The Sandman: #2

Art Style

• Soft Places has a very vague style because while it's telling about a character in history, it's telling something that didn't happen to him (or maybe it did). 
• It also has very pretty colors and lines
• Sharp, dark lines and pretty shadows on faces (shadows in comics are so strange)
• a striking page for me: the one with the ghost army outlined in blue and filled with swirling shapes. It was smoky and alluded to the fact that they were indeed dead without saying so. It was a really terrifying moment that was played off as nothing at all. This army is just searching for a way out, and they're clearly dead. 
• The description by Marco Polo's companion of "soft places" story was also interesting because it only used the light blues and scratchy black to describe this indistinct world. 
• Basically, light blue/purple is memory while brown, burgundy, yellow and orange are present things
• It's a clever use of color because it lets the reader know if something is real or not without having to come out and say it.
• Dream is also very striking in this story. He just got out of imprisonment and yet still uses his power to help Marco Polo. He is also all blues and white & black (memory). Pretty intense eyeliner too.
• Orpheus was another detailed description of story, and therefore, the art style is very detailed once more. The hilarious switching from hip to endlessly old in this story is pretty great. 
• They also use certain colors to describe certain realms/journeys. 
• Green/brown --> Earth
• brown/black --> journey to underworld
• purple/pink/navy --> underworld
• purple/green/brown --> furies on Earth
• This was another nice way just to show us what was happening and where we were. 
• Parliament of Rooks has a very pretty page design about Cain and the storyteller Rook Cain is on both sides of the page (once realistic, and once covered in Rooks). In the middle is the story about the Rooks. Clearly, this is Cain telling us the story about the Rooks (Cain + Story = story!Cain).
• Additionally, turning the twins (Death and Dream) into little chibis was hilarious and showed a lot about how Abel is inside the head. 
• Ramadan had intense and vibrant colors for the fantastical world. 
• Not that detailed because it's a fantastical retelling, but it's still a retelling, not historical. 
• All grey/brown/purple once the king makes his deal (dead city --> harkens back to underworld in Orpheus)

Frames

• First intro page of Soft Places interconnects three (then two) panels through motion lines
• This is interesting because it drags you through the sandstorm with Marco Polo, and it also drags you into this other realm (soft places).
• Song of Orpheus likes to have a background and then panels over the top to show action.
• In fact, most every page is like this. 
• Even if the background doesn't cover the entire page, it still contains either scenery or a scene near the bottom of the page. 
• This lets the reader have something other than a white background to stare it. 
• It adds something to the story.
• Parliament of Rooks has, again, the page with Cain and the storyteller Rook.
• Interesting design because it utilizes a lot of different techniques we read about and also it just looks pretty
• Ramadan was all over the place with panels
• So many styles to represent so many fantastical things in this city

Morals

• Soft Places 
•  You shouldn't stray from the group
• You also shouldn't get lost in your own ventures and ignore the world picture
• Always think on a global scale. If you don't, you'll end up in a rut like the ghost army.
• Orpheus
• Always listen to the Gods
• Do not try to defy fate because it will always win
• Parliament of Rooks
• Storytelling is what keeps man glued together
• Some stories are bound to repeat themselves, so you should understand expect them
• Ramadan
• Don't trade away your fantastics for something ordinary. 
• Always strive for better/change

Most vs. Least

I think I liked Soft Places the best because I really loved the art style. The message was also pretty important. Additionally, it was kind of scary. The way that it was told and the way that memories were represented was really neat. I was legitimately scared when the ghost army came up. I think it says something about the comic that it can elicit emotion in that fashion. 

The one I liked the least was maybe...Parliament of Rooks. I liked the premise of storytelling and why it's important. However, I didn't really like the execution that much.

But, I would actually say that I enjoyed all of them. None of them were too terrible, and I think that picking a least favorite was pretty hard.

Overall Thoughts on The Sandman

The Sandman deserved any awards it has received. It is a work of art in fiction and in comics. The people that worked on this deserve so much credit because it has turned out very well. Also, I believe that reading this one volume has persuaded me to read more of them. The only thing I have to get past is the cost of each volume. 

In all, I think this was a good pick for the class. 

Sandman #1

Historical Elements

I think that the historical elements bring an extra touch of depth to the story. While it may still be interesting without the characters being specific figures, it's a little more interesting when you have the added back story or information on the historical figure. For example, it's interesting to think that there could have been more behind the decisions that some of these people made. Specifically, it would be interesting to think that behind Emperor Augustus's actions were a driving motive that he didn't want anyone else to be an emperor because of the immense power that came with it. It let people think they could do whatever they wanted without consequences. Was this really what he thought, or is this just Gaiman's interpretation? Did so much happen behind the scenes, and that was why the country came to its eventual collapse? It's pretty cool to look at things in that light.

Others, such as Mark Twain, being introduced was kind of just a fun thing. It's like in movies when you see a cameo of a really famous star. You're just reading along and then BAM Mark Twain all up in your face. It was comical and also added, again, a little bit of, I-wonder-if-anything-like-this-could've-happened and well-that's-a-fun-interpretation to it.

Messages and Connections

So what do all these stories have in common? Obviously they're all very different, and they all have a different message. Hm.

I believe these stories are kind of like a version of Aesop's fables. They all tell a different moral message whether in the frame of the storyteller or in the actual story. For example, the message for "The Hunt" within the story was that sometimes the best person isn't the one you've imagined, but the one that was right in front of you the whole time. Also if you're a werewolf...just...keep being a werewolf. And for the storytelling frame, the message was to listen to what your elders tell you because they may have valuable information. Each story gives a valuable lesson to the reader, just as Aesop's fables gave to its readers. 

In addition to that, the stories are vaguely connected by their titles or what happens in them. Three of the titles we've read so far relate to months (Three Septembers and a January, Thermidor, and August), and the other two seem to be related too. They each have a narrator telling the story and somehow the story is related to them. While these may seem like little nuances, they might be important to the story. 

I also think that there's probably an overlying (depressing) message that everything you do is kind of meaningless in comparison to these seven. Humans are kind of like toys to them, and they have been around forever. Humans are just a tiny flicker in time. How depressing. 

Other than that, I don't see a ton of connection between the stories at this point. Perhaps the rest of the novel will shed more light on the subject. 

Visual Aspects

(before we begin, I'd like to note that I don't have page numbers)

I thought that all of the stories did well with closure between the panels. There wasn't enough change to make you go "what" but there was enough for you to imagine what you thought should happen. This is especially apparent for me in "The Hunt" when the boy kills the innkeeper. You are never told that that's what happened, but it does say he took back his coin. I'm pretty sure the innkeeper wouldn't have let that happen if he was alive. 

I also thought the flashbacks/forwards were handled pretty well. This was used mostly if the story had a narrator. I thought the transitions were smooth and that it was well utilized instead of confusing. An example of this could be in August when the Emperor flashes back to when he was 16. These panels were darker shades of blue and black and usually took place solely at night. The rest of the story was made up of tans and whites. This is a clear way to show the reader that they are in a different time.

Another example of this is when they switch to Dream's world. Usually, everything switches to how you would expect a dream to look. It's all very exaggerated with lots of colors and shapes. This is in contrast to the pretty much entirely well put together stories. 

One page that I thought used color and action especially well was in "Thermidor" when Johanna falls asleep and Dream visits her and tells her to let Orpheus sing. There was a lot of action and movement, but it still felt really clean. There were also motion lines pulling Johanna out of the dream world and back into the real world which I thought was clever. 

Style of Artist

I think that, as you were saying in class, the way each artist portrays the different scenes is very important. We begin with lots of muted shades of forest greens, mud brown, and very dark outlines of characters. As we progress into the first story, we see a shift into what we may think of comics to be (bright colors, striking word bubbles, and vaguely detailed characters). Then we move more and more into shadows and less detail until we get to August where we are distinctly separated from the Emperor and Lycius by the lumps all over their skin. I think the way that all of these stories are drawn makes them either accessible or inaccessible to the reader. You are either able to imagine yourself as the character or you are told to look at them and see what they did with their life.

The intro gives us a blank slate to throw ourselves into and imagine, and then we move into the man with mustache and the bright colors of comic books. I think these two served as great introductions because they weren't too shocking, and they were a style that most people are used to. After that, we moved into Thermidor and a style that was sometimes crazy. Thermidor seems to like shadows and deep colors and lots of panels. I think this made sense for the story because it was about confusion and turmoil and fear.

The Hunt brings us back to a character we can be, and the simplicity of the colors and lines makes it easy to read. I think this was to let us down from the high of Thermidor. The organization of the stories is done really well.

Lastly, we go to August which is bringing us back to a time in history. It doesn't have to be relatable, and therefore, the two main characters have lumps and bumps on their faces. This is to, as previously stated, distance them from us. We are to learn from them, not to be them.

Overall, the art style is really complementary to each story, and the organization was done very well.

Most vs. Least

The story I liked the most was probably "The Hunt." It had striking colors and the characters were people you could place yourself into. I tend to like that more. I also thought that the story was interesting. It reeled you in, and then introduced classic fantasy elements and even supernatural beings. It was all very subtle, and it may even have been hard to catch some of it. I also liked the overall message of the story.

The story I liked the least was, I think, "Thermidor." This is because I thought it was kind of confusing, and I also didn't really understand why she was taking this head places. I think that if I would have read any of the other novels that I would understand it a little better. Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense why Dream comes down and asks her to get Orpheus. First, why her? Second, why did Orpheus want to go there? Fourth, where is she from? I mean, if I have this many questions after reading something this short, it just seems a little strange. Additionally, I didn't like the parts where they had her writing in a diary?? The writing was hard to read and I felt it detracted from the story that you had to concentrate that hard on reading a word.

Other Stuff

• The ways that different artists portray death in each story is really interesting. Sometimes he's super creepy and spindly and sharp as in the introduction. But other times he's kind of soft and '80s and like Jareth from Labyrinth as in "The Hunt." I wonder why they portray him so differently in each, and if that's just his style as time goes by.
• I want to learn more about the little librarian dude who lost the copy of the book. In addition to that, I'd like to learn more about the library?? I know this probably isn't in this volume, but it makes me want to read the rest.
• Lastly, I've heard that "Ramadan" is pretty much the best story in this volume. So I hope it lives up to expectations. 

Comic Book Intro

Chapter One

• single frame w/ no sequence is not comics unless it is included in a large sequence
• "Each successive frame of a movie is projected on exactly the same space--the screen--while each frame of comics must occupy a different space. Space does for comics what time does for film." p. 7
• comics - (noun) plural in form, used w/ singular verb. 1. juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer.
• comics - medium - "vessel"
• glyphs represent sounds instead of a subject being portrayed, and therefore, are not classified as inside our definition.
• Not a clue when comics originated, but they gained some sort of accessibility with the invention (or at least use) of printing
• The father or modern day comics is Rodolphe Topffer, but he thought it was just a silly hobby.
• "comics" has negative connotations and their low self-esteem is self-perpetuating
• May have a lack of conventional story, but there's no mistake of sequence (read instead of browse)
• cartoons are an approach to picture making while comics is a medium which often employs that approach
• the definition of comics is very broad and changing and encompasses many things

Chapter Two

• "icon" - any image used to represent a person, place, thing, or idea
• "symbols" - images we use to represent concepts, ideas, and philosophies
• "picture" - image designed to actually resemble their subject
• cartoon - simplified reality - form of amplification through simplification
• when you abstract an image in cartooning you are not eliminating, but focusing on specific details
• cartooning isn't just a way of drawing, it's a way of seeing
• when you talk to someone, you see their face in sharp detail, but you also have a vague image of your own face
• realistic = someone else
• cartoon = place yourself in story
• tells you to not be aware of messenger
• Two Worlds
• realm of concept - idea
• realm of senses - physical
• cross over (physical extension of yourself)
• can't be too realistic if you want to stay an idea/concept (character)
• backgrounds are more realistic because you don't identify with a brick wall
• "one set of lines to see (background), another set of lines to be (character)." pg. 43
• however, you can use realism to separate characters (show "otherness") as Japanese artists do
• COMPLEX-->SIMPLE
• REALISTIC-->ICONIC
• OBJECTIVE-->SUBJECTIVE
• SPECIFIC-->UNIVERSAL
• the boldness of words makes them easier/faster to read
• But pics abstracted from reality are more like words
• PICTURES = RECEIVED
• WRITING = PERCEIVED

Chapter Three

• "closure" - mentally completing that which is incomplete based on past experience
• "the gutter" - space between the panels (limbo). human imagination takes the two separate panels around it and transforms them into a single idea. 
• the reader decides how the act happens in the gutter. closure is similar to how books (words) work (decision made by reader).
• SIX TYPES
• moment-to-moment
• less interpretation
• action-to-action
• more
• subject-to-subject
• most interpretation
• scene-to-scene
• time and space
• aspect-to-aspect
• look around at place
• non-sequitar
• no relationship
• arrangement of panels is hard
• if the reader is particularly aware of art, closure is harder to come by

Chapter Four

• words introduce time by representing that which can only exist in time--sound
• however, alternatively, captions can let it be one moment
• panel acts as general indicator that time or space is being divided. the duration is defined by the content.
• however, panel shape does matter. whether it is long/short or borderless effect time.
• show motion in comics through lines moving in that direction
• "motion line" - "zip ribbons"
• path of motion imposed over scene
• Japanese artists adopted "subjective motion" which puts readers "in the driver's seat"
• the interaction of time and comics generally leads to one of two subjects: sound or motion
• sound: word balloons and sound effects
• motion: 
• panel-to-panel closure
• motion within panels
• multiple images
• streaking
• lines of motion (zip ribbons)
• moving with

JUXTAPOSED PICTORIAL AND OTHER IMAGES IN DELIBERATE SEQUENCE

Comic Book Readthrough

Title: Captain America: The First Avenger #1: First Vengeance

Writer: Fred Van Lente

Illustrator: Luke Ross

'cause why not

Characters

1. Steve Rogers - Steve is selfless and is always doing good things for others. He will always stand up to bullies, and he will never surrender. His dad fought in WWI, was reckless, and got killed. However, he did get a purple heart. Steve wants to be just like him. 
2. James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes - Bucky shows up about halfway through and takes on the bullies that are beating up Steve. He says that he'd never thought of standing up to them until Steve did it. He's always kind of sarcastic and messes with Steve. For example, when Steve says that "I woulda worn them down eventually" and Bucky says dryly "Yeah, when they died of old age."

Description

We begin with Captain America (Steve Rogers) about to jump out of plane to make an attack on Hydra. As he's falling, he has a flashback to his childhood. He played with little figurines and we learn a little about how his father fought in WWI and his mother is sick. She tells him that he could fight, but that he should be careful. We then see some more Nazi butt-kicking. Then another flashback to when Steve was a little older. This time he's being beaten up in Hell's Kitchen (NY). The rowdy kids are beating him up pretty bad and it seems like Steve doesn't know when he should quit. Out of nowhere, another kid shows up and fights off the attacking kids. He introduces himself to Steve as James Buchanan Barnes, but his friends call him Bucky. We then flash forward again. This time it is to Hydra members discussing Steve (Captain America). They say some ominous stuff and then we wait for the next issue to find out what it means. 

Visual vs. Text

I think if this had just had the text and none of the visual cues, it wouldn't have made sense. You wouldn't have caught many of the small details. For example, they never say that Steve's dad served in WWI or that he had a purple heart, but they do show us a picture of his dad and some army buddies and a purple heart beside it. Additionally, we wouldn't have known that Steve's mom was sick because we only see it, we don't hear anyone ever say specifically that she is. 

Also, if this was a book, it probably wouldn't have been able to switch back and forth so effectively between each time frame. It would have probably been confusing, while in the comic it didn't feel like it. 

Pages that Stood Out

I liked this set of pages the most. While the panel placement is a little uninteresting, I liked the art and the action that was expressed. The use of light/dark in these two pages in really nice. I liked the attention to shadowing and especially the silhouetted frame on the left. I thought it displayed the beginnings of a friendship really nicely. I also liked the closeup on Bucky's face at the bottom left because it was a little gimmicky but it was also nice to learn more. The action was also nice because you could really feel them performing the actions and the closure was easy between, and even in, panels. 

I think these pages further the story in a unique way because 1) we meet Bucky, and 2) they show more of Steve's characterization. We see that even as Steve keeps growing, he still realizes that being selfless and standing up for yourself is the right thing to do. We also meet Bucky who is later Steve's best friend. It's just a nice little origin story that every superhero/villain deserves. 

Other Thoughts

I thought that this comic was a nice way to display most of the things that we read earlier. The only thing I was kind of surprised about, being that it was a Marvel comic, was that there were only a few, if any at all, motion lines. I expected there to be a lot more. Maybe it's just because this was the first issue.

Otherwise, nothing was really confusing and it was an easy read. I figured it was appropriate given the recent Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie.

Achebe Response

Wow. 

After reading this response to Heart of Darkness, it really throws a new light onto the book and how we as readers should look at it. We may realize that it is intensely racist in small ways or some parts, but the comparisons Achebe makes are somewhat frightening. By this I mean it's frightening that I did not pick up on some of them. 

Perhaps the idea of racism is so ingrained into our (white people) brain's that it's actually hard to distinguish when things are and are not racist. Being the discriminated against group is always a struggle, but to have it so blatantly ignored (while unintentionally) is appalling. While I do realize that we are all racist to some extent, I tend to wonder why. 

Achebe made the point that he wondered how this man, Conrad, could be considered an artist if he was so completely and utterly terrible in his intentions. He makes a comparison to the Nazi "great minds" that were eventually considered bad enough to not be considered great minds anymore. Perhaps what needs to happen in the literature sphere is a rethinking and new approach to "classic literature." If we look at many classic books we may find blatant racism that we refuse to acknowledge or that we know is there and yet still teach it. Is teaching these novels spreading racism or at least affirming that it is okay in people? I'm not sure, but it does leave one wondering if these novels can really be considered classic if they are so problematic. 

It seems in Conrad's novel he dehumanizes Africans to the point of them 1) not having language except to show how brutish they are, 2) use them as a foil to another planned white character, a point of comparison and nothing else, and 3) purposefully forgetting history and glorifying Europeans. This novel kind of reminds me of the white kid trying to go into the black neighborhood and make everything better because "I understand your struggles." Appropriation is disgusting, and yet here we are given a novel of it. 

Additionally, when Achebe described Conrad's apparent obsession with the black skin color and his overuse of disgusting words, the reader has to find themselves going back to the novel and wondering when they missed these moments of glorification of skin. 

Overall, this article was really enlightening and also terrifying in that I didn't even realize that some of this abuse of a culture was happening. It would be easy to say that this article will change how I look at literature in general, but I think this is a long process of looking at why we even choose the literature that we do as classics. Or rather, if the literature that we choose is really a classic if it is also dripping with cultural appropriation and racism. 

Heart of Darkness - blog #2

whoop!

~beep boop let's start

Imagery

The imagery in general was actually very interesting because Conrad employed a Hemingway-esque sort of thought (then again, Hemingway probably employed a Conrad-esque style in his work) in his work. Instead of describing the scenery to let you imagine how it felt, he described the feeling so that you could imagine the environment. I really love this type of writing because it's a style that helps me imagine so much more effectively. However, I think this is just something for me because not everyone likes to feel instead of see.

I liked, specifically, this small part where they say, "As to me, I seemed to see Kurtz for the first time. It was a distinct glimpse: the dugout, four paddling savages, and the lone white man turning his back suddenly on the headquarters, on relief, on thoughts of home--perhaps; setting his face towards the depths of the wilderness, towards his empty and desolate station." (28)

I like this because it's not only a description of the scenery (although it doesn't support my previous theory), but it's a huge bump of symbolism. It shows that Kurtz has sort of become one with the wilderness and the "heart of darkness." He's not really a "proper white man" anymore and he will probably do whatever it takes to survive. He has literally and figuratively turned his back on the white society trying to be all imperialistic on the African community.

This is kind of confirmed with the information that we get later about Kurtz from like everyone ever that says that he's turned to the side of the natives. Then again, the narrator is pretty unreliable so I'm not sure exactly what to think. It could just be a romanticized version of the man from our very romantic narrator.

Another piece I liked with more symbolism that i'm not quite sure I can even discern is when the narrator is talking about those guys talking outside the boat and one has the dolphin flipper of a hand and then they talk about them walking away in the setting sun and: "They swore aloud together--out of sheer fright, I believe--then pretending not to know anything of my existence, turned back to the station. The sun was low; and leaning forward side by side, they seemed to be tugging painfully uphill their two ridiculous shadows of unequal length that trailed behind them slowly over the tall grass without bending a single blade." (29)

I definitely feel like the unequal shadows mean something, perhaps in the context of the pair being unequal but otherwise I'm not sure. It just seemed like an important moment.

One more. "Going up that river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was warm, thick, heavy, sluggish. There was no joy in the brilliance of the sunshine." (30)

I like that description because it brings you a feeling by a description of something else you know (prehistoric times or what have you) and then also brings you a setting by describing a feeling (sluggish air). There's another moment way later (not sure on where) that he talks about the air being muggy and I think it's the part with the fog but it really let me be a part of the scene.

The River/Natives

The river, as in many stories involving these natural wonders, seems to be a character in itself. It has many human qualities, like you described, with the "hidden evil" and it having a "heart." and so on. Their entire trip along the river has kind of been fraught with bad omens and bad luck and I, personally, would have taken all these misgivings as a sign that you probably shouldn't be making your way down a river you describe as evil I mean come on.

But in general, there are contrasting images of the evil of the river and the beauty of the river. Most of the evil is described in the way that it is untapped and raw. It's just like the natives. I suppose it's kind of an allegory for them in a way?

I especially liked this description "The earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there--there you could look at a thing monstrous and free." (32) The basic theme of everything involving the river and the land is that it is raw and new and yet old as anything. It's the oldest thing here. While everything else (all the colored parts of the map) is filled in with human development, these blank areas (untamed areas of no color) are strange and old and unearthly because earth is human and this is no such thing.

The natives are portrayed as the first men that are strange and tribal and terrifying. Finally, they are the prevailing people in the region and their drum beats chase out the white men and terrify them. I think this is very important because it shows that this area is unconquered.
I mean, later we do see some mistreatment and some shaming/racist. They basically say all the people shooting arrows are dumb and the only thing that was wrong with the helmsman getting shot was that Marlow was grossed out and had to change his shoes.

Also, they kind of make fun of the hippo meat and the cannibals and they also comPLETELY mistreat the cannibals. They give them pieces of wire so that they can go get food at the stations, but it's impossible because the stations either don't exist or the natives are hostile. And then Marlow basically doesn't care that they don't have food and kind of just drops of the idea and is glad they have the "restraint" not to eat the crew.

And there is a comparison of black and white reactions on page 36. It talks about how the natives and how the whites react to how the situation is unfolding and how they are all alike in that they're strangers to this part of the land.

On Belief

First of all, I think the "belief" section you're referring to is a section that I did not understand in the slightest and that's why I'm having so much trouble trying to figure out what to say here.

The only "belief" that I found was a bit of existentialism on page 35 where Marlow says "...but before I could come to any conclusion it occurred to me that my speech or my silence, indeed any action of mine, would be a mere futility. What did it matter what anyone knew or ignored? What did it matter who was manager? One gets sometimes such a flash of insight. The essentials of this affair lay deep under the surface, beyond my reach, and beyond my power of meddling." (35)

Basically, there were like two passages that I didn't understand and I think this was one of them so I'd like to forward this discussion to number one on the list for class discussion.


Other Important Stuff

• I noticed a lot of information on sound and Marlow describing people, especially Kurtz, in terms of sound. Like, specifically, Kurtz is described by Marlow as a voice. I think there are probably some cool connections with that and the constant sound of silence Conrad likes to describe. This could be a really cool essay topic, and I'm sure others have written on it at some point.

• this line: "you can't breathe dead hippo waking, sleeping, and eating, and at the same time keep your precarious grip on existence." (37) I find it really hilarious

• Marlow appears to notice at one point that he is totally obsessing over Kurtz and that he kind of just risked some people's lives just to see him. I believe he kind of rethinks what exact choices he's making with that. This is when the helmsman is killed and Marlow is kind of trying to distract himself from the horror by comically throwing his shoes overboard, but he's also rethinking and wondering why he ever thought Kurtz was more important than human life. However then later he starts freaking out and going back on the decision but I MIGHT NOT GET TO TALK TO KURTZ OMFG WAT DO I DO

• on page 44, I liked it when he talked about how there was a difference between your humanity in the wilderness and your humanity in the discovered world. (of course then we learn a lot more about Kurtz too)

• Also, lbr, I loved the eccentric little Russian dude. Show me any Russian little cutie in mismatched clothes and I will immediately fall in love with the character. Doesn't matter who. I romanticize them. Speaking of him, we should also talk about the little book that's the manual that Marlow thinks has ciphers in it, but really it's just Russian. 

Heart of Darkness

New book!

Characters

As we first begin, there is a strange writing format used. The writer introduces a sort of preface with the men on the boat (Nellie) at the beginning, and then he has one of the men tell a story through all the text. It's a little awkward and I feel kind of bad for him since he has to do all the quotations and things. But it's also an interesting mode because then we can see the character telling the story's thoughts. I kind of like it, actually. Then again, this format does leave out a lot of important details and only tells about Charlie's view.

Speaking of which, characccctterssss.

Another character was Fresleven. He was the previous captain of the steamboat that Marlow is to captain. How ominous is it that he died and now Marlow is supposed to captain this same ship? Like, literally everything is trying to keep Marlow off that boat. The boat also needs rivets and is falling apart. Something wants Marlow to stay off that boat. It's probably the universe. (Also Fresleven sounds pretty freaking dumb to fight over two hens. So let's just pretend his stupidity never happened and he is happily alive piloting a different steamboat.)

Then we have the two women which I marked in my book as the fates. They are pretty much knitting away and introducing people to this crazy world.

Next is the freaking weird doctor who measures Marlow's head and is super creepy and Marlow is like wtf is up with this man. I know something is up with this dude, like there's obviously symbolism, but I'm not sure exactly what it is. Thoughts?

We talked about the accountant below.

The brickmaker is pretty much my favorite character at this point. Like, I hate him, but I also think he's hilarious. He's the classic worker who's aspiring to be a manager. Literally the only reason he's staying in this job is to be a manager. He doesn't even have the material to make bricks and he pretty much just sits around scheming all day. He also reads private correspondences and thinks that Marlow has something special about him (but Marlow has no idea what this is about until he thinks hard and remembers his aunt). 

and then lastly Eldorado Exploring Expedition came in at the very end of part 1. Their main goal is "to tear treasure out of the bowels of the land...,with no more moral purpose...than there is in burglars breaking into a safe." (pg. 27) They sounded really annoying and they were just taking things from the land and they were kind of disgusting to me. I know they're supposed to be, but maybe we'll hear more about them later.

Basically everyone so far is out for themselves. There isn't anyone there who is there only to serve others except for the natives. And they are being forced to do so. Everyone is just mining the land and the people.

Marlow

Charlie Marlow is the narrator of the story (after that first dude on the ship). He's super interested in Africa. This is because he's an explorer and got an urge to go to Africa and pilot a steamboat. So his aunt pulled some strings--without telling Marlow exactly what she did--and he got to go. However, once he got there, everything wasn't exactly how he'd pictured it. He's pretty idealistic and he also thinks that he knows just about everything. He's always judging the other characters--either in good ways or bad--and he believes himself to be the sole source of adventure and exploration in this group. He literally calls others coming in "infestations." He's also pretty gosh darn racist. He comments on the natives as if they aren't people, uses language he shouldn't (although that was apparently common), and is generally wary of the natives. He's also super sexist and oppressive to to the native culture.

Exhibit A:

• "His starched collars and got-up shirt fronts were achievements of character. He had been out nearly three years; and, later, I could not help asking him how he managed to sport such linen. He had just the faintest blush, and said modestly, 'I've been teaching one of the native women about the station. It was difficult. She had a distaste for the work.' Thus this man had truly accomplished something." (pg. 15)

Exhibit B:

• On page 10 there is this paragraph that talks about how women have stupid ideas and "how out of touch with truth they are." 

Exhibit C:

• "Moreover, I respected the fellow. Yes; I respected his collars, his vast cuffs, his brushed hair. His appearance was certainly that of a hairdresser's dummy; but in the great demoralization of the land he kept up his appearance. That's backbone." (pg. 15)

I mean, does your appearance really matter so much to you that you'll cause demoralization just to keep up a facade of your prim and proper self in a land that is decidedly not prim and proper? What kind of bass ackwards logic is that?

Marlow's journey is also pretty interesting. He's constantly trekking through Africa on dirt roads and with people to carry all of his things. he thinks he's "on an adventure." He doesn't realize that his adventure is at the expense of others. [also I feel like the staves represent something, but I'm not sure exactly what?] Also, anytime any native person dies every white person regards it as gross or a good thing. Specifically, there was one point in which they see this white guy on the side of the road and a couple of miles away they also see a native with a shot through his forehead. Marlow says he was upset because he had to step over him. Siiiigh. 

But overall, the journey is filled with death and dryness and it's like he's journeying into a land of death and despair. Which he is. I also find it interesting that the only cool place is the shade trees where the natives go to die. 

And the Buddha thing has Marlow as a symbol of a god or a higher being. He's also imposing his wisdom on others on the ship and Buddha is a symbol of wisdom. 

Important Lines

• "The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much. What redeems it is the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretence but an idea; and an unselfish belief in the idea--something you can set up, and bow down before, and offer a sacrifice to...." (4) commentary on imperialism
• There is a juxtaposition on pages 14-15 that show the shaded area with all the natives. It then moves, on page 15, onto a white lit, dry area that has only white people in dominant positions. The descriptions of each are as would be expected.
• And then there was also this really strange line that I don't know if it's just the language translating weirdly (the 1800s, man) or if Marlow has something going on. But, at one point, on page 21, Marlow is talking to the brickmaker and says "It was very pretty to see how he baffled himself..."
• There are really great pieces of conversation throughout the novel. Conrad is wonderful at typical conversation.
• About the brickmaker: "...this paper-mache Mephistopheles, and it seemed to me that if I tried I could poke my forefinger through him, and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe." (23)

Beautiful Lines

• "We looked at the venerable stream not in the vivid flush of a short day that comes and departs forever, but in the august light of abiding memories." (2)
• "Light came out of this river since..." (3)
• "...Afterwards he arose and went out--and the wilderness without a sound took him into its bosom again." (20)
• "Beyond the fence the forest stood up spectrally in the moonlight, and through the dim stir, through the faint sounds of that lamentable courtyard, the silence of the land went home to one's very heart--its mystery, its greatness, the amazing reality of its concealed life." (23) Conrad talks about silence a lot as a sound and I really like that. All of his descriptions are really realistic and I feel like I'm experiencing it.
• "I listened, I listened on the watch for the sentence, for the word, that would give me the clue to the faint uneasiness inspired by this narrative that seemed to shape itself without human lips in the heavy night air of the river." (24)

End of Slaughterhouse-Five!

I'm sure you're wondering if I'm happy I finished this novel, and I can honestly say that it is a huge weight lifted from my shoulders in terms of content and writing and stress. 

Let's get down to business.

Dresden Comparisons

Okay, there were actually quite a few comparisons to the video. This was expected, of course. One that really stood out was the horrifying descriptions of the corpse mines. I know they didn't specifically talk about this in the video, but they did talk about all the bodies all around (sometimes stacked up like walls) and I think that relates. At first it seemed kind of strange that they were digging into the rubble--of course, one would expect something like this if they were looking for survivors--but then they kept doing it. After they knew they had found bodies, the Americans and others kept having to dig up or burn these bodies. People died in this process of body searching. How strange.

Another comparison would be to all the rubble and to the extreme heat. They talked about how the ground was hot to touch and how shoes melted to the ground in the video and in the novel they complained about touching hot rocks on their corpse searches. 

In addition to all that, I believe they also mention coming out of this shelter after days inside, after ALL the bombings had stop. This means that there were the four bombings, as mentioned in the video. Nobody in the American troops seemed terribly concerned about it all though. However, this whole ordeal stuck with Billy.

It's very interesting that something like this would stick with Billy after all the things that did not affect him or that he was apathetic to. Why did Dresden haunt Billy and why did he feel the need to bring it up later to the rich man with the broken leg who shared his room?

But perhaps that's why the name of the novel is Slaughterhouse-Five. If anything should stick with us through the novel, if we should remember anything about it, it is that Dresden was horrific and no one believed them. 

Characters

I'd like to comment on three characters in this section. 

1. Edgar Derby

We were able to see much more of Derby's character in these few scenes. First of all, we saw how it seemed at first as if he wanted to switch sides with the American-turned-German, Howard W. Campbell Jr. Of course, we were all wrong. Derby was just being his static self and standing up for his ideals of Americanism and Patriotism. 

Classic Derby.

From there, we don't see a ton of Derby, but we do get to see his death. We see most people's death in this story. 

While they're going through the corpse mines, the Americans are also looking for souvenirs. Derby happens to take a teapot. He is shot for it. Of all the things they've been through, that's what finally gets Derby. 

2. Howard W. Campbell Jr. 

This guy is...interesting. He's like the Devil trying to get people to switch to the dark side. He's an American turned Nazi. He has a very neat outfit that he put together all himself that is the assimilation of Americanism and Nazism. It's like a blue jumpsuit with a bunch of red, white, and blue swastikas and a white, ten-gallon hat. He's like the cowboy of Germany. Except he's an American. 

He's also very rich and tries to bribe others with food to switch sides. He says that they'll end up on this side anyway, so why shouldn't they come now? He's wrong, but that's besides the point. 

I don't really know what to think of Mr. Campbell, or if he even deserves that title, but he was a comic addition to the story.

3. Kilgore Trout

Kilgore is a science fiction writer. He's also...interesting. No, actually, you know what, I hate this guy! He puts all these stupid ideas into Billy's head and that's probably what caused all of his troubles in the first place! Like, all of the things that Billy has hallucinations (I have a theory, based on pg. 190, that Billy's hallucinations are caused by his coma) about are either in his books or are suggested by him. 

For example, in Kilgore's book The Big Board, it says that "it was about an Earthling man and woman who were kidnapped by extra-terrestrials. They were put on display in a zoo on a planet called Zircon-212." (pg. 201) Clearly, this is an example of Montana and Billy on Tralfamadore. 

(Also, Montana Wildhack being a freaking porn star?? Reallllllly???? Not like I didn't expect this, but come on.)

Also Trout is just gross and only cares about himself and that whole disgusting disgusting disgusting paragraph about how Maggie Mae was the kind of woman a guy looks at and wants to "fill up with babies." That's sooooo gross it's the grossest most disgusting thing I've ever read. It makes me want to throw up with it's disgustingness. Trout is a vile and slimy character. 

???? EXTra bONuS !!!!!!!! ---->> KURT VONNEGUT INTERRUPTION

Vonnegut interrupts a few times. One that is particularly significant is the ending chapter where it just sort of switches back to his point of view. 

But another is on page 189 when he alludes to fear of old age with the man who has bad gas and is talking about how he knew it'd be bad, but never realized it would be this bad. 

Oh and I liked when Vonnegut recognized, on page 164, that he had basically no characters who do anything significant at all and they're all "listless playthings of enormous forces." It confirmed the things we've been saying.

Wrap-up

I feel like it didn't wrap up that well  in that you could tell that it was wrapping up. It was like the ending of a long speech where they have to let you know it's about to end so you can get ready to clap.

Banned Books

I don't know whether or not this novel should be banned. I don't think any books should be banned, so I'm just gonna say that first. I can see why it would be on a list of books that parents are uncomfortable with, though. 

One, it talks about death frequently, which is a scary topic for most. 

Two, it talks about war frequently, which is another scary topic.

Three, it talks about sexual things frankly and sometimes really graphically.

Four, there is just a lot of uncomfortable, weird stuff in this novel??

So, I could see why someone would want to ban it. But banning books is wrong. 

Pretty or Interesting or Lines I liked

• "The guards drew together instinctively, rolled their eyes. They experimented with one expression and then another, said nothing, though their mouths were often open. They looked like a silent film of a barbershop quartet. 'So long forever,' they might have been singing, 'old fellows and pals; So long forever, old sweethearts and pals--God bless 'em--'" (pg. 178, about Dresden)
• I liked that this was brought up when the rich guy keeps ignoring Billy when he tries to talk about Dresden. He says, "I just want you to know: I was there." (pg. 193) This is a common theme among soldiers, and I think that it was very important that this was recognized.
• "The window reflected the news. It was about power and sports and anger and death. So it goes." (pg. 200)
• "Billy thought maybe he had known this cracked messiah in Dresden somewhere." (pg. 167)