American Born Chinese

My initial impression of Gene Luen Yang's novel, American Born Chinese, is that the author knows that poking fun at asian-American culture is entertaining to many. In America, we are stereotyped as being ignorant and not caring about any other cultures but our own; this stereotype definitely has a basis, and foreign authors can profit from it. We as Americans find it funny when others have a hard time adapting, since our culture is so second-nature to us. It's hard for us to fathom this lack of knowledge of our culture. Also, we're interested in learning about other cultures if, in doing so, we don't stray too far from what we know. America's egocentricity allows Wang a platform that's both entertaining and enlightening, especially to the American reader.

Page 97 is especially interesting to me, as there isn't any dialogue at all. Despite this, the page says just as much, if not more, than the pages that are full of words. Jin is upset because he believes that Amelia likes Greg. Then he comes up with an amazing idea: if he was more like Greg--or, more specifically, if he had hair like Greg's--then Amelia would like him! Jin's conclusion is slightly pathetic, but it's the first pro-active step he takes in pursuing Amelia. I love how pictures can say so much without literally saying anything at all. This page is a great example of multimodality. The reader must use the pictures and apply them to what they already know in order to interpret the page. It's a different means of interpretation than reading words, which is what we're used to. Despite this means of interpretation being anomalous, it's not difficult to decipher what the page is saying.

White Privilege

While I feel a little uncomfortable reading this list, I also feel that all the points made are very valid and indisputable. They're all things that I take for granted on a daily basis; I feel guilty that I get to have such privileges even though I personally haven't done anything to earn them. Being in the majority is so overwhelmingly full of advantages.

I found that I was able to relate to number seven in particular. It states that, "When I am told about our national heritage or about 'civilization,' I am shown that people of my color made it what it is." This brings back a very vivid memory to me because I remember being fascinated to find out that Christopher Columbus was Spanish, not white. Up until I had this epiphany, I was, for some reason, under the impression that the man that discovered America had to be white.

Fictional worlds open new doors

When reading literature, it is second-nature to apply what we know about the world around us to the text. Even though it isn't always the author's intention for us to view the world they've created in the same way that we view the world we live in, it is easier for us to liken fictional settings to our non-fictional world; it helps us to broaden our understanding of a world that we aren't so familiar with. Sometimes it is hard for us to fathom a place where race, gender and class do not play a dominant role, since it's something that we're so accustomed to in our world.

The beauty of literature lies within the ability to differentiate these fictional places and characters from the world that we're seemingly trapped within. It allows us to escape from normality and, for a short time, live in a world where anything is possible.

Multi - literacy, modality, and semiotics.

Multimodality, multisemiotics, and multiliteracy are terms used to express the idea that humans are changing the way that they communicate. There are clearly more ways to educate than the seemingly ancient "pen and paper" approach, and these new ways of teaching may prove to be even more effective than what we're used to. This new "language" is put into use nearly every second of every day, whether we realize it or not. We are slaves to multimodality. Technology's ever-expanding horizon allows us to learn in ways we never though possible. Computers, television, and video games are just some of the modes that are used to enhance learning, even though they are sometimes dismissed for having negative effects on our society, such as childhood obesity.

McCloud's Understanding Comics embodies multimodality. The linguistic mode is used in copious amounts--wherever a speech bubble appears or any other text. The visual mode isn't difficult to pinpoint, as the book is comprised of cute illustrations that we are urged to bring to life in our heads. We imagine the pictures saying the words that we're reading. The spatial mode of literacy is less distinct but still present, as the author must decide how to use the space on each page in order to convey the right effect. The gestural mode of literacy can be found in the illustrations; the reader must sometimes decipher the body language of the illustrated characters in order to understand them fully. The only mode of literacy that isn't present in this graphic novel is that of audio, but, with all of the other modes wholly present, the reader doesn't feel like they're missing out on anything.

Enlightened by Comics

     The definition of "real" literature is seemingly limitless. Never before had I considered art to be on the same level as novels in the realm of literature, but, after reading the first few chapters of McCloud's Understanding Comics, I can now see that art is as much of a form of literature as the written word. My knowledge about comics and graphic novels prior to opening this book was considerably nonexistent. I've never been interested in comics, and I'll be the first to admit that I've never given them a chance. I always associated comics with a male audience and, honestly, thought comics to be childish. I now realize just how wrong my preconceptions were. While reading this book, I felt as though I was being hit with a million epiphanies simultaneously. Reading a few chapters of this book opened up my eyes to a new realm of possibility for literature. It took me a few pages to become comfortable with reading and interpreting the images; however, once I became oriented with the style, I found it to be enriching and full of a depth that cannot be achieved with just words.

Responding to Images

This response is to La Guernica by Picasso.

     Upon seeing this picture, the first observation I make is that there is a distinct use of contrast. This seemingly deliberate contrast suggests that Picasso wants us to be able to see the various elements of his painting. The initial feeling that this image evokes is that of chaos, tragedy, and destruction. The faces of the humans and animals clearly express a feeling of distress; using Bang's theory, the entire picture provokes an uneasy feeling of chaos because of the plentiful use of vertical lines and shapes. Bang's suggestion that "the upper half of a picture is a place of freedom" leads me to think that this image is not meant to depict any sense of freedom, since the upper half of the picture is much emptier than the lower half; the lower half of the picture does not contain much blank space, which makes the image feel "threatened, heavier, sadder, [and] more constrained." Overall, it's clear that this painting is meant to convey uneasy feelings to the viewer--feelings that can be associated with war, death, distress, and destruction.

Chicago

Chicago, the windy city.

Poetry

A Considerable Speck (Microscopic)
by Robert Frost

A speck that would have been beneath my sight
On any but a paper sheet so white
Set off across what I had written there.
And I had idly poised my pen in air
To stop it with a period of ink
When something strange about it made me think,
This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,
But unmistakably a living mite
With inclinations it could call its own.
It paused as with suspicion of my pen,
And then came racing wildly on again
To where my manuscript was not yet dry;
Then paused again and either drank or smelt--
With loathing, for again it turned to fly.
Plainly with an intelligence I dealt.
It seemed too tiny to have room for feet,
Yet must have had a set of them complete
To express how much it didn't want to die.
It ran with terror and with cunning crept.
It faltered: I could see it hesitate;
Then in the middle of the open sheet
Cower down in desperation to accept
Whatever I accorded it of fate.
I have none of the tenderer-than-thou
Collectivistic regimenting love
With which the modern world is being swept.
But this poor microscopic item now!
Since it was nothing I knew evil of
I let it lie there till I hope it slept.

I have a mind myself and recognize
Mind when I meet with it in any guise
No one can know how glad I am to find
On any sheet the least display of mind.

---

On the off chance that someone has selected the same poem (and because I'm having a difficult time choosing just one), I'm posting two poems in this entry.

---

Mirror
by Sylvia Plath

I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see, I swallow immediately.
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike
I am not cruel, only truthful –
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me.
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.

What is an American?

     To me, an American is someone who has unfaltering hope and drive to make their dreams a reality. They limit themselves to nothing and acknowledge the idea that, for them, anything is possible. By living in this country of freedom, we enable ourselves to view the world from a much more optimistic perspective than those who do not have the same advantages. True Americans know that they shouldn't take what they have for granted; they appreciate their freedom and do not abuse it. They respect and are thankful for those that make living in America a luxury. Most importantly, though, an American has a love for their country that cannot be rivaled.

Theory

     Last semester, I took a class that dabbled in enlightening me to literary theory and criticism. Even though this wasn't the focus of the class, the little time that we spent learning and discussing theory was, to me, much more memorable than anything else that was taught. Being an English major, it is fitting that I am an enthusiast for all types of literature. My initial introduction to literary theory was exciting because it felt as if a whole new realm was unveiled. I realized that a single novel or poem could take on a multitude of meanings when looked at using various, unconventional theories. To some, my excitement over literary theory and criticism may come across as a bit pathetic. To others, my enthusiasm may be enviable. To me, however, it only seems right to be enthralled with literature and the vast world that it encompasses.

     The literary theories that are especially captivating to me are biographical theory and psychoanalytic theory. Biographical theory grabs my attention because I like to learn about the authors that create such alluring literature. I feel that it is important to understand the lives that they led; by doing this, it is sometimes easier to understand why they portray characters the way they do, or why there are recurring themes in their work. Psychoanalytic theory mostly interests me because I am fascinated with the ideas of repression and the collective unconscious. Even though the repression of ideas and memories is often evoked by something unfortunate, these ideas make for great literature because the author is able to dismiss the personal agony that is tied with the memory while still allowing their story to be told. The literature acts as a therapeutic outlet. The collective unconscious is something that I would like to learn more about, especially after reading Morrison's Beloved. The idea that humans have the capability to possess a collective memory is mind-boggling to me.

Class starts in six hours. I really need to work on going to bed at a reasonable time...

Hannah

First Post

I suppose an introduction is in order, but, since introducing myself is not a strong point, I think I'll settle for considering this a test post.

Testing...1...2...3...

Okay, I think it works. Hooray!