Last Post

I was reading over all of my latest blog posts and thinking about my time spent blogging this semester. I realized how much the blogs really helped me retain information and the ideas from the books. Everyone of my blog posts was an issue that really struck me as interesting and inspiring. It struck me that the biggest ideas and plot points I can remember from all the books this semester were topics that I had blogged about. It only makes sense that the process of writing out my ideas helped me remember. I noticed too how much certain characters or plot points reminded me of events in my own life or events I have heard about in the media. I liked most of the core books because they were easy to relate too and could be applied to anything thing even in modern society. The blogs then gave us the freedom to make those vital connections before we forgot them the next day in class. Overall, the blogs were very helpful to my core experience.

The Key to Heaven

We got to discussing in class today about propaganda in the media and across all governments. We agreed that Persepolis deals with extreme cases of propaganda put out by the revolutionists, the new government. It is crazy to realize the extent to which the government will lie to its people for their support and cooperation. Our discussion group never got a chance to share our page, but on page 99 there is a prime example of the government lying. The narrator's friend is telling her family about how her son is being brainwashed to go fight in the war. The government has given her friend's son a golden key that apparently is the key to heaven for when the son dies. The gesture is meant to lure boys into the army with the promise that if they die they are guaranteed to go to heaven. Furthermore, the government alters the boys sense of heaven by explaining all the luxuries it has to offer. All the women, food and gold one could ever want, obviously a persuading argument to go fight without fear of dying (99).

I just think it's tragic to see the government sink so low. Of course there is no real "key" to heaven, to never ending paradise. It's all made up by the government as an attempt to reassure families and take their children for the war effort.

Persepolis

I love reading the book Persepolis. It's so interesting and fun. The scary part is, is that it's so serious at the same time. When reading my brain is so programed to think it's light reading, so much so that a full page torture scene in black and white ink just shocks me. The juxtaposition of the kid like comics and brutal warfare is astounding. What I also note is the extreme bluntness of the author. She is so little in the beginning, so innocent and she describes these scenes in few words, there is no sugar-coating, she tells it like it is. I think about my time spent babysitting and I realize just how blunt little kids can be. They insult each other naturally without so much a thought as to a possible consequence. They make judgments without think about the emotions surrounding such a statement. Society has not gotten to them yet. Experience has not taught them yet to tread around such subjects lightly and cautiously out of respect for others. In Persepolis, she does have any concept of censoring or using any sort of euphemism, she throws it all out there. I like it. It creates a very authentic message, objective to a point, undiluted.

Relating to Giovanni's Room

David in Giovanni's Room is constantly torn between his girlfriend and his gay tendencies. He is told by multiple people to settle down, get a girl, have a family. But his heart tells him differently, he is attracted to men and wonders about life as an openly gay man. He doesn't think he can do it and spends most of the book oscillating between experimentation and guilt.

All of this tension between choosing the family life and love life made me think of the modern debate concerning gay marriage. Why has society still not allowed the two concepts to fuse? I am writing a paper in Sociology right now about the gay marriage debate and I find the topic very interesting. It seems like if one wants, one can be gay and raise a family at the same time. The family would look different, but the values would be the same: a support system, connectedness, learning environment. But as we can see through numerous measures in almost all states, people don't like the idea of official gay marriage and vote against it. They want marriage to be a sacred thing between one man and one woman. David can represent a victim of this societal outlook. Obviously he can see no way to have the best of both worlds or he wouldn't spend so much time feeling guilty and attempting to make up for his lack of manliness.