Blankets 1

Well this is my first blog ever, I have never even written a note on Facebook and I do not have a Myspace so this is new to me.  I assume is an informal journal type writing style, here it goes. I am very excited for this class because of  Blankets. I picked it up yesterday to read the first chapter but I found that I could not put it down. The work was engaging and the artistry was never a distraction from the text as I previously thought it might be. On the contrary it complimented the text and made is more approachable and personable. When considering the text its self I think that it is a wonderful coming of age story that in the first chapter alone grabs the readers attention through a strong evocation of pathos for the children. The reader is immediately connected with Craig.  The words alone on the pages could be compiled into a text only narration and stand on their own, but when combined with the images the work is striking. Visualizing Phil being thrown into the "cubby hole" is intense as is, but physically viewing the act, seeing the expressions and thoughts depicted rather than described is very powerful. These images then support the remorseful feeling of Craig as he reflects upon his neglect of his brotherly "protective role". The flash backs in Craig's narration are subtle but make a very clear point and foreshadow what the reader is soon to encounter. One specific flashback/foreshadow on page 18 is very intense because it is an open ended image, but because of the texts it is understood that the older figure in the picture is dangerous which leads to natural negative assumptions.  Another aspect of the first chapter that I found appealing was the artists rendition of the aging process on pages 51 and 52. It intrigued me that instead of accent it was a falling action, this image is later then supported by Craig's religious beliefs supplied later in the book. The development of his beliefs is also a big point of interest for me because I was born a Christan and understand all of the teachings and love to see someones point of view and interpretation of the meanings. Well I think that is it for now before I get to much into the other chapters.