Final Paper

by maggiewong ~ November 30th, 2010. Filed under: Uncategorized.

I plan to write my paper on the affects of World War II in the lives of ordinary people. I will be concentrating on Don DeLillo’s “Paftko at the Wall” and the famous Japanese animated film  “Grave of the Fireflies” by  Isao Takahata. I think these two sources will offer an interesting contrast since one takes place in the U.S. while the other is in Japan. Although the setting in both the text and film are located away from the battlefield, war somehow manages to creep up on the people who thought they were farthest away from it.I want to explore the helplessness of the civilians and their feelings at the exact moment when they realize that being part of the war is never something they choose, but something that just happens.

I’m also interested in drawing a connection between the painting “Triumph of Death”  and “Grave of the Fireflies.” The opening seen of the movie is of a young boy dying on the ground of a train station. Instead of receiving help from by-passers, a man comes over and steals everything that is left in the boys pocket. This scene has a striking resemblance to “Triumph of Death” and how death has raided the whole town.

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