Exhibition!

Exhibition night went pretty well for me. I think I did a good job of presenting my work to the audience. My favorite part of the exhibition is when I got to talk about my graphic novel script to parents and teachers, I also really enjoyed explaining the pinhole camera project. I don’t think that I had any problems explaining either project. The most complicated question I was asked was my thought process while writing the graphic novel. I couldn’t really answer it because I was thinking so many different thoughts in different parts of my graphic novel.

Graphic Novel Character Bio

Colin White

March 26, 2008

Character Bio

Name: Joseph Kovac

Born: April 14 1977

My name is Joseph Kovac In the year 1977 I was born In Budapest, Hungary. My parents are both pastry shop workers and work long hours, I don’t spend much time with them. My family is Russian but many of the Kovac’s moved to Hungary since It was part of the soviet union. My family and I are not religious and we never attend church. My uncle has a shady background my parents try to pretend he doesn’t exist but I spend more time with him than I do with my parents. He is my father figure.

In life I really enjoy humor, food, and hanging out with friends. I am a skilled chef because I always have to cook for myself. I have no interest in school I find it boring and useless. I cut class all the time and go to my uncle’s mansion. I am normal when it comes to social skills. I have many friends. We always hang out at my uncle’s house we smoke and drink but he doesn’t care he laughs and encourages our fun. Ever since I had friends I was always a leader when it came to my posy.

I am afraid of growing up. Ever since Hungary became an independent country the houses became expensive and the jobs payed very little. In a family both couples are supposed to have a job. The only rich people in Hungary were the gangsters and the politicians.

At the age of 12 Hungary gained it’s full independence it was one f the happiest years of my life. Ever since 1989 we became a democratic republic but all soviet troops left in 1991. I was young during the communist days but I remembered evry dull dry and depressing. It wasn’t tell post communism until I really was able to hang out with friends eat better food, watch entertaining T.V.

What really bugs me about life in Budapest is that we separated from the Soviet Union and became a democratic republic. The problem with communism is that we could not really make a life for ourselves. But when we switched to becoming an indepentent country that was a democratic republic nothing changed, the ritch got ritcher and the poor stayed the same. The biggest goal in my life is to find a way to be ritch no mater what measures or extremes I have to overcome.

Story Synopsis

Colin White

March 26, 2008

Story Synopsis

Temporary Comic Name: Hungarian Dream

The overall goal of my Graphic novel is to teach my audience ( high school and above) about the late and post communist days of Hungary. Many of the Hungarian struggles and traits will be incorporated through out my Character Joseph Kovac’s life. My characters goal in life is to become wealthy and support his own life. Since the Hungarian economy was and still is fairly poor he finds no other way but to work for his uncle, one of the leaders of the Russian/Hungarian mob.

The beginning of the book will start in the year 1989. this is the year were the Russians let go/easy up on their communist monopoly. By the year 1991 all the USSR troops left Hungary and Hungary became an Independent country. There government switched out of the U.S.S.R’s communism and into a parliamentary, republic. During these changes Joseph will open his eyes towards freedom. The change between the Grey depressing communist days and the free republic made him see that there was more opportunity’s in life. Joseph could actually become somebody.

Write after this change in government Joseph’s parents whent looking for Jobs. They want jobs so they can afford a better house than the one that they were forced to live in. The only job that both of them could find was there old one working in a industrial Factory. This was not so bad at first but when they rrelized that the jobs pay so little and homes cost so much they couldn’t afford another house. In fact the money that both of them were making was barely enough to support there three person family. This made “Joseph very frusterated and very confused. All the work his parents were doing and all the new only made life worse when it comes to family matters. Joseph’s parents went to work and came home when he was sleeping. Worked all week and weekand. The only time Joseph and his parents really got to hang out was once a week on Sundays were they only worked night shift’s.

At age fifteen Joseph was a smart and gifted boy when it came to school but however his apathy towards school work caused him to frequently ditch school with his friends. Some characteristics that Joe really phases through during this time is heavy smoking and often drinking with his mischievous friends. Him and his friends were like a gang they got in fights went to bars and clubs. Joseph however was always there leader. Nobody ever called him a leader but he was the one came up with the ideas, and he was the one who called the shots.

On Joseph’s sixteenth birthday his parents took the day off. They went to his uncle’s Irvin’s mansion. Irvin Rovak was born in Russia. During the U.S.S.R communist Erra Irvin was sent from his homeland in what is known as today Russia, to Budapest as a U.S.S.R policeman. Joseph’s uncle never really talked about his business on family occasion but we knew how he got that mansion. Ever since the late communist days he and his Russian friends controlled the Hungarian black market. Of course he kept his job as a cop because he was forced to work as policman. But in the last couple years since the ending of communism for Hungary Uncle Ivan was a full on dedicated mobster. His family has no idea of what he does or what he sells. We just know that he runs the Budapest black market. At Josephs party Ivan bonds with Joseph and they become closer. Ivan offers his home to joseph whenever he feels like coming over.

Joseph and his friends ditch school and come over to Ivans house after school. Ivan does not mind if his friends drink or smoke. What Joseph does not relize that by Ivan is really tring to get joseph to do is reel him into his business.

Soon Enough uncle Ivan was paying Joseph to do drope off and pick up favores. Ivan told Joseph to never look inside the boxes he was either picking up or dropping off. Joseph Assumed that they were either guns or drugs. Joseph shipped these because he got paid allot of money for a simple task.

Joseph’s uncle started to open Josephsinto the mob society. The roots of this mob were different from the Italian mob. It did not have to be family orientated. All the Russian mafia is, is a group of organized criminals. The Russian mob is not necesarrly a hierarchy based organization. When it comes to hierarchy the Russian mob is very fluid. However the most powerfull people of the Russian Mafia are the ones with the high inteletiual capacity.

Jospeph’s parents found out what he was doing and diss owned him. This did not break Joseph’s heart badley he barely knew his parents and had a much closer relationship with his uncle.

Turns out that Ivan was not very powerfull or highly looked upon in the mafia. He was stoopied compared to others very loud nosey and had no redeeming qualities besides. He basiclly waited around for orders or actions that were going to made the peons of the mob do the dirty work for them. He wasn’t called on very often though. Due to Ivans brains he was actually focused on the black market. He realed in most of his money is with the prostitution and guns. The only reason why Ivan is still in the mob is because he was one of the first to join.

Joseph Kovac was the opposite of Ivan the leaders took him as a stand up guy who was smart but not to smart. He could work his way up. Even though the Russian mobs most profitable business is insurance fraud, identity theft, tax evasion, credit card fraud and more economic scams, there was still lots of money in prostitution gambling and weapon/drug trade. The was Josephs field.

Joseph and his uncle make big bucks quickly. There most profitable business is the prostitution. They owned clubs and bars for that. The clubs were the ultimate hang out/ business place for Ivan and Joseph. The alcohol served was stolen, the drugs were expensive, and the hookers were cheep. These clubs attracted everyone, there were no clubs 2 years prior. 25% of each clubs profit goes to the mafia. 1 year later ivan is killed. He was killed for hiding and spending 10% of the clubs money. The death of Ivan shattered Josephs life. He was alone in the underground world surrounded by a bunch of annoying perverts. No mom no dad no family. He begins doing drugs drinking heavily and starts having sex with prostitutes. He lost all care for the money and the Mafia. His anger turned into fear. He relized that he was the next one to go. Joseph followed his uncles ways when it came to taking money out of the mafia’s share. It was to hard not the club made millions of florins a month.

Joseph knew that he was going to be killed when people started asking questions about the clubs money. Not only did know he was involved with what his uncle did but they relized he was a mess. He was no good to mafia anymore so why keep him.

Joseph was a nervouse reck, he ran to his parents house to hide. He stayed there for days. He was going to leave for Austria next week, the day before he leaves the mafia takes out him his entire family in his house. They kill him like he was nothing.

This ending shows how after being in a communist state Joseph is left in a free atmosphere with little money. His uncle guids the path to his dream of becoming rich and he achieves his dream. His greed and sorrow for his uncle turned made him lose everything.

Todays class Exercises

Todays exercises made me think of changing my character situations than my character. I want my character to be more than just my uncles aron boy. I also want the uncle to be less powerfull and work more with Joseph. My character will be more powerfull. He will run night clubs with his uncle. I do not really feel that changing the personality of my character is necceasary but I am shure as I write my story some traits will be added in.

Persepolis

Persepolis was a memoir of Marjane Satrapi, during the Iran-Iraq war. The book focused on the early 1980’s. This book does not just talk about the Iran-Iraq war and the Iranian Revolution, it mainly talks about the problems in Iran and how Iran and its citizens completely revolutionized in a negative way. The author also shows us how the problems in Iran changed her life as a little girl.

Before Marji explains her story she gives background history of Iran’s government. Iran was called Persia until 1935 when Reza Shah changed the name to Iran. The Shah was a monarchy family that ruled Iran tells the mid-late 1900’s. Britain and the U.S found that Iran was a reservoir for oil. Brittan owned the oil industries in Iran, The oil caused the Iranians to become a well off country when it came to economics. But when Reza Shah refused to participate in world war two he was exiled and his son took over. His son was known as the Shah. In 1951 the Shah’s priminester decided to nationalize the oil company. This caused the British to organize an embargo on Iranian exports.

Marji was nine or ten when the Islamic revolution started. The Shah fled Iran and never returned. Changes immediately happened in the beginning of 1980 were it was considered decadent by the Islamic community to have bilingual schools, or for women not to wear veils. The new Islamic government became corrupt. The government became anti capitalism and was making new laws and banning many harmless products. Protesters were being fired upon and killed. The citizens in Iran didn’t have any freedom. In September 1980 Iraq attacked Iran. This became an eight year long war.

Marji wasn’t put in any Islamic pressure since she was born into a secular environment. Their neighborhood was being bombed constantly. Iran was loosing many soldiers during the war because they weren’t well trained. There generals and pilots were locked in jail (due to the great losses many people beat and tortured them selves to show there martyr). Even Marji had to show some what of martyr every day by pounding her chest hard three times. I believe that it was the pressure and the force of conforming to Iran’s government that changed Marji into the rebellious and angry teenager.

Playing cards, social events, and alcohol were algal the proletariat citizens were making most of there money off the black market. This was how Marji got most of her music and clothing from. Although it does not say how Marji is and stayed so well off, Marji described that the rich got richer and poor got poorer.

Marji’s parents were very angry and skeptical about everything that was accruing with Iran. They held many clandestine events and parties, since parties were not allowed. They decided that they had enough with the unequal rights between man and women, the bombs that were being dropped on them, and the dreadful punishments for not obeying the law, so they decided to send Marji to Vienna. Marji Likes that she is going to Austria (a free democratic country) but is afraid that there word is not veritable when it comes to visiting her.

In the end of this book Marji is sent to Vienna. I believe that in Vienna she got a good education and found her passion in art/literature. I think that since have been to Vienna felt very liberated but I feel that while all these great changes were happening she really missed her parents.

Perespolis was the first Graphic novel that I read. This book taught me allot about Iran’s corrupt past and showed me how it’s past leads into the country today. The pictures in Persepolis really gave a better idea of what her life was like, it made the book easier to picture and gave me more of an idea of what really was going on her mind while she lived through these rough times. This book has showed me great tools and methods on how to write my own graphic novel.

Youth Voting Blog Review!

1. Evaluate your performance during seminar today. How did you prepare for seminar? What points did you make today and how did other's respond? What inhibited you from talking? What do you need to do better?
Today I think that I participated and contributed well in the Socratic seminar. I do believe that I need to work on being more articulate so people can understand my point of view and thoughts that I am trying to share. My mane weakness is concluding my comments on a strong note.

2. Which of the author's arguments do you agree with and why? Which arguments do you disagree with and why?
Overall I don't agree that the voting age should change from 18 to 16. I read no good reasons or facts on why teens are responsible and how letting them vote will make this nation better. I really dont like how the author keeps stating that if a teen is responsible enough to drive than he is responsible enough to vote. The author keeps telling us how teens do adult things like have sex drink and drive, but i dont see how this at all tie's in to the maturity of voting. Before the socratic seminar I thought that 16 year olds should be able to apply for an early voter's permit by taking a test, but most questions that we came up with were'nt very faire to some voters. Over all the circle and I just thought there was to much liability when it came to youth voting.

3. What was the most interesting idea someone raised today in the conversation and what are your thoughts surrounding that particular issue.

I cant recall any direct quotes the socratic seminar we all built up our topics together. I do remember that we all found so many reasons not for 16 year olds vote and only 1 or 2 ideas that a 16 year should vote. Saul Prop was the only member of the socratic seminar that children the age of 16 should vote because they are responsible enough to vote and they are american citizens.

Vocab/ letting teenager's vote

In the 2008 elecions teenagers te age of 16 are trying to gain suffrrage and become constituent citizens. There are many reason why we should and allow 16 year olds to vote. I believe that teenagers should be able to apply and individualy show there wortheyness to vote. If teenagers did have the right to vote it would dramaticly affect future national and local elections. The more youth voters from the age of 18 to 25 vote for the liberal democrats instead of the evangelical, and conservative republicans. If this act were to be referundum it would change american history and future american decisions forever. I however could see the act being veto'd if youth voters are imature and don't take voting seriusly.

Reflective Bog on the Presidential Debate

I really enjoyed this projec. It gave me a better understanding of what goes on during the presidential elections. I personally chose to research and debate about Republican Senator John McCain's beliefs, plans, and stance on the war in Iraq. Researching on this topic for the debate was pretty hard for me. But writing my research paper was very easy. The Debate was hard because I was not ready for some of the questions they asked me.

After researching on McCain's stance on the war in Iraq I believe that he is the best republican presidential canidate for the Iraqi war. The he wanted to take care of Iraq and rebuild the country amazed me. he seems allot more confidant and organized than the other republican canidates. He also has allot of Experience when it comes to war. He went to Annapolis and was a vietnam war hero.

If i had any questions for Senator Johm McCain it would be what is FSDAX and how does it support funding for Iraq.