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Post by Alan Wong on Nov 10, 2015 5:35:30 GMT
To start, I knew what was going to happen at the end of Barefoot Gen, but I still wasn't prepared for the ending. That said, I really enjoyed the story overall. The most poignant thing for me was actually how Gen and the other children were so immature (basically acting like children, as they should) during the beginning but gradually became more jaded and reserved. It hurt to see how the war and the actions of the society they lived in crushed them over and over. It was actually pretty scary to see how everybody turned their backs on the Nakaokas, even those who were formerly friends. It was frightening to see how the media could control so many people, causing them to live in terrible conditions and convincing them that dying was somehow the best thing to do.
When I read novels (or anything, really), I tend to create images in my mind of what's happening. Sometimes, what I see and what another person sees can be very different because of a difference in interpretation regarding the text. But when I read comics, the author puts in the images exactly as he wants to depict them; I see what he sees and what everybody else sees. We all know exactly what's going on and in much more detail than writing could ever convey. A picture is worth a thousand words. At the same time, I think that another key difference is how the writing is composed. In novels, there's a lot of description necessary whereas comics tend to focus more on dialogue.
Discussion Question: If you were in Japan during the time, what do you think you would have done?
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Post by Hiba Rashid on Nov 11, 2015 4:38:30 GMT
I agree with you that Gen, Shinji and the other children in this story were behaving as children should be, but the war forced them to mature quickly. I saw the most growth in Gen because overtime, he learns that as an older child he must help ease the burden of his parents. He takes Shinji to the streets to pretend to be orphans and perform songs to earn money, he tries to steal fish for heal his mother's sickness, he gives Shinji the toy ship, etc. He not only learns to help his own family, but also others in need. Gen breaks the windows of random houses to help a man in debt and tries to collect water for a dying man after the bombing. His mind matures as he realizes how war destroys people and the reality of the world he lives in -- something that most children and even adults don't realize.
If I lived in Japan and experienced what Gen (and the author) did, it would be difficult for me to remain as optimistic. Gen is seen singing songs to get through every hardship he faces. He constantly reassures his family members, especially Shinji, that everything will eventually turn out to be okay. Today, we struggle to think positively even through minor hardships, I can't imagine having to remain positive and strong while experiencing war.
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Post by Caden Hong on Nov 11, 2015 5:58:56 GMT
Wait, how did you know?! I had no idea that the author was just basically going to get rid of half of the family, so I was pretty shocked especially when Shinji died because he was Gen’s sidekick. And to think that this is just part one of a ten-part series. I wonder what other tragedies are going to happen in the other nine books. As for your question, I agree with Hiba — for me, too, it would be very difficult for me (or for anyone I imagine) to stay optimistic and positive. To have to deal with hunger, pain, and negligence from everyone around me including the government, I feel like it would be hard to find reasons to move on. I don’t know how Gen and his siblings found ways to keep themselves from sinking into depression or sadness. Maybe having a lot of siblings helped Gen since he was able to depend on them for support. They tried to cheer everyone around them up, and in the process it helped them to stay optimistic. But in reality, when things change like that so quickly, it’s hard to keep your composure and function the way that you’re used to. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to see your family die right in front of you and not being able to do anything about it.
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Post by Airy Yeh on Nov 11, 2015 20:43:49 GMT
If I lived in Japan during the time, I would probably have been born there and only known the Japanese culture. So I think I would have been swayed by the militant government and went along with everyone else. There is bias in every culture, and we all live in one. I don't think I would have been brave enough to stand up against all of the situations that Gen and his family went through in spite of going hungry and getting stones thrown at. It's such a horrible situation because you are starving and you can't feed the hungry children, you have no way of getting food, are threatened of social isolation and endless bullying. If I could, I would get out of the situation, but that's what war is- everywhere you go you end up miserable. If I had learned to be kind and brave like Gen and Mr. Pak, I would continue doing so because that's hope.
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Post by Justin Yu on Nov 12, 2015 20:17:35 GMT
In Nakazawa Keiji's own recollections of the events of the A bomb blast, he mentioned that everything he witnessed was unexplainable by words and the entire event was etched into his young mind. I assume he believed it was impossible to express the emotion and the gruesome event he lived in with words alone. And I also believed it worked. It was not the many documentaries I have seen on the Pacific War and the nuclear bomb/Manhattan Project nor the aftermath reports from Japanese research facilities that showed me the true impact of the war and the nuclear explosion, but a cartoon.
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Post by Ariella Crisano on Nov 13, 2015 0:08:05 GMT
My question was similar. I don't think I would be able to stand up against the war. I like to believe o would be brave enough, but I don't think I could stand by and watch my family suffer because of my beliefs and leave them while I was in jail with little to no food or income. I think I would just have to swallow my pride and lie.
And Caden, to answer your question, I believe Alan is referring to the beginning where the author describes shortly what he went through. He tells of his siblings dying horribly and having to abandon them.
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