PIctures, Facts, and Fictions.

I agree with Bryan and Christina’s analysis of the Satrapi’s panels; however, I did not notice anyone specifically mention the significance of the author’s use of images over the traditional method of words to tell a story.  In my opinion, the graphic and visual representations of her memory, in combination with a few simple sentences were much more effective than words alone.  They showed her point of view, which helped us to feel like we were a part of it, and therefore, served to greatly intensify the novels impact.  Although her memories may not be completely accurate, they are still true because they represent what she has felt, what she saw, and most importantly they are the way she remembers them.  She shows us which moments had the greatest impact on her by the size and layout of the panels.  In some ways, if it only had the facts, it would almost have had the same dulled effect as a news report, another impersonal sad story.  In this way, her heart-wrenching story becomes more universal because most of us have shared some of the same feelings or emotions in our lives.  Perhaps it was as children, lost and confused, simply following our parent’s ideals and protecting them as if they were our own.  Or even the contrary as we question everything and would fight everything our parents say regardless of the fact that we probably have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.  I also think it makes a considerable difference that the book is a rendition of Marji’s own childhood and her memories because we can all relate to her and her childhood in some way or another.  This personal account allows us to see the human side of the Iranian revolution and reminds us that it is not just a bunch of robots behind the guns or fictional characters living through this hell. 

Things Come First

In response to Hunter and Chelly,

I also agree that it is not the material things in life that matter. No matter what you have, it is your friends and family that count. When Marji's father was talking to a family friend, the family friend is telling him how much the house costs, and how much they spent on tiles. Marji's father was perfectly fine with what he had. And because he was like this, i think it would not have been AS big of a deal if their house was burned to pieces. All he wanted was to have his family with him, and to make sure that his daughter was safe. To Marji, she knows that she has a full life ahead of her with new experiences, she knows that it will be hard without her father, but she is committed to making these the best years. I was just at the Dallas Stars Hockey game, and it was Mike Modano's last home game. He chose to retire. The one thing that kept him playing for these many years was his family and the supportive fans. he said “Whether its three, four or five seasons that I have left to play, I'm committed to making them great ones.”. Although he knew that they were not going to make it into the playoffs, he still played his hardest, because he knew its what he had to do. This was his priority and it payed off in the long run. GO mike!

The Gift of Family

Last Saturday the iPad was released. The launch of this new device has demonstrated our craze for the newest and best materials, just as Kyle mentioned. Technology has created an unusual separation in what are seemingly close families. The average child today spends most of their time on the computer, taking/texting on their cell phone or finding some way to get out of their home. Marji, unlike today's typical American child, spends most of her time with her family. This helped her form special bonds to the people who she deeply cares for. Today, we have lost this close connection and therefore lost some of the values that we once cherished as a global community. This past weekend, while some people were unwrapping their iPad, using other forms of electronics, or playing in an athletic event, I was with my family. We had a wonderful time together, even if we had to travel to Austin to be together. It was well worth the drive and a weekend free of any technology. Marji experiences the same bonds with her immediate family. Her grandmother lives close, she gets to see her uncle, but what she receives out of these visits is the most important. She listens to the stories of her elders and creates her own opinion about the events in her life. I think that we could all benefit from this great example about why family is the most important aspect in life.

Why the Comparisons?

In response to Allison's post there is one part where she says that she was not as mature as Marji because she did not have to deal with the same struggles. I find this interesting because dealing with tough situations does not automatically make you mature. Marji may exemplify a mature child for the situations she deals with, but when you are not surrounded by those situations it impossible to know how you are going to react. Take recent mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, he was considered a horrible mayor that many occupants of New York City were not to fond of. After 9/11 occurred Mayor Giuliani responded to the attacks in one of the best manner possible. Giuliani not only got the approval of many citizens in New York City, but that of many Americans around the country. Maturity does not come from being in tough situations, but how you react to those inconvenient to you and those you are with. Also she said that when she was younger she had no idea what was happening in the government, and I'm sure kids in Iran during the revolution had no idea what was going on either. Furthermore, Marji seems to repeat a lot of what her parents said, just like Allison said she voted for George W. Bush because of her parents were voting for Bush. Children are not meant to make the decisions for the government that is why there is a voting age. The fact that Allison did not know what was going on in the government is not uncommon and to repeat what your parents say about the government is even more common. Marji may have lived in a country where death and destruction were not uncommon, but that does not make her more mature or smarter than any child who has not been in a situation like that. Life is not always handed to you in a hand basket that is why it is vital to know what is happening around you, and to react to those unexpected occurrences with the utmost maturity.

Illustrations

Satrapi's illustrative story telling uses little words and strong images in order to portray the times she was currently facing. She uses only strong black on a white background. Her drawings have a simplicity to them yet they display a heartbreaking story. Sadly, the scenes that stand out to me the most were the violent ones. When you are shown a drawing that is so terrifying to imagine happening in real life, you tend to forget about the happy panels. All the good times in the book are replaced by the whipping, the police with guns, and the prison cells. Pain and horror catch eye of the reader. The scene that stood out to me the most was the large panel outlining black bodies with keys around their necks and explosions coming from all different directions. It shows how the reader doesn't even know who the soldiers are and still feel horrible about the event that took place in this moment. The people dying weren't even people we grew to like through out the memoir. Yet, it is still sad and filled with pain and the innocence of the young soldiers. Besides this panel, one other series stood out to me. When Siamak visits Marji's house, he informs the family that their dear friend Ahmadi tortured to death. In a continuation of violent images, Satrapi's art shows him being whipped with lashes across his back, burned with an iron while chained to a wall, and in the end was cut into pieces. The last panel just shows individual, separated body parts making up a man's body with a shrieking look on his face. Satrapi's simple cartoon-like images still manage to engrave images of horror in a reader's mind without being to brutal to look at. Satrapi's images are simplistic yet heartbreaking in order to create intense emotion throughout her remarkable memoir.

Untouchable

I have a firm belief that material possessions have not only detracted from our relationships with each other as individuals, but the whole world as one. But instead of going off in a broader direction like the world, I'd like to focus on material possession and its role in Persepolis. One of the key elements in the plot is the war between Iran and Iraq, which, itself is a war over material possession. But in the midst of that war, Marji is challenged to overcome the destruction of her country and the people around her. Many Iranian soldiers die as they invade Iraq with F-14's. Marji's neighbors, the Baba-Levys also die as a result of the war and many of Marji's family friends are ordered to be executed by the Shah. As Araceli and others pointed out, people's personalities are shaped by their experiences growing up, and Marji got one hell of an experience. I think Marjane Satrapi is an admirable human being for her extraordinary understanding of what it means to lose things. She lost a lot of her childhood friends who moved to America, she lost her uncle, and she even lost her family when she was sent to live in Austria. I believe her life is like a kaleidoscope; its pattern constantly changes, but it's image in whole is truly one to behold. Buildings can be blown away at a moment's notice and people can come and go, but her story is untouchable. Not even a film about it can screw it up.

Material Life

I totally agree with Araceli. I think we need to focus on relationships with our friends and family more than we do. We live in a very material world where new clothes, electronics, and other toys arrive on store shelves everyday. Sadly, I feel we go to a school where material wealth is a big priority and I think we all sometimes fall victim and get caught up in the rat race of trying to have more of something than the person next to us. The United States is a very wealthy country and we all constantly trying to be bought by different companies advertising this and that. Marji, in the book Persepolis, grows up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. During this time, the people of Iran were not allowed to have a lot of material items from western culture like magazines, music, and alcohol. After reading the book, I wonder if Marji developed a better relationship with her parents or friends during this time? We need to focus more on getting to know people and developing better and long lasting friendships instead of worry about what we wear or watch on tv. I try to focus on my family, friends, and faith more than a new phone or tennis shirt because when I die I can't take any of that with me. When our time in this life is over, it all goes back in the box.

The "What if " Questions

Andrew had many great questions which all contained a “what if.” These questions are very frustrating because there is no right or wrong answer. In my opinion I think that even if Reza Shah accepted the requests of the Allied Powers and joined their side, than there still would have been a revolution because he would still try to modernize the country, but who knows? Maybe the people would not rebel, and Iran would be completely modernized making it one of the most powerful countries in the world. I mean what if the Reza Shah was assassinated a month into his reign? There are countless possibilities to what could have happened, maybe a new ruler would come to power and changed their type of government. These questions are very intriguing, but since there is not a correct answer, it makes answering them very difficult.

Priorities

At Chelly,
I completely agree with you and your father and you guy’s strong belief in relationships and not in material items. Marji deep down inside was a strong believer in not becoming attached to material items. Her father on the other hand is very attached to his possessions and this is what causes him to stay in Iran and not leave and go to the United States where he would be safe. He responds to his wife asking her if she wanted to be a maid. Marji’s father clearly exemplifies with this statement that he is too focused on material items when he should be focused on saving the lives of his family. I think Marji recognizes this and tries to become a polar opposite and not base her life around possessions but base it off of experiences and relationships. Memories are made up of situations and experiences and not of possessions therefore, possessions shouldn’t be a huge part of any human’s life. Possessions only makes the craving worse for more and more until you cant even enjoy life. In the end, people everywhere need to stop thinking about items and just enjoy life by having good experiences to remember.

Bryan Tonti is Wrong

Contradiction on Bryan Tonti's comment on his answer to Andrew's question, "What if Reza Shah accepted the requests of the Allied Powers and joined their side, would Iran have had more opportunities and more freedom?"

Of course there is no right or wrong answers on "What if" questions, but I disagree with Bryan's answer. He says,"I believe the only effect the decision [of Reza Shah on which side to ally with] would have on history would be the revolution starting a little sooner."

I believe that there would not only be one effect, but many. First of all, since the revolution would start sooner as Bryan said, the war against Iraq would have started sooner too. Saddam was waiting for Iran to become weak in order to attack and conquer it. A earlier revolution means a earlier weakening of Iran, and a earlier weakening means Saddam attacking Iran earlier. Also, Iran and the Allied Powers would have created a war alliance. With the war alliance, the Allied Powers would be forced to help Iran fight against Iraq.

Spoiled Rotten?

Response to Bryan's "What qualities and styles stood out to you and why?" Satrapi used the contrast of light/dark to illustrate emotions and what is shunned or praised. When the characters are feeling sad, anger, loneliness or shame, they were often depicted in shadows to show their internal emotions. Marji's uncle, Anoosh is depicted with the sun's rays of light in the background giving off an atmosphere of importance and heroism, which Marji did hold him as one.

I have always been told to appreciate all the things I am able to have in life: family, friends, education, a home, peace and even vegetables... XP My dad always stresses the importance of keeping materials (money, electronics, huge empty mansions etc.) away from the mind as much as possible because in the end all they do not matter or have no true value. "Having the biggest mansion or the smallest apartment does not matter if flames can easily take it away. Why should the poor man complain about empty pockets and the rich man brag and hunger for more wealth if it can all be easily taken away. The rich man is left with empty pockets and the poor man is left where he was to begin with. No point in complaining or overfeeding one's materialistic desires if what you overflow in material is never lasting", my dad states this many times that I can recite it from memory with no hesitation. But as much as I get bored of hearing this sermon, I can't deny the truth it holds. After reading Marjane Satrapi's memoir of her childhood during the revolution and war in Iran, my dad's words came back to me. I was reminded how lucky I am to be growing up away from the violence, destruction and fear of war. One's experiences in life shapes the person whom we grow up to become. What experience do you think has made you the person you are today? Has this memoir made you realize or remind you about appreciation in any way?

Growing up in America v. Iran

Growing up in America I never had to deal with what was going on in the government. I spent my days only worrying about what doll I wanted next. For Marji it was much worse. Marji grew up with a constantly changing and confusing government. Her school was telling her to believe one thing while her parents are telling her to believe the opposite. Marji feels as if she is being pulled in different directions all because of the government's actions. I could never imagine having to fear that you might not see your family again because of an ongoing war that might kill anyone close to you. The only disturbance that I ever experienced that even closely relates to Marji's is 9/11, and even this I did not fully fear. All i can remember of that September 11th in 2001 is seeing it on the news. Because it did not effect me, I did not seem to care. I heard on the news many times about all the lives lost, and suffering and yet it never seemed to upset me because I personally was not effected. In this way I can see that Marji is definitely a more mature person than me because she did experience such terrible things that forced her to grow up and have her own opinions. I know that when I was growing up I did not have my own opinion, my opinion was my parents opinion and what they thought, I thought to. Thinking back I can remember when my mom took me with her so she could vote for the new president in the year 2000. When we got there we saw that they had a kids booth so minors could vote as well even though it did not count. Going into the booth with my sheet of paper, I realized I recognized none of the names on the sheet besides George Bush, and that was only because my parents had talked about him before. I ended up just checking off random names, including George Bush because I knew my parents were voting for him. This just shows that unlike Marji, government really was not important to me growing up, and I rarely thought anything of it. Marji and I may have both grown up with a love for dolls and cute clothes, but I definitely did not grow up having to deal with the struggles Marji went through.

Styles of the Panels

Andrew asks many interesting questions, but the one that stood out to me was "What if Reza Shah accepted the requests of the Allied Powers and joined their side, would Iran have had more opportunities and more freedom?" It’s true that this question fits the "What if" question category along with the other questions Andrew asked. I believe that Iran would have had a revolution regardless of what the Reza Shah had decided. If he had agreed to form an allegiance with the allies, the allies would have asked for oil then or later on. I believe the only effect the decision would have on history would be the revolution starting a little sooner. Even if the Reza Shah had agreed to form the allegiance with the Allied Powers, Iran could have been invaded by Germany causing the same outcome as the first decision.

Marjane Satrapi conveys her strong messages by her different styles of drawing. Almost every panel has a unique quality such as detail of emotion, size of the panel, the ratio of one character to another character, lighting, and other qualities that help express her ideas. What qualities or styles stood out to you the most and why? Is their a specific page or panel that stood out to you the most? Explain. I think Satrapi’s torture panels are vulgar, violent, and disheartening, but successfully portray how horrible it was to be tortured during the revolution.

"What If"

For decades, countries have tried to modernize and "westernize" their people and land. Western influence has changed many countries such as Japan and India. What if Reza Shah accepted the requests of the Allied Powers and joined their side, would Iran have had more opportunities and more freedom? And what if the Shah completely modernized Iran, and westernized all the people, would Iran be considered a world power today? It is hard to tell what the outcomes would have been if the past turned out differently. We always ask ourselves the "what if" question, and try to understand what could have happened differently if something completely new occurred. What if the Shah succeeded and fulfilled his goals, how would Iran be different today? Would there have ever been a revolution is this country with so much history?

NEW BLOG RULES!

• The first person to post an observation of question sets the tone for the blog.
• Each subsequent post must respond to a PREVIOUS insight or question (not necessarily the first post)
• You may (and should) add your own observations in addition to responding to someone else's post or observation.
• Responses should still be one paragraph (6-8 sentences) in length and be grammatically correct.

Since our return from Christmas break, we have discussed many different topics for the essay that we are currently writing. One of the topics that we talked about in class was about birth order in the family. Even though I did not pick this topic for the essay, I still think that it is an important pert of everyday life in a family. I, as the eldest child in the family, know how hard it is and how much your parents expect of you. Through my early years in life I have seen that the treatment of my younger siblings has been far greater than the treatment I have ever received. My twin brother and sister have gotten everything that I have gotten at an earlier age. I also sometimes feel like the Guinea pig of the family. Whatever I do seems to always lead to becoming a lesson for my younger siblings. I have also noticed that parents care more about the achievements of the older child than those of the younger. This was exhibited through my tenure in Boy Scouts. My dad especially wanted me to always do what he did not. Such as become an Eagle Scout and go to Philmont, a boy scout camp in New Mexico. Both of these achievements are meant to tech leadership and teamwork. My dad has pushed these things so hard on me that I completed them in a hurry. Yet my brother who has not received the push from our dad has not yet earned any of these difficult tasks. Although many families are different, most of the oldest siblings I have spoken to have agreed with me and added their own personal points of emphasis as I have done.

Make Up Your Minds!!!

One consistent legal age should be applied to all liberties granted to US citizens. The drinking age is currently 21 in America because our brains have not finished fully developing. This is a logical reason, why should people be allowed to cause damage to themselves and others? But then why is the legal driving age 16? Struggling to adapt to an adult word, the teenage focus is on almost everything but being good, safe drivers. People are not allowed to drink alcohol until the age of 21 because their brains have not finished developing-but sure, stick us behind the wheel of a car. Let us endanger ourselves and countless others-good plan! Our soldiers risk their lives everyday to protect our freedoms and liberties, yet those under the age of 18 have absolutely no say in t the men that are sending them to foreign lands. These brave men and women have virtually the most strenuous and emotionally trying responsibility in the world, and they can’t have a drink at the end of the day? The government says they are legally mature enough to risk their lives for our sake but not mature enough to decide what they put into their bodies? In college, some students are always going to drink-no matter what laws are placed against them, its a part of dealing with the insane pressures of trying to find who they are. So what becomes of them when they are thrown out of school? All those years of working hard to achieve their high school education and then be one of the decreasing few who go on to college, wasted-after one mistake? The government needs to decide what age they think is responsible and mature enough to be adults, and not decide you are an adult at different ages depending on the subject. Whether the legal age is 50 or 18, a consistent level of maturity should be decided and applied to all aspects of the United States government.

The Super Ego Provales

Sigmund Freud has a human thought process theory that was based on the idea of the Id, the ego and the super ego. The super ego deals with the idea of right and wrong. The Id is the instant gratification. And the ego is the mid point between the two. While sitting in chapel listening to Father Butler tell the story of a man who robbed a convenient store to help feed his family, I began to thing of Freud. The man robed the store for the sole purpose of feeding his family. The Id of this robber caused him to act in this violent way due to the necessity of feeding his family. He was concerned about his family and had to make the rash move of robbing the store to fulfill his instant gratification of helping his family. The cashier pulled out $40 and gave him a loaf of bread and didn’t call the cops. This being the mans super ego, knowing that he helped this man out, and hopefully made him think about his actions. About 6 months later, the cashier received $50 and a letter explaining how he realized what he had done. He had gotten a job and was able to support his family on his own. The conscious effort of the super ego of the cashier had save a man’s life and helped him realize what he had done. If it weren’t for the super ego of this cashier, the man would have spent a long time in jail and his family would have suffered. In the end the super ego of both the cashier and the robber provable just from this simple action of the cashier.

How the Grinch Almost Stole My Christmas

During the holidays, Freud's theory came to mind when my mother told me the horrible news of Christmas this year. The bad news was that my grandfather decided to be a Grinch and have all of the parents only give there children two presents. In huge rage my Id came into play. All I could think in my head was I want more presents. All my other relatives were sneaking away later, while my grandparents took a nap, to open the rest of there presents in hiding. My parents on the other hand decided to stick to the rule. I had already given up my bedroom and my entire house so my 15 relatives could sleep there. I had to sleep on a tiny Styrofoam sheet on the back house's wood floor. Bummed about my Christmas, my Id was telling me to just go buy stuff for myself or disown my family and run away. After a long day of church the day before Christmas, we all went to rock and roll sushi. Amazed at how much fun we are having, my Id was tucked back into the back of my mind so I could enjoy the family. That night we all drank hot chocolate and watched Elf. During the whole night my conscious helped me to come out of this selfish state of being long enough to enjoy the holidays. The selfish little devil had been kicked of my shoulder. After all the Christmas celebration the next morning, I was satisfied with my two gifts. My subconscious made me come to the realization that the only gift I needed in the first place was my very large and loud family. My selfish thoughts were put aside by the angel on my shoulder, resulting in a exciting and cheerful Christmas holiday.

Whatever Get's me There

I believe one of the the most crucial themes in life is choice. Whether we take one road or the other, choose a diet coke over regular, or wear black socks instead of white, we decide which one will benefit us the most. I think a lot of what I'm dealing with right now in high school is directly related to decision-making. as we got to studying Freud's theory of the Id, Ego, and Super-Ego, I was entertained by the recurring image of the devil and the angel on my shoulder. Yet, I went on to look past the childhood image and got to dig down deeper in to what choice really means. As I live my life, I have a vision of where I want to go, then I pick the best way to get there. I have been aware for quite some time that the easy road in life almost always turns out to be the hardest. I have always been taught that the right thing to do is almost always the hardest at first. And I'm not saying taking a short-cut isn't right, but it can often be deceptive in its predicted benefits. On and off, I have been a sucker for the easy road, but most times I have fun doing the right thing. On Christmas eve, I got the oppurtunity to spend the day at the Salvation Army, cleaning and serving food to the homeless, so I took it. I usually spend Christmas eve with my family, but this year I thought I'd get a kick out of helping out at the Salvation Army. So I stayed down there the whole day by my lonesome and got to talking with a lot of interesting people. All of them were sent to clean up the cafeteria as a part of their rehabilitation program. So I cleaned the cafeteria with them for a couple hours. I met one man who had been addicted to crack, another who had been involved in robbery, and another who had been selling drugs. They all had different stories about troubles they had experienced and horrible things they had seen. One man told me about how his brother was shot and killed, and another told me about his decisions to use cocaine. The whole time I couldn't stop thinking about the word choice. I thought about what these guys must have been through, and why they did what they did. And it all narrowed down to it: choice. He chose to live life high so he wouldn't have to face his life problems and he chose to rob a convenient store so he could take food back to his family. It all struck me so fast. The reason why all of these guys were in this place is because they made poor decisions. As a kid living a sheltered life-style in a nice private school, I've had limited opportunities to see how choice can affect me in the long run. But for a day, I was able to see a clear, non-tampered picture of what making the wrong decisions can do to one. These men decided to listen to their Id and disregard their super-ego. I think that through their bad decisions they lost sight of where they wanted to go in life, and now they are trying to get back on their way. I have high expectations for my future, and I have a deep yearning to find the best ways of getting there, so I'll keep on trying to take the high road whenever I can manage to fight against my childish desires. I'll take whatever road gets me there.

The Id or the Ego

Life is all about making difficult choices. Although we strive to make the right choice, our imperfectness is what causes us to sometimes make bad choices. Our conscience, is what determines the choices we make. We have our angel on our "right" shoulder, and we have the devil on the left shoulder. The angel is what represents our ability to make the right decision, and the devil is what represents the bad decision.

The idea of the devil and the angel, very much relates to Sigmund Freud's theory of the id, Ego, and Super-ego. Sigmund Freud (May 1856 - September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist. Freud believed that the id was a part of ones brain, that the person was unaware about. The id was the inner desire, and is represented as the devil, which rests on the left shoulder. The super-ego, is what opposes all desires of the id, and one thing it does is maintain morality. It imposes feelings of guilt when id is indulged. The Ego, is considered the parent figure, because it looks over the id and super-ego, and tries to satisfy both, but tends to treat the id differently because the id has more control over the person.

In the past few months, the top news was that pro golfer Tiger Woods had been having affairs with other women, and he was cheating on his wife. His wife found out, and all hell broke loose on Tiger. The profound and well admired athlete, would soon become the complete opposite of what he was. Tiger had the choice to either do what he did, or think twice about the situation and refuse. Sadly his id overpowered the super-ego resulting in the decisions he made. Woods gave half of his money in shame to the wife he loved so much, and now the only billion dollar athlete will no longer have that title. The id can screw us up, but it is the job of the ego and super-ego, to control its wants.

The Action Figure

A few days before Christmas, my friend and I went to the mall to do Christmas shopping. Right before we left we went into a toy store to look for a bored game and we ended up finding a Freud action figure. This was a comical moment and then we decided to buy the action figure for our English teacher. Sigmund Freud was a very out of the box person and he had many interesting theories. He first said we have an ego, super-ego, and an id. The id is like the devil on our shoulder and he tries to satisfy all desires that give us pleasure or happiness. The id takes place in our unconscious mind. He said we also have an ego and a super-ego. Our super-ego knows the difference between right and wrong. The super-ego tries to make the right decisions and it occurs in our precocious mind. Freud said that our ego also occurs in the precocious and our ego balances out our id and super-ego. Over Christmas there was attempted terrorist attack on a U.S. bound airplane by a Nigerian male. This man according to Freud has an id, ego, and super-ego. Why would someone want to blow up a plane? Does this have to anything with the id, ego, or super-ego? If I were following Freud's theory then I would say that the guy's ego gave into his id and this made him commit such a hateful crime. I really don't believe in Freud's theory. I do think that we are all created evil and people sadly commit these hateful crimes due to our evil human nature. Our evil human nature is something we are born with and I wish people would not commit such hateful acts.

angle and devil on one shoulder

During the break, my friends and I were watching tv. One of the many shows we watch was about a man that was 650 pounds, but was now about 150 pounds. When he first started out, he said he started gaining weight because he was molested as a child. His ID, felt bad for himself, thus he started eating all of the time. He had nothing else to do, because he dropped out of school. He dropped out of school because the kids made fun of him, and he didn't listen to any other part of his brain. His ID wanted to be out of that situation and it would do anything to get that satisfaction. If his brain had listened to his ego, or even his super ego he would probably have not gotten to be that large. During his process of loosing all of the weight that he did, he still had these urgent urges to eat. His superego helped him with this. This was the moral part of him and this is what kept him driving for his goal. It basically told him that he would soon look really good if he kept up this good work. At times, when things got rough his ego slipped toward his ID. At one point, he gained 30 pounds. This was definitely a set back to him, but again it pushed him even more towards his final goal. The title of this TV show was 650 pound Virgin. Yes, he had not had sex, and wanted to wait until he got all of the weight off. After the weight was off, he began to go on a few dates. His ID, had the drive for sex, and it wasn't going to stop for anything to get it. He did not let that control him. He relied on his superego, which brought him to his sense, that it would soon happen, he would just have to wait and find the right girl. He stuck to what he believed, and it worked for him in the long run.

Dealing with my Id

As school gets more tiring and harder, I tend to find myself dealing with Freud's theory of the Id, the Ego and the Super Ego. The Id is the selfish, childish part of your mind that is only concerned with instant gratification. The Super Ego is all about what is the right thing, and knows the difference between right and wrong. The Ego is the mediator between the Id and Super Ego, trying to create a balance. Just this week we had to jump back into schoolwork, sports and not a lot of sleep. This is normally our regular schedule around the school year, but after having two long weeks filled with sleep, tv, food and friends, it feels weird to be back at school. Since we have been back at school I feel my Id taking over. I come home and all I want to do is lay around and watch tv, and this is usually what ends up happening. My Id at first feels like my best friend, that is until its late and night and Im doing homework. For example today I did not have too much homework so my Id came to play and I decided to just watch some T.V. for a few hours. Every once in a while I felt my super ego creeping into my head and almost every time it seems as if my Id just kicked my super ego out. I think after a while my Ego started to realize what was going on and saw that I needed more of a balance and so in comes the Super Ego kicking me off the couch to come write this blog. Now I am sitting in my room doing homework that I wish I had done earlier. I also dealt with the Id after New Years. My new year's resolution was to be in better shape. I started out well and my super ego was taking over, that is until school started. Lately i have been tired and not in the mood to go to the gym or eat healthy. I always have plans to go to the gym, but I always end up ditching for some lame excuse. And now I wish I had gone. The fact of the matter is that the Id always seems like your best friend at the time, giving you exactly what you want, but when the Super Ego comes in it feels as though the Id stabbed you in the back.

Tom and Jerry with the id, ego, and super-ego

I have always heard of the id, ego, and super-ego, but never knew what it was. I remember my brother once trying to explain to me about Freud's ideas, but he did not succeed (more likely that I just didn't pay attention). When Ms. Hepp related Freud's ideas to the devil and angel that would stand on your shoulders when making a decision, I understood the id, ego, and super-ego completely. I never thought that a concept that I would learn in high school would be related to a simple cartoon, such as Tom and Jerry. Although I didn't watch that much Tom and Jerry, I would always remember the devil (id), having a squeaky voice but not speaking real worlds, would try to tempt Tom into doing whichever mischievous act he was about to do. Then the angel (super-ego) would always try to persuade Tom into not doing it, but he always went with the devil (id). After discussing about it more thoroughly, I realized that it is an universal concept that is almost impossible to disregard, so it would only be natural that it would show up in my childhood, like most ideas.

Id-ly Rosa, Ego-ly Maga & Super-Carmen -____-

For a long time now I have been contemplating the idea of getting additional piercings besides the ones in my ears. I have desired this since I have laid eyes on what are known as snake bite piercings, but have held back from telling my parents or other adult relatives about it. For one thing, I know that my parents will not allow me to proceed with my wish until I am 18 and say I can then go through with whatever descision I make as an adult. Sadly, I have to be patient till then.
It was not till three days before Christmas in my grandma's house that Rosa, my wild and crazy aunt asked me what I really wanted for Christmas. I was sitting on the floor playing with my little cousin, Abdell and looked up to see four pairs of eyes eagerly waiting for my response. My cousin Aly and my three aunts: Rosa, Maga and Carmen sat on the couch and asked again what I really wanted for X-mas. I told them about my secret item on my wish-list and awaited their response. Aly's "AWESOME!" gave me a sense of relief but yet again she is only 12. Rosa, the free-spirited-crazy one said that was cool and asked to come along when I went to get then done. Maga, my fun but rule-follower aunt, replied "that is a nice wish but surely you will wait till you are of age and free to do as you wish" but she hesitated before giving me a smile. Carmen, my scary (atleast to me) strict aunt just frowned. Her expression was clearly of disapproval and disgust. She quickly and hotly disputed that one should not pierce anymore holes into their body. Carmen didn't like to see people with tattoos or piercings unless it's in the ears and on a girl, not on guys. She said that I shouldn't ever get any piercings and tattoos. Her comments kinda of brought me down in the dumps. Rosa argued that I should go through with it, and it is my body and I can do to it whatever I wanted to. (Rosa was always the rebel when growing up among my mom and the rest of her brothers and sisters.) Maga said that if I really wanted them (which I do) then I should atleast wait till I am of age then go through with it without troubling anyone since I will be 18 and an adult. Carmen still mumbled totally against it. The tension was suffocating me and I decided to tell them, "I am only kidding you guys!". Everyone just looked at me and then at eachother then we all bursted out laughing....nervously. We dropped the subject and moved on to teasing Aly about the neighbor boy who likes her. But I still hold it as a deep desire I really want and soon time will tell if I am to fulfill it.
This little scenario between me and my aunts reminded me of Freud's theory of the Id, the Ego and the Super-Ego. According to Freud the Id is our unconscious impulse to satisfy all our pleasures and desires. The concept of the Id sorta reminds me of my aunt Rosa who, as a teenager, was always the rebel and did whatever she pleased. The Super-Ego is the complete opposite of the Id. The Super Ego is strict and is our "inner parent". It does not allow the Id to do as it wishes almost like my strict and anti-piercing aunt Carmen. Maga reminds me of the mediator, the Ego because the ego is tries to please both the Id and the Super Ego. While the Ego sometimes gives into the Id, it will only do so if no harm is done to anyone. Maga's comment on approving my wish to get the piercings proves that she agrees with Rosa but she also states that I should wait until I am 18 to somewhat satisfy Carmen. It's funny because Freud theorizes that these 3 components: the Id, the Ego and the Super-Ego are always in a constant arguement against one another but they need eachother to sustain stability and balance, almost like my aunts!

Mini Freud

Before the long, waited for christmas break, the students in English II discussed the ideas of Freud. We discussed how Freud split the human brain into three parts: the ID, EGO, and SUPER EGO. The ID, or inner desire (ID does not stand for inner desire it just happened to be a coincidence that ID is one's inner desire.) is the brains "inner desire." Its primal instinct is for its own survival. It does not care about rules or anything but itself. The Ego is the balance between the Id and the super ego. It wants to please both, but usually pleases the Id as long as it is not breaking any laws. THE SUPER EGO is the eternal parent of the three and never gives into the Id. It follows the social norm and doesn't break the rules.

Another one of Freud's ideas that is a little "out there" is the Oedipus Complex. The Oedipus Complex is when a child, age's between 2 1/2 - 6, unconsciously has sexual feelings for the parent of the opposite sex. The child is also jealous of the parent who is sleeping with the parent of the opposite sex. (Confused yet?) I have trouble believing this theory and his fellow colleagues shared the same sentiment.

What do you think about this idea, the Oedipus Complex? Do you think he was just a crazy psychiatrist or a brilliant man?

On a cold Tuesday afternoon I drove with my friend to North Park Mall. We were last-minute shopping and had no idea what gifts to get for our parents. Before admitting defeat, my friend and I walked into one of the numerous toy stores at North Park and found something that was both amusing and surprising. Hanging behind a JESUS action figure was a limited edition Sigmund Freud action figure with all of his famous quotes behind it on the cardboard.

Both of us were laughing at the fact that a toy company actually made 1000's of mini Freud action figures. We purchased it and gave it to our english teacher after the long break.

In the long running TV series FRIENDS, Joey, one of the main characters plays Freud in

a low budget musical. The closing number involves another one of Freud's sketchy theories: Penis Envy-

"All you want is a dingle. What you envy's a schwang. A thing through which you can tinkle.

Or play with, or simply let hang."

Needless to say, the whole experience was quite surreal and sort of ironic when you think about it.

Freuds Ideas

In my opinion, Freud is completely wrong about the idea that very young children are attracted to their parents of the opposite sex. Maybe it is possible if the mom is the only girl they ever see, but i still don't think that kids think that way. I don't understand why Freud would make this theory when their is not any sort of scientific evidence to prove it. I feel that a lot of kids would rather talk to their parent of opposite sex about personal things, but that is when the kid is older than 2, and that has nothing to do with being attracted to them. I don't think 2 year olds are jealous of the parent of the same sex. Even though i don't agree with the idea; the Cleveland Show is a pretty funny TV show that shows this theory. Cleveland's little baby is really jealous of Cleveland because he gets to sleep with his mom. During the show he tries to kill Cleveland various times and even throws himself down the stairs to get Cleveland and his mom to stop having sex and come help him. While i disagree with that particular idea; i do agree with the Id, the Superego and the Ego. I can completely relate to that. For example instead of doing homework i might play Call of Duty. This is caused by my Id which is the childish one that wants immediate satisfaction without any care on the consequences later, so it is what caused my to want to play video-games. However when i realize that i just played until ten o' clock and have a lot of homework due the next day; I start to feel very guilty that i played too long. This is caused by the more mature side of myself called the Superego. The Id wants to do the childish things and the Superego wants to do the mature thing. What decides between them is the ego; which is the moderator that wants to please everyone. The Ego, Superego, and Id can be shown in various cartoon when the angel and demon pop up on a characters shoulders. The Angel is the Superego that wants to do the smart/right thing, the Id is the Devil that wants to do the wrong thing which immediate gratification, and the character's head is the Ego that decides what to do.