Meaning of Life and Br Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Br Essay Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba illustrated a story through comics that represent different moods and feelings in a series titled Daytripper. Comic books are a form of art, and they provide the reader with a broad spectrum of topics. Artist express the world through colors, symbols, and themes to show feelings, thoughts, and ideas and this can be done through various forms of art, which includes comic books. The illustrations in comic books help to convey the meaning of the story. In Daytripper, Moon and Ba describe Bras de Oliva Domingo’s life and how choices produce outcomes both good and bad. At a young age Bras believes that anything is possible, and one never knows what is in store for him at the end. His philosophy in life are the same principles as in fishing as one casts a line the excitement builds because one never knows what is on the end of the line. Water is reoccurring in the story, and it symbolizes Bras de Oliva Domingo’s struggles to stay above water through his sea of memories of his life. In the beginning, Bras feels there are no boundaries and one can explore as many opportunities life has to offer. Life’s daily decisions shape the outcomes both good and bad. The purpose is to learn from ones past decisions and make changes improve our relationships and to be content with our lives in the end. The main character has ample opportunity to make changes along his journey for he experiences death at each phase of his life. Bras discovers endless possibilities from the seas from Iemanja, the spirit of the waters, in a dream they are riding in a boat through rough seas being tossed around with baskets that represent wishes and desires. Moon and Ba illustrate how in Bras dreams his lifes goals are laid out as he wishes. Just as water flows in and out, Bras dreams come in and out each night in his sleep. Bras flows through life just like water flows in and out never knowing where it will end up. Rougher waves represent new opportunities that continuously arise, but if one waits to long to take advantage of the opportunity then the waves may carry away the opportunity. As waves are continuously moving new chances will be present time and time again. Bras misses many opportunities because he is not willing â€Å"to go after his dreams† (203). His dreams tell him time is running out, and he needs to make the most of his opportunities. Each dream ends with â€Å"wake up before it’s too late† (203). Bras dreams about his possibilities and wishes he could take a chance to change his life, but he never does. Bras is just an observer in his dreams watching as the water passes by carrying the baskets. The dark colors and spirit of the waters are a main part of the artwork in the comic. Bras has responsibilities to his job and his wife, and he is content with both just cruising through each day. His life is similar to the ocean how the waves move along to the shore and effortlessly move back out to sea. He learns lessons along the way which he has no control and finds his wife frustrated with him from living a content and everyday life. Illustrations show water running full blast when they are not doing dishes or running any water. She later clinches the sink that is overflowing with water because Bras does not understand their life has joy and love. She wants her life to be less stressful so that the sink will stop overflowing. Just by Bras listening to his wife the water pressure will lessen, and the sink will not fill as quickly. Bras turns a deaf ear and does not listen, and the water just flows over the kitchen sink onto the floor. The overflow of water represents her stress, and he comes to realize he can help decrease the stress by making a few simple changes. She keeps trying to explain to him she cannot do it all on her own while he just sits there and listens. The overflow of water represents the burdens she feels by their life and needs Bras help to alleviate some of the daily pressures from her. As she pours him tea, the water flows up to the dining room table, and he finally understands her frustration over his laziness. At this point, Bras realizes by helping his family they will not be so overwhelmed and the water will stop overflowing. Just as the seas calm at times, Bras too feels tranquility at the end of his life. One late night he steps in the ocean and stares at the sky as it changes from dark and ordinary to a burst of stars symbolizing the calmness of the night. The peacefulness of the water helps Bras feel satisfied with his life. He feels at peace with his relationships with his dad, wife, and son. He smiles as he looks out on the calm ocean accepting his final destiny to be swept away by the sea. He stands in the water thinking for a long time accepting his fate, and the calm water represents he is at harmony with his life. The reader is left to complete his fate, which may just be Bras swimming out as far as he can until he the water carries him out to sea. The story connects water and life as a cycle that is continuously flowing. Water represents constant change just as one’s life changes through the years. Psychiatrists have used water for years as a representation of ones mind because the deeper you go the more problems one may see. The ocean represents power and strength and people have the same characteristics. Every day we make choices and some outcomes can be predicted and others cannot. The beauty of the ocean is the unknown and change and how the meaning relates to life. One can change their behavior and possibly the outcome may change. It all is part of the cycle of life. Works Cited Moon, Fabio and Gabriel Ba. Daytripper. New York: DC Comics, 2011.

The Legacy of Afghanistan’s Civil War Essay -- War Afghanistan Foreign

The Legacy of Afghanistan’s Civil War Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, President Bush declared, and subsequently launched an attack on "the axis of Evil". National, as well as international spotlight shifted to Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden, the presumed mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, was believed to be harbored. In the following months, Afghanistan became embroiled, for the second time in a century, in yet another major war. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, completely shocked and terrified Americans, many of whom had previously felt themselves immune to such unthinkable acts of violence. It, too, had the effect of raising questions, questions like: â€Å"why America? Who were these terrorists and for what reason would they sacrifice their own lives? What is the nature of Afghanistan’s involvement in these attacks and who, exactly, is Osama Bin Laden?† In the aftermath of these attacks, I found myself among the majority of Americans struggling to find answers to these questions. Like most Americans, I knew next to nothing about the country of Afghanistan, our country’s involvement in its civil war during the years 1979-1988, or the legacy this involvement left there. My hopes in commencing the research for this paper was to learn more about the country of Afghanistan itself and the nature of the United States’ involvement in it, especially during the years 1979-1988. What this paper intends to show is the evidence of all this research: that, the legacy of United States involvement in the Afghanistan Civil War, and missteps made in our country’s foreign policy during these years was, in part, responsible for fostering the anti-American sentiment which so tragically culm... .... [39] Digital National Security Archive. [40] Digital National Security Archive. [41] Cooley, 47. [42] Digital National Security Archive.. [43] Digital National Security Archive. [44] Digital National Security Archive. [45] Digital National Security Archive. [46] Digital National Security Archive. [47] Digital National Security Archive. [48] Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000. P. 176. [49] Rashid, p. 176. [50] Rashid, 176. [51] Rashid, p.185. [52] Terrorism Project. â€Å"Lessons from History: U.S. Policy Towards Afghanistan, 1978-2001.† 5 October 2001. <http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/afghanistan-history-pr.cfm>. [53] Terrorism Project. [54] Terrorism Project. [55] Terrorism Project. [56] Terrorism Project. [57] Terrorism Project. [58] Cooley, xvi. [59] Terrorism Project.

It’s raining – Creative Writing

It's raining. It hasn't rained this hard since the day she left me, the day she told me how she'd sold her ring. It took three months wages to buy that ring, three whole months and she just sold it to a complete stranger, told me she didn't love me anymore. She'll be leaving work soon, on her way home. Eleven-thirty, same time she does every night, only tonight is different. Tonight she won't be getting home. This is the last night those men will look at her. He's going to sort that out for me. He'll have to leave soon too; otherwise he'll miss her, but maybe that would be better. This could be the only chance to free me, I can't go on, when every move I make depends on her, I can't let her control my life anymore I need to break free. The world outside is looking even less inviting, full moon. Its overcast the stars are blurred. Well not just the stars, everything is blurred. Something's not right. This old leather armchair, and the bottom of my brandy bottle grows more comfortable still, the rains angry drops are hammering against the window pane, I don't think I can stare out the window any longer, this is eating me from inside, what was I thinking, I have to stop him, before it's too late, before I lose her completely. I'm going to go now, got my coat now I just need to step into the bitter cold New York winter. I haven't even shut the door properly, there isn't time. He'll be leaving now too, his wild scraggly hair will be blowing around in the wind his hands to tired to move it out the way, and I can picture him in my mind, only my vision of him is misty, over the years I have found myself losing touch. Still, he knows what he's doing, he's ready. He'll have no shame; I'll be the one who has to pick up the pieces. She smiles at me when I think of her, she told me she saved that smile for me, liar. I went to surprise her at work, on her birthday last week. Bought her flowers and everything, then I saw it. She smiled at them the same way; she had that twinkle in her eye for every man in that bar. That's when I saw him first, through the window of that place. We looked at each other for just a split second, but that was enough to know. She'd hurt him to. The rains pouring down harder still, even me thick trench coat can't stop it pounding down so hard on me. It's not pounding as much as my heart though, my hearts pounding like thunder, like a trapped animal, there's a storm raging inside me, I cant lose her. My feet are getting heavier after every step I take, I can feel a cold sweat rushing all over my body, my hands are gripped so tightly with fear, I can't run any faster. It's such a busy place, so full of people all the time, so full of life. Still I feel alone, empty without her. My heart beats faster still, I keep seeing him, first in front of me then behind, he's going to hurt her. How can it have come to this, why did she have to leave me, things were so perfect. I can see him properly no, there's no mistaking it he's just across the road. Weaving in and out of the yellow taxis I think I'm getting closer to him. I'm passing so many trees, the more I pass the less I can work out there shape, i'm losing all definition. Everything seems a blur. The smoky exhausts of the double-parked cars have made the air heavy. Yet even with all the traffic I still feel distant, this place that's been home for so long suddenly seems a whole new world to me. This is what I imagine it to be without her, lost forever in a world I'll never be able to clasp, she grounds me, helps me through life, well she is my life. The noise of the city is beginning to fade away as my path leads me away from the busy streets, he's here. I keep seeing him but then he's gone, maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. Between my footsteps and my loss of breath my mind is beginning to wonder, back to the day I first met her, when she wouldn't even notice me whatever I did, I think she changed when she met me, I don't know , but I can imagine. I think something changed in her after I met him too, it was as if she knew I knew about him. My heart shunted when I saw her, I froze for a second, her blonde hair blew gently in the wind, the full moon was shining through the branches of central park, casting eerie shadows on the path she was walking. She held her umbrella with one hand, while attempting to light a cigarette with the other, her black stiletto heels tapped steadily along the bridge. There he is, lying in wait. Now's my chance. She just looked right at him, I can see it in his eyes, she knew him, and she knows what he's going to do. He flicked out the knife that had been gripped in his hand so tightly all this way, he can see me in its reflection, he's smiling. She's dropped her cigarette onto the floor and is running, he's running after her, and I after him. Her heels are sinking into the wet ground, he's catching her, but I'm catching him. As he wrapped his tired hands around her neck I began to struggle with him, I begged him to stop, and so did she. Her body grew heavy with the dread of what was to come. The knife fell to the ground, I had control, I'd beaten him. I released her from my grip, brushed back my scraggly hair, grabbed her hand, tried to feel for a pulse. There wasn't one. Then I looked at her hand, it glistened at me, like her eyes used to, her ring she still had it on. Maybe she did still love me. I cried for her to come back to me, the end came anyway. Then I felt it, the ice-cold air flowing over me, around me and through me, she was dead, he had killed her, I had killed her.

Analysis Of The Book The Veil By Marjane Satrapi

Unlike the classic memoir of Anne Frank, Marjane Satrapi portrays her childhood through an ironic black and white graphic novel. The struggles of her early life were in result of the Islamic Revolution. Satrapi’s goal of the novel was to enlighten the audience that not all the people of Iran were terrorist and fundamentalist. Not only did she excel in these aspects she highlighted the concept of social class. During the Islamic Revolution, one of the major objectives was to completely eliminate the divisions of social hierarchy. There are three predominant levels in a social class: the upper, middle and lower class. It is established in the very beginning of the book the separation of society. In the chapter entitled â€Å"The Veil†, Satrapi justifies her reasoning for wanting to become prophet. She says it’s because her maid didn’t eat at the table with her and her family, as well as the fact that her dad drove a Cadillac (Satrapi 6). The fact that the ma id, Mehri couldn’t have dinner with her shows that the discrimination of lower class from superior people was well defined. With Marjane’s father owning a Cadillac it showed that he was a part of a higher classes and made him westernized. The ideal person in Iran did not own a Cadillac and her family was viewed by lower social classes as being out of place. The story of the low ranking office becoming an emperor shows how higher authority manipulated the unfortunate. The solider was name Reza and two influential BritishShow MoreRelatedPersepolis : The Invisible Art Essay1369 Words   |  6 PagesPersepolis In graphic memoir Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi illustrates the eventful life of Marji, an Iranian girl’s living most of her life in Tehran, Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The author commences her story as child and creates a timeline of series of events as she enters adulthood. Marji, represents many disenfranchise women, as she faces discrimination, exile, and confusion in her own country. Uniquely, Starapi’s work can be a justification to prove Scott McCloud’s design theories inRead MoreAnalysis Of Persepolis : The Story Of A Childhood By Marjane Satrapi758 Words   |  4 PagesIn light of the analysis of the graphic novel of Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi, it is clear that events portrayed in the novel represent the tribulations and tragedies that various citizens of Iran experienced upon the downfall of Reza Shah, the Islamic Revolution, and the Iran-Iraq War. In terms of plot, the story is told through the memoirs of upper midd le class Tehran female citizen, Marjane Satrapi aka â€Å"Marji†, as she recounts her perceptions and views of the overthrowRead MoreEssay about Persepolis1136 Words   |  5 PagesToward the end of the novel, Marjane says about people’s fear of the Islamic Commission, â€Å"It’s only natural! When we’re afraid, we lose all sense of analysis and reflection. Our fear paralyzes us. Besides fear has always been the driving force behind all dictators’ repression.† How do Marjane and her compatriots deal with fear and their daily lives? To what extent do you see fear as a controlling factor in your own country’s public life? The new Islamic republic regime was beginning to spread inRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Complete Persepolis 2283 Words   |  10 PagesThroughout the book, the author, Marjane Satrapi, recounts her life in Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and the difficulties she encountered. She struggled with restricted freedoms, strict religious rule, and a sense of statelessness. In the opening illustrations, she describes her childhood and her transition from a secular school to one that was religious and separated by gender. At this time it had become law for a woman to wear the veil, or head scarf when in public. Satrapi talks of howRead MoreThe Complete Persepolis By Marjane Satrapi2268 Words   |  10 Pagespull from other sources, the main focus of this paper will be The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Throughout this graphic novel, Satrapi tells her life story and what it was like growing up in Iran. In the opening illustrations, she describes her childhood and her transition from a secular school to one that was religious and separated by gender. At this time it had become law for a woman to wear the veil, or head scarf when in public. Iran transitioned from a government who was forcing themRead MorePersepolis and the Iranian Revolution2467 Words   |  10 PagesPersepolis and the Iranian Revolution Persepolis was made in 2007. The film is based on the graphic novel of the same name. Persepolis is directed by Marjane Satrapi. The story is derived from her own personal experiences growing up during the Iranian Revolution (also called the Islamic Revolution) in Tehran, Iran. Included will be an in-depth analysis of the factors that caused the Revolution as well as an accounting of conditions in Iran during that era. A brief comparison of the current situation