Historical Story

Artist's Statement
            History is long gone and for those of us who were not present at those vital turning points in the history books, we will never know what really happened. Often we are stuck with the one-sided opinions of the history book authors. Key to understanding the whole story is knowing how a certain event effected all who were involved in it. For example, you would get one story from a scientist who helped create the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima, but you would get quite another from a survivor of the blast. Not that either should be considered more correct, rather the understanding of both stories will enlighten us to a better understanding of the whole picture. This was particularly recognizable in the reading After the Deluge. I have to admit, before reading the comic strip style story, the only info I had about hurricane Katrina was news reports and church relief videos. I was under the impression that only the big city got hit badly and that the devastation was entirely because of the hurricane forces. Seeing how the aftermath affected several different walks of society and in many different areas made a big difference in my view of the whole event. I never knew that crime went up after the disaster and that rats were a big problem too. I didn't think about people having to move out of state to find good places to live, or about their hometown not feeling the same. These ideas came after hearing much quieter voices. Voices that are not usually heard in the news. That is the inspiration behind our script. Though symbolic in many ways, our story wanted to put the reader in the shoes of a much less common character. In fact this character would usually be considered an extra, but we found such a vantage point would bring new insights. Another motive in making this script was to show how humans have partial control of who they become, but are also somewhat shaped by their surroundings. In the TMA 114 class we just watched a film that was a perfect example of this. It was called Boy with a Bike. The child in the movie was an extreme trouble maker and was constantly hurting those who were trying to help him. He made many mistakes, but as the viewer we cannot help but feel sorry for him as his father tells him that he doesn't want him and is neglected time after time. With such an upbringing it is no wonder that he has become a troubled child. In our script, just as the tree cannot help it's future destiny as the gun that shot the president, we should at least be open to a sympathetic view of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of the assassination of president John F. Kennedy.

The Birth of an Assassin
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-18K1Cw5hqvbDhxYUdiaks2Y0U/edit?usp=sharing