Since we started reading graphic novels, it seems there has always been a reason as to why a story was written. At least to me as a History major, I feel there has to be questioning on the importance of a source so I always ask, 'Why are we reading this book?" or "What are we supposed to get out of this?" Take the Rabbi's Cat for example. I personally did not like the book because I could not make out what the author's reasoning behind the book was. Then when it was explained in class, it opened my eyes to new thoughts. Now I want to relate this to Esther...
I think the author did not have in mind to have this underlying message in the graphic novel. Instead, I think he was just retelling the story of Esther in graphic novel form. *Yes, you can call me captain obvious* After I finished Esther, my first reaction was, "I wonder what the author's reasoning was behind this book." So I came to the conclusion that there was not one other than the fact that it was done for entertainment. Then I read in, "The Jewish Graphic Novel," that Waldman actually did have a deeper connection to the graphic novel he created. It has to do with the set-up of the story in graphic novel form though as opposed to the actual story of Esther.
Waldman thinks that the combination of text with pictures strengthens brain power, (BOS, pg. xi). I think that was Waldman's intention was to write a graphic novel that would help readers remember the story. It makes sense and also it gives Waldman an excuse to show off his art skills, which are amazing. It is actual art where you have to interpret what is happening as opposed to showing the obvious.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Bible History
The second half of Megillat Esther was a difficult task for me. Primarily because it took me about 20 minutes just to figure out the new 'flipped' order of the book. When I proved to be smarter than the book it took me another 40 minutes just to figure out everything that was going on. One would think that after this unfortante event that I would hate the book. Oh don't be so sure my friends. I actually very much loved the rest of Megillat Esther. It was like revisiting my past. I'll explain.
What struck me first was pages 102 and 103. The only thing familiar to me was the story of Joseph and his brother Judah. Waldman set-up the story kind of comicly in my opinion. I thought it was great to put Joseph and Judah in front of a courtroom.
The comic page was entitled, "Tales of Justice." Judah is called before the court for 2 things : 1. "Damage of Property" and 2. "Defamation of Character and Slander."
The first, according to the comic, is Judah being accused of destroying Joseph's coat of many colors that was given to him by their father, Jacob. It was said in the Old Testament that Joseph was Jacob's favorite. The second relates to Judah lying to Jacob that Joseph was killed by an animal. Really what had happened was Judah and his brothers sold Joseph into slavery.
I think this story was put into Esther because it was meant to prove a point which was that justice would be done to those who did wicked things. My interpretation is that because of Judah's wicked actions his decendents, the Judeans, who were Esther and Mordecai's people.
*I hope the connection came out clearly. I had to do a lot of private grade school research*
What struck me first was pages 102 and 103. The only thing familiar to me was the story of Joseph and his brother Judah. Waldman set-up the story kind of comicly in my opinion. I thought it was great to put Joseph and Judah in front of a courtroom.
The comic page was entitled, "Tales of Justice." Judah is called before the court for 2 things : 1. "Damage of Property" and 2. "Defamation of Character and Slander."
The first, according to the comic, is Judah being accused of destroying Joseph's coat of many colors that was given to him by their father, Jacob. It was said in the Old Testament that Joseph was Jacob's favorite. The second relates to Judah lying to Jacob that Joseph was killed by an animal. Really what had happened was Judah and his brothers sold Joseph into slavery.
I think this story was put into Esther because it was meant to prove a point which was that justice would be done to those who did wicked things. My interpretation is that because of Judah's wicked actions his decendents, the Judeans, who were Esther and Mordecai's people.
*I hope the connection came out clearly. I had to do a lot of private grade school research*
Friday, November 12, 2010
God Hiding
At the end of the first part there is a picture of God hiding his face. Around the picture are the words, "I will surely hide my face on that day because of the evil people have done."
I thought this meant that God was hiding his face from Haman and the other Jew haters because He was upset that they were going to harm His choosen people.
The next topic to consider is the concept of a chosen people and why I stated that the Jews are God's chosen people. God promised Abraham that the savior would come from his family and Abraham was the father of the Jewish people, or so that is what is beleived...correct me if I am wrong. So I think God is sad, therefore hiding His face, from the evil that may become of the Jews during this time under King Xerxes.
I thought this meant that God was hiding his face from Haman and the other Jew haters because He was upset that they were going to harm His choosen people.
The next topic to consider is the concept of a chosen people and why I stated that the Jews are God's chosen people. God promised Abraham that the savior would come from his family and Abraham was the father of the Jewish people, or so that is what is beleived...correct me if I am wrong. So I think God is sad, therefore hiding His face, from the evil that may become of the Jews during this time under King Xerxes.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Girl Power!!!
Before reading Magillat Esther, I knew the story pretty well. I'm a private school child. I was actually excited to read the story becuase I knew it was something I would be able to comprehend. I thought I would be able to read quickly through it, which I was able to. One of the things that I found interesting was Waldman's personality portrayal of Esther.
In school when I first learned about Eshter, she was taught as a quiet, modest woman yet strong in her faith. Waldman actually seems to contridict this idea which made me a little uneasy. There was one part in the story where Malachi and Esther are exchanging messages back and forth. Esther seems a little sassy with one message which I was shocked to see! This sweet woman who did everything she was told does have a temper!
Esther's overall physical apperence in the novel does not fit the tiny, timid girl I pictured either. She is a curvaceous, taller woman. Which nothing is wrong with it just contridicts the traditional, in my mind traditional, image of Esther. I actually prefer to imagine Esther the way she was portrayed in the novel because it makes more sense. She had to be strong, look at the things she had to do!
1. Keep her identity a secret
2. Being kidnapped to the palace and then being there by herself only to be a kind of an object for the king's pleasure
3. She had to go to the king, without permission, which was punishable by death!
Waldman's Esther is my new role model.
In school when I first learned about Eshter, she was taught as a quiet, modest woman yet strong in her faith. Waldman actually seems to contridict this idea which made me a little uneasy. There was one part in the story where Malachi and Esther are exchanging messages back and forth. Esther seems a little sassy with one message which I was shocked to see! This sweet woman who did everything she was told does have a temper!
Esther's overall physical apperence in the novel does not fit the tiny, timid girl I pictured either. She is a curvaceous, taller woman. Which nothing is wrong with it just contridicts the traditional, in my mind traditional, image of Esther. I actually prefer to imagine Esther the way she was portrayed in the novel because it makes more sense. She had to be strong, look at the things she had to do!
1. Keep her identity a secret
2. Being kidnapped to the palace and then being there by herself only to be a kind of an object for the king's pleasure
3. She had to go to the king, without permission, which was punishable by death!
Waldman's Esther is my new role model.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Waltz with Bashir II
There is another image in the movie where the main charater keeps dreaming that he is in a sea, naked, and he rises out of the sea with some other soldiers.
At the end of the movie it is said that the sea is his fear. So he is consumed in fear. Then he rises out of his fear to face battle. In his dream, when he rises out of the sea to meet the city before him and there are flares that are falling from the sky.
I tried to think about what this meant during the movie. Then at the end his friend tells him, (as mentioned before), that the sea represents his fear. I think, based off of that, that he had fear but he was forced to rise out of that fear in order to fight for the country. I get this idea not just from his actions but also from other characters actions.
There was one scene where 2 soldiers are in a tank and they are not sure what they are shooting at. One asks what are we shooting at and the other responds with no idea just shoot. In my mind this shows fear.
There is another example where one tank is blown up and all the men flee. My first reaction was, 'why didnt they defend themselves?' They all ran away actually most got killed except one who managed to escape. I was suprised to see that it seems that these men weren't trained to deal with the possibility of being killed. Actually, it comes up that during training or before battle soldiers were told they were going to die. This doesnt prove that they were scared, but it makes them afraid, it instead makes me think that these men were not united. This can cause lots of problems. I just think about some of the WW2 movies or American combat movies where these men are relient on each other and they know that. They are realy taught to care for each other and look out for each other. I did not get that vibe from Waltz with Bashir.
At the end of the movie it is said that the sea is his fear. So he is consumed in fear. Then he rises out of his fear to face battle. In his dream, when he rises out of the sea to meet the city before him and there are flares that are falling from the sky.
I tried to think about what this meant during the movie. Then at the end his friend tells him, (as mentioned before), that the sea represents his fear. I think, based off of that, that he had fear but he was forced to rise out of that fear in order to fight for the country. I get this idea not just from his actions but also from other characters actions.
There was one scene where 2 soldiers are in a tank and they are not sure what they are shooting at. One asks what are we shooting at and the other responds with no idea just shoot. In my mind this shows fear.
There is another example where one tank is blown up and all the men flee. My first reaction was, 'why didnt they defend themselves?' They all ran away actually most got killed except one who managed to escape. I was suprised to see that it seems that these men weren't trained to deal with the possibility of being killed. Actually, it comes up that during training or before battle soldiers were told they were going to die. This doesnt prove that they were scared, but it makes them afraid, it instead makes me think that these men were not united. This can cause lots of problems. I just think about some of the WW2 movies or American combat movies where these men are relient on each other and they know that. They are realy taught to care for each other and look out for each other. I did not get that vibe from Waltz with Bashir.
Waltz with Bashir
Waltz with Bashir is a movie based off of the massacre of the Sabra-Shatila refugee camps. The main character in the movie is having difficulties remembering the massacre as in he has images of the situation but he cannot remember the details. This makes him question if he was really a part of the massacre or was it something that he 'dreamt.' Throughout the movie he is on a mission to solve this mystery.
One of the most burning images is in the beginning when there is a pack of dogs with yellow eyes that are running seeming like they are chasing something. They start to pass people and they stop at a house where the main character pokes his head out of the window and he looks fearful. This image is so strange because it is kind of difficult to interpret.
I think that the dogs are kind of a reincarnate of the people that were killed in the massacre. They are looking for revenge or they are haunting the main character in his mind. He can't shake the event from his memory and they lead him to want to figure out what exactly happened.
One of the most burning images is in the beginning when there is a pack of dogs with yellow eyes that are running seeming like they are chasing something. They start to pass people and they stop at a house where the main character pokes his head out of the window and he looks fearful. This image is so strange because it is kind of difficult to interpret.
I think that the dogs are kind of a reincarnate of the people that were killed in the massacre. They are looking for revenge or they are haunting the main character in his mind. He can't shake the event from his memory and they lead him to want to figure out what exactly happened.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Abraham
So, there is this picture in Jobnik where Miriam is looking up at the stars and she sees a mix of stars and plans. I immediatly invisioned Abraham looking up at the stars when God promised him his decendents would be as numerous as the stars. The 2 pictures look a like.
I couldn't find any relation to the two stories they seem so oppposite. Miriam is a women soldier and Abraham was a father of religious people. The more I thought about it I think there could still be some similarities. Abraham looked to the stars where God promised him as many decendents as the stars where maybe Miriam was fighting for a land that could be the home to millions of people and their decendents. Maybe this does not make a lot of sense or it's just a dumb thought but I want to believe there is a reason that this picture of Miriam looking up at the stars is so memorable.
I couldn't find any relation to the two stories they seem so oppposite. Miriam is a women soldier and Abraham was a father of religious people. The more I thought about it I think there could still be some similarities. Abraham looked to the stars where God promised him as many decendents as the stars where maybe Miriam was fighting for a land that could be the home to millions of people and their decendents. Maybe this does not make a lot of sense or it's just a dumb thought but I want to believe there is a reason that this picture of Miriam looking up at the stars is so memorable.
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