Storytelling and Identity - Fall 2023

we are made of stories

Category: prep note Page 7 of 24

Prep Note 10/31/2023

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On October 30, 2023

In Julia, prep note

One thing I noticed about telling a story in a graphic format is that the pictures are able to say a lot more than just the text. When the author tells stories from their perspective and includes graphics to illustrate the story, it can change the meaning for the reader. This happened for me specifically when reading Persepolis because I was very unaware of the history which the author was referring to. However, looking at the images helped me visualize exactly what the author was trying to convey, and I didn’t have to use my imagination to understand what the author was trying to describe. Also, I think that telling a story in a graphic format makes it easier to follow along with and make harder topics more digestible for different readers. By doing this, the author is able to convey more metaphors and demonstrate exactly how they felt in the moment they are referring to.

(11/1/2023)

Looking back for a specific moment where this occurred for me was on page 27 in section 4, and the author illustrates her father taking pictures of the demonstration. I thought this most stuck out to me because the author used a collage type of format, and probably was inspired by the pictures her father took and added them into the graphics.

Prep Note 10/31/23

By

On October 30, 2023

In kristine, prep note

One thing I noticed about telling a story as a graphic novel is that both the words and pictures matter. The pictures and words complement each other. In addition, there are two different ways the words are used: the text at the top of each box, and the dialogue of the characters. Thus, the dialogue also complements the pictures and text. For example, in the frame in which the narrator is in the bathtub and God is sitting there and asking what she’s doing, the dialogue adds to what the text didn’t. The text details how the narrator wanted to know what it was like to be in a cell full of water, so she stayed there for a while. The dialogue serves as a sort of internal monologue along with the text above. Another thing I noticed was that some frames only have dialogue or some only have narrative text. But I didn’t feel like any of the frames were lacking if they didn’t have dialogue or text. It just worked. Of course, the pictures might have contributed in making it feel more complete.

Prep Note – 10/31

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On October 30, 2023

In Nick G, prep note

One thing I noticed about telling a story in a graphic format is that the author has control of the visualization of the story. When just reading a text, different people are going to envision the story in different ways. However, by having those pictures the author can portray the story in whatever way they like. Additionally, this graphic format allows authors to convey a deeper meaning of the story through the style they use. Through different styles, the author can evoke different emotions in the reader which provides another aspect of conveying information besides the text and pictures themselves. In Persepolis, for example, the black and white pictures along with the style contribute to the seriousness of the story.

Prep Note 10/31

By

On October 30, 2023

In Haven, prep note

One thing I noticed from reading Persepolis was Satrapi’s confusion, acceptance, confidence, and naivete during her very discordant childhood. It was so interesting to read about the conflicting narratives that society was telling Satrapi, and her reaction to each of them. She noticed the differences between her home narrative and her educational narrative, but for the most part, she believed the story that her parents told her, rather than forming her own opinion. She didn’t know the entire story – all the facts – and yet, she was confident in her thoughts. She went and protested in the streets, even though she didn’t know the extent of the danger of protesting. That was interesting to me, because it seemed like she was pretty worried about her father’s safety on a couple of occasions, but she also seemed to feel extremely confident in her own safety.

Prep Note – 10/26/2023

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On October 29, 2023

In Javier, prep note

The way the author tells her story is reminiscent of actual childhood. As she tells the story of her childhood, the rather “simple” yet “deep” illustrations convey a denser tone. The art style might make one think of children’s books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants, or other juvenile books. However, make no mistake, these books are by no means the same in any capacity except for the style of illustrations.

The actual content itself is much more mature and serious, albeit easier to comprehend with the author’s brief lines of content per panel. Extraordinary in terms of how with imagery and brief sentences she’s able to convey so much of her story. Part of it is that some of the panels aren’t so much of the “story” but more relevant to her “thoughts” allowing the reader to align more with the author. Examples of this include the scenes where she interacts with God.

One of the scenes that really stood out to me was the night where “God didn’t come” and she tries to convince her parents to let her go out to join the revolution. From her past exchanges of faith, conversing with God “every night” followed by a sudden break in the pattern stands out in different ways: Fear, Tension, an approaching Climax, and perhaps even the loss of innocence.

Prep Note 10/26

By

On October 27, 2023

In Julia, prep note

One thing I noticed about how the author tells her story is how she uses her illustrations to convey the story from her early life, but also the history of her country and how it was taught to her. Something that caught my attention was how she told her story, and made the historical aspect very personal to her own life. This not only helped to provide context but also to share her own experiences dealing with these heavy topics, especially at such a young age. I liked how the author used metaphors and narrates as if she is still 10 years old because it helps make her experience more personable. I thought that the illustrations conveyed the authors experience in a way so that the reader could understand her experience in that political and social climate, and how she as a 10 year old still played a roll.

Prep Note 10/26/23

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On October 26, 2023

In Kaylee, prep note

One thing I noticed about how the author tells the story is her inclusion of vivid metaphors. I think well-written metaphors add a lot to a story and help the reader better understand and imagine what they are reading. The metaphor that stuck out to me the most was the one about how “the revolution is like a bicycle when the wheels don’t turn it falls”. I thought this was extremely powerful due to the emotion it carries behind it. I thought it was a great way to connect the story to the narrator, a child who wants better for her country.

Prep Note 10/26

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On October 26, 2023

In prep note, Will S

One thing I noticed while reading the first three chapters of Persepolis was the way Marjane Satrapi embodied the perspective of her ten year old self to deliver the story. The childlike innocence of the narrator comes across in the way she speaks and the conclusions she draws about her life and the things happening around her. Because the narrator isn’t old enough to grasp the full scale of the events in her life, she describes and reacts to events in a simplified way. This builds a sense of dramatic irony into the narrative. Every time the narrator stumbles upon something really emotional or profound, she says it in a very stark, unembellished way because she doesn’t know the gravity of what she is saying or thinking about. However, we as readers do understand how powerful, thought provoking, and heartbreaking some of these statements are. This makes those moments even more powerful because we feel not only the emotions and implications of the actual events of the story, but also the emotions and implications that come with the narrator not understanding situation fully. We are saddened by the events of the story, cheered by the narrator’s childlike happy-go-lucky demeanor, before being saddened again by the realization that the narrator can’t comprehend the tragic events surrounding her. It’s this second sadness, the tearing down of our emotional barriers so soon after they had been built back up, that really lends weight and impact to Marjane Satrapi’s storytelling.

Prep Note 10-26-23

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On October 26, 2023

In Brice, prep note

One of the most distinguishing ways in which the author tells their story is through historical and social context.  In the story, the author and the education system she’s in, portrays communists such as Marx and Fidel Castro as heroes.  These viewpoints contrast very differently compared to the United States and the present day.  For the U.S, communism has been viewed as evil while in Iran it is viewed positively.  This example goes to show how different social climates and beliefs are in this part of the world and during that time period.

 

Something else that caught my attention was the publication of this comic book.  It says that the book was written in 2002.  This is just a few months after the 9/11 attacks. After 9/11 there was a huge generalization of terrorism with the Middle East, which most likely provoked a response out of the author to share their story and the perspectives of those who lives in that region.

Prep Note 10/26

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On October 26, 2023

In prep note, Will L

One thing that I noticed about how she tells her story was that she tells her story as she is now, but her speech bubbles and the illustrations reflect her at age 10. I think the combination of these really helps to frame her story and make it easier to understand. I think that the fact that the drawings are all black and white is also helpful as it doesn’t distract from the story her story at all but there is still the assistance of pictures.

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