reflection on "Light of Thy Countenance"

Alan Moore’s graphic novel “Light of They Countenance” was pretty entertaining.  Early on it was difficult to tell who the narrator was, but it became clear at the story progressed.  Although some people may disagree, I definitely think this graphic novel should be considered literature.  When reading the words, one gets a definite feeling that Moore is writing more of an epic poem than a graphic novel.  Typically in graphic novels and comics there are multiple characters, action scenes, and content tailoring to more of an adolescent male.  However in this instance Moore’s writing seems to flow in a more elongated way, making it have that more traditional literature feel.  That being said, even if “Light of Thy Countenance” was not written in a more prose-y manner, I would still consider it to be literature.

When defining literature, one cannot be too picky.  As newer, more popular methods of writing come into existence who is to judge whether or not they should be considered literary works or not?  Dictionary.com defines literature as “writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays.”  If we take this definition to be true, then graphic novels can be considered literary works.  Expression and form are evident in comics such as Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman, where similar themes make them fun and exciting reads.  Comics also have their own form; although it may not follow the conventions of any other form of literature, it still has form and therefore fits the definition of literature.  Like other forms of writing, graphic novels had to invent their own form in order to make their own unique genre.  While some critics may stick to old traditions and claim that it lacks form and whatnot, if they think back other forms of literature must have had the same arguments, yet now they are the accepted standards of what literature is.  

M butterfly blog

            The play “M Butterfly”, by David Henry Hwang, says a great deal about the ideology of the east and west.  As the Judge questions M. Song about his relations with M. Gallimard, Song exposes the rape mentality of the West, “The West thinks of itself as masculine—big guns, big money—so the east is feminine—weak, delicate, poor...but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom—the feminine mystique.” (Act 3, scene 1, pg. 83)  This quote sums up what the play is about.  M. Gallimard never thinks of himself as a very masculine man.  Even when he is presented with the opportunity to take advantage of girls at his friend’s pool, he is shy and self-conscious.  However, once he arrives in China his inhibitions seem to slowly but surely melt away. The more time Gallimard spends in China the more his western masculinity manifests itself.  He describes the feeling of power he feels when he makes Song wait on him while he works, and when he has an extra-extramarital affair with a French student. 

            Gallimard’s western masculinity complex also affects his physical relationship with Song.  Song describes his and Gallimard’s physical relationship, stating, “I did all the work.  He just laid back.”  This quote reveals how, in time, Gallimard transformed from a relatively weak man to the dominant partner in his relationship.  Gallimard, in his mind, is living how a western man should live; he works hard and comes home to a loving “wife” who does everything for him.  In his mind he is finally utilizing the big guns and big money that coming from the west gives him.  In a seemingly more feminine society Gallimard is able to unleash the inner man and find a suitable, submissive chinese woman.  

PR theme analysis 2

Globalization Commentary:

Throughout the novel Cayce and the other characters are able to travel the world with no problem.  Cayce flies to japan in order to find a watermarked number hidden in the footage.  While in reality the flight would take a great deal of time compared to other events that occur, no time is spent describing the flight.  This could be the author hinting that in the modern age, travel across countries and continents is much less interesting than seeing “Asian Sluts” or getting your hair cut at an ethnic salon.  While in the past just the idea travel to other countries was something very few people could do, these days there is so much contact between the corners of the world that travel is the least of what happens between countries.

Depictions of Nations (japan)

The depiction of Japan was not anything out of the ordinary.  The scenery was much like it is in movies or other forms of media.  However, the depiction of the Japanese people was a bit odd.  In particular, the man Taki was the first impression of the Japanese people in the novel.  As one of the only named Japanese characters, the impression I got of japan from this novel was shady at best.  Taki is described as having “big dark semicircles of anxiety sweat under the arms…his lips…tend to spray slightly when he speaks.  If he were any more agonized to be here, he’d probably just curl up and die.” (149)  This description implies an overweight, middle aged dork of sorts.  While Gibson is not necessarily saying this is how all Japanese people are, it is the only lengthy description of any Japanese person in the book.

While most of the Japanese scenery was much of the same, the description of Roppongi depicted a part of japan some readers may not be familiar with.  Cayce describes it as “a border town of sorts, epicenter of the Bubble’s cross-cultural sex trade.” (146)  While I do not think Gibson meant anything by that statement, that small description automatically places Roppongi in with other equally shady* places.  By simply mentioning a “cross cultural sex trade” the readers mind automatically shifts from the nice, cultural japan where Cayce gets her hair cut to a seedier underworld. 

PR theme analysis 1

Globalization

In the novel, the theme of globalization appears quite frequently.  Globalization entails all things global, such as travel and communication.  For example, the emails Cayce gets from Damien in Russia and Parkaboy while in japan just serve as reminders as to how easy it is to reach around the world to people.  Another example is Cayce’s flight to japan.  She was able to book in on a whim, and while the flight probably takes more time than any other singular event in the novel (thus far) it takes the up the fewest number of pages.  The way it is presented makes it seem like travel these days is no big deal; traveling halfway around the world is something that happens all the time.  In modern times there is always a way of reaching anyone in the world at any given time. 

Meeting Generic Expectation

As far as my own expectations of science fiction, this novel does not exactly fit the mold.  I do like it, but it is not the same as the other science fiction stuff I read.  I am a geek, and the only other science fiction I have to compare this too are several Star Wars books and a few other books based on video games, but when compared to those books this one seems more like a modern fiction novel than a science fiction one; the reason being that this novel is set in the now, where the technology they talk about are things I have used before.  In other science fiction novels there are hyperdrives and space exploration and a great number of other highly advanced works of technology that I do not have a very good grasp on, whereas in this novel it is very easy for me to envision Cayce and all her tech.  While this novel is still considered science fiction, in my mind I lump it more in a mystery genre just because of that technology aspect.  

a rose for emily

By shifting the point of view from an all-encompassing “we” to the view of either Tobe or Homer, a few major and minor changes would occur in Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”. 

If the story was told by Tobe, one of the major differences would be word choice.  The use of certain derogatory terms for African Americans probably would not have been used.  In addition, the reader gets the feeling like Tobe would not have made as many assumptions about Ms. Emily, seeing as he had the greatest number of interactions with her.  When the narrator’s in the story say, “we said, ‘She will kill herself”; and we said it would be the best thing” it gives the reader the impression that the narrator does not think very highly of Ms. Emily, maybe because they do not know enough about her or for being a shut in.  Whatever the reason, the narrator does not seem too knowledgeable about Ms. Emily’s feelings, so I feel that the story telling is a bit skewed. 

If the story were presented by Homer, I feel that other differences would arise.  I feel that Homer did not think too highly of Ms. Emily either.  He did not intend to marry her, and he was just using her while he was in town.  If the story were told by him, the reader would get a more negative view of Ms. Emily, maybe one with less pity and more insult.  

all watched over by machines of loving grace analysis

                The poem, “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace, by Richard Brautigan, has an anti-technology tone and theme.  When read with the parentheses, the tone of the poem is wistful, almost as if the speaker is wishing that such an ecosystem of nature and technology could exist, but knows that it will not happen.  Also, although most of the poem carries has a more positive demeanor, the punctuation suggests that the parenthetical statements are more important.  The speaker uses exclamation points for the parentheticals, while all other lines are punctuated with commas and periods.  The choice of punctuation makes the parenthetical statements, and essentially the negative statements about technology, stand out from the rest of the text. 

                 

The poem, “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace, by Richard Brautigan, has a pro-technology tone and theme.  The reader draws a feeling of hope from the bulk of the poem, a feeling that such an ecosystem can and will exist.  While some will argue that the statements contained in the parentheses carry a more negative tone, one could argue that if they were more important than the actual text then the parentheses would not have been included.  The diction of everything outside of the parentheses is positive and describes the ecology of technology and nature to be a beautiful and very possible thing to accomplish. 

When I started the assignment, I was leaning towards interpreting the poem with a positive message about technology, but after doing the first part, I believe the poem has a negative message pertaining to technology.  As much as I would like to ignore the statements in the parentheses, I think the author included those for a reason.  While most of the poem does sound nice and peaceful, the parentheses make the statement jump out.  The punctuation also makes the statements seem like orders or commands, rather than just a poem on the coexistence of technology and nature.  The author included the parentheses for a reason, and although it may be convenient to just look at the majority of the poem for analysis, I believe that the parentheses highlight the importance of those chosen statements.  

imagery assignment

Imagery assignment

Diving into the Wreck-lots of scuba imagery, blue skies, wetsuit, snorkel, breathing apparatus, nervous guy about to go diving, awkward movement outside of the water, but graceful when in, various sea life, corpses underwater

In the poem Diving into the Wreck, by Adrienne Rich, uses a lot of scuba/marine imagery.  I am a certified scuba diver, so my interpretation of the imagery may be clearer or more skewed because of this.  When analyzing the imagery present in this poem two parts of it jumped out: the predive above water and the actual dive.  The imagery when the diver is above water gives me the feeling that the diver is uncomfortable.  The scuba diving equipment is described as awkward and absurd.  The speaker also says how difficult a simple task like climbing down a ladder becomes once all the gear is on, how his flippers cripple him as he climbs down.  However, once the diver gets into the water and starts the dive, I feel like he/she starts to become more comfortable the deeper the diver goes.  The speaker does not talk about how scary the descent into the darkness is, but rather focuses on how the the "mask is powerful, it pumps my blood with power".  The device that was described as awkward above water is now described as powerful below the water.  Using this interpretation of the imagery, I think the poem is about the comfort zones of certain people.  Many people are afraid of the dark, or are afraid of swimming in the open ocean.  They feel much more secure with their feet firmly planted on the ground.  However, I feel like the diver is much more comfortable in the water than he/she is on land.  While submerged in darkness with only his knife, flashlight, and book of myths he feels more at home than when enjoying the light of day on a boat in the middle of the sea.  Perhaps the author is writing to convey a message that people are different, or that one persons comfort zone can be drastically different from the social norm.  While this may not be true for the entire poem, I feel that, for this set of imagery, the interpretation fits pretty well.