Ka
everything silent
pen and paper meet again
the only sound heard
Ipek
wonderous beauty
a snowflake among many
silent like the storm
Kadife
young in years but wise
caught in an adult struggle
firm in her beliefs
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Snow & Pop-Culture
Throughout Snow, Ka is essentially searching for what makes him happy. We all go through this in our own lives as we try to piece together our self identity. Ka's traits and personality can be compared to virtually anyone in society. Anyone who is searching for something that they are not entirely sure of, in this instance Ka and his search for happiness.
The political and religious conflict throughout Snow holds many similarities to conflicts we face in modern day America. The debate of the head scarfs is similar to the arguement of teaching religion in school (a topic which we heavily discussed earlier this year).
Freedom of speech is also touched on in the novel, as is is not a true freedom if you can not speak out for any cause that you believe in. The girls suicides in the novel were onset by an inability to express themselvesand their religion in school.
Kadife is a strong character in the novel as she is a young girl speaking out (acting in a play in the National Theatre) for a cause that is bigger than herself. (even against the advice of Ka)
The political and religious conflict throughout Snow holds many similarities to conflicts we face in modern day America. The debate of the head scarfs is similar to the arguement of teaching religion in school (a topic which we heavily discussed earlier this year).
Freedom of speech is also touched on in the novel, as is is not a true freedom if you can not speak out for any cause that you believe in. The girls suicides in the novel were onset by an inability to express themselvesand their religion in school.
Kadife is a strong character in the novel as she is a young girl speaking out (acting in a play in the National Theatre) for a cause that is bigger than herself. (even against the advice of Ka)
Music & Snow
"The silence of snow."
Throughout the novel there is no real emphasis on music, instead the novel stresses tranquility and silence that has blanketed the town with the falling of the snow. Speaking out is prohibited, helping to evolve the theme of silence throughout the novel. Ka's emotions and thoughts are put into his poems which are not spoken. The silence in Kars is like a music of its own that helps to depict the struggle of the headscarf girls and their firm stance in their beliefs.
Throughout the novel there is no real emphasis on music, instead the novel stresses tranquility and silence that has blanketed the town with the falling of the snow. Speaking out is prohibited, helping to evolve the theme of silence throughout the novel. Ka's emotions and thoughts are put into his poems which are not spoken. The silence in Kars is like a music of its own that helps to depict the struggle of the headscarf girls and their firm stance in their beliefs.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Art & Snow
Art is seen repeatedly throughout the novel. Ka's main interest is his poetry which is inspired by all of the events around him. Poetry is such an obvious presence in the novel, however we see other forms of art as well. The National Theatre hosts a play towards the end of the novel indicating that art in the novel can be a metaphor for truth. Kadife is acting in a play that describes the political and religious struggles of the time (speaking out for such causes would not be tolerated). This form of expression through art helps to get across that truth can not exist without art and such forms of expression in the town. Ka's poetry also symbolizes truth as he writes about what is around him, almost documenting the struggles taking place.
Plot Summary
-Ka returns to Kars to investigate suicides by Muslim girls and try to restart things with Ipek.
-Ka goes around Kars interviewing town figures and people that live in Kars to start learning more about the suicides.
-Ka meets Ipek at the Life Pastry Cafe and there they witness the shooting of the Director of Education.
-Ka goes and talks to Muhtar and they are both brought down to the police station to tell about the shooting Ka witnessed.
-Ka starts questioning his beliefs in god and atheism.
-Ka meets Blue for the first time and Necip.
-Ka has dinner with Ipek and her family at the hotel.
During dinner, they convince Ka he has to go to the national theater.
-Ka meets Necip in the bathroom and Necip gives Ka his letters to Kadife.
-Ka reads his poem.
-The shooting at the national theater begins.
-The coup has started and there is a curfew on Kars.
-Ka visits Blue in Jail.
-Z Demurkuk tells Ka about Blue and Ipek.
-Ipek and Ka have a long talk in the hotel about them.
-Kadife goes to the national theater for the second show; she is performing in the show.
-Ka is sent to convince Kadife not to bare her head.
-Kadife refuses to leave and she and Sunay put on the play.
-Ka leaves for the train station.
-Ipek is told that Blue and Handle are killed and she blames it on Ka. She thinks Ka betrayed them and told the military where they were hiding. So Ipek decided to stay and not meet Ka at the train station to go to Germany with him.
-Kadife shoots Sunay in the show.
-4 years later Ka is murdered in Frankfurt. Orhan goes to talk to Ipek on how he never forgot about her and wrote many unsent letters to her. Ipek still hasn’t forgiven Ka.
Biographical And Historical Infomation
Biographical Information
Orhan was born in Istanbul in 1952 into a large family. When growing up his dreams were to become an artist. He graduated from the Secular American Robert College in Istanbul. Then, he went to study architecture, but soon he dropped that to study journalism. He never actually became a journalist though, he decided to drop that as well and write books instead. Snow was the seventh book that Orhan wrote and the fifth one that was translated into English.
Historical Information
-This book covered most all religious and political conflicts such as socialism, communism, atheism, political secularism, ethnic nationalism and the Islamist fundamentalism.
-One of the main conflicts was the Radical Islam’s wearing headscarves during this time and during this book. The government was trying to put a stop to the Radical Islam’s and by doing this they did not allow them to wear headscarves. This led to some of the girls committing suicide.
-The government in Turkey was taken over by the military. The military did things like have the coup that they did at the national theater to keep their power.
-Kars comes from the Turkish word snow.
-Kars is located in the northeast corner of Turkey and was once a trading route between Turkey, Iran, Armenia, and Soviet Georgia.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/turkey/story/0,12700,1376944,00.html
http://www.orhanpamuk.net/
Orhan was born in Istanbul in 1952 into a large family. When growing up his dreams were to become an artist. He graduated from the Secular American Robert College in Istanbul. Then, he went to study architecture, but soon he dropped that to study journalism. He never actually became a journalist though, he decided to drop that as well and write books instead. Snow was the seventh book that Orhan wrote and the fifth one that was translated into English.
Historical Information
-This book covered most all religious and political conflicts such as socialism, communism, atheism, political secularism, ethnic nationalism and the Islamist fundamentalism.
-One of the main conflicts was the Radical Islam’s wearing headscarves during this time and during this book. The government was trying to put a stop to the Radical Islam’s and by doing this they did not allow them to wear headscarves. This led to some of the girls committing suicide.
-The government in Turkey was taken over by the military. The military did things like have the coup that they did at the national theater to keep their power.
-Kars comes from the Turkish word snow.
-Kars is located in the northeast corner of Turkey and was once a trading route between Turkey, Iran, Armenia, and Soviet Georgia.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/turkey/story/0,12700,1376944,00.html
http://www.orhanpamuk.net/
Setting
Kars, Turkey is the location in which this book takes place. It is one of the poorest cities in all of Turkey and it is very isolated. There is never anyone walking in the streets and if there is they are usually being watched. The novel takes place in the heart of winter. There is snow everywhere. Infact, on Ka's bus ride into Kars from Germany he got delayed because of all the snow and the train station was closed for four days due to the weather conditions. "[...] that one could hear the whistle of the first train to leave Kars in four days".(page 395)
Poetry
Poetry is a big part of this novel. Ka, the main character, is a poet. Upon returning to Kars, Turkey Ka hadn’t been able to write a poem in a very long time. Once settles in thought, he started writing. "Before i got here, I hadn't written a poem in years," he said. "But since coming to Kars, all the roads on which poetry travels have reopened".(Page 327) Poems would come at all different times throughout the novel. Ka would stop everything that he was doing and take out his green notebook and begin writing. Poetry had a lot of meaning in “Snow”. During the time of this book your opinion was not allowed. Writing poems was Ka’s way to get his ideas and feelings out in a way that was socially acceptable. If Ka had said he wanted to make a speech on a topic that was controversial at the national theater he would have been arrested, beaten, and possibly killed. Through poetry Ka was able to get his personal message out on live TV at the national theater. In fact they signed him up to read a poem before he’d even written in. Being a poet was a great accomplishment that many people wanted. So I believe Ka had an advantage in Kars. He was able to voice his opinion and use what we do now, freedom on speech, through poetry. You need poetry in your life to speak in a socially acceptable manner in this book.
Ka's poems he wrote:
1.Snow
2.Hidden Symmetry
3.Stars and Their Friends
4.The Chocolate Box
5.The Place Where God Does Not Exist
6.The Night of the Revolution
7.Dream Streets
8.Suicide and Power
9.Privations and Difficulties
10.I,Ka
11.I Am Going to Be Happy
12.All Humanity and the Stars
13.Heaven
14.To Be Shot and Killed
15.Chess
16.Love
17.Dog
18.Jealousy
19.The Place Where the World Ends
This list came from the last page in the book. The page did not have a number.
Ka's poems he wrote:
1.Snow
2.Hidden Symmetry
3.Stars and Their Friends
4.The Chocolate Box
5.The Place Where God Does Not Exist
6.The Night of the Revolution
7.Dream Streets
8.Suicide and Power
9.Privations and Difficulties
10.I,Ka
11.I Am Going to Be Happy
12.All Humanity and the Stars
13.Heaven
14.To Be Shot and Killed
15.Chess
16.Love
17.Dog
18.Jealousy
19.The Place Where the World Ends
This list came from the last page in the book. The page did not have a number.
Religion
Religion plays a significant role in the novel Snow. One of the main reasons for Ka to go back to Kars is because Muslim girls had begun a spree of suicides. What makes the suicides so intriguing is that the Muslim religion doesn't allow suicides, and yet these girls are committing suicide, and for mysterious reasons (not being able to wear a scarfs over heads). Another way religion plays a role in Snow is in Ka's development as a character in the novel. Ka holds atheistic views on the world throughout most of the book, but his beliefs change after staying in Kars and talking with different people (Muhtar and the Sheikh) he and he accepts that God is around him.
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