Kien can't seem to stop writing and seems to be controlled by it. In this drawing, there is an outline of a man, which represents Kien and his inability to control his thoughts and memories as they flow out. The table and empty chair represent the writing of Kien's novel being crafted seemingly on its own. His need to write is almost guided by a subconscious force. The dark colors surrounding the table represent all of Kien's memories--mostly bad and traumatic ones. However, there is some light green to show some lighthearted and good memories he has lingering. While writing is the guiding force in Kien's life because it's his way to deal with his experiences and trauma, it takes on a life of its own.
I like how you connected the empty desk and chair to the emptiness that Kien feels within his soul and to the fact that his war memoirs are being written without an author. Kien's scattered and haphazard thoughts and memories pouring out of him are also perfectly captured by the various pencil strokes in your picture.
ReplyDelete-Jason
I really like how you used different colors to connect to his memories. Although most of the memories were dark, matching the dark colors, there were still some good memories, which are represented in a light color. This was in interesting way to represent his thoughts, and I found it to be very creative. I also agree that his writing takes on a life of its own, and when he writes, his pen seems to come alive.
ReplyDelete-Alex
Whenever I thought about images from the book about Kien writing, it was always images like these. The outline of Kien to me, represented someone just in the background and the desk and paper represented an outlet of emotion and turmoil. One interesting thing was that Kien seemed like he was trying to exorcise his demons slowly, and hopefully through the writing he was able to forget about his troubled war. Pictures like these are always interesting so kudos to you
ReplyDelete-Paul
I agree that Kien was driven to write. It was like he couldn't resist; he simply had to write. There were good memories mixed in with the awful, and I like that you represented those with the different colors. He also seemed detached from his writing, which is why I believe he leaves his writing in the end. Also interesting - his stories seem to have a random, haphazard arrangement, and yet everything seems orchestrated to lead up to the story of Phuong. When Phuong's story is told in full, Kien is done writing. It's hard to tell whether or not he actually chased away his devils by writing.
ReplyDelete-Amanda
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ReplyDeleteI like how you used shading to convey Kien's inner being. It's also very interesting how you separated him from himself by drawing him in the background rather than on the chair, at the table. The subconscious force that drove him to write in the manuscript is so strong that he's on autopilot, for lack of better words. He has a need to write about his memories and experiences in order to vent and verbalize his wartime experiences.
ReplyDelete-Greg