Asterios Polyp

Asterios Polyp is not your average read. This interesting graphic novel immediately stands out as one of the more uniquely designed works with very stylized characters. The story follow Asterios, a Cornell University professor, in his life after an unfortunate incident caused the loss of his home. As resembled in his design, his heightened nose gives the idea of a self involved, prideful nature. He is a bright man, so Polyp decides to begin anew and start a new chapter of his life as a mechanic.

Clearly meant to be a novel meant for a more mature audience rather than a younger generation, the topics addressed tend to be more serious than normal cartoons. Polyp's late brother is the narrator of the tale, and allows the reader to see different sides of his story. The dark sides Polyp would rather want to hide from the viewer, or events that aren't exclusive to him are available for story. The idea of a spirit telling the tale is very different to me, and I enjoy how we have the potential to see everything, without the tainted view of the living.

The light blue and red colors used are very effective in terms of delivering tones/mood for the story. High tension scenes or dramatic composition is achieved with the more bold contrast between stark blue and red. I feel this is a strong connection for the ups and downs of life's unpredictability. The harsh reality is appealing in this novel due to its style, and I am able to be easily hooked. I hope to finish it soon, and I recommend giving it a look.

NewsWorld Assesment

NewsWorld, a short story that touches the heart of any individual who experienced freight for their future self, gives insight to the perspective of the younger generation facing the horrible realities of war in life.

Several symbols that depict the simple life of a growing teenager (such as television, assigned books, and even the closed theme park that has its rush of life) make the sudden shock of attack on the nation easier to understand. Having experienced most violence only through rough falls on a sports field or through the safety net of the television, there had been no previous way of knowing that there was a protected shield from the horrors of the world. Larger powers had always been there, and wiser words had always reached the younger generation through the written word in mistreated books and under the guise of planned shows, but all it was for the majority of its younger audience was just fables and tales to enjoy. Entertainment never got in the way of their planned future. Television always mentioned dangers around the world, but what were the chances of it coming and finding us in our own country?

The short story shows attack impact directly on a young teenaged life, a sudden state of instability that questions their reason for being there. No one knows the correct way to react, but every one turns to group together and find a sense of protection, for themselves and for each other. We search for our immediate meaning in life, our goals and what we've experienced so far. The reader realizes, perhaps with some despair, that its possible they're too young to be going through an existential crisis.
The tales shown in the NewsWorld theme park suddenly have so much more reality to them. The music and enjoyability of youth stripped from its presentation to show the truth that so many others have faced, just like the friends of the narrator. 

Disasters around the world take different forms, and I believe thats partly why a personal connection to NewsWorld is easy to form. I, myself, was able to replace NewsWorld with Disney and other theme parks nearby in Orlando. I too went to a good school and was fortunate enough to receive higher education. I have been through the sudden realization in my eleventh grade experience when my school had a loss of a treasured friend due to a rare illness. The school was quarantined to ensure that it wasn't spread to any other students. The simplicity of my high school life was disturbed, and the peace that I imagined in my city of Miami was also brought to a rude awakening when protests began to help the people of Venezuela. Though I experienced the events of 9/11 in my younger years and was unaware of family members on flights from New York on that day, I later found life to be short. I had no idea what to do with my life at that point. There are so many unpredictable events that my mother and father even had to avoid for me to come into this world and figure out what my impact would be.

To adapt this story into another medium, I would have to choose a short film. Adding film of war in Vietnam and other disasters in-between showings of the displays at NewsWorld would be preferable. Offsetting it with the emptiness in the aftermath of disasters would show a larger impact

Recommendation: Gattaca

Gattaca


Though my ability to fully appreciate this film has likely not been thorough enough to comprehend all the complexities of a reproductive DNA utopia, every time this movie is shown, I am able to discover a new layer of our present society and how this science fiction vision could not be very far from becoming reality.

Gattaca, a film by Andrew Niccol released in 1997, follows the life of Vincent Freeman, a man unaltered by the scientific genetic help of his day to improve his stamina, IQ, health, life expectancy, etc., in a large, genetically selected society. Being seen as an 'in-valid' due to his natural upbringing, the world created with this technology resurrects genetic discrimination not seen since the days of royal monarchs and World War II. Even his birth parents, who had elected him to be raised naturally, had their regrets when realizing how difficult a life Vincent would lead when pitted against other genetically enhanced individuals for professional jobs.

Vincent was often reminded of his inferiority in his youth due to his younger brother, Anton, besting him in most game challenges. Parents' consideration for their child to have a brighter future, as  opposed to likely menial jobs, clearly plays a hand in the audience believing this to be such a rapidly accepted practice, but the film constantly questions the hidden prejudice that falls in line with this. It is only human nature to compete and want to rise above others, not to mention the want for specific characteristics of ourselves changed, but the culture bred has divided people so dramatically to the point where the natural raised cannot attempt to rise above where society places them.

The film poses a very real possibility for the future when these Gattaca degenerates face much bias for stereotypical inferiority (in terms of value for marriage partners, job, opportunities, living establishments, etc.)  despite not going into any mental or physical assessments to compare their abilities. Despite attempting to hide your identity, both sides can easily find desperation when either not being able to prove yourself or not being able to live the life you wanted despite having every genetic planned out for you in advance, leaving you with a lack of motivation to rise believing you are incapable of doing so. This way of living was challenged when Vincent was able to fulfill his dream and prove his intelligence, but what would it take for our world to realize that everything falls to the unpredictability of life if we were subjected to genetic alteration?

Trump - His words versus his image

The Great Meme Election of 2016

The Presidential Race, usually a respected election process occurring every four years to determine which candidate would rise to the task of leading a nation of thousands, has been molded to resemble a display stage of a survival reality show. Media, taking a large part in the escalated attention to the shocking declarations and actions by particular candidates, has grabbed hold of the millenials by the ear and poured both biased and live material of Marco, Cruz, Hillary, Bernie, and most noticeably, Donald Trump.

As many talk shows, newscasters, and political speakers have thrown the present day "orange Hitler" into the spotlight to expose his lack of thorough planning and spread of hatred, much of the youth of today have become extremely outspoken via social networks of his similarities to the Holocaust. Those associated with supporting Trump have shared in the "nutty" lack of rhyme or reason in sane mind. His bold claims of exporting Mexicans (and later to be announced Hispanics), Muslims, building walls to separate neighbors are blanket statements highly offending to the largey liberal youth who have been raised with more accepting ideals. If anything, the blanket statements are used more as an alarm as to who to avoid from in the future.

As much as I would like to remain unsullied by my personal opinion in this post, I have accepted the fact that it won't be possible for a rising millenial such as myself. If he is elected into the position of president, I suppose we all took part in that result, whether we voted or not. perhaps insane as he is, he instills a little nuttiness in all of us  to the point where we allowed him to gain control of our nation.

The Anniversary Party

Set Designer

Had I partaken as the role of costume designer in The Anniversary Party, I would have to consider the individual backgrounds of the attendees. While I would plan so that the majority would be clad in nice clothes, similar to clothing when going out to a recognized restaurant for dinner, and well groomed to the best of their abilities, I would avoid any loud colors. Given that it is a special occasion, muted colors including those of floral color would be more appropriate to not distract viewers from the important moments in the scene. There will be some tensions in scenes despite there being a reconciling between the couple, but originally, the clothing will have to be as if they had planning to spend a lovely night feigning polite smiles and enjoying themselves. 

I would have elected the clothing for women to include pleasant earth tones, long dress skirts, cardigans, soft floral patterns, dresses, and blouses ranging in the soft spectrum of colors. Low heels paired with non-attention-grabbing jewelry will be acceptable in their age. Nothing loud resembling a younger teenaged self would be present, save for possibly, in their childlike-demeanor. The men would either have a classy casual leather jacket, or nice jacket pair with pressed button-up dress shirt and pants.

As the night progresses and the drinks go around, the costumes would change mildly with jackets removed, rolled up sleeves or vests unbuttoned. The top few buttons on the dress shirts would be loosened to represent their gradual relaxation of character and original nervousness disappearing.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Watching the film by Tom Stoppard, my original reaction was to feel out of place. Having had previous experience with the playwright, I was almost inclined to ask if whether or not I heard correctly that the film showing was indeed Hamlet. The ambiguous beginning to the well-known play from the viewpoint of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seemed to hardly have any meaning other than just pondering the chances and events in life. Their importance to the tale, I later realized, was not greatly significant at the time due to Shakespeare not introducing them in the story until the King and Queen sent for them. The old friends of Hamlet had their existence consist of asking questions to one another of purpose. "Who am I? Who are you? What is your name?" were questions voiced by the two indicating their search of identity and reflecting it within most individuals in today's society. As events unfolded and Hamlet appeared fall deeper into madness, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern turned from questioning to hysteria. After all, having not being told they were side characters, they often lacked information pivotal to the story and were pushed by however life, or in this case the decisions of others in the playwright, wished to direct them.

Their lack of control over everything, mimicked in the abrupt, disorienting changes in scenery, was easily related to by how daily life can catch one off guard so easily. Throughout the play I often found myself cursing how blind they were to their own fates and how they would not make decisions of their own. While their fates where often decided according to the king and queen's decrees,  I hoped they would be able to stray from the tale, even slightly, and choose to change something.

Though I understand there was likely a different message meant to be given, I took the lesson to be: have your own persona. The repeating theme of the concept of death and the final words voicing their missed chance to have changed their fate led me to one conclusion. To avoid being a side character in your own life, you must think for yourself and make your own decisions impacting your life and those around you. While coming to terms with the fact that not everything is able to be controlled and that transcending death is only possible through the memory of the living, individuals should make informed choices on how to affect surroundings past themselves. How your choices will affect your image should be second to how they affect future events/generations to come.

The Dew Breaker

The Dew Breaker

The Dew Breaker proved to be an interesting read regarding the female and male relationships in different time periods. Though I had difficulty identifying with characters through the multiple stories on a personal level, I was able to comprehend the quiet themes of how every individual has secrets they'd rather keep hidden from the public.

Within the novel, Danticat portrayed a pattern in gender relationships that has been stereotypically linked to society since the dawn of man. Men in her writing often held their masculinity of importance and found their power mainly in their brute strength. Whether this be for the better of their country, their family, or their own pride, it is noted that the men did not have outstanding levels of intelligence, but rather a stubbornness to stick to their own opinions. These thoughts that corrupted their minds for several years would often lead to vengeance.
The women, on the other hand, had a standing in stark contrast with the men. While they mainly kept their behavior was muted, with the exception of the more rebellious Ka, their power was in the knowledge they kept. They were strong in their sense of holding themselves and family together despite their darker views on life. Through their hardships, they often survived through focusing on beliefs, release though art or work.

Though the present day has broken the boundaries that define the specifics of the old housewife roles, women in the novel find similiarities as being seen as the caretakers of families. The females within The Dew Breaker remain somewhat supportive of their family even in hard times, such as Anne does in the case of her husband getting redemption, but the males have difficulty being placed in one set role. After facing obstacles from events in their Haitian government, the males were categorized as the somewhat more violent role. Relationships with fathers are less connected and sometimes hold negative connotations. Finding an identity with loyalty to their nation, the male leadership is viewed as a stern figurehead rather than that of a family caretaker.

Grand Budapest Hotel

In Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson did a wonderful job of producing a comedic film in the 1930's with specific camera choices. Being complied of flat compositional frames to evoke a humorous response, there was a story that unfolded about Zero, a boy's past and his viewpoint of Mr. Gustave through their adventures of war, prison, bankruptcy, and scandals.

This thoroughly stylized film, different from other Wes Anderson films, noticeably carried its narrative through the sharp contrast of overly colorful and adorned hotels to the dull prison that M. Gustave is transported to. Creating the whole world to be presented through his eye, we see a different world that Mr. Anderson presents for us. A fictional world, but true to us as they speak to the camera the way the book shows the plot to the reader as the memory of M. Gustave is maintained in time through the reading of the girl.

After discovering its colorful past, the soon to be demolished Grand Budapest Hotel grows in vibrancy and in beauty to remember the splendor of the past. The graceful illusion that M. Gustave gave to his treasured hotel is clear, but it does not defer from the fact that the Hotel will soon be gone.

The film is possibly a reference to how we hold the past so dear to us, a habit of not being able to let go of treasured remembrances or objects that give us hope and inspiration. Objects that only specific people see beauty in because they see the value and know the story of their past.

True Grit

True Grit, one of the more eventful yet realistic literature pieces I’ve read thus far, has gotten me a bit confused. While I did enjoy the tale, Mattie had me at a bit of a crossroads. While I can thoroughly understand the insatiable yearn for revenge for her beloved father, I could not understand why she would be so stubborn at times to place herself in dire danger unnecessarily. She could have easily avenged her father without the consequence of harming herself and losing her left arm.

Thinking about it a bit more, its possible that the personality of Mattie’s father is what drove her so completely to show her bravery for him, just as he did when she knew him. 'True grit' has a rooted identity in our main characters, and all of them show it in a different way. Frank Ross, a noted gentle and kind character who had minimal time to make an impression on the reader before his death, still managed to display strength and determination. 

Attempting to save then hired hand, Chaney, from making a dire mistake by placing himself in front of the ready shotgun, Mattie’s father was clearly a man who strongly believed in helping others make the right decision, no matter how difficult it was.

Something that I cannot fathom, however, is: after having such an adventure filled with going after gangs and killers, how is it possible that this fearless trio did not reunite after ridding the world of Chaney? They accomplished their feat together and grew close - so close that animal lover Rooster, was driven to harming his horse in his mad drive to get Mattie to much needed medical attention. Even with their protests and their endless fights, it is clear they grew close as a group when Mattie moves her beloved friend onto her family plot of land several years after.

From what I can make sense of, its likely that Mattie’s sense of grit and duty led her to stay on her land to work and flourish as a young lady in the place of her father. It is unfortunate that Rooster had passed away before meeting again, but the ending leaves Mattie reminiscing about her unforgotten old friends and possibly foreshadowing a reunion with LaBoeuf in the near future. 

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen's novel provided a unique inside look on the struggles of the heart and status during courtship in the 18th century. Strangely able to relate to the complexities of modern dating, Pride and Prejudice displayed the title's projection largely on the slow emerging couple, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.  While Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley shared moments of overcoming obstacles until their marriage, there was already an established deep interest and connection that was prolonged only due to the outsiders' gossip that traveled around them. Mr. Darcy, on the other hand, had brought about Elizabeth's prejudice at his first introduction when he had difficulty accepting those he considered of lower class. 

Throughout the novel, Darcy often found himself in an internal struggle after realizing he had fallen in love with Elizabeth. He had to face his decision of accepting his love wholly and approaching proposal without second thoughts or keep his social image of high esteem among the other refined characters in the community. During his first proposal to Elizabeth, it was clear her standing with the social ladder remained an issue that he was not able to completely oversee. His actions delaying a potential proposal from his good friend Mr. Bingley to Jane Bennet also sullied the already tainted reputation that Elizabeth had of him in her eyes. As marriage in the Bennet household was a recurring objective with so many unmarried ladies, Mr. Darcy risked the happiness of Jane, who was truly very much in love already.

After the original dance rejection and rude nature upon first meeting, Jane had adopted the overall consensus of the guests to conclude that Mr. Darcy was unappealing due to his bitterness. As she fell in love, she tried to keep her affections at bay, but her reluctance to accept the more generous sides to him were seen more difficult as the story progressed. As she discovered that allegations created by Wickham were untrue and Mr. Darcy assisted her family to keep her reputation after Lydia found a lover out of wedlock, Elizabeth finally found a peace with her love and found herself on her way to happiness. 

Three Questions

Lineage. Influences. Ideology.

As many Hispanics do, I hold several names to build up my identity. I have the Cespedes from my father (and his seven brothers and sisters) and I carry Diaz from my mother. Lineage is a difficult explanation, despite it being the least ambiguous of the three questions asked, due to roots having twists and turns in several lands for different periods of time. Mine were personally gnarled in Spain and Italy for quite some time before traveling to Peru, South America.

Where each of us stand today, our ancestries likely intertwine at some point in the past to where most people can claim to have a dash of English or a sprinkle of some other distant country. There are backgrounds that affect more than others, but I somewhat enjoy the idea of the current population being a strange hodgepodge of mixed ethnicities and cultures.

Lineage holds both our biological and personal descent, as it tells a story of how I've been brought up from a particular Peruvian line that has a love for the arts and mathematics. I have been raised in the United States, having come to North America at the young age of 2, yet still hold a deep love for my country in the South. From what information lineage is able to provide, it opens up for a tale to be told.

This brings me to next topic: influences.

Being surrounded in a largely hispanic community in Miami, Florida, I was able to avoid losing touch with my Hispanic origins. My culture remained a large part of my life through the close contact of my Brazilian and Peruvian family. I even had plenty of opportunities to continue practicing the Spanish tongue, even though it often resulted in a mixture of two, known locally as the official language that is Spanglish. Miami, a Hispanic potluck consisting of Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Argentinians among others, allowed me to feel free to be proud of where I came from and learn about other cultures openly.

I had been exposed to a plethora of influences. Ranging from the loudly opinionated political advertisements to the strong characters I would relentlessly admire on Broadway, I witnessed traits that resulted in endless mental discussions that would question my own character, decisions, and aspirations. There are far too many aspects aside from family, travels, studies, and acquaintances that have complied events to build the yet unfinished person I am today. I'm not vain enough to think that I'm an ideally perfect person, despite the efforts of my parents, but I'd like to think I've grown up well, being normally welcoming to individuals different ideas or ways of living and having an at least moderate understanding of ethics and morals.

Ideology was the most open ended question I had been asked in a while. Such a broad topic that I don't even fully comprehend where I stand deserves a somewhat ambiguous answer in reply. As an entry for a growing view on literature and a deeper understanding of the media released to man, I will say that my opinion is not the final word. My opinion in fact, is subject to change according to opposing rational explanations or varied views.

From religious upbringing to conflicting personal moral beliefs, judgement on a matter may be instant or subconscious. I believe I am in no position to police those judgements, only in a position to declare my own thoughts. As unwanted or unpleasant as they could be, I see every person has a right to speak their mind and do with information what they will (while hopefully remaining tolerant). It would be a very dull existence if everyone should agree on every subject.

This blog, or journal, will be a continuing unfolding of my own understanding of the wholly powerful forms of enjoyable or controversial literature that art has provided.

My name is Nicole Cespedes, and I hope you enjoy my unbounded ponderings.