people I went with consisted of about 100 high school juniors and seniors and 30 advisors. We spent an entire day learning how to get along in the wild and what to do if we run into troubles. For example, we learned what to do when encountering different types of wild animals and what we should do if put into that situation. We also learned that we always need to be prepared for anything to happen. Therefore, if i were Chris McCandless I would definitely would have made a greater effort to be prepared going into the wild of Alaska. I would have researched the conditions I would have been faced with, from the most extreme things to the littlest things.

Into the Wild and ZINE

“Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return, ’cause “the West is the best.” And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage. Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the Great White North. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. “

–Chris McCandless

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. “

–Chris McCandless

I am not quite sure yet what to think about Chris McCandless. He is such an interesting person. After reading through half of Into the Wild I still cannot grasp what would compel McCandless to enter the wild under such dire circumstances as he did and expect to come out alive. He was not prepared at all. I think if he would have wanted to come out alive he would have done a little bit to prepare more. I think when he went into the wild of Alaska he did not care what happened to him. He was too excited to get there and get going and find whatever freedom he was looking for. He even told one of the people very close to him that he should venture away from his dull, boring life and search for some other meaning. He wanted him to essentially follow in his footsteps and have new adventures, new experiences. Chris knew that this man was living in unhappy circumstances like he had been for the 20 some odd years he had been alive and he knew that his experiences since he became a nomad had changed and shaped his life and he wanted someone else, anyone else with unhappy circumstances, to reach out beyond their comfort zone and embrace new experiences. This is something that I have done, not to such extremes as Chris, but I have done none the less. I go on retreats into the wild with groups of people to escape from my family and home life just to be away and clear my mind. So I can relate to Chris in that way but I cannot grasp what made him want to venture into the wild of Alaska of all places. Why not just stick to the 48 continental states? Why did he have to challenge himself to such extremes, so unprepared and so helpless? That is a question that I hope to have answered by the end of Into the Wild. We shall see…

As for my zine. I have NO IDEA what I am going to do, what I am going to write about, or how to even go about doing it. I have sat and thought about what I might be able to write my zine on and nothing has come to my mind. I am usually a decently creative person. I mean everytime there is a holiday or something special for my boyfriend, Charlie, and me, I go all out and make him something. For Christmas, I made him this really nice scrapbook and I had a lot of fun doing that. So maybe I will do something along the lines either making a scrapbook of something significant in my life or a do it yourself guide to a simple scrapbook, that might be fun and I can use the D.I.Y. zine that I have as guidance to the structure of my D.I.Y. scrapbook zine.   Well I am glad we have this blog, sometimes all it takes is a little unintentional brainstorming to come up with a brilliant idea.

Comments on Sounds like Kong

In the article “Sounds like Kong”, the author, Hunter Stephenson, makes many broad points about the making of Donkey Kong and how people feel about the movie in general. He lays out how ridiculous Billy Mitchell is through comparing him to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadineja. They each attempt to avoid response by saying they do not have enough information on the topic to make an informed response; however, in the end they only make themselves look pompous and stupid. Billy Mitchell is also compared to the character Donkey Kong in the introduction. Stephenson writes of Billy, “a smart, middle-aged man, figuratively [pounds]  his chest and [flashes] his superiority for nearly two hours on screen, at times behaving just like the same nubskull ape named after an ass that has ineffectively taunted him level after level…not only funny as hell, but an ingenious portrait…”

To me the most interesting point he makes is how these two men are competing to make a record for themselves in order to create a personal legacy that will endure. This Stephenson says is the backbone to American culture and it is not surprising that two Americans are the best in the business. To him this is “pretty fucking cool” that they spend their entire lives working towards this legacy; but to me it just seems like a huge waste of time when they could be doing much, much more with their time and trying to better our economy…or something. I acknowlege that they do have an innate talent and are very capable of doing great things or else I would not be hoping for them to be bettering the United States or the World for that matter, with their talents instead of wasting them on a ridiculous game where their name is only important to those in the video game subculture. Commit your wasted time towards something with more substance, with more importance to bettering the good of others lives.

I say you should definitely stop arguing over silly little rules and worrying so much about a rivalry and worry more about starving children and our dying economy. This is not just an ideology I have for gamers but also for sports and entertainment in general. Yes, entertainment does boost our ecomony; however, sports “all-stars” do not need to be paid millions upon millions of dollars. Anyways, I suppose all of this is for our entertainment and the rivalry does benefit us in some ways. The story is a typical hero versus villian and the King of Kong crew does an incredible job capturing every moment and scene in order to protray this feeling of hatred towards the villian, Billy Mitchell, and caring compassion for Steve Wiebe. In the end, all that matters is that recognition is given to the gamer who deserves it. Even though its just a silly elementary school rivalry between the bullier and the bullied.

What a Wonderful Life!

For as long as I can remember, Christmas time was family movie season. These movies were of course only Christmas related. Such titles include: White Christmas, Muppet’s Christmas Carol and most importantly It’s a Wonderful Life. My father has always considered this his favorite movie and it has since become mine. For his 40th birthday we even made a special cake of a travel bag with many travel stickers all over it similar to George Bailey’s. It has always been my dad’s dream and George Bailey’s dream to travel the world.

The story of George Bailey is a sad but happy one. It hits many human emotions. George Bailey cannot seem to get out of his hometown or even away from bad times.  As hard as he tries, for many many years, he cannot leave, despite his incredible desire to travel the world. On Christmas Eve the family business, Bailey Building and Loan, runs into some financial troubles due to Uncle Billy’s forgetful mind. He makes the statement that the world would be better off without him and he wishes he had never been born. I’m sure at times we all feel this because everything has just become overwhelming and we cannot see why we should be living. At this point he is granted his wish by a gentle, little old angel named Clarence. Clarence was sent down by God with a promise to earn his wings because of all the prayers from George’s family and friends, they all knew he needed help. If only we could all have a little angel sent down to show us how important we truly are to the world. Clarence shows George that without his life, many people would be without a home to call their own, Mary, his wife, would be terribly unhappy and a lonely librarian and his old town has become a Potter-controlled town overriden with sex and gambling. In the end George realizes that he truly has touched many many lives

These scenarios just make me think about how other people’s lives would be if  I were not a part of it. Would things be different? Does my life really make a difference? Who’s life have I touched enough to change it? Then I remember that without me my family would not be the same. There would only be two girls, they would not have anyone’s example to follow, they need me to show them the way. My sisters are much younger than me and I think need a lot more guidance. I know being the oldest child that I had a difficult time, but then again it has made me the person I am today.

It’s a Wonderful Life puts things into perspective and allows people to see what a difference they make in others’ lives. Everything turns out just as Clarence says to George, “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

Identify Yourself

Tattoos are said to be a way to express who you are…to show others a little something about yourself through art. Because that is exactly what tattoos are, they are art. Some may think its trashy but as the generations pass, tattoos are becoming more widely accepted, except by my parents. My parents think that I do not need to get a tattoo, that it is unnecessary but I have wanted one since my sophomore year in high school. I went to the extent of looking up pictures online to get an idea of what I wanted and I found the perfect thing. It is something that truly shows people who I am.

The first part is a cross, stained glass to be exact. The cross symbolizes my faith. The last two years of high school I had a hard time, a struggle because of what my family was going through. I did not necessarily blame everything on God or my faith but it was difficult for me to be in church. I think that it had to do with my father being so “religious” and expecting me to go to church and be faithfilled but yet he was out cheating on my mom. How could I want to be in a place that I now saw as fake? My father made me feel as if going to church was only a cover-up to the life he really led. He wanted people to see him going to church and participating in many things with the community to cover up all the bad he was doing by cheating on my mom and causing our family so much pain. So the cross represents now a stronger faith that I have developed through that situation. I found that by letting go of the hatred I had towards my father that I could start anew and love myself and my God.

Next to the cross I want to have footsteps that represent the journey that I took throughout the past three years. But I only want one set because I know throughout that time that God was carrying me and helping me get through that terrible time and the times now because the problems continue.

The third part to my tattoo is a rose. This rose has a special meaning that is close to my heart, it is something that I have been brought up to believe and that I truly want to believe in. The rose is the symbol for the pro-life movement. Since I was a little girl I have been attending the Pro-life Chain in Indianapolis. In high school I was able to continue my desire to support the movement through the Pro-life club participating in March for Life in Washington, D.C. and as the treasurer for the club. The rose will go in the center of the cross because it is really the center of my faith. Without a respect for life, from conception to natural death, I believe it is hard to have true faith.

Hopefully in the near future I will get my tattoo, despite my parents dislike for the idea, because it represents who I am and will be a daily reminder to me what I stand for and believe in.

Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summary

Quoting:

Unfortunately, there has been a large decline in standarized test scores throughout America. We are in trouble. Children do not want to be in the institutions they are made to attend and are therefore, according to Roger Sipher, “have little desire to learn and are so antagonistic to school that neither they nor more highly motivated students receive the quality education that is the birthright of every American” (1). These ungrateful children bring down the moral and desire of students who long to learn.

Summarizing:

Roger Sipher writes about the troubles of schooling in America. Standardized tests scores are dropping dramatically and it is all due to children not wanting to attend school. But, according to the mandatory attendance law every child must attend school. Public schools normally have the  most trouble with standardized test scores because private schools have the ability to expel and not accept certain students back the next year (Sipher 1). Public schools become the fall back school and are by default full of students who do not want to be students. He concludes his paper with a well thought out strategy for schools to be about education that includes six key points starting with abolishing the mandatory attendance laws.

Paraphrasing:

Roger Sipher develops a six point strategy to increase standardized test scores beginning with abolishing the mandatory attendance laws. His first point is interesting because of his belief that school is a place of learning, the key ideology throughout the entire essay, and is not for people who resist the logic of schooling.

Sorority Life

Sorority life is often misconcieved as a group of slutty, bitchy girls who live together in a house full of drama. Well, in a sense, you are correct. You can never be around a large group of girls, even a small one for that matter, without experiencing some kind of cat fight or drama infused argument. Living this lifestyle has allowed me to see such problems through my own eyes, having just joined a sorority in September of this year. Yes, I may not have lived in the house yet, but so far I have hung around the house enough to witness the screaming of two rooms back and forth during finals week because one was trying to study and the other was practicing for theatre and would not close her door. That is only a minor incedent, but it proves my point.

As for drama, that is a whole other story. Drama can bud out of any little thing that might occur in one girl’s life, which then must involve at least one sister because she needs someone to confide in. However, this information passes on to the next sister and the next and the next and soon the entire house knows the business of one person, whether they should be involved or not. Speaking of being involved in people’s business, you cannot even imagine how many girls think it is their right to butt into your business even when it is between you and someone who they are not connected to in the least bit. I suppose their excuse could be that they are just looking out for you and helping you to make the best decision possible. Frankly, I do not care whether they think my decision is best because guaranteed I have already talked that decision over with the person that it involves and we have resolved things in the best way possible.

However, not everything about sorority life is terrible. Although it might be full of gossip and drama, you do find some pretty great girls to be friends for life there. Between the cat fights and the whispering behind backs, these girls really are your best friends. You end up doing everything with them from late-night parties, to girls’-night-out (or in) to watching “your shows” or even sharing the joy of finding your true love. These girls are the ones that will always be there for you no matter what happens, through all the ups-and-downs of life.

Although I may complain about sorority life and I may  not continue living this life, I know that I do not regret any time I have spent with my sisters. At this point, I am not planning on staying a sister for much longer, but I know that my sisters will be there for me and will be friends with me even if I choose to leave. That is what the sisterhood of a sorority is about, building long, lasting relationships with a group of girls that are strangers at first but later come to be sisters of your heart.

One heart, One way.