Reading Joann Sfar's "The Rabbi's Cat" is interesting because the cat is narrating the story. I thought having a cat narrate the story was a creative idea and it makes for a unique perspective on what happens throughout the book. This cat does many fascinating things and has interesting thoughts. For a portion of the book the cat gains the ability to speak. I enjoy this aspect of the book because I've always wished my cats could speak English. Knowing what is going on in their little heads would be quite amusing, although they are so naughty in general that knowing what they are thinking could cause me aggravation at times. However, communicating with them through language would be an interesting experience. I wonder if Sfar's idea to make the cat speak came from his desire to have his cat speak to him.
In class it was mentioned that the cat is able to speak after eating a parrot and people wondered if this is a reference to The Fall in the Garden of Eden and the knowledge humans gained from eating the fruit they were forbidden by God to eat. I hadn't considered that idea while I read the book but I think it has merit. Sfar may very well have intended the reader to interpret the situation that way. If so it's interesting because a cat has no business speaking any more than people should be disobedient to God, but the cat ate the bird because of its selfish reasons just like people go their own way out of selfishness.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Different Geography, Different Customs
Reading this week's reading "The Rabbi's Cat" by Joann Sfar was interesting because it opened my eyes to the fact that there are different Jewish cultures in a sense. The rabbi and his daughter are North African Jews. I never considered North Africa as a place where Jews live or lived. The differences between North African Jews and French Jews become somewhat obvious in the last section of the book when the rabbi travels with his daughter and her husband to Paris to stay with the son-in-law's family. The rabbi becomes angry on page 106 when he discovers that the son-in-law's family is not very religious. He refuses to stay in their house, saying "I just can't do that" (106). Later on after he comes around he comes to the family's house and speaks to the son-in-law's father, who is really not very religious. In fact, this man finds it odd that his son became a rabbi even though he had raised him to be non-religious (139). The differences between the two families are interesting to me because it seems that the French family is more secular and urbanized while the North African family is more religious.
The book also mentions two different types of Jews. On page 51 the rabbi is asked a question by a man with a hypothetical question concerning etiquette on different food customs. The Askenazim and Sephardim are the two groups mentioned. According to what we learned in class, Sephardi are Mediterranean Jews (technically the term should only apply to Jews of Spanish descent but it's used more broadly) and the Askenazim are European Jews. I thought this was interesting because I had never thought before about different Jewish groups based on geography and it's also interesting that they have some different customs relating to food and such because I tend to think more of similarities than differences about groups of people.
The book also mentions two different types of Jews. On page 51 the rabbi is asked a question by a man with a hypothetical question concerning etiquette on different food customs. The Askenazim and Sephardim are the two groups mentioned. According to what we learned in class, Sephardi are Mediterranean Jews (technically the term should only apply to Jews of Spanish descent but it's used more broadly) and the Askenazim are European Jews. I thought this was interesting because I had never thought before about different Jewish groups based on geography and it's also interesting that they have some different customs relating to food and such because I tend to think more of similarities than differences about groups of people.
Friday, October 8, 2010
A Survivor's Habits
I've noticed repeatedly throughout the second half of Art Spiegelman's "Maus" that Vladek, Art's Holocaust surviving father, exhibits rather odd behaviors as a result of his experiences. For instance, on page 112 Vladek draws a diagram of the bunker in which he and Anja had hidden in one of the ghettos, saying "such things it's good to know exactly how was it - just in case." I interpreted this to mean that Vladek desired that his son have an idea how to create a bunker in case of some type of desperate situation, such as a war. Vladek probably realized that what had happened to him could happen again.
On page 118, Vladek and Art are walking along as Vladek shares part of his story and picks up telephone wire, telling his son that "it's good for tying things," to which Art replies "you always pick up trash! Can't you just buy wire?" Vladek says in reply "Why always you want to buy when you can find?" This exchange reveals Vladek's desire to save money by picking up discarded objects instead of buying things new, and also we learn from this discussion that this is not an isolated incident because Art's comment tells us Vladek has done this before. On page 134 Art's stepmother Mala says that Vladek has quite a bit of money in the bank and yet is very cheap. On page 133 she says that when they married and she needed some new clothes he tried to give her his first wife's clothes. Mala feels that his stinginess is not a result of being a Holocaust survivor because "all our friends went through the camps. Nobody is like him!" I think that Vladek's desire to spend as little money as possible resulted from a fear that perhaps there would be another war and he had discovered in WWII in hiding and in the ghetto that having savings meant the difference between life and death - money meant food and sometimes a hiding place. I think he picks up things off the street because he learned to get by with very little during the war and desires also to save as much money as he is able.
On page 118, Vladek and Art are walking along as Vladek shares part of his story and picks up telephone wire, telling his son that "it's good for tying things," to which Art replies "you always pick up trash! Can't you just buy wire?" Vladek says in reply "Why always you want to buy when you can find?" This exchange reveals Vladek's desire to save money by picking up discarded objects instead of buying things new, and also we learn from this discussion that this is not an isolated incident because Art's comment tells us Vladek has done this before. On page 134 Art's stepmother Mala says that Vladek has quite a bit of money in the bank and yet is very cheap. On page 133 she says that when they married and she needed some new clothes he tried to give her his first wife's clothes. Mala feels that his stinginess is not a result of being a Holocaust survivor because "all our friends went through the camps. Nobody is like him!" I think that Vladek's desire to spend as little money as possible resulted from a fear that perhaps there would be another war and he had discovered in WWII in hiding and in the ghetto that having savings meant the difference between life and death - money meant food and sometimes a hiding place. I think he picks up things off the street because he learned to get by with very little during the war and desires also to save as much money as he is able.
"Maus": Disturbing Revelations
Art Spiegelman's "Maus" brings up many troubling aspects of WWII, namely that of Jewish people in Europe. It does so in the form of a graphic novel. The drawings add a unique component to the story because often books recounting Holocaust survivor experiences are in novel form with few if any photographs. The drawings create a visual (obviously). There are many points in the first half of the story which I found troubling. One such part is on page 121 when Vladek (Art Spiegelman's father) discovers that cake is to be had in the ghetto if one can pay the 75 zlotys for a slice. The man who sells the cake goes around collecting the ingredients from houses of people who have been sent to Auschwitz. Vladek buys some of the cake for himself and Anja, his wife. I found this situation troubling because while I understand that selling the cake helps people survive, it seems disturbing that they are making money off of the misfortunes of others. Furthermore, I was disturbed that Vladek didn't seem to think about the ethics of the situation, although we can't know for sure because he may never have told Art about any emotions he had about it and we are reading the story which has been filtered through Art.
Another part of the book I found disturbing was on page 110 when some children in the ghetto were going to be taken to Auschwitz and were unable to stop crying because they were afraid. The Nazi response was to murder these children by bashing them against a wall. This scene is upsetting for many reasons, not least of which is how sad was the fate of these innocent victims. But I found the scene troubling for another reason: I wondered to myself how many of these soldiers who were murdering these children had children themselves in Germany or had much younger siblings or nieces and nephews. I have always been dismayed by the ease with which the Nazis were made to believe that Jewish people were less than human and therefore killing them was perfectly acceptable. When a child is crying and screaming from fear, killing him or her, especially in such a cruel fashion, seems like the opposite of what should be the natural response - to attempt to calm the child.
In both of the above situations, the response of people to what has happened is strange to me. The latter example is much more disturbing than the former, but they both have their negative aspects.
Another part of the book I found disturbing was on page 110 when some children in the ghetto were going to be taken to Auschwitz and were unable to stop crying because they were afraid. The Nazi response was to murder these children by bashing them against a wall. This scene is upsetting for many reasons, not least of which is how sad was the fate of these innocent victims. But I found the scene troubling for another reason: I wondered to myself how many of these soldiers who were murdering these children had children themselves in Germany or had much younger siblings or nieces and nephews. I have always been dismayed by the ease with which the Nazis were made to believe that Jewish people were less than human and therefore killing them was perfectly acceptable. When a child is crying and screaming from fear, killing him or her, especially in such a cruel fashion, seems like the opposite of what should be the natural response - to attempt to calm the child.
In both of the above situations, the response of people to what has happened is strange to me. The latter example is much more disturbing than the former, but they both have their negative aspects.
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Silver Scorpion - Muslim Superhero
Earlier this week, I found a newspaper article about a new comic book superhero coming out - a Muslim boy. But even more interesting is that this boy is in a wheelchair. The idea for this superhero came from a group of disabled young Syrians and Americans who met in Damascus last month. The article states "The superhero's appearance hasn't been finalized, but an early sketch shows a Muslim boy who lost his legs in a landmine accident and later becomes the Silver Scorpion after discovering he has the power to control metal with his mind." He will use his "power to flight for social inclusion, equity and justice." I think this comic book hero is an interesting idea, because I have never heard of a Muslim superhero before. And the idea to have a superhero with a disability is wonderful; I hope this will have a positive effect on how people with various disabilities are perceived. I'm interested to see how a Muslim superhero will be perceived by Americans. I'm curious about how many countries this comic book will be distributed in. The article mentions that the company hopes to release the first issue in November, and the comic book will be published in Arabic and English. The ability to control metal with his mind should provide opportunities for many intriguing storylines. I'm interested to see what other characters are brought into the comic book; the article does not mention sidekicks or villains or any other characters besides the boy himself. It's not even clear from the article if he has a name yet (his real name, not his Silver Scorpion moniker). I think Silver Scorpion is an excellent superhero name, although it reminds me of the Silver Surfer. "New Muslim comic book superhero on the way" by Edith M. Lederer is the article.
Comic Books Exploring Important Social and Historical Issues
As I continue to learn about the history of comic books, I'm becoming more and more aware of how comic books have been used to deal with social and historical issues. For instance, in his book "From Krakow to Krypton" Arie Kaplan discusses Superman "as social crusader" (85). He notes the comment by George Reeves about the Superman TV show in the 1950s that "We even try, in our scripts, to give gentle messages of tolerance and to stress that a man's color and race and religious beliefs should be respected" (85). I was surprised to read this, simply because I don't generally think of 1950s America as a time of tolerance. This was before the Civil Rights movement and before ideas about general diversity were widely received. I did notice in his comment that he refers to tolerance for " a man's" race and beliefs, not including women. While not probably intentional it was interesting to me because it reflects a time of male privilege in America - he says nothing about women and doesn't use a term like "human's" or "person's." However, his comment does reveal an emphasis on tolerance in a time when tolerance for other beliefs and equality for people of different backgrounds, racial or otherwise, was not widely considered.
Another issue that comic books tackle is the Holocaust. I was really surprised to learn about this. The X-Men villain Magneto is a Holocaust survivor. Another X-Men character, Kitty Pryde, is the grandchild of Holocaust survivors. This information about these characters came out in the 1970s, which was a time in which Americans began to be more conscious of the Holocaust. I found it fascinating that comic books dealt with issues of tolerance in the 1950s and Holocaust memory in the 1970s. Frankly, I never thought of comic books as discussing important issues until I started this course.
Another issue that comic books tackle is the Holocaust. I was really surprised to learn about this. The X-Men villain Magneto is a Holocaust survivor. Another X-Men character, Kitty Pryde, is the grandchild of Holocaust survivors. This information about these characters came out in the 1970s, which was a time in which Americans began to be more conscious of the Holocaust. I found it fascinating that comic books dealt with issues of tolerance in the 1950s and Holocaust memory in the 1970s. Frankly, I never thought of comic books as discussing important issues until I started this course.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)