Reflective Artist’s Statement

Throughout this project I learned many things, but the most useful one that I think I will be using it a lot in future classes is to get to the bottom of what the characters really mean in what they say. In the brown boy, white boy by Jonathan Mendoza, at first I didn’t really get the true meaning behind his story until we had class discussion. Everyone had different perspectives and most of them saw his story in different way. As we had more class discussion like the one we did with Anon(ymous), I started to pick up that skill. The skill to dig in and find the hidden meanings behind what characters are saying. The formats that I chose for the 3 assignments, I picked them based on which one I can show the reader that I understood the story at the best of me. also I tried to connect my story with their story.

Assignment #3 (Final)

The scene from the comic Ms. Marvel that stood out for me the most was when Kamala first transformed to Ms Marvel. This scene stood out to me the most because it does a really good job of showing how Kamala matures from an ordinary Teenage girl to a superhero. Although she does not like Zoe Kamala realizes Zoe is introuble Kamala’s fascial expression changed from being nervous and skeptical to being brave and heroic. One of the things that pushed Kamala to maturing is remembering a quote her father always told her “whoever kills one person, it is as if he has killed all of mankind and whoever saves one persons, it is as if he has saved all of mankind”. In the following panels Kamala goes on to save Zoe a mean/rude Teenage girl from her school. Kamala saves Zoe from drowning in the lake. She later reflects on her heroic actions this prompts her to realize that being a superhero is not how she expected it to be. In this panel she is staring out into the city, and is glad to say she lived a safe. The comic artist does a great job of showing this by having Kamala stare out into the city with all the mist from the terrigen bomb just flowing around her. She expected to have the great blonde hair and the same look as captain marvel, but instead the blonde hair gets in her face, and the high boots she imaged pinch her. She describes her powers as “like having a completely new sense”. Although she does not know how to control her powers yet she begins to gain more confidence in herself. Which reverts back to the 2 panels I brought up earlier. You can see the change in vibe that Kamala has in her face in the 2 panels. Her eye brows get low, and her face muscles tighten as if she is ready to fight crime. In conclusion anyone can gain the confidence to do anything they put their mind to just like Kamala did.

 

 

Artist Statement

I’ve learned a lot of important things by analyzing just 2 panels in this comic book. I’ve learned that by paying attention to the details it can give you a way better understanding of anything. By just analyzing those 2 panels I was able to put myself in Kamala’s shoes, and really get a field of the Kamala herself. I can use what I learned in future classes by paying more close attention to details. Maybe going over the material multiple to get a good understanding of the topic. Even taking things further so that I can really dig in to it is another important thing I learned. The process of peer review pushed my analysis forward, because my classmates were able to tell me what I needed to touch up on.

Assignment # 3

David Fernandez

Professor. Polish

English 102

12/8/17

 

There is a reason why some people like helping others. It could be because they were never helped themselves or it could be because they get a satisfaction from helping other people out. Sometimes it can be because they are influenced by someone that they look up to. In the “Ms. Marvel” comics Kamala who is Ms. Marvel and is the main character and hero of this series appears to be quiet and shy at first. Then eventually becomes the brave and fearless superhero that everyone knows especially when she notices others are in trouble.

From the beginning it is clear that Kamala has a strong relationship with her family especially with her dad. You can see that she also sees him as a role model since she quotes him sometimes and there are also times when her father comes to mind before she reacts to something. We can first see this when she saves her classmate Zoe from drowning because she was trying to avoid her drunk boyfriend Josh. Before she saves Zoe Kamala mentions that according to her father whoever saves another person is blessed. What her father said motivated her to save Zoe from drowning.

Another time that we can see this is after the first time Kamala tries to save Bruno’s brother Vick. She was caught eating all the food after she got back home from trying to save Vick and feel asleep. When her parents noticed she got back they woke her up and expressed their concern about her behavior. After having a conversation with her father that told her that

her name means perfection in Arabic she decided to go back and save Vick. She remembered that Vick was still in trouble and went back to save him.  

We can see that there are times when people become brave when they see that others need help. This is very true for Kamala who cares about the safety about other people even when it means she has to go through risky challenges to save them. What is also true is that she has a strong bond with her family. Who makes her the person she is.

 

Artist Statement

Before writing the essay I  thought about what I was going to focus on. I thought about how Kamala and her family bonds with each other and what examples I could use to make my point in the essay. I noticed that Kamala has a strong relationship with her father and that there were times before she saved someone that she will think about her dad.  So I thought about how her family influences her to be a hero.  What I learned is there can be many factors that make people a hero. Also they could have got their inspiration from someone else or they could have got it from their  experiences and what they went through.

I also learned in comics a hero sometimes work better when  they have something to fight for. When there is a purpose is when the hero is able to get the power to fight back. The purpose motivates them to do what is right for their family, friends or anyone else that they happen to meet. This book did a great job in showing that but it is not only the ones who have powers who can be a hero. Kamala’s mother, father and friend Nakia could be heroes too. The people who helps her realize to make right decisions.

Artist statement

Throughout this project I learned how I create imagery in my passage. This really helps my reader feel exactly what I’m pointing towards. I wouldn’t say I didn’t learn anything I always learn from my writing and along with improving my literature. I can always use what I learned in class to help me always write not only good poems but great essay analysis also cause I learned overall a ton of work having to do with writing in this class.

I loved writing poems for analysis cause it give me the creative space to use the same topic but to style it up .I could of pushed my analysis further by writing even more .Rhetorical questions I put in my poem was mrs.marvel questioning what the girl who judges her sees.The process of peer review pushed my  analysis forward because It helps me stay on track with my topics and gave me ideas towards my writing.  Rhetorical questions I will always use in the future have to do with equality and racism.

final

Latice Daniels

Lip stick vs chapstick

Tired of these wet bodily fluids running down my eyes, rushing towards the finish line which happens to be my cheeks. ..

Blood shot red eyes I can’t even seem to hide. ..

I’m hiding from reality …

I drift off to present time . ..

This gorgeous being constantly insults what god made me to be …

but I want her life. ..

My self esteem lowers and gets trapped as if it was never was a part of my body..

it’s somewhere stranded in the atmosphere with my dignity, looking for a body to connect to ..

My imagination travels through time … with given instructions from my emotions…

I cautiously look at my reflection through my own puddles of tears , but wait just a second ….

I see silky blonde hair. ..

What does she see ?? …

Someone who isn’t valued in this country ..

An alien ..

pigment on the skin I wear …

Someone who’s constantly laughed down on in today’s society for being different ..

Different tongues spoken…

Unique unfitted clothing ..made from blood sweat and someone else’s tears …

Traditional food which the smell resigns around the outside of my skin ..

Finding comfort on my clothing ..

She who judges my phenotype hides behind thick but precise made rose red lips & cotton soft blonde hair …

Times I find myself lost ..

I rather trade in reality for a role

A spontaneous being is who I teleport myself to act as.

Similar to the being she looks like.

I just give up my chance to feel,

just to drown it within a mask …

It swims to the bottom and dismisses itself from my body

 

Along with acting and what you would call pretending forms creation.. . .

My mis happiness and her cruelty forms a unique collaboration.

 

Mental Health of Anons

Rinchen Lama

Eng. 102

Prof. J. Polish

21st Nov. 2017

Mental Health of the Anons

The play Anon(ymous) by Naomi Iizuka is an insightful piece that shows the life of refugees from different places in the U.S. The play is simple at first glance and depicts a heroic journey of Anon, a young refugee from a war torn country, but as you dive deeper it becomes clearer that it is in fact a play that addresses the problems that immigrants face. According to UNHCR there are about 20 million people classified as refugees (http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/refugees.html, 4th Nov. 2017). These refugees have various mental health issues which are very often overlooked because of the lack of resources and knowledge to recognize them. Because of this, many refugees suffer from very dangerous mental conditions. As a result of such uncared and untreated mental condition, Anon, who seemed to be very healthy and had a very strong will to survive, could in fact have developed a mental illness and the entire play could have been his imagination. Although the play in itself is fictional, the characters in the play slightly hint that Anon could have had some mental issues.

The first hint that the play is Anon’s imagination is seen when Naja enters from the ocean as a surfer. Although making Naja a surfer makes us think that the scenario is legit, it is clear that that is not the case as Naja talks about telepathy and at the end of the conversation Naja and Anon dive into the ocean. The scene clearly shows that the very beginning of Anon’s adventure in the place, which is not his home, could simply be his imagination. An article on Mental Health of Refugees by WHO says, ”..many children may be unaccompanied. They have special needs. If these needs are not met, serious mental health problems are likely to occur” (http://apps.who , 4th Nov. 2017). It is not uncommon to find signs of depression and frustration among refugees, especially children. As said above, Anon could have been a very similar victim of mental problems and could have suffered long term problems like schizophrenia, depression and frustration specially because he was from a war-torn place.

A study done by a team of psychiatrists from the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland on Combodian teenagers who had been held in refugee camps when they were 12 or younger, still suffered a range of psychological problems when they were 20 or younger (http://www.nytimes.com , 22nd November 2017). Anon could have been one of these children. Although he suffered the same conditions as them or maybe even worse, his mental wounds remained untreated and resulted in things that were far worse. But this could also be true for so many other refugee children. The children under the study were only a fraction of a much larger group. Anon, was only a representation of the many children whose mental health remain neglected.

 

In the play Anon displays many things that are unusual like hearing voices, talking to people that aren’t really there, illogical thoughts and violent speech or action. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder whose symptoms match very closely to the behavior displayed by Anon. Although delusions and psychosis are major symptoms of schizophrenia, other symptoms can include false memories, paranoia and hallucinations (www.nytimes.com , 21 November 2017). A study done on schizophrenia titled Social adversity during childhood increases schizophrenia risk concluded, “The study found that the more social adversity “harzard ratios” that a person experienced, the more likely they were to develop schizophrenia later in life” (http://www.schizophrenia.com, 21 November 2017). Hence it is possible that Anon, who went through so much struggle very early in life could have been sick this whole time. This also leads us to believe that although not all, major portions of the play could simply be Anon’s imagination.

To conclude Anon, our hero, who is on a quest to discover himself and find his mother in this foreign land unknown to him is struggling not only against the harsh conditions that have been displayed in the play but is also fighting the psychological trauma. He is a survivor of a war but he is still a fighter in the battles in his head. He is a representation of everyone who survived only to fight more battles, all the refugees, the children and the parents. His role through the play is to attract the attention of people towards those who need help, not only financial but also social.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work cited

 

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “Refugees.” UNHCR, 4 November 2017,

http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/refugees.html

 

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Health Organization. “Mental Health of Refugees” 1996

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/41825/1/9241544864_eng.pdf

 

Goleman, Daniel. “Terror’s Children: Mending Mental Wounds” February 24, 1987

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/24/science/terror-s-children-mending-mental-wounds.html

 

The New York Times. “Symptoms of Schizophrenia” February 17, 1981

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/17/science/symptoms-of-schizophrenia.html

 

Schizophrenia.com. “Social Adversity During Childhood Increases Schizophrenia Risk” September 01, 2005

http://www.schizophrenia.com/sznews/archives/002356.html 21 November 2017

 

Was Anon Dreaming? Final paper

Nagat Almatare

English 102

Professor

                                           Was Anon Dreaming?

 

In the play “(Anon(ymous),” Anon had to leave his native home with his mother because of war. Anon and his family tried to escape from war and death, but ironically, Anon drowned in the water when the family was on the boat leaving their land. However, Anon’s mother still had hope in her heart that her son might be alive somewhere. As Anon lived running from one place to another, he kept on wishing to go back home because none of the places he had visited felt like his birth home.

It is interesting how people run away from war because their fear of death. However, we all know death can follow us in, and to, any part of the world. Anon had traveled from one place to another looking for his mother, so why did the author, Iizuka, wrote that Anon drowned and then found his mother without making it clear how he did? In this play, Iizuka the author not give a clear conclusion to the play which raises many questions. For instance, was Anon dead and seeing the next world? Was he alive but dreaming as in a comma? Or was all this just a dream because of what he had gone through in his journey of running away from a war? This paly arouses these and more questions because of the way it ends. Its vagueness allows readers to think whatever they want about Anon and how the story ends.

For me, the play reminds me of Shakespeare’s works and how his work was looked down upon because its controversy and many times unpopular endings. For instance, in one of in Hamlet, readers get frustrated by Hamlet’s delay in eliminating Claudius. However, as explained by Sihyun (2017) “a psychoanalytic reading of the play may provide the necessary means, as through Hamlet’s seemingly inexplicable behavior can be rationalized”(p. 2). In the play, Hamlet’s father’s ghost visits the castle, and his suspicions are confirmed. The Ghost complains that he is unable to rest in peace because he was murdered. Claudius, says the Ghost, poured poison in King Hamlet’s ear while the old king napped. Unable to confess and find salvation, King Hamlet is now consigned, thus, his soul goes before going to Heaven and walk the earth by night. He entreats Hamlet to avenge his death, but to spare Gertrude, to let Heaven decide her fate. In the end of the play, I didn’t understand why Hamlet stabs Claudius with a poisoned sword and then pours poisoned wine down the King’s throat. Before he dies, Hamlet declares that the throne should now pass to Prince  of Norway, and he implores his true friend Horatio to accurately explain the events that have led to the bloodbath at Elsinore. With his last breath, he releases himself from the prison of his words: “The rest is silence.”

In many cases readers expect a conclusion on what they are reading, but sometime unknown conclusion can keep us thinking to create our own play. When the rest are in silent was unknown conclusion that kept the audience high expectations to think, what will happen next? Who will die again? Similar questions that people would ask about Anon to what will be next. What is the ending of the story? What this all a dream?

Anon explored different places like when the white rich family rescued him and the rich family’s daughter felt that she owned Anon because of her rich father who owns land and mountains. Anon felt that was never his home so he left, kept on traveling to find what he calls “home”. Anon’s mother in the play worked for a sewing factory where the white rich family came and told her that they have rescued a boy from drowning in the water, but that boy ran away because he wanted to go home, the place of his birth. Anon’s mother felt that it might be her son that drowned and it was definitely Anon. I read an report article about dreams by (Nielsen1,2 and Stenstrom1,3) ” recent studies5 suggest that dreams only rarely portray complete

Episodic memories, that is, reproductions of ensembles of places, actions and characters; such memories occur in a mere 1.4% of reports. Isolated fragments or features of episodic memories are more common, however. The reproduction of isolated spatial or temporal features of memories occurred in 28–38% of reports in one study; 65% of dream elements were linked to features of waking events in another study5. In very emotional dreams such as nightmares caused by traumatic experiences, dream imagery can become highly episodic.”

So was Anon dreaming? The memory selection task measures the ability to distinguish between memories that relate to ongoing reality.

In conclusion, plays can also have a clear story with a closure ending, but in the play “(Anon(ymous),” we all can make own conclusion and think of our own way we see the play going towards. For me, all the adventures of the play had sounded that it could’ve been a dream. So, this was my own conclusion of Anon, What might be yours?