Exhibition Night

Exhibition night was fun. I was late for roll and when it started at 6 pm by three to four minutes. Presenting was good but during the graphic novels section, this guy started speaking in espanol and I couldn't understand him but luckily my partner Manny knew what the guy was saying and talked to him. During the pinhole camera section, I felt like it was my element. I knew all the details to it since I spent so much time working on it. But when I tried to talk, sometimes my partner would interrupt me. I didn't really have a challenging interaction since no one really came up to our table and asked us questions are talked to us and when they did, it was just what we did and what are graphic novel was about. Some of our strengths were that we knew our topic real well and our weakness was that I was late and missed part of it and our table was small so everyone didn't really see us. What I would do differently next time is probably be more prepared and arrive earlier next time so then I wouldn't end up leaving my partner by themselves.

Synoposis :D

It was cold chilly morning in Richmond Virginia, the year was 1941 and George, looking into the horizon, hears his mother call him for breakfast. His mother was a middle-aged woman about 50 that ran the store his family owned. This bone biting cold reminded him of the winter evening when his father had passed away in the pond. When he had fallen though thin ice. George also had a younger sister in which she didn't have a boy friend yet.

When he entered, he wiped a tear in his lip that had streamed down. He didn't want to let his mother see him cry. He didn't because times were hard after the depression and he didn't want to share his pain with her. He then, put out his camel and gave a gentle rub to his dog Murphy. While eating he heard his smaller sister call him out they symphonized to the local radio station to listen that there was some sort of attack in Hawaii, The news caster went on telling and reading the news of the report and heard that the Japanese had attacked a port. Then George somewhat mad and somewhat frustrated left the room to help his mother in the small shop they ran. While in the shop he saw with hopelessness how small of a place he lived in and he wanted to do more, he wanted to have a bigger house he wanted for times not to be so hard and for is mother and for him not to work two turns.

A couple weeks later after the U.S. declared war on Japan he decided to join the Army. This would provide him a break from his every day life and would bring a lot more income into his house; he also thought that it was the right thing to do, to help his country in a time of need. The very next day George sighed himself up. He sought after this moment with lots of joy and he wondered of what would go on in the future, would he come back with medals and glory would he be a distinguished General. At this moment death didn't go though his mind he was only 21 and thought that such a thing wouldn't happen to him because he was young.

A couple months later an army truck stopped in front of his house. This was the time were he had left his small home behind and he would begin his journey in the army.

When he arrived at HQ he was overwhelmed with orders and rules but eventually he got quite comfortable with them. Every morning at 5 am he would get out of his bead for roll call and would then go to the main square for a rigorous routine of exercise. Then they would march and follow drill orders with field gear and finally for a hard yelling from the general in which no one took seriously, latter to be dismissed. This was the common army life besides for the weekly lesson on how to dig a foxhole or on how to assemble a M-1. The things became more difficult and the walks became longer George now had to sleep in his foxhole and eat his emergency "K" rations they were being prepared for deployment.

In the year of 1943 the 505^th regiment boarded the U.S.S. Lincoln not headed towards Japan but towards England. When they arrived locals greeted them coldly but George fell in love with a local girl.

The streets of London were now littered with olive green uniforms with young men that were paid 75 U.S. dollars every month. During Georges stay in England he met with a very beautiful young lady by the name of Elisabeth she had a strong captivating look that lured you and a beautiful smile. To this his love he promised her to be married and come to have many children.

In a quiet rainy night of June 5, 1944 he strapped on all of his equipment to board on a twenty-foot boat, filled with other men. They were there for quite some time till 11 or 12pm when the 5,000 invasion craft were given the ok to head towards France.

A couple of miles back, from were you could see the French coast the loudest noise began to come from all the bigger ships around. They shelled the French coast till all you could see was dust in the horizon. The boat engine re started and heated towards a cataclysm. You could hear gun burst coming from the beaches. Some other boats would get hit with German shells and would explode in flames. Georges boat stopped and the moment came.

Hundreds of invasion craft landing on the beach and the rush of soldiers stumbling to get on their feet while the Germans would unload heavy fire all over. Of the few that were not dead or wounded some few fought up the hills, to clear the steel bunkers. After he had managed to live through disaster he thought and was anguished by the thought of what he had chosen and felt needing of home and Elisabeth. After all, the war had just started, and already he was puzzled and needing love.

Character Blog: Reflection on George J. Johnson

Today in class, we took on our character and acted like them throughout a series of drama games. We created a skit about two to five minutes long and performed them in class. Some groups didn't go but the ones that did helped me learn something about our story. Our story seems to be slightly dysfunctional. I don't think that it transistions well into the conflict of the story. Our characters seem to need a lot of work as well. Maybe for George, the main character in the story, maybe he could be more clean-cut since he works as a store clerk instead of some muscle man who was made for war. Marie his sister could probably interact more with her brother and have more influence over him since she is the older sibling and most older siblings annoy or inspire their younger siblings and vice versa as well.

Character Bios

George J. Johnson
George Johnson is a catholic sotre clerk, he is the youngest and second born child in his family. His older sister, Marie, takes cares of the house and his mother works in a factory for long hours to support their family when times get tough. George's father died of hypothermia while fishing on thin ice because he fell in the bone chilling water. George tends to be sarcastic at times, mainly when someone annoys him and he can tend to be a little on the clumsy side, He was drafted into the war at the ripe age of 24, his only ambition is to make it out alive so he can start a family with his girlfriend Elizabeth, whom he met in London. He tends to get stressed out when things don't turn out the way their suppose to. When he's stressed, he blanks out and loses his train of thought which can be bad depending on where he is and the situation. One of the things that keeps George going on through the war is his deceased father and family. He has good aim and prone to nightmares of anything that frightens him like blood and seeing people killed. Before the war he was usually seen riding his bike or reading in the park on sunny days. His favorite outfit consists of a blue collared shirt and black slacks. He dislikes hats since they make him sweaty. George has upper body strength but a slightly crooked nose. He doesn't like the Germans since they caused the war and made him leave his family to be drafted in the war.
Marie L. Johnson
Marie Johnson is as normal as anyone can be, she often criticizes her brother George about his life. She tends to hate men at points and is bitter toward them since her last relationship. She takes care of the house since her mother works long hours away from home. She wears black dresses and gowns becauses she's not a huge fan of wearing colors. Marie does not work and stays home most of the time to take care of the house with her mother. Sometimes Marie will help her brother at his job. She can be seen singing or shopping with their family dog Murphy. Marie has blonde hair which wins her glances. She also has slightly big ears in which she hides with her hair. She doesn't get stressed out easily but when she does, she throws random objects and yells. Her last relationship ended with her fiancee cheating on her in bed with one of her closest friends. Thinking that all men are the same, she may be slightly hostile towards them. Marie is usually messy and hyper, but can be strict at times. She can be insecure at times but only when she fears people see only her ears instead of her. She aspires to be a singer and eventually move out her own house and get on with her life.
Murphy Johnson
Murphy is the Johnson's faithful family dog. He is a German Shephard with silver and black markings. Murphy is very protective of each family member, mainly the daughter, Marie. The Johnson family found Murphy abandoned in an alley. Marie was the one who convinced their dad to keep him. Murphy can be extremely helpful like delivering notes and such but he mainly prefers to lay down on George's bed. His hobbies include chasing his tail, hunting, and going with Marie into town to do errands. Murphy is three years old and acts like he's just turned one. Murphy has amber eyes which most people are drawn to the most. His tail has a slight crook in it, but its not that noticable. Murphy has his eyes on a certain dog that belongs to one of Marie's suitors. He hopes that eventually he may start his own pack and protect them as well.
Elizabeth A. Keeling
Elizabeth Keeling is a nurse in the war. She is also George's girlfriend and hopefully wife. She lived in London until transported into a war scene. Her relationship with George started when they bumped into eachother and she dropped her stuff. After he helped her pick up her stuff, he saw her book about training to be a nurse, which sparked up a few questions, which lead to him asking her on a date, which lead him to asking her to be his girlfriend and her accepting. Elizbeth has a younger brother who soon grows to like George as his own brother. She can sometimes be seen helping her mother out around the house or just reading a book out on the balcony. Elizabeth usually wears sundresses and a light jacket. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes. She is somewhat short which she hates since most people tower over her. When she stresses out, she counts to ten and takes deep breaths. Elizabeth to one day start a family with George and maybe be a nurse at a hospital thats not in war scene.
Caroline K. Johnson
Caroline Johnson is the widowed mother of George and Marie. She works in a factory from nine to five. Her husband died from hypothermia after falling in the pond near their house. She mourns his death everyday but does it in private so she doesn't worry her kids. She worries and is scared about George going into the war. She doesn't want him to die in war. Caroline really wants George to stay working as a store clerk and find a nice young girl and get married. She also wants Marie to find a nice young man to get married to and start a family with. When shes done with work, Murphy is usually there to walk her home so nothing happens to her. Murphy also goes with her to the park and watches her while he runs around. Caroline has black hair that goes down to her shoulders and blue eyes. She has arthritis in her hands so she can't do most household chores and is grateful that her oldest child Marie takes care of the house instead. When she gets stressed out she has headaches and migraines and needs to sit down. She doesn't want anything bad to happen to her children so she tries her best to keep them safe along with Murphy's help.
Gregory F. Johnson
Gregory is the deceased father of George and Marie and husband to Caroline. He passed away by fishing on thin ice in the pond near their house and falling into the bone chilling water and died of hypothermia. Before he passed, he was kind and caring man always concerned for others well being other than his own. When Marie was a child he would always take her to get ice cream and take her and George to the park. He would also always buy George a bunch of candy and take him fishing. He met Caroline by walking in the park one afternoon. He sat on a bench next to lady with waist length black hair and striking blue eyes. After that encounter, he would visit her from time to time always meeting in the same spot until finally he proposed to her and they married. Gregory would always take Murphy hunting with him and had grown to love the dog. When he was under stress he would take short breaks and cool off and then get back to work. He was a family man and lived life to the fullest.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Persepolis takes place around the Islamic Revolution where the Shah was trying to modernize and westernize Iran. The story starts off with Marji wearing a veil as a result to the revolution. Even though she was 'born with religion', she went to a secular French school before the revolution, before the veil had to be worn, and when the schools weren't separated. They only separated the schools and shut down bilingual schools because they were considered a sign of capitalism and decadence. They called this a cultural revolution. Marji didn’t really care about wearing the veil and neither did the other girls since they had no idea what it was for. Her mother and others demonstrated on the street their hatred for the veil while others demonstrated their liking for the veil. Marji’s mother was captured in a photograph demonstrating against the veil by a German reporter, so she dyed her hair and wore dark sunglasses for a while to hide.
During the revolution the dress code changed for both the men and the women. There was the fundamentalist man and woman and then there was the modern man and women. The fundamentalist women wore the veil so that it went all the way down her body and none of her hair was showing, while the modern women wore the veil so her bangs showed and the veil only covered her head. The fundamentalist man didn’t shave and their shirt hung out unlike the modern man where they shaved and kept their shirt tucked in. As the story goes on, Marji explains more about the Shah and the demonstrations. Near the hospital when people were coming out they carried body bags. This was a part of the demonstration; there they honored each dead person like they were a martyr.
When the Shah was exiled from Iran since he failed his attempts at democracy, everyone in Iran celebrated. But since there was still oil in the Middle East, it still wouldn’t be that peaceful. No one was allowed to leave that much anymore, passports were on an embargo. During this, only certain people were allowed to leave. Marji’s parents left for turkey for a short vacation. They brought her back a denim jacket, Michael Jackson patch, Kim Wilde and Iron Maiden posters, and also Nikes. As she walked down the street in her new jacket and shoes, she was stopped by two women who enforced the dress code. These women were allowed to take her down to their HQ and keep her there for days, making it seem clandestine; secretive. After she got home, she went into her room and blasted her music. When the book ends, Marji leaves for Vienna since her parents think Iran is no longer safe for her.
What I think happens to Marji when she gets to Vienna is that she'll meet new people who won't understand what's going on in Iran. Marji will then proceed to tell the story of her life so far to new friends that she may have made. But as she telling the story she'll get homesick and so she'll come back home only to see that it looks deserted because everyone wanted to leave. Marji will then stay with her family going on with her life as if she never left Iran. She'll Reunite with old friends. maybe get married until something big and evil happens that forces her to leave Iran and go back to Vienna, where she starts a autobiography in the form of a graphic novel from when the Islamic Revolution began and from where it ended.

You're 16, You're Beautiful and You're a Voter

Today in class, I participated in a socratic seminar about an article called: "You're 16, You're Beautiful and You're a Voter." In the article, the author, Anya Kamenetz states her opinion about how sixteen year olds should be able to vote and prepare themselves for the adult world.

During the seminar I heard a lot of good points. One of the main points i agree with was how it all depends on the maturity level of the person to do certain things. If we let sixteen year olds vote then whos to say that they won't use that power irresponsibly. Its not that some aren't irresponsible, its just the ones that are that make it harder for the others. We can't trust them because the irresponsible ones are up to trouble and wreaking havoc.

What I really liked about the seminar was hearing everyone's point mainly the people who I shared the same points with. The author makes and states a great point that we should test americans of all ages and prepare the youth more into adulthood. Overall, it all depends on the maturity level at which you're at. There are some people who are thirty but still act like their 12 and there are some sixteen year olds that act like they're 50. It all depends on maturity level.

The Year of the Youth Vote

As I read the Times article, I realized how Barack Obama affects the youthful generation more than any other presidential candidate. People under 30 have formed a coalition just for Obama; unlike Hilary Clinton who attracts the older generation, Obama attracts the newer generation. The newer generation is the future generation who will make the economy better (hopefully) in the near future. Obama's speeches are inspirational and makes it so that you want to listen and help. You could say he's a progressive person, he wants the problems that we have now to change. Younger constituents want Obama incumbent. The people who are suffrage; have the right to vote, are doing everything almost they can to help Obama. Same with the people who don't have the right to vote, people act like they don't know what politics are. Which of course is not true. The youth know a lot about politics and they know what they're doing and what they talk about when it comes to: Mitt Romney, Hilary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama, and John McCain. Obama is not a conservative person like Mitt Romney; who wants to preserve existing conditions or to limit change. Barack Obama actually wants to do something and that something appeals more to the youth.

I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring change to Washington... I'm asking to believe in yours.

-Barack Obama-