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Ali Ferzat- Slide 49+39 Cartoon Analysis

Slide 49

  • The man’s long nose could be associated with deception- he’s putting on a front, pretending to be a “good” guy. This idea could also be linked to Ferzat’s encounter with the president, and how Al-Asad initially liked his art and claimed to support the revolution + the idea freedom speech, but in reality, he was being deceptive.
  • The man’s uniform is a symbol of the Syrian military/forces- those who are taking control over the country.
  • This encounter of the man and the young boy who is drawing could be symbolising Ferzat’s relationship with the president. Following Ferzat’s cartoons in which he brought attention to the president, he got beaten up, resulting in his hands being completely shattered. Likewise, this man is pretending to show interest in this young boy’s work, although it may be inferred that he actually wants to kill the boy.
  • The shadow in the back could be representative of the desires or imagination of the man in the figure.
  • The black and white contrast could symbolise the truth and the lies, or the good and the evil.
  • The boy is drawing a bird- symbol of peace, beauty and happiness. The boy could be dreaming of a democracy and the infinite possibilities that come with a democratic society. However, this seems to be triggering a reaction from the man as though he is against the boy’s view- hence why he wants to kill him. Once again, this could allude to Ferzat’s own story.
  • The flag being the only colored part of the cartoon brings focus to the fact that this situation is taking place in Syria- perhaps and allusion to the president.
  • The painting on the left side of the background illustrates the thoughts of the man. It can be seen that his mind is filled with violent thoughts with the painting depicting a bomb, a skull, a knife, a plane, a gun etc.

 

Slide 39

  • Through the use of speech bubbles, Ferzat is bringing focus to the fact that this poor Syrian man is only preoccupied by his hunger and lack of access to food (despite there being missile bombs in the background)
  • The cartoonist focuses on small details about the male’s physical appearance to illustrate him as poor/living in poor conditions. This can be seen as his hair is messy, while also being bare foot on the streets.
  • Orientation- the positioning of the viewer is high/the image is depicted from a high angle -> this makes the man look very small relative to the bombs -> illustrates the power that the bombs/Syrian forces have over this man. The bigger the object, the more importance it has-> dominates.
  • The abundance of bombs brings focus to how powerful the military is. The Syrian people feel powerless, and they feel as though they are in a battle of many vs. one.
  • All of the bombs being identical also allows Ferzat to convey his idea of all the dictators being the same- they all have the same intentions and priorities for their country (not prioritising their people’s wellbeing, but only their rule)

Ali Ferzat BoW Notes

Video Notes (Contextualising)

Ba’ath Party -> took control over Syria with tanks. People would disappear. The act of being able to come back home was seen as almost being an act of rebirth. People were demanding a reform, but snipers took the street. Ferzat doesn’t consider this a civil war as many demand a revolution. Other countries never let extremists take over the country.

Following his political cartoon which had the face of president al-asad, he was beaten in public with his hands left shattered and his voice muted.  He claims to be born an artist and uses this as a medium for his messages. His cartoons were seen on the streets of Syria, and he found his connection with Syrian streets to be stronger when he was no longer in fear.  He claims that all the “talk of reform” is never taken into action. He wants to illustrate Syria as a democracy in which there should be freedom of expression.

Techniques

Monochrome style- migration + conflict; White space; No obvious framing; solid black- creates sense of distance;

Human Acts: Extract Essay

Through her novel “Human Acts”, Han Kang returns a voice to the victims and survivors of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, in which citizens demonstrated against martial law. In the second chapter of her novel, The Boy’s Friend, Han Kang narrates the story from the perspective of Jeong Dae’s soul, who had been shot during the massacre. Through Han Kang’s innovative description and use of senses, she effectively lends Jeong Dae’s body to the reader, allowing them to experience, alongside with him, these initial moments following his death. 

To begin with, Han Kang effectively uses descriptions of the sense of touch, enabling the reader to comprehend how being a soul differs from being human. The narrator describes how he felt that “breath-soft slip of incorporeal something” “touch (him)”.  Han uses dissonance here as she describes how something “incorporeal” signifying intangible has touched Jeong Dae. Her use of abject creates a sense of confusion and disorder for the reader, as their normal has been subverted, and they therefore cannot fully comprehend what it’s like being in Jeong Dae’s shoes and what life would be like if we were not human. However, it is this sense of abnormality that leaves the reader lingering as they are left eager to understand more about what it feels like to be a soul. She then further describes how we sensed “a physical force, our existence in the mind of the other”. Similarly, Han Kang introduces us to a new world in which such phenomena do not usually occur. The phrase “existence in the mind of the other” creates a sense of familiarity for the reader, given that that humans do in reality exist in the mind of one other, yet it is interesting to view things from such a perspective as we sometimes forget about the little things that make us human. Kang deliberately tries to make the reader understand what it would feel like to be in a new, unknown world, and through the use of senses, which is something common to all human beings, she achieves her purpose of letting the reader feel.

Furthermore, the use of first person narrative throughout this passage further allows the reader to be immersed into the action, permitting them to empathise with Jeong Dae more profoundly. Contrasting with her use of senses, Han includes this literary technique to evoke emotions out of the reader. When Jeong Dae expresses how ” (he) waited for a while in doubt and ignorance”, this elicits a sense of incomprehension and distress considering how, similarly to Jeong Dae, this also builds a sense of  confusion for the reader who wouldn’t know what to do in this given situation.  This increases emotional proximity the reader and the narrator in allowing them to understand everything in Jeong Dae’s mind at the very moment. Furthermore, the narrator later on describes how “(he eventually) felt (his companion) sigh away, his resignation, his abandonment, left (him) alone gain.” Han Kang effectively includes the rule of three in this phrase which serves as emphasis for Jeong Dae’s desperation for company and his longing to communicate with these souls.  The word “eventually” further demonstrates how, despite his efforts in trying to address his “companions”, he ends up back into his initial situation, all “alone again”. This soon transforms into empathy for Jeong Dae, as the reader simultaneously feels lost with the boy, and yearn to return back to the normal world. Han Kang effectively uses this technique to capture the reader’s imagination, allowing them to visualise what life would be like in another world beyond our reality.

Human Acts- “Forgetting”

What are the key ways in which the text provides an effective challenge to the state-sanctioned ‘forgetting’ of the Gwangju massacre?

Han Kang effectively challenges the state sanctioned “forgetting” of the uprising through recounting the personal experiences of five victims, as the silence of the massacre grows  in the public sphere. This is achieved through various themes that have been used throughout her novel such as that of “memory” and “internal vs external”.

To begin with, the theme of memory is one that is reiterated throughout Han Kang’s novel as she puts emphasis on how the victims’ memories of the uprising are ones that never fail to persist at the back of their minds. In the second chapter, the narrator associates all 7 days of the week to the 7 times she was slapped by the officer. With each day being a metaphor for every slap, the author implies there to be a story lying behind the victim’s torture. The victim’s pain isn’t simply mere physical suffering, but it translates into mental trauma that the narrator continues to experience to this day. This demonstrates how every single moment of torture, including nothing more than one single slap, is something that takes a great toll on the survivor’s life. Hang Kang aims to demonstrate to the reader how such suffering cannot be easily forgotten. Unlike bruises that fade overtime, such memories and stories are ones that stay, hence by having the narrator create such anecdotes for herself, perhaps there is a part of her that doesn’t want to forget the pain that she experienced. The narrator may take pride for having stood up to her country and contributed to the change needed, honouring her sacrifices. These moments are what helped shaped these survivors’ identity, therefore despite their great efforts in trying to forget and overlook their past, the novelist proves how it isn’t that simple, especially when these victims’ lives have been substantially affected and changed by these events.

Adding on, the soul motif used by Han Kang throughout the novel  helps differentiate the internal and external impacts of the Gwangju massacre. In the chapter “The Boy’s Friend”, Jeong Dae, who is essentially a soul having died from the massacre describes his entourage as his soul escapes from his dead body. Han Kang’s purpose in narrating the chapter through such a lens is to give the reader an insight into her idea that the dead bodies are not forgotten. Although Jeong Dae’s body was hidden, nowhere to be found by Dong Ho and his family, the state fails to completely conceal and hide their actions considering how the soul’s continue to remain. Han Kang here presents the theme of “internal vs external” as she illustrates how albeit the dead bodies being completely burnt to ashes, the internal part of each individual- being the soul, fails to be “forgotten” as intended by the government. The reader could hence infer that the novelist may be trying to imply that the victims haven’t been defeated by the state, or that good hasn’t been defeated by the evil. Kang wants the reader to believe that none of these sacrifices could ever be “forgotten”, as they will always be remembered by those who have fought and suffered.

Human Acts- Importance of Stories + Philosophical Question

Why is it important to “hear” the stories of those actually affected by the events?

An infinite number of interpretations can be made from one same story. As we say, there are always multiple sides to a story, hence it is often difficult to fully comprehend one when you haven’t been a part of it. Through telling stories of our personal experiences, we are giving readers or listeners an insight into what our “truth” is, and this truth isn’t one that is generally biased considering these events to have actually taken place in the past. Especially when it comes to bygone events, it is necessary that we hear such stories, allowing us to form our own opinions and views on what we ourselves have not witnessed. Essentially, stories are the only way through which we humans can connect to their past, and I believe that this is why educating ourselves on history is so important as it allows us to truly understand how exactly our present world has been shaped.

 

Is there such a thing as good or evil?

I believe that our society, including myself, has a subjective view on what exactly is considered to be “good’ or “evil”. Obviously, we grew up believing that certain actions such as killing or torturing are deemed incorrect while others such as being kind are correct. This idea of what is “good” or “evil” is comparable to the argument of what exactly is the “truth”.

In a hypothetical world where humans have never existed, would killing be that much of a terrible thing? Perhaps some would view it as a good thing based on the belief that they may end up in a better place or may go on to live another fulfilling life. Meanwhile, others may believe it to be wrong. In such a situation, there is a thin line separating what exactly is considered to be “good” or “evil”.

However, survival has become something of paramount importance to all living organisms. This, however, isn’t something that has always been important to us. The need for survival is one that has grown on us as our mindset has evolved, leading to the belief that survival is key and that being alive is human’s greatest gift. This is the root of the formation of values as we grow up believing that certain things are right while other wrong, and that everything should be done in certain way for the better of this world. Hence, humans started valuing life as well as good actions which is a core value that has been passed down over generations.

Therefore, to answer the question, yes I do believe there to be such a thing as “good” and “evil” because that is what our societal values of today tells us. This explains why the law exists and why us humans are expected to behave in a certain way for a sustainable world. Nonetheless, if humans haven’t formed such values, then the existence of good or evil may be argued, given that no one can be the judge of such actions.

Human Acts- Thoughts

Introduction to Han Kang’s “Human Acts”: Her Purpose

Usually when I read about events similar to that of the Gwangju Uprising, I find that writers describe such massacres in a very statistical manner, lacking a human element to it. Although I do recognise these events as being absolutely devastating, I also believe them to be so far beyond my reality of this world to the point where  depicting or grasping these ideas in my mind doesn’t come easily. Evidently, it isn’t always easy to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, especially in a situation when one cannot relate to those who are suffering, even in the slightest. Nonetheless, Han Kang- who has lived through the Authoritarian rule herself, describes this uprising in such a way such that pushes readers to gain insight into what the victims had to succumb to.

By narrating the novel through multiple lenses- including that of a child, a mother, a man, a woman, and by going into depth about each character’s own personal lives, from relationships to torturous experiences,  the writer finds a way to make the novel a lot more compelling to those reading it. Describing the suffering of a large group of people isn’t nearly as effective as thoroughly describing one individual’s experience.

The emotional aspect that Han Kang includes in her book when describing the character’s feelings and dilemmas allows her novel to go beyond mere visual imagery, enabling readers to attach themselves to the characters at a more profound level. I believe that the writer’s rawness throughout the novel is what makes the book so impactful, as she doesn’t aim to conceal any of the violence or dehumanisation that has occured during the uprising. Hence, I believe that Han Kang’s aim in writing this novel is to drive readers to feel something that goes beyond shallow sympathy, but for them to empathise with those who have suffered, in honour of South Korea’s history.