In my last post, I expressed my disinterest in Jobnik! However, after our class discussion, I have a new appreciate for the novel. Although I did not necessarily enjoy the novel, I now understand it better because of the discussion we had in class. I think it really helps when we cover background information about the books, but I think I would have liked to absorbed the background about Israel before I read Jobnik!, so I wasn’t so lost.
Because Jobnik! was the only book I haven’t really enjoyed in this class, I decided to do some outside searching to try and convince myself otherwise. Although I can still say that I did not enjoy Jobnik! I am excited to say that it’s not Miriam Libicki that I do not enjoy, it is just this particular work. At first I was taken back by not enjoying the book, but I think that’s healthy when reading any style of writing. You’re not supposed to like everything, and that’s ok. After reading a bit on her blog, as well as a few article reviews, I have decided that I am going to go beyond the class syllabus by reading other works created by Libicki.
Below, I have provided a link to Libicki’s blog as well as an article that featured a question and answer segment for Libicki. As discussed in class, Libicki is quite interested in nude drawings. One of the questions asks her what advice she would give for any aspiring cartoonist and her answer was to do a lot of live figure drawing. Although live figure drawing does not necessarily have to be nude, it reminded me of our discussion in class. Regardless if the drawing will be nude, I think Libicki was right to encourage artists to use live figures to really grasp an idea of how a cartoon should be illustrated.
Article: http://tinyurl.com/2ezypt7
Libicki’s blog: http://www.realgonegirl.com/about.html
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
jobnik!
After reading jobnik! by Miriam Libicki, I am said to say I was not a fan! I was pretty excited because this was the first comic we were assigned to read by a female author, but it really didn't appeal to me. I may have missed important aspects of this story (which may be why I didn't like it very much), because I thought it was really hard to follow. I understood that Miriam (the main character) was involved in the Israeli army before and after the attack in the US on 9/11. This is about where I get lost.
Jobnik is a derogatory slang used by combat soldiers for soldiers with desk jobs or basically lower ranks of jobs. I understand that Miriam may represent this stereotype that some of the other soldiers had. In a way I think that she almost lived up to the stereotype because she knew she was being degraded when sleeping with men who treated her badly, but she continued doing it with others. It seems that her whole life she had been degraded by men in general, but it was almost as if she didn’t try and prevent it. It’s possible that interpreted things wrong or differently, but this is just the general sense I got from all of it.
I think the main reason I was so confused by this book was because the story itself jumped round a lot. I wasn’t really sure how some things related and I got confused when the plot would jump back in time. Because I found the story hard to follow, it made reading it a little annoying. I even got a little irritated with Miriam’s character because she never really stood up for herself and was just socially awkward most of the time. Which makes me think, again, that I may have missed some important themes of this novel.
Jobnik is a derogatory slang used by combat soldiers for soldiers with desk jobs or basically lower ranks of jobs. I understand that Miriam may represent this stereotype that some of the other soldiers had. In a way I think that she almost lived up to the stereotype because she knew she was being degraded when sleeping with men who treated her badly, but she continued doing it with others. It seems that her whole life she had been degraded by men in general, but it was almost as if she didn’t try and prevent it. It’s possible that interpreted things wrong or differently, but this is just the general sense I got from all of it.
I think the main reason I was so confused by this book was because the story itself jumped round a lot. I wasn’t really sure how some things related and I got confused when the plot would jump back in time. Because I found the story hard to follow, it made reading it a little annoying. I even got a little irritated with Miriam’s character because she never really stood up for herself and was just socially awkward most of the time. Which makes me think, again, that I may have missed some important themes of this novel.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
More on The Rabbi's Cat
One thing that that really struck me as interesting during our class discussion yesterday was the comparison of “The Rabbi’s Cat” and “A Contract With God.” It was mentioned that they saw this parallel when the rabbi was eating the meal of non-kosher foods and in “A Contract With God” when Frimme changes his attitude about life when his daughter died and stopped practicing the Jewish traditions. Before being mentioned, I would have never sought out this similarity, and although they are different stories I still like being able to compare certain themes or aspects of other stories.
The class had mixed feelings about the ending of “The Rabbi’s Cat” because it left a lot of questions unanswered. The rabbi confessed that he did not know what was actually right in life. A few people in class thought this contradicted the rabbi’s original views. However, I liked the ending because I think there is a lesson to be learned. Although the rabbi had complete faith throughout the story, at the end he decided he wasn’t so sure as to what was correct for a person to do. I think the trip to France gave him a better perspective of other people and allowed him to diversify his beliefs. I think by leaving his followers with a sense of uncertainty at the end was pretty affective. I liked the fact that the rabbi was questioning his beliefs, but left it up to everyone to decide for themselves what they would do with this information. Also mentioned in class, Jewish faith revolves around questioning everything. I think the rabbi changing his perceptions and considering new options can be a theme related to Judaism in general.
The class had mixed feelings about the ending of “The Rabbi’s Cat” because it left a lot of questions unanswered. The rabbi confessed that he did not know what was actually right in life. A few people in class thought this contradicted the rabbi’s original views. However, I liked the ending because I think there is a lesson to be learned. Although the rabbi had complete faith throughout the story, at the end he decided he wasn’t so sure as to what was correct for a person to do. I think the trip to France gave him a better perspective of other people and allowed him to diversify his beliefs. I think by leaving his followers with a sense of uncertainty at the end was pretty affective. I liked the fact that the rabbi was questioning his beliefs, but left it up to everyone to decide for themselves what they would do with this information. Also mentioned in class, Jewish faith revolves around questioning everything. I think the rabbi changing his perceptions and considering new options can be a theme related to Judaism in general.
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Rabbi's Cat
Joann Sfar’s graphic novel entitled “The Rabbi’s Cat” has more than one theme running through it. Much different than the other novels we have reviewed, “The Rabbi’s Cat” offers a discrete sense of humor throughout all the three parts. Using a cat to narrate the tale in itself can be considered quite different and therefore amusing to us. Toward the beginning of the novel, the Rabbi’s cat eats the Rabbi’s parrot and gains the ability to speak. The Rabbi and his daughter, Zlabya, think this fact is alarming but soon they become well adapted to their talking cat. I find this type of novel very enjoyable to read.
Once the cat is able to talk, the Rabbi immediately insists that the cat learn and respect Jewish traditions. The cat’s first thought is that he wasn’t so sure if he wanted to follow Jewish traditions because although his master is Jewish, he wasn’t so sure he was. This type of conflict could be seen in numerous novels, whether they are traditional or more modern. The ability to chose your religion and way of life is something each person must deal with in their lifetime. Because the cat is much like a child to the Rabbi he must decide whether or not he will follow in the same footsteps as his master, who can be viewed much like a parent figure.
One of the scenes that interested but also confused me was the one where the cat began having nightmares about his mistress, Zlabya. During this scene much of the nightmares were underwater. Although the nightmares were about Zlabya dying and leaving the cat and the Rabbi, I’m still unsure as to why the scene took place underwater. Does this have anything to do with cat’s being afraid of water? Maybe because it was the cat’s nightmare, it was supposed to show a deep sense of fear by having the cat experience the horror of his mistress dying in an even more intense atmosphere.
Once the cat is able to talk, the Rabbi immediately insists that the cat learn and respect Jewish traditions. The cat’s first thought is that he wasn’t so sure if he wanted to follow Jewish traditions because although his master is Jewish, he wasn’t so sure he was. This type of conflict could be seen in numerous novels, whether they are traditional or more modern. The ability to chose your religion and way of life is something each person must deal with in their lifetime. Because the cat is much like a child to the Rabbi he must decide whether or not he will follow in the same footsteps as his master, who can be viewed much like a parent figure.
One of the scenes that interested but also confused me was the one where the cat began having nightmares about his mistress, Zlabya. During this scene much of the nightmares were underwater. Although the nightmares were about Zlabya dying and leaving the cat and the Rabbi, I’m still unsure as to why the scene took place underwater. Does this have anything to do with cat’s being afraid of water? Maybe because it was the cat’s nightmare, it was supposed to show a deep sense of fear by having the cat experience the horror of his mistress dying in an even more intense atmosphere.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
9/11..Spiegleman's Own Holocaust?
In the "Time Stands Still" article in BOS, McGlothlin focuses on Spiegelman’s newer comic entitled “In The Shadow of No Towers.” The difference between this piece and Maus is that Spiegelman was present during the terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center skyscrapers on September 11, 2001. Maus was a depiction of the memories he learned from his father, whereas “No Towers” was an actual event that occurred in which Spiegelman was deeply affected because of its immediacy. Not only did he live a few blocks from the disaster, but was forced to run with his family as the north tower collapsed. Although the terrorist attack on 9/11 can not be compared to the Holocaust, this was an event in which Spiegelman was affected and always will be, much like his father with the experience of the Holocaust.
Maus and “No Towers” differ as a whole, as far as the story is concerned. However, the way in which the graphics of the comics are portrayed are quite different as well. In Maus the pictures are organized in order and are displayed simply in black and white. “No Towers” introduces us to a more chaotic form of comic. By chaotic, I mean less organized of a setup than Maus. Spiegelman uses watercolors and more of a collage-type frame for the graphics. I’m not exactly sure why he chose to portray the story this way, but from the reading I think he did it to show the sense of urgency that the event actually took place in his life not long ago. Maus was more of a historical story to him and to us as an audience, so it was portrayed in black and white with a more organized storyline.
Although we get to see glimpses of “In The Shadow of No Towers” out of the readings in BOS, I would be quite interested in tracking this down to read the entire thing for myself. Because I liked both volumes of Maus, I would be interested to see if Spiegelman’s other works also appeal to me.
Maus and “No Towers” differ as a whole, as far as the story is concerned. However, the way in which the graphics of the comics are portrayed are quite different as well. In Maus the pictures are organized in order and are displayed simply in black and white. “No Towers” introduces us to a more chaotic form of comic. By chaotic, I mean less organized of a setup than Maus. Spiegelman uses watercolors and more of a collage-type frame for the graphics. I’m not exactly sure why he chose to portray the story this way, but from the reading I think he did it to show the sense of urgency that the event actually took place in his life not long ago. Maus was more of a historical story to him and to us as an audience, so it was portrayed in black and white with a more organized storyline.
Although we get to see glimpses of “In The Shadow of No Towers” out of the readings in BOS, I would be quite interested in tracking this down to read the entire thing for myself. Because I liked both volumes of Maus, I would be interested to see if Spiegelman’s other works also appeal to me.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Maus II
The second volume of Maus, although a continuation of the first volume, is quite different because of the story line. Although the story is continuing, I liked the fact that Spiegelman used different themes but was still able to carry out the rest of the story in a similar light.
I really liked Spiegelman’s use of reality in this volume. Although he used it in the first volume, he really exaggerated this in the second volume. The first scene shows Spiegleman and his wife Francoise trying to figure out which animal she will portray in the comic book itself. This fact alone is quite interesting to interpret.
I also like the scenes in which Spiegelman is in a slump and is unable to continue writing. I feel like because of his father’s death, he became depressed but didn’t really know it. Overall he just seemed confused, but the scene with his shrink explains the guilt he may have felt from his father having to face the Holocaust. The graphics during his slump were also the most intriquing to me.
Although Spiegelman is portrayed as a stingy old Jewish man in his later years, during the Holocaust he was quite resourceful and intelligent, which is what probably saved his life. Not only was he able to survive, but he helped others when he could. Because he was able to save things and be so resourceful during the Holocaust, this is probably why he continued being that way later on in life.
I thoroughly enjoyed both volumes of Maus, but there is one thing that I would still like to learn more about. The death of Anja is not really discussed much in the Maus, but it is something I would of liked to read about more in depth. Maybe this is because Spiegelman touched on this topic in “Prisoner on the Hell Planet.”
I really liked Spiegelman’s use of reality in this volume. Although he used it in the first volume, he really exaggerated this in the second volume. The first scene shows Spiegleman and his wife Francoise trying to figure out which animal she will portray in the comic book itself. This fact alone is quite interesting to interpret.
I also like the scenes in which Spiegelman is in a slump and is unable to continue writing. I feel like because of his father’s death, he became depressed but didn’t really know it. Overall he just seemed confused, but the scene with his shrink explains the guilt he may have felt from his father having to face the Holocaust. The graphics during his slump were also the most intriquing to me.
Although Spiegelman is portrayed as a stingy old Jewish man in his later years, during the Holocaust he was quite resourceful and intelligent, which is what probably saved his life. Not only was he able to survive, but he helped others when he could. Because he was able to save things and be so resourceful during the Holocaust, this is probably why he continued being that way later on in life.
I thoroughly enjoyed both volumes of Maus, but there is one thing that I would still like to learn more about. The death of Anja is not really discussed much in the Maus, but it is something I would of liked to read about more in depth. Maybe this is because Spiegelman touched on this topic in “Prisoner on the Hell Planet.”
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Holocaust Memories in Comics
While discussing Maus I in class, I picked up on a few topics or themes that I had not when I read it myself. There is a scene in which portrayals of killings and abuse were focused on with children. I’m not sure why I didn’t really think anything of this scene the first time around, but while discussing it in class I realized how horrifying it was. I think I may have over passed this section because this kind of portrayals are common in film and literature, especially today so it was something that almost did not phase me as much as it should have. Thinking back to the time of the Holocaust, I can’t imagine being a parent, or even an adult, at that time and seeing this type of thing happening all over to innocent children.
We talked about Spiegelman’s other piece “Prisoner on the Hell Planet,” which is featured in Maus I. Before our discussion I didn’t relate the two pieces, but it is interesting to see the parallels in the ending of both of them. They both end similarly, accusing a parent of being a “murderer.” Because there was so much tension during the Holocaust, people didn’t know who they could trust. Not only was trust an issue, but this affected having normal relationships with other people. We can see this between Vladek and his new wife, Mala. It is also displayed between Art and Vladek.
This goes to show that the Holocaust changed people, and because not all people reacted like Vladek, we can see that that Holocaust changed people in many different ways.
We talked about Spiegelman’s other piece “Prisoner on the Hell Planet,” which is featured in Maus I. Before our discussion I didn’t relate the two pieces, but it is interesting to see the parallels in the ending of both of them. They both end similarly, accusing a parent of being a “murderer.” Because there was so much tension during the Holocaust, people didn’t know who they could trust. Not only was trust an issue, but this affected having normal relationships with other people. We can see this between Vladek and his new wife, Mala. It is also displayed between Art and Vladek.
This goes to show that the Holocaust changed people, and because not all people reacted like Vladek, we can see that that Holocaust changed people in many different ways.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Maus I
Art Spiegelman’s Maus is his father’s tale of survival of the Holocaust. I felt Spiegelman’s representation of different ethnicities as different animals was really unique as well as helpful for readers. I especially liked the scenes where Vladek and other Jewish people were trying to portray themselves as Polish, so the illustration had them wearing masks of pigs (which is the animal Polish people represented in Maus). It took me a second glance to understand the meaning of the pictures, but after realizing what they were portraying I thought how smart of Spiegelman to do it this way.
Not only do we get to see glimpses of Vladek’s life during Hitler’s reign, but we get to see how Vladek and Art himself interacted after his father’s survival. We see instances of how surviving through the Holocaust has changed and shaped Vladek by his need to save everything he owns like old papers, but especially his money. Art even jokes that his father is living up the stereotype of old Jewish men being stingy about their money.
At the end of the comic there is a scene between Vladek and Art. They are talking about Anja’s diaries (Art’s mother). Throughout the comic Art asks Vladek to search for these diaries because they would give him some great insight of what she went through. When Vladek tells Art he burned them because he was upset, Art calls him a murderer. I thought this specific word was interesting for Spiegelman to use. At first I was upset that Art would treat his father this way, but when reconsidering the situation, it is almost like a murder has taken place. Because Vladek burned all of her diaries, he also burned the memories of her. In this sense, we could think of Vladek as a sort of murderer.
As I read the first volume of Maus it kept me wanting more. So, I am eager to read the second volume. Although I have yet to read the second volume, I can already agree with people in class who have mentioned that they think it is wrong to just read the first volume.
Not only do we get to see glimpses of Vladek’s life during Hitler’s reign, but we get to see how Vladek and Art himself interacted after his father’s survival. We see instances of how surviving through the Holocaust has changed and shaped Vladek by his need to save everything he owns like old papers, but especially his money. Art even jokes that his father is living up the stereotype of old Jewish men being stingy about their money.
At the end of the comic there is a scene between Vladek and Art. They are talking about Anja’s diaries (Art’s mother). Throughout the comic Art asks Vladek to search for these diaries because they would give him some great insight of what she went through. When Vladek tells Art he burned them because he was upset, Art calls him a murderer. I thought this specific word was interesting for Spiegelman to use. At first I was upset that Art would treat his father this way, but when reconsidering the situation, it is almost like a murder has taken place. Because Vladek burned all of her diaries, he also burned the memories of her. In this sense, we could think of Vladek as a sort of murderer.
As I read the first volume of Maus it kept me wanting more. So, I am eager to read the second volume. Although I have yet to read the second volume, I can already agree with people in class who have mentioned that they think it is wrong to just read the first volume.
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