Tracing Persepolis

This was one of the most interesting assignment I have been assigned in any English class. I have always been a fan of reading comics (Japanese manga to be more specific), and this class gave me an opportunity to look into something that I’m very interested in through the scopes of academics. Tracing pages of Persepolis allowed me to reflect on the details of the techniques that author uses to evoke certain emotions out of the reader, to emphasize a certain point of the story, or simply to spice up the reading experience in general. At first, it was hard for me to find the features and techniques that Satrapi has used. But through thorough readings, about 3 to 5 pages before and after the traced pages, I was able to extract the salient features in the page that I chose to trace, figure out the context and the significance it has on the overall plot.

Let us take a look.

Assignment Link

Persepolis: p. 153

The bottom panel in page 153 depicts a scene where Marjane is looking through the window at their parents in great distress. This panel stuck out to me the most because it was the scene where it shows the true depiction of her parents’ distress. This was especially emphasized as the previous few panels showed Marjane’s parents as normal, almost whimsical, to cheer up and assure their daughter whose about to leave Iran. It must have been especially as Marjane always looked up to their powerful person and always looks up to, and her view on her parents crumbles to see their parents absolutely devastated. It was also the climax of the reading, which shows the changing point of the plot, i.e. from Iran to Austria.

Sunday Funnies #3: Visual notes

sunday funnies #2

I’ve always took notes on a notebook, with mostly texts. I’ve never really have thought of arranging my notes with drawing representing concepts in notes. It was interesting to create a visual note, but I’ve face several problems in the creation of it. First of all, I struggled to decide on how I should format the note, so that it looks the best. I also had to think thoroughly on how to visually represent concepts and ideas, like using a padlock to represent of Java being a secure programming language. It also took me quite some time to actually draw and include all the materials I’ve learnt in one class. On the bright side, however, taking effort to visualize concepts and drawing them out really made me think through them, and allowed me for a deeper understanding of the materials. In conclusion, it was interesting and a fresh approach of note-taking for me. It greatly facilitated in helping me understand the concepts more easily. However, as a college student with a busy schedule, I think visual note-taking isn’t the best way to create notes.

 

Assignment link

 

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