Freshmen Blogging Project Post

Gillian Ranes
Gen 1033: Life of the Mind
September 29th 2016
Event: Freshmen Convocation
I enjoyed hearing Ellen Forney speak. I liked more things than I did not like. If I had to mention something I particularly did not relish the most, it would be that in general it is difficult to sit through hearing anybody talk for over almost an hour so at certain times it was difficult to pay attention too however the topics that Forney went into were very interesting.
I liked hearing Forney speak about “the language of cartoons.” It seems that there is not only a literary sense to it but also a science to cartoons. The words go hand in hand with the drawings to tell an unexpected story. The cartoons enhanced the book: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian so much, I probably would not have enjoyed it as much if the cartoons were not included. I could tell that even though the book was loosely based on its author’s Alexie’s life, Forney heavily identified with Junior as well because both, Forney and Junior, use cartooning as an emotional outlet. I had no idea comics could be so complex but as Forney and Sherman Alexie have both said: art can express what words cannot.
My favorite thing that Forney talked about was her own book: Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me. I liked how she was so open about her struggles with bipolar disorder. Removing the stigma related to mental illnesses is also an important topic to me as well. I can really see the beauty in using her disorder to work for her advantage by drawing in different styles to show how her mania and depression effect her differently.