Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Literature Analysis #1 Nonfiction: Banksy Wall and Peace

Topic/Events:

1. My book is about a very unknown yet very famous Graffiti artist who call himself "Banksy" from London in the United Kingdom. Banksy is one of the most influential and most well spoken artists in the Graffiti world. His style consists of stencil work mainly, but he is indeed an artist. He writes his many messages related to religion, politics, and much much more. He tries to emphasize the reality of our society and at times mocks it just to prove a point of what's going on around us. The whole book is basically pictures and side notes to the subjects and reasons behind or related to the pictures. The pictures are all of Banksy's art, and each piece has it's own message. In a way coming from a Graffiti artist, I read a page each time I see a picture of Banksy's work. You have to read and decipher the piece to understand the message.

2. I'm not sure if why Banksy's wrote this book exactly, but from what I can see, it's just a book displaying his art work in the streets and speaking on behalf of his views of each subject and piece inside the book. It's all coded messages meant to bring reality to humanity.

3. I chose this book basically because I think Banksy is one of the best Graffiti artists of all time and to know he has a book, got me hooked. what appealed to me the first time I saw the book was the back cover when it says, "There's no way you're going to get a quote from us to use on your book cover." -Metropolitan Police spokesperson. This quote made me laugh, because it displays a sense of humor that Banksy has. What really made me want to keep reading the book was the fact that it's a book written by Banksy so I have to read it. I also read it to understand and observe his style of Graffiti art.

4. Yes, I found the book very realistic, do to the fact that everything is based off a real Graffiti artist's work and these pieces were done in the streets of real cities and places. I made a lot of connections in this book. Honestly this book just gave me and even bigger reason to carry on with my art and continue spreading the message of Graffiti, because we both share the same views on the subject of Graffiti. When you read the last paragraph of the first passage in the book Banksy says, "Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place." I feel completely the same.

People:

1. There wasn't any characters necessarily, more of just articles on events and things that were related to the pieces in the pictures. I think Banksy wrote this book to express his work like he does on the streets, he just wanted to speak his opinion and display his art. Banksy's tone through out the book was very sarcastic yet informative. His choice of words grab your attention, like what he says in the back of the book on his advice for painting with stencils he writes, "mindless vandalism can take a bit of thought."

2. There wasn't any characters, but Banksy did explain why he used different animals and figures in his art like the rats. On page 95 he explains saying, "they exist without permission. They are hated, hunted and persecuted. They live in quiet desperation amongst the filth. And yet they are capable of bringing entire civilizations to their knees. If you are dirty, insignificant, and unloved then rats are the ultimate role model."

4. When I finished the book I felt like I was in the mindset of a true genius. Everything Banksy displayed and wrote influenced me and got me thinking in so many ddifferent ways. It was like a Graffiti enlightenment and I was just handed a bible from the Graffiti Gods!

Style:

1. They used a lot of symbolism, not just in his writing, but in his art. A lot of pictures or I should say all of them displayed symbolism to represent a reason behind the piece. But the author did take a journalistic approach by expressing his views and article backing up his opinion, like when he talked about the segregation wall in Palestine on page 136.

2. The author doesn't describe too much only when the piece has a good enough back story, like the story behind his piece work of the revolutionary icon Che Guevara on the bridge over Portobello road in West London. He pretty much focuses on events and places rather than people. It makes the book a little more informative and more interesting in my opinion.

3. His main tools he uses to demonstrate the tone or mood is his sarcasm and ironic Graffiti pieces. It's pretty much all about his art, most of the art is sarcastic and ironic in many ways. He does use personification like in his piece where it shows a monkey and inside the monkey it says, "laugh now but one day we'll be in charge."

4. I think the author's attitude towards the subject in his art pieces are to either inform or make fun of. Most of the art is based on humor.

5. The author talks about many subjects in time and history that happened like the segregation of Palestine or the corrupt president Ceausescu of Romania.

Enduring Memory:

     Something I'll remember from this book is the idea and vision Banksy left me with when I read him say, "Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw where ever they liked. Where every street was awash with with a million colors and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall-it's wet." This passage speaks to me in so many ways. It speaks of my vision, my idea of a perfect community. A city that enjoys art so much it paints itself over night every night. Beauty in disguise, the true essence of Graffiti.

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