In Class Persepolis vs Poetrty

With a current war going on in the middle east that the United States is actively fighting in we as Americans have to deal with many people that we know going over to Iraq and fighting for a cause. Whether or not we believe in this cause does no need to be justified. Yet we all are experiencing the same thing by having someone we care about go to war.

I personally was not involved in the war, until i began seeing a boy who was in the ROTC at Purdue when I attended. For the two years I was there we dated, though it was not a war I personally believed in and though I am not going to ever sign up to fight it he had, and it was something I had to learn to love. Though we are no longer together and he infuriates me, he is still going to have to go over and fight and I care about his safety regardless.

We are all associated to the war one way or another but how does this tie into the stories we've been reading and the poetry we've been discussing. Well in Persepolis we see a families struggle to fight in a battle that no one wants to be a part of they are fighting for a cause against the revolution. Marjane had a grandfather who was constantly imprisoned for his involvement and the mother and father protested. Marjane's father consistently put himself in danger photographing the horrific events in which occurred in her young life. Though her family knew it was dangerous and they shouldn't be fighting the cause they knew it was the right thing to do because no one should have to suffer.

Persepolis closely ties into the poetry we were reading, Yehuda Amarachi who wrote Memorial Day for the War Dead wrote "in all three languages hebrew, arabic, and death." This shows that there is a consistency around the world. Whether you were fighting a civil war, a world war or a war on terrorism. Death is the same no matter where you go, people will always die for their country and die for what the believe in. In a sense its an act of selflessness to put yourself directly in the line of danger for the common well being of others, whether people recognize this or not. It seems as if people take for granted the beauty of having the choice to fight in a war. But all people are effected by the things that are going on. And all people lose people they love.

We not only battle in actual wars but at times we as people are at war with ourselves. We fight against addiction, we fight against "the man", we fight against cancer. But most of all we consistently fight for our lives, and for some its easy, or a game. But for others life is precious, and its valuable and sacred. We take for granted all that is given to us each day, not intentionally but we are at war with ourselves most days, just to get by.

Poems

I'm happy to switch things up and have some poetry to respond on. I think that the poetry allows you to think differently about the story..

Blankets...

First, taking a look at page 11 this is the first place where you see the mention of blankets. You see the illustration of the little brother Phil tugging on his older brother saying "Hey, you're HOGGING all the blankets." In childish fun the boys play around in bed and Phil pushing Craig off the bed and they are too loud and their dad comes up to punish them for the noisiness. The blanket here is a sign of innocence for the two boys and it protects them from the shelter of their father. 

Second, skipping ahead you see the next reference of blankets on page 69 you see the boys once again laying in bed this time the blanket isn't wanted by Craig. He proclaims "'GET THAT BLANKET AWAY FROM ME." In this panel the boys are struggling to sleep in the hot summer heat. In the next panel you see Phil take the blanket and throw it off the bed once again on the floor. This symbolizes the idea of entrapment that Craig can not escape what is intended for him and he is suffocating. There is another panel shortly after when the boys are freezing in the winter weather, on page 73. In this panel you see the boys freezing cold in bed because the heat won't work in the house. Craig exclaims "Our top blanket is frozen to the wall." Phil responds "DON'T BREAK IT!" This scene allows you to see the children as vulnerable, that something is so precious to them as a blanket. The blanket symbolizes a bond, a protection, a security for the boys. It  is cherished and it is a love they both share.

As the boys grow up and lose their childhood innocence you see a third reference to a blanket. On pages 183 and 184, Craig receives a different kind of blanket. Raina is his first love, and she made him a quilt, this is a patchwork piece of all that reminds her of him. For Craig this not only symbolizes a new chapter in his life one with real love but also it brings back the feelings he had with the blanket shared with Phil. The blanket from Raina represented a warmth, compassion, love and security. 

This story of the blankets Craig had is similar to the story of Oranges Aren't the Only Fruit. This is also a struggle for the little girl Jeanette to find herself, they both struggled with different issues but both just want to be loved. There is also a struggle with their inner demons to find themselves through their passions. Their religion is important and they both love God but the only difference is Jeanette sinned in the eyes of religion but still wants a relationship with God whereas Craig, has a relationship with God and is struggling with the misfortunes he was dealt. The stories have similar struggles but both just want to be loved.