common themes of similar (?) means : WAR

 

common themes of similar means: WAR

 'Art is meant to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted' said Banksy. My blog, which all of you have kindly chosen to come by, explores the intersection between literature, science, culture and art, and how different aspects of our man-crafted world intermingle in both intended and naturalistic mannerisms. War for instance, a man-made construct is spoken about in the art of the very storyteller I quoted in the opening of this piece. I wonder how other forms of art explore the same. And so here's how. For this post, I have examined how war and its impact on children has been portrayed in a literary source and a non-literary source. ‘Persepolis’ by Marjane Satrapi published in 2000, is a graphic novel depicting her tumultuous journey, growing up in war-torn Iran with the extremism of the Islamic Revolution on one end and the Iran-Iraq war on the other. Through Marji's eyes, readers witness the disruption of a normal childhood as she grapples with bombings, and constant fear, death lurking at every corner. The literary extract under the chapter ‘The Key’ extending between pages 101 and 102 delineates how the children from underprivileged families are exploited and put under the radar through a facade of lies as they are convinced that martyrdom will lead them to paradise linking back to the emotional implications of warfare on the young and vulnerable 

My non-literary body of work is artwork by pseudonymous English street artist Banksy which uses satirical imagery to create a dramatic punchline that draws out a poignant reflection by the artist on the inevitable disillusionment of the future of innocent children caught in the crossfire of warfare.  My focal image of choice is, ' Girl with the Ice Cream,’  which first came to be seen at Banksy’s private exhibition, Turf War in 2003. This stencil was reused by him once again in 2004 to create a mural in Brighton which is the rendition that I will be focusing on in my IO alongside the exemplified theme of collision of innocence and violence. 

The global issue of the impact of political warfare on children. is encapsulated in both texts through the use of graphical imagery, stylistic devices, symbolism and juxtaposition.

Satrapi’s narrative structure in the extract highlights how war gets integrated into the lives of children through the government's manipulation of their innocence using political propaganda and false dilemmas. Panels 7 and 8 indicate the use of strategically crafted language that psychologically plays with the minds of schoolboys by advocating ‘Paradise’, as a remarkable consequence of their martyrdom, falsely manoeuvring them to the frontline by the lure of “Disneyland”.This is also an example of juxtaposition as the worlds of innocence and war intermingle, from which the first-hand impact of the war can be evaluated which is the loss of young lives. Furthermore, the two splash panels on Page 102, are interestingly contrasting as they both illustrate kids with their arms raised, and identically drawn body language creating a juxtaposition of visually similar yet thematically opposite scenes, with one being about a party and the other showing the sacrifice of innocent lives. 

Zooming into splash panel 9 depicting a massacre of the children being cast down a precipice that has been further accentuated through the use of strong directional brushstrokes that imply a sense of speed, as though they are rushing towards the fabricated idea of ‘Disneyland’, so deeply influenced by the government's manipulation of their poverty and naivety. 

The golden painted plastic key, seen around the massacred boys’ necks,  is a symbol of mass manipulation, representing how the regime’s promises emphasised beauty and rewards which were only self-serving and hollow. This false emblemism of hope, can be evaluated from the extract, as very a tangible manifestation of dreams and aspirations amidst chaos.

Additionally, in the chapter ‘The Cigarette’ Marjane’s characterisation as rebellious can be linked to the confinement of the regime of Iran and that of her own household. In panel 39, we see Marjane with a cigarette in her hand with the voiceovers stating  “Naturally, the regime became more repressive” from which can be critically analysed Satrapi’s need to find a coping mechanism to deal with the grim reality of wartime epitomised by the haunting imagery of sirens, flying jets, destroyed tanks, and the ominous spectre of bombs seen in Panel 37. Thus, through Marjane’s authentic representation of her desperation to run away from the impact of political warfare, it exemplifies the extent to which the issue had disturbed her life, affecting her not only mentally but forcing her into acts of autonomy that affect her physical well-being as well. 

In the novel itself, the use of graphic imagery plays a crucial role in highlighting the parallels between Marjane’s narration and the childlike perspective seen in her illustrations that are often charged with fear, confusion, and innocence. Even though Marji was not necessarily a witness to many grotesquely graphic incidents in the novel like the tales of torture in Iranian prisons delineated in the chapter ‘The Heroes’, how she recollects them is the result of the enduring trauma from scenes of brutality that she was exposed to early on, profoundly impact her development. Panel 29 under this chapter is also a significant example of thematic juxtaposition which is evident in the interconnection drawn by young Marjane between the seemingly innocent objects like the iron and the inhumane practices of wartorn Iran for the same objects, something that was previously beyond her imagination or comprehension.

 

Transitioning into Banksy's artwork "Girl with the Ice Cream" accentuates a subject that evokes the fragility and innocence of childhood: a young girl dressed gleefully, with her hair tied in pigtails with a bow, sublimely holding an ice cream cone with a rocket-propelled topping, seemingly oblivious to the destruction around her. Her smile exemplifies the simple childhood pleasure of indulging in an ice cream. But the mural has a greater depth than just the potential destruction it implies, at first glance. Banksy cleverly weaves the aftermath of the bomb bursting in the rendition. The girl’s dress covered with nails, the dripping blood in the backdrop and the disintegrating body of the young girl are all symbolic of the devastation this disguised ice cream grenade implies. Juxtaposition is seen here through the image of the girl reaching for the ice cream cone as a symbol of joy, representing the universal desire for peace. However, the reality of the fuse bomb reveals the despair and hopelessness that pervades the lives of children affected by war. This juxtaposition highlights the conflicting emotions experienced by children living in war-torn regions, oscillating between hope for a better future and despair in the face of ongoing violence and destruction and as I mentioned before collisions of innocence and violence

Symbolism is a crucial element in ‘Girl with the Ice Cream’, The cone is a compelling symbol for the mediums of manipulation and tormentation that eventually pull the worlds of innocence and violence together creating a traumatic and dangerous environment for those growing up in it, many of which like the girl in the artwork, don’t even realise it’s abnormality. It serves as a powerful metaphor for the ways in which war robs children of their innocence and exposes them to the horrors of conflict.

This idea can be further exemplified through an example from his collection of anti-war pieces and their unapologetic criticism of today’s political, military and financial establishments through his iconic, but ever-pertinent imagery. For instance in his piece ‘Bomb Love’, a young girl is seen hugging a bomb as though it is a stuffed animal, perhaps a teddy bear. The stencil of the girl illustrates her looking very comfortable with her arms wrapped tightly around the bomb, her slight smile and the fluorescent pink backdrop which accentuates the contrast between the innocence and purity of the smiling girl and the violence of the devastation that the bomb could cause which shows how children form these specific regions become so easily normalised by the presence of destructive forces. I also think that because the girl is so perfectly centred which is also evident in my focal image, it allows the viewer to wrap their head around the dark and gripping satire of the image which is a trivialization of terrorising warfare, 

Zooming out to Banksy's broader body of work it often addresses themes related to war, conflict, and their effects on society. For example, his piece titled "Boy with the Machine" features a young boy using a gun in a field drawn by crayons symbolic of the regular activities that characterise a normal childhood which have been imposed by war hence altering the scenes children begin to feature in their drawings and memories. This represents the normalisation of war in contemporary society and its invasion of innocence through clever utilisation of symbolism and thematic and artistic juxtaposition strengthens his ideas and delivery of the global issue.

According to the United Nations, virtually every country faces the systemic issue of the impact of war on young lives leaving children killed, maimed, orphaned, deprived of health and education, sexually violated and with deep emotional and physical scars, making the transnational effect of political warfare a highly important cause. Works like - Persepolis -The story of a Childhood and Girl with the Ice Cream have been rendered by visionaries critiquing the systematic devastation of war and terrorism. The elusive Banksy’s graffiti murals are legally sanctioned and his unhinged opinions can be connected to Marjane’s characterization as she grows up in a country torn by strife. Marjane is notorious, for participating in revolts, smoking, asserting her voice and eventually culminating the straits of her childhood in the form of a graphic novel. These harsh graphical representations make the exploration of the human cost of war a compelling testament to the enduring psychological impact on children caught on the grounds of geopolitical turmoil.

Non Literary Body of work - Banksy’s Artwork on War

Focal Image - Girl with the Ice Cream

Literary Body of Work -Persepolis 

Literary extract - Page 102 

~nandini jain