Persepolis

Hi! For starters I just want to say that I really enjoyed this book, graphic novel, or whatever we’re calling it. I think Marjane told her story wonderfully.

I thought that her father saying that politics and sentiment do not mix was really strange. Maybe he didn’t want her to become emotional about politics because some part of his family always seems to be caught up in a conflict. Also, so many members of their family dies from their consequences of getting caught up with politics. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was disgusted and didn’t want her to be caught up with the different movements happening at the time. Since she was so young, she could have been easily influenced, and I think the main reason he said that was to give her a grounding- Not everything you hear is true, think about it first.
I think that it was a strange comment for him to make; because it seems to be contrary to what he felt some of the time. On page eighty three, her father is crying because the national anthem is playing. He does use his more rational side later by saying that the government wouldn’t play it for no reason. Also, on the next page he’s jumping around because Iran had bombed Iraq. I think that there has to be a kind of emotion in that.

Although her father is rational most of the time, I think this line about not combining sentiment and politics should have come from her mother. To me, she seems like a blunt character, almost black and white, while her dad is more careful? Like on page one hundred and three, in the bottom corner: the father wants her to hide her cigarette, but the mother seems a little defiant by continuing to smoke (like mother like daughter). Also, back to page eighty three, she and her father are crying because of the national anthem, but her mother is not. I’m not sure if that’s because the mother hides her emotions about politics more than the father, or if she separates them more successfully.

Just an insert, I’m not saying that her mother doesn’t care, because I think it’s impossible not to. I think the way she presents her parents is interesting because he father seems to do a lot of the talking- sometimes putting in his feelings and sometimes not, BUT her mother doesn’t seem to do this very often. Maybe she keeps her thoughts to herself more often than her husband. Also, it could just appear that way to me because Marjane’s relationship with her father and grandmother is apparently strong than the one with her mother. I think she realizes this later because of page one hundred thirty, Marjane compliments her dad on his great idea when it was actually her mother’s idea. Her mom is depicted to be annoyed/perturbed by this- but I think it’s a little more than that. Since Marjane can’t spell out every thought in a graphic novel, I think that frame shows that Marjane’s mom got the short end of a stick more times than once. Marjane is shown ebelling against her, but not really her father. It’s interesting- anyway, sorry if I got off on a tangent!

Taylor

The Great Gatsby

Hi! Ok, for my first entry I am going to stray a bit from the topic Dr. Watson gave us, and focus on someone we didn't talk much about in class.

Jordan Baker when we first see her in chapter one doesn't seem like she would be any different from Daisy or someone like her with less of a voice. She is seen floating, but this initial impression changes when Nick mentions that he recognizes her from the papers. Instantly she changes from just being a lesser version of Daisy- she has a job! Which no one else in this book seems to have most of the time. She also has no family and doesn't seem to be tied to anything except golf. The second encounter he has with her notes another difference- she has a brusque manner. In chapter three, when Nick meets her at Gatsby's party, she remarks that the 'twins' have dyed their hair. I don't think Daisy would be so blunt (honestly, rude) to say that to someone she met once a month before. Physically she was slender, tan, has gray eyes, and a "bored, haughty face." As for her character, she does try to keep peace, especially in the argument between Gatsby and Tom as a terrible marriage is exposed. However, Nick, in the end of chapter four, calls her incurably dishonest. Even though there is this blemish in her character, Nick does admit that he likes her, and she even says that she likes him.

I thought it was weird that said she liked him because he wasn't a careless person, because she seems to be proud of the fact that she is careless. Maybe it's a lovable defect to her?

Anyway, the reason I laid this all out about Jordan is because she is the antithesis to Daisy, and I think that is crucially important to figuring Daisy out. In almost everything Jordan is just opposite Daisy. Daisy is giggles, rapid emotions, basically whimsical. Jordan doesn't seem to fit into any of that. Even physically, Daisy's eyes always seem to hold importance when Nick describes them, and Jordan's are always refereed to as gray and sun-streaked. When this contrasting is taken to its limit, we could take any characteristic of Jordan's, turn it around, and make it Daisy's. Jordan works, doesn't really have a connection to her family, and is blunt and cynical. Daisy, though her 'connection' to her family is under review, does at least have one, no job, dances around things unless she is in a sobering moment, and seems to be in a far off land half the time. When she is with Gatsby, that is where she wants to be, but it isn't always like that, as we see in her discussion with Tom at the dinner table. This comparison could even be used to discover her physical appearance which is not just spelled out. As mentioned earlier Jordan is slender and tan. Daisy could, especially after a child, have a more rounded figure and indoor skin.

So, my question:
Is Daisy as big of a mystery as we think she is?

Taylor