Media in Home Fire

 The usage of media in Home Fire is purposeful and direct. Though some of the individual pieces are a bit ambiguous, the presence as a whole introduces the idea that media is falsified and dramatic. Basically, do not believe everything you see, because it could be false. We also see the media portraying things incorrectly, for example Parvaiz’s name. They spell it incorrectly, dehumanizing him. The string of Twitter hashtags show how quickly things move across media sources, and how demoralizing they can be. What I am very interested in is why Aneeka’s section, of all sections? She seems to be the most grounded, so why the slew of influencing Tweets? I think it might be to add to the escalation of craziness that has been mentioned in the series of sections. Random tweets and excerpts seem a bit maniacal, which is indicative of her mental state. I would be in immense distress too if one of my siblings was executed. To look at one of the items specifically, the Tweet on page vi seems to be a troll of Gladys, a friend who called to check up on the family. Either this, or Gladys was calling to get more information, in order to post cruel things on the internet. In conclusion, the way in which media is used, social media and news sources, teach the reader about the damaging effects of posting mean things online. It always gets back to the related party, and oftentimes in a devastating manner. Poor Aneeka.

Comments

  1. Javier MartinezOctober 11, 2021 at 12:01 AM

    I like the point you made about how the dehumanized Pervais by misspelling his name. I think it does show less respect for someone as an individual, and that they aren't even worth correctly identifying. And by not acknowledging his true name, they are disregarding him in a way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KrisOctober 11, 2021 at 7:10 PM

    Personally, I can't see how Aneeka is the most grounded character, at least by the timeframe of her section; her thoughts are clearly dissonant, given she views her neighbors as famous British individuals, and her fragmented thoughts. With that in mind, I think her chaotic section is perfect for the Tweets, as her grief could have made her essentially shut down, and just tunnel vision on certain things related to her misery: mischaracterization of Parvaiz.

    ReplyDelete
  3. bella burleighOctober 12, 2021 at 7:22 PM

    I don't think of Aneeka as the most grounded (personally) but I definitely think the tweets added to the level of craziness she already brings. I think it really adds to her scattered mind after Parvaiz's death.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Isabella FernandezOctober 15, 2021 at 11:25 AM

    Hello Jojo! Great points! Somewhere in the book it states that Parvaiz was commonly spelled like Pervy as a way of conforming to the British culture. The fact that the media keeps using this spelling of his name, is, exactly how you said it, dehumanizing to him. A name is a huge aspect of many people's identity and to completely disregard that, is extremely insulting, regardless of how you are viewed by the media.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michelle BOctober 18, 2021 at 4:50 PM

    The names used on Twitter also sexualize both Aneeka and Parvaiz in demeaning ways.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gender in Pachinko

  In the novel, there are characters that seem to have defined gender roles, and there are some that blur the lines. For example, Kyunghee seems to portray a typical woman. She is extremely loyal to her husband, and respects him almost to a fault. She is also described as beautiful. Without the introduction of Sunja, she may have never had the courage to ask for anything. For example, she had the lovely idea of constructing a kimchi business. She is able to partially achieve this dream, but she would not have been able to do it without the encouragement from Sunja. She seems to be smart, but just enough to be a good wife. In a parallel sense, Yoseb is very ‘manly’. He has a strange addiction to tradition, and we see him slip into anger when he senses he is losing control. These are traits typically associated with a man. Then there are characters like Sunja. She is never described as pretty, in fact she is described as quite the opposite. She explores her sexuality with Hansu, but ...
Read more

Equiano Project

  The Equiano group’s project was extremely enlightening. I knew slave ships were bad, but not that bad. A 45% mortality rate is absolutely horrendous. I literally cannot imagine living in captivity so close to other people. It really makes you appreciate everything you have/ all the space you have to move around. It also seems counter-intuitive. When so many of the people you need to sell die, aren’t you losing money? It would make more sense to create habitable environments. In light of this, it seems like those who forced slaves to be in the ships were simply evil. It is also saddening, but not surprising to learn of the commonality of suicide. When faced when actual torture, it is not suprising that many people chose death. Even when healthy, the outlook of servitude was probably horrifying. What I found most interesting were the revolts. I had not thought about the idea that slaves could revolt, and it is encouraging that the enslaved people did not give up. Apparently around ...
Read more

Smasher's Character vs Blackwood's Character

  I do not think it is possible to talk about Smasher without talking about Blackwood. They are inverses of each other, and as such the story would not be complete without the two sides of the spectrum. Smasher represents the side of Will that wants the aboriginals gone. He has no mercy for them as humans, and he takes pleasure in their pain. Blackwood is the opposite. He sees the aboriginals as equals, supporting them and even learning their own language. Blackwood represents the side of Will that wants to live peacefully with them. What is shown in Will’s thoughts seems to represent the mind of the average colonizer. Neither here, nor there. However, Greenville uses the two opposing characters of Blackwood and Smasher to portray the extreme ends of the ideology. We can also see how Smasher’s perspective is more or less supported by the British government. When they send the letter with directions on how to handle the aboriginals, it states that peaceful coexistence must first be ...
Read more