Perception of Persepolis

So far I have really enjoyed the Graphic Biography Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. It is unlike any book I have ever read. First of all I really love having the panels of illustrations to aid in the reading. I am able to get a much better understanding of what the author is trying to convey because of them. I think that the comics give a greater impact on the reader than words could ever do. Since Persepolis is so different from the culture I am used to, the comics give me a better idea of how life might have been for Marjane. I had also never thought to use comics in a the serious manner that Marjane does. Comics for me had always been Superman or Batman saving the day. After beginnning Persepolis and doing little research I realised that the world of comics is much deeper than cheap jokes and young ladies in distress.

Holden and the Nuns

The scene when Holden meets the Nuns was very interesting to me. It gives me a little better idea of who Holden is. It seems to show a softer side to him. Either he is a super nice guy at heart or he feels bad about things he has done. He really wants to donate money to the Nuns. Even when they ask him several times if he can afford it, he still insists on giving them the $10. Up to this point in the book, I never would have expected Holden to be the donating type. I thought he would have called the Nuns phonies because they pretend to have peoples interests at heart. This scene completely changed my perception of Holden. I began to sympathise with him again.

The end of the scene also led me to believe that Holden definitely suffers from some sort of depression. He says that he was depressed that he couldn't give the nuns more money, but he was also depressed that he might not have enough for his date. He states that all money does is make you blue. I noticed that both sides of the situation made him feel bad. Instead of feeling good that he donated money, he found a way to feel bad about it. He always seems to look at things negatively. No matter how good a situation is, it always depresses him.

The final thing I noticed is when they are talking about Romeo and Juliet he gets really upset with the death of Mercutio. He seems to have a very soft spot for people dying because of other people. I have discovered why that is but I don't want to ruin it for people that haven't got that far yet. That one scene later in the book explained tons of things that I have been wondering about. I will be able to discuss them tomorrow when everybody has finished the book.

So here's the thing...

I am having a really hard time comprehending anything that happens in this book. I have started to think that everything Holden says is a lie. Because I think everything is a lie, I start to wonder what is really happening. My brain keeps saying "Maybe this is happening" or "He probably did that but doesn't want us to know". I am thinking about all this other crap when suddenly I realize that I am 4 pages farther than I remembered being. I have to go back and re-read everything because my mind wanders. Since there is no strict storyline, my brain doesn't have anything to focus on. The compliation of random stories with no apparent goal in mind forces me to wonder what the whole point is and not understand anything I am actually reading.
The basic outline of the story reminds me a lot of Huckleberry Finn. Both stories involve a boy going off on his own with absolutely no plan. Huck has a bunch of small adventures as he travels down the mississippi; the same way that Holden has them as he travels around New York. Both boys just wanted to get away from it all and live on their own. The stories are very similar, and I wouldn't be surprised if Salinger got a lot of the ideas for this novel from Huck Finn.

The Lion King and Life

Yesterday in class we were assigned to find a song or poem relating to the teenage years. It was a splendid assignment because I got to sit around for a couple of hours and just listen to music. After about 45 minutes of listening to my ipod on shuffle, I Just Can't Wait to Be King from the lion king started playing. I realized that it did have a lot to do with the teenage years. It explains that all teenagers seem to want is to be an adult. The Lyrics talk about wanting to be King, in other words, wanting to grow up. This got me thinking about how we don't usually cherish the life we are living. Simba doesn't appreciate anything that his family does for him. He only looks to the future. If you haven't guessed it by now Lion King is my favorite movie of all time. The first reason I loved it was the music. I found all of the songs addicting. As I grew up I began to understand that tons of life lessons could be taken from the Lion King. It would take way to long to explain them all. I will leave it up to you to discover them for yourselves. If you haven't seen Lion King, your life is not complete. If you have, I encourage you to watch it again and bask in the magnificence that is The LION KING.

Me, myself, and myself

My life has only been lived by me and me alone. I believe it is fairly safe to say that nobody else has lived my life. I have lived in McFarland since I was born to Katie and Bill Heiser in 1992. I have a little brother Joe who is in 3rd grade. When I was younger, I played a lot of sports. I swam and played basketball, baseball, soccer, football, tennis, and golf. When I got to highschool, I had to choose one sport per season. I eventually ended up running cross country, swimming, and playing tennis. I am especially good at playing the game of school. I have worked hard to acheive good grades throughout my school career.

It is hard to say what my favorite book is. I enjoy several different types of books. I mostly read fantasy or war novels. I don't think I could pick a favorite book so I will describe the one that influenced me the most. When I was in 2nd grade I had trouble reading. It always took me longer than any other kid to read stories in class. Mrs. Carney, my teacher, said that all I needed to do was to find a book that I enjoyed reading. She suggested that I pick up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I started reading with my dad, but eventually took over all by myself. From that point on, I enjoyed reading immensely. I owe most of my academic success of Mrs. Carney for showing me that reading could be fun.