Matthew Rosenthal
English 1012
Prof Caroccio
The idea of closure in a graphic novel interested me. From my understanding, closure is how the spaces between panels of a comic are interpreted to give an implicit (and sometimes explicit) meaning to the images that were scene. The example that William Bradley gives is how, if you see batman reaching for his utility belt, a batarang flying through the air, and the Riddler being crippled by the batarang, you will naturally assume that batman threw the batarang at the Riddler to defeat him. Bradley is especially interested in the way that Bechdel uses closure to allow the reader to gain insight into her life: you see her (the main character in Fun Home) reading a certain book, and if you are familiar with the book, you will be able to assume certain things about her life. This way of communicating is more subtle than traditional ways of writing and, in a way, is more close to the way we speak (the way we imply certain things with our tone of voice, our references to pop culture, and our dialect).
Monday, March 24, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
Matt Rosenthal
English 1012
Prof Caroccio
I like the overall message that this "traditional" myth, taken from Gene Luen Yang's "American Born Chinese," has about God having the final say. It portrays God's omnipresent and all-powerful nature in Chinese culture. The Chinese have great reverence for God's power, and understand that even the most powerful entity, even those who come close to Heaven and master all of the "disciples," still answer to God, as he created everything.
The monkey king's story is almost tragic. He attempts to be like the other deities, even though he is far away from them (on Flower-Fruit Mountain). But they still do not allow him to take part in their dinner parties. The monkey king becomes so enraged, he returns home to train and eventually surpass the power of all the great deities, except for God himself (notice HIM, God is a dude in Chinese culture). The monkey king's story may represent (of many things) Chinese views on the futility of trying to reach perfection, as nothing can be as perfect as God.
English 1012
Prof Caroccio
I like the overall message that this "traditional" myth, taken from Gene Luen Yang's "American Born Chinese," has about God having the final say. It portrays God's omnipresent and all-powerful nature in Chinese culture. The Chinese have great reverence for God's power, and understand that even the most powerful entity, even those who come close to Heaven and master all of the "disciples," still answer to God, as he created everything.
The monkey king's story is almost tragic. He attempts to be like the other deities, even though he is far away from them (on Flower-Fruit Mountain). But they still do not allow him to take part in their dinner parties. The monkey king becomes so enraged, he returns home to train and eventually surpass the power of all the great deities, except for God himself (notice HIM, God is a dude in Chinese culture). The monkey king's story may represent (of many things) Chinese views on the futility of trying to reach perfection, as nothing can be as perfect as God.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Matt Rosenthal
English 1012
Prof Caroccio
10 March 2014
What I found really interesting is what Johnston writes about Chinese misogyny versus America's "antipathy toward the feminine" (Johnston, 137). Although China is seen as a more openly anti-feminine country, American has a more subtle and destructive perspective on females. Whereas American stories (Johnston uses a story about God) often have a man as the dominant character (and sometimes the only character), Chinese stories often portray female characters as warriors in their stories. It is interesting to see this weird dichotomy between an obvious misogyny in Chinese culture (for example, baby boys are more desirable), and this reverence for their "mystical" powers. America, on the other hand, has a way of silencing and subverting the "Other" groups. As Johnston points out, Maxine Kingston's book illuminates this "double oppression of race and gender within America" (Johnston, 140), which makes it especially difficult for outsiders, or the "Others," to live without feeling shunned and oppressed in American society.
English 1012
Prof Caroccio
10 March 2014
What I found really interesting is what Johnston writes about Chinese misogyny versus America's "antipathy toward the feminine" (Johnston, 137). Although China is seen as a more openly anti-feminine country, American has a more subtle and destructive perspective on females. Whereas American stories (Johnston uses a story about God) often have a man as the dominant character (and sometimes the only character), Chinese stories often portray female characters as warriors in their stories. It is interesting to see this weird dichotomy between an obvious misogyny in Chinese culture (for example, baby boys are more desirable), and this reverence for their "mystical" powers. America, on the other hand, has a way of silencing and subverting the "Other" groups. As Johnston points out, Maxine Kingston's book illuminates this "double oppression of race and gender within America" (Johnston, 140), which makes it especially difficult for outsiders, or the "Others," to live without feeling shunned and oppressed in American society.
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