Last Blog

The thing I learned when reading over my blog can be the wide array of interpretations that are taken from the same work. Meaning, there are different ways of thinking about the work, which may be based on your background or your place in society. This to me is very interesting because the same word structures can have completely different meanings to individuals.
Something I learned this year is that foreign cultures, while different than the ways of the west, can still offer much insight in the way to live peaceful and productive lives. Also, that individuals can make a difference within the a society, even if they feel as though they do not belong to or fit into that society.

Images

Also in Persepolis, the use of images in a simple state adds to the book immensely. Having images that show unthinkable images in such simple ways make it both easier for the viewer to look at without looking away quickly and giving them time to take in the message the picture represents. In a way less is more. The simplicity of the pictures can speak to a wide array of audiences and cause different interpretations throughout a community.

black and white

I thought it was interesting that the Persepolis was done in black and white. This is so because usually there are many situations where there are gray areas in seeing the true meaning of a situation. However, this this approach may have been done so to show the harsh realities that occur as they appear without any outside influence that we see too often.

Caring?

"You have never really been here. I do not think that you have ever lied to me, but I know that you have never told me the told- why?" (p.137).

The quote shows the disgust that Giovanni has with the narrator, however, the narrators tendencies of not seeming like he cares may be based on his past and his inability of being accepted. People's past experiences can have a large influence on their future, whether it be the individuals that they associated themselves with or the treatment they received from those around them. Also, the same goes for Giovanni who thinks otherwise, but he may be in fact wrong also. No one knows how an individual exactly feels besides the individual themselves. This is where conflicting personalities and backgrounds may come back to cause a conflict among people and cause relationships to crumble.

Manhood

The issue of manhood and sexulity occurs throughout the book, yet is a major issue that arises in the media along with in society. Magazines along with movies try and perceive classic versions of manhood and being a man, however, based on living situations and the time in which a man is being looked at. There is a quote, that says, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy." This quotation, along with others that include, "The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain." Some may see thses quotes as tacky while others may try to use them as motivation to try and live the best lives possible for their own sake along with the sake of those that they care about around them.

Moving Out

"Once I was out of the house of course... I gave my father of my life was exactly the vision in which I myself most desperately needed to believe." (p. 20)

Here the narrator displays the approach of being independent, but in a way that excludes him from his own family. He does so in order to make his father feel better and by telling him what he wants to hear. This tactic in the most common cases is started during the college years once an individual is about ready to leave his or her home for a substantial amount of time. Personally, there have been times where the truth may have been manipulated in order to cause a less stressful mother, however, the narrator does so that he can make his own choices and contradict what his father has been telling him over the years when living in the same home. This can be seen as an example of rejecting ones parent.

response to family

"That's where you always are and that's where all your money goes and all your manhood and self respect, too." (p.14).

This quotation can be connected to many people's responses that we see in society today. There are times when friends can make fun of one another because of their habits and behaviors when around their significant other at a particular time. However, when this ridicule is coming from within an individuals family they may feel stuck or at a loss of words because this harsh response is coming from someone that is loved. Also, it seems to have an effect that Ellen is getting more attention than his own blood, which results in a the response that is seen following the quote above.

Love and Now

"Genital love leads to the formation of new families, and aim inhibited love to friendships' which become valuable from a cultural standpoint because they escape some of the limitation of genital love, as, for instance, its exclusiveness" (p. 58).

During class this issue was brought up of different types of love. However, in culture there are different kinds of relationships that occur in types of society. There are situations where an individual is not looking for "love" but a different kind of relationship where frienship is not the intended goal. I just thought that it was interesting that he defined love as having different levels and different interpretations by individuals.

Freuds Faults

We discussed today in class about how Freud had some theories that were not feasible and seemed to be almost comical. However, psychologists still credit Freud of being one of the most brilliant minds in the field. Do these theories in any way take away from his earth breaking thoughts or do his accomplishments outweigh the bad to an extent that we look the other way? I do not know the answer because i am not an expert in psychology, however, in other aspects of specialties i believe faults and false statements cause people to doubt much of what the individual says.