Page 142 panel

In the bottom panel on page 142, readers are looking down upon Judd and Pedro sitting on a bench and staring at nothing, as though they are in deep thought. They had just discovered that Pedro had lost his ability to speak due to PML, a rare disease that affects the brain. The men are devastated because Pedro was a communicator, and his whole life was devoted to teaching people to practice safe sex and educate them about AIDS/HIV. The panel is darkened in shadows as if a curse had been cast over the two men. It is as if they are left in doubt and uncertainty of what tomorrow may bring.

The author, Judd, tells the readers in this panel that his friend Pedro was “robbed of speech at the end… when he had so much left to say. It was agony.” Those words signified one of the huge turning points in Pedro’s health, and in the story itself. They make the reader feel the pain and agony of Pedro’s battle with HIV, because his life’s mission was to communicate, and his gift was taken from him at this point. The panel gives the feel that Pedro and Judd both know that Pedro is reaching the end of life and they are at a loss for what to do about it.

Readers are looking down on Judd and Pedro from a distance, and it appears as though they are two young boys in this panel, which is possibly a symbol for how they are feeling. As if they are children searching for knowledge and answers. Another symbolic approach that the author took was aiming down upon the men. It gives readers a feeling that we are in heaven, looking down on Pedro, and waiting for him to arrive. The panel doesn’t seem to fit in with many of the other panels in the book up until that point, because this panel is dark and not humorous. It does signify a turning point in the book, however. Many of the panels after this one are dark and dreary, leading into the unfortunate loss of the author’s best friend.

Page 48 Panel

Written by: Brooke Ranum, Kathy Rossi and Renee Strand

Imagine being seventeen years old. Your future is ahead of you, and anything is possible. Dreams of colleges and careers race through your mind, reminding you that your options are limitless. But what happens when life takes an unexpected turn? You are sick. You are dying. All of your goals and dreams for the future have to be pushed aside, because now you have to focus on your illness. Everything has changed.

This is the tragic truth that Pedro Zamora came to realize on page 48 of Pedro and Me. Like many seventeen-year-olds, Pedro had similar dreams for his future. However, his plans changed dramatically after learning he had contracted the AIDS virus. Consequently, he spent his last years fighting his illness while educating others.

Throughout Pedro and Me, Pedro is upbeat while facing his battle. He is strong, courageous, and committed to surviving. When turning to page 48, you can immediately sense that something has changed. The author, Judd Winick, chose a solid black background for this full-page panel. This effect conveys emotions of sadness and depression. It seems as though Winick may have chosen this color to symbolize the tragic message conveyed on this particular page.

Bold white lettering trickles down one side of the panel. You can literally experience a sinking feeling as your eyes move down the page. The message is very clear: While Pedro used to dream of colleges, cars, and careers, he has finally come to the devastating truth that he is dying from AIDS.

Next to the words, in the bottom corner of the page, is a small drawing of Pedro, strapped tightly into the driver’s seat of his car. This single image brings all of the focus onto Pedro’s face, where you can see a mixture of anger, fear and sadness. The prominent black seatbelt sends the message that Pedro is trapped, no longer able to pursue his dreams. He cannot escape his illness. On the other hand, the seatbelt could also signify safety. While he didn’t protect himself in the past, the seatbelt now offers physical protection while driving.

No matter how you look at it, the panel on page 48 is delivers an important message in Pedro and Me. Everything has changed, and Pedro has finally admitted that AIDS would take his life.

Page 58 Panel

By Rachel Johnson

On page 58, fourth panel in, is the scene I have chosen to discuss. In this panel, Pedro’s best friend and roommate, Alex Escarano, is introduced. Pedro has told Alex that he had to cancel his AIDs speech in Arizona. Alex seems both surprised and maybe a little suspicious about why Pedro canceled his speech. The expression on Alex’s face shows that he is uncertain, and Pedro looks like he is trying to play cool. Pedro’s response is simply, “Yeah”. The first panel on page 58 explains that Pedro has been doing many speeches lately. Then in the third panel, the text says that Pedro was tired. It is implied that he is tried because of the HIV. Another way that I know what is going on in this panel is the boxed in words at the top. It directly says where Pedro is and who he is talking to.

This panel does not fit in some ways in with the rest in the story. Most of the other panels in the book are closer up, and the character’s eyes are large. However, in this panel the character are further away and their eyes are small. Shading and darkness are used to color in the background. For example, the couch is black, the floorboards are shaded in, there are pictures on the wall, and a table in the background. This scene has little white space compared to some other panels in the book- it is further away and darker. The words in this panel just like the others throughout the story- capital letters and the same font. Speech balloons represent what the characters are saying, and boxed in words are used for narration. The word “canceled” is in bold. This seems to be important because Pedro was doing well with giving speeches, and Alex seems surprised that Pedro has canceled one.

The fact that this panel is more distant is symbolic. I think that this represents the distance Pedro is feeling within himself. The words in the rectangle say, “Home was not in Miami…” Throughout the story, it is very obvious that family is important to Pedro, and although he is friends with Alex, it is not the same as home with his family. In addition, Pedro is starting to feel tired because of his HIV. Winick used a busy and dark background, but left the characters with little detail. The lack of detail on the character’s faces shows the kind of blankness Pedro must be feeling.

This panel is important and stuck out to me because it is a turning point where Pedro is starting to feel the effects of his illness and they are starting to show.

Page 39 Panel

By: Kari Duddeck, Kayla Randall, and Lynnae Johnson

The panel that we decided to analyze can be found on page 39 of the book Pedro & Me. In this particular panel Pedro has just arrived to America for the first time. As he steps off the ship he is handed an apple. The apple means a lot to him because it reminds him of his brother back in Cuba. We know that this is the case because the prior two panels show Pedro stepping off the boat and then handed an apple, the panel comes right out and says how he feels about the apple and what it makes him think about, and the panel illustrates a pair of small hands taking an apple from adult-sized hands. We also know that the apple reminds him of his brother because Pedro starts to cry. Pedro flashes back to conversations with his brother and their ideas of America and what they wish they could experience someday. This particular panel could be compared to page 33 of the book. On page 33 the illustrations depict the various hardships that Pedro and his family have gone through and will continue to face as they live in Cuba. The panel shows that something so simple, such as being handed an apple, can mean so much. Pedro was so used to having a difficult life with minimal luxuries. To be given an apple by a complete stranger is very uplifting, especially to a young child. This particular panel doesn’t have a lot of variation in darkness or shading. The majority of the objects within the panel are light in color with minimal shading. The font that is used in our panel is the same font that is used throughout the book and there are no bold or italicized words. The way the text in the panel is set up seems to have more of a significance than the words themselves. The most significant part of the panel is the bold apple in the center of the panel. One of the first things that came to mind is the closeness of the apple. The fact that the apple is focused on and is close up signifies that the apple is of importance. Another interesting aspect of the apple and the way it is portrayed is that Pedro takes the apple with both hands. The apple is of sentimental value to Pedro and the fact that he takes it with both hands shows that he cherishes the apple and everything that the apple means. The apple symbolizes a lot about Pedro and his life. It symbolizes his family and his sentiments towards his brother and it also symbolizes his new life free of the many hardships he experienced in Cuba.

Page 29 Panel

By Angela, Aaron and Jazmin

In the panel on page 29 of Pedro and Me, Judd is shown receiving the news that he will be a cast member on the Real World. This is portrayed as a major turning point in Judd’s life; this is shown by the relation to the other important moments in his life and also the look on his face, he looks very happy to be having this conversation. This panel in the book fits in with the rest of the novel because it is the point where Judd is accepted as a cast member on the Real World and ultimately this puts him in contact with Pedro. So really this is a life changing moment for Judd. As Judd says, “This was a moment in time when I was aware that my life would change forever.”

The darkness that surrounds Judd in the panel puts the focus specifically on him, there is no background, it is simply him receiving the news that he will be a cast member. The fact that the panel only includes Judd shows how important this is to him, and how nothing else at that moment is important. The words in bold print describe how Judd is feeling at the time he is receiving the news, this is more detailed than the actual conversation he is having. Some parts of the conversation appear, but the focus is really on his feelings. This also shows how important this moment in his life is. Another detail that adds to the important of this moment is the expression on Judd’s face. He seems to be very content; he doesn’t look shocked or very surprised. He looks simply very satisfied. It is almost like he knows things will be good from here on out. The fact that Judd is on the phone is also a defining detail of how he received the news. It wouldn’t be the same if it just showed him standing there looking happy. Instead he is shown with the phone up to his ear, this is important in showing how he actually received the news. The phone is symbolic in keeping the panel true to how Judd received the news about The Real World.

When you look at the complete panel, it is clear that Judd is in a life changing moment. This is shown by the drawing and supported by the text that describes the conversation he is having and how he is feeling. I think it is very clear in the point it is making and does a good job portraying the feelings Judd is having at the time.

Panel at top of page 38

There is a cartoon panel at the top of page 38 of the book Pedro and Me by Judd Winick. There are three sections to the panel. In one part of the panel the main character, Pedro, is on board a ship headed towards the United States. Accompanying Pedro are his mother, his father, his grandmother, his sister Mily, and his brother Jesus. In that same part of the panel, the family is huddled together with their heads hung, trying to stay warm and safe from the weather elements. Another part of the panel depicts Pedro's four older brothers and his older sister standing somberly behind a fence. Those behind the fence are not aboard the ship because they are too close to the draft age and must stay behind. The final portion of the panel is an extension of the second. The scene has panned out to give Pedro's perspective as he watches his older siblings being drift into the distance.

There are many visual and textual details that enable anyone viewing the panel to know what is going on within it. The simplest of clues associated with understanding the panel are the texts that go along with the cartoon depiction; in the text it is clearly states that part of Pedro's family are on a boat headed to America while the others are not allowed to. The actual illustration shows Pedro, and those of his family on board the boat, huddled together with their heads down. It also shows people standing behind a fence and watching with forlorn looks on their faces. Finally, it shows those same people behind the fence at a greater distance. This difference in perspective found within the two sections of the panel, gives the illusion of that the picture is a representation of the last glimpse of the life and family that Pedro left behind. The dramatic split that this panel depicts is a common theme for Pedro within Pedro and Me.

Not only does this panel fit in format wise (black and white cartoon) with the rest of the novel, but in context with the part of the novel that the panel on the top of page 38 is found on, it fits perfectly in depicting the hard choices and voyage that led Pedro to come to America. It really helps the reader to understand Pedro's background before he met Judd Winick. The hardship that Pedro had to overcome in order to arrive in the United States only set the stage for a lifetime of hardships and choices that he had to face which are represented in Pedro and Me. Such hardships included being HIV positive, which later became a central part of his life and legacy. In a way, the panel shows the split that occurred not only between Pedro and his older siblings but also the one that occurred within himself. Later in the novel Pedro is often torn internally. Two examples of this include how he was sick but didn't want to portray people having AIDS as sick when he appeared on MTV's The Real World; and also when he wanted to live with his partner Sean while longing to stay physically close to his family. The panel of Pedro's family separation is a great prelude to the Pedro's life story.

The use of darkness and shadows give the reader more information about the scene they are looking at. First off the darkness gives way to show physical attributes of the characters drawn. For example Cubans often have dark hair. Shadows also contour the facial features of the people which helps show the sad emotional context of the scene. In addition, the segment of Pedro and his family on the boat is comparatively dark when taking all three segments into account. This shows how hard of a decision it was for them to leave the other family members behind. There are also dark streaks that run throughout the portrait of those on the boat which add to the somber feeling while simultaneously depicting the bad weather that surrounded their departure. The actual wording is another thing to consider that relays more information to the viewer of the panel.

Throughout Pedro and Me the writing is in comic "blurbs" with all capitol letters. Such a format is rather personal, and less formal which yields to it being inviting for many people of different education levels and backgrounds to relate to. In addition, the words in the top part of the panel are enmeshed into the vision, while the words portraying those left behind are separated with a box. This is important because it's as there is supposed to a message that while it was great that Pedro and some of his family went to America, the part that was most important was they left others that they cared a lot about behind. It's almost like the actions of those on the boat are an afterthought to those behind the fence. While the text of the panel is interesting to interpret, the details seem more important for this particular piece.

It's very interesting that Winick chose to split the panel of Pedro's family separating into three parts. The first drawing is set up much darker to portray the sadness and grief at leaving home. The families behind the fence are shown with precise faces that are showing emotions, but as the picture is panned out they become more obscure showing the emotion of them fading into the distance physically and psychologically. The black and white colors let you focus truly on what is happening in the illustration. You are not distracted by colors, plus it shows that on that very day there was a cloud over their lives. They were happy to be leaving for better opportunities yet very depressed to be leaving their families and homes forever. In addition the rainy streaks create a sense of movement; after all, happy or not, Pedro and part of his family were moving forward. In the other two parts of the panel the lines in the fence serve as a way to break up the features of those who are being left behind. Those same lines provide a prison-like look. Many of these various elements can easily be analyzed for symbolism.

There is a symbolic nature in the illustration as a whole. The mothers and fathers gathered around their young children, guarding them from the rain, symbolize the parents wanting to guard their children from life and the misfortunes they may run across. They drift off into the sea, going away from the life that they have always known and departing toward a new one that they are unsure of. It is as if they are huddled around their children trying to protect them from the elements, but also knowing that they will be heading to a more fruitful nation where freedom is expected. The hung faces of those on the boat are really important. Often times, we think that people are so lucky to have the chance to come to America- but this shows that such a freedom weighs heavily on their hearts and their minds. The panel also shows the family left behind and how sad they are to see their families leave; but it is important to note that they are not crying because they know that the family members on the boat are headed to bigger and better things. The fence itself seems to have a purpose all of its own- it is a physical barrier that serves to prevent the family from reconnecting.

All in all there are many details that go hand in hand to make the panel on the top of page 38 of Pedro and Me a very interesting piece to analyze. It truly seems to be a turning point for Pedro as well as his family, and evidently has many repeating characteristics of Pedro's life as a whole. It's a very sad scene and Judd Winick used a wide variety of techniques from shading to separating to make it speak volumes.

Works Cited

Winick, Judd. Pedro and Me. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2000. Print.

Turkle

According to the book They Say I Say Sherry Turkle “looks askance at today’s media-saturated culture, because of the way cell phones, computers, and other portable technologies undermine public spaces and community. (212) Sherry Turkle had a piece published in Forbes magazine in 2007, in the article she points out “five troubles that try her tethered soul” as related to the use of technology today.

“ There is a New State of the Self Itself” Where she talks about the virtual self and how you can be just about anyone you want to be while online. There is a virtual world called Second Life where people who are normally socially awkward can be a social queen since they are interacting through a computer and not in real life. As Turkle says, “it is easier to express intimacy in the virtual world than the real world." She also adds that "online life provides an environment where one can be a loner, yet not alone.” Turkle is worried that soon people will stop even wanting to go outside and be social since they have a computer instead. We don’t want our kids learning social skills from a computer.

Are We Losing the Time to Take our Time? Where she talks about people growing up and multitasking and having rapid responses. With the new technological age and people are always on the move doing something with the technology and “are we leaving enough time to take our time on things that matter?” Recently people make their world revolve around their blackberries, rather than what’s important like family.

The Tethered Adolescent. Talks about how children are losing a sort of right of passage by having cell phone and having there parents on speed dial so they don’t have to experience some of the things that we did as children. This section also talks about how cell phones take away from the ability to be alone and children now a day don’t get to feel that. Children need to be able to feel independence, and how are they supposed to do that when they are have mom and dad one click away. Turkle believes that children end up being more dependent on their cell phones than their own self.

Virtuality and Its Discontents. Speaks about how if we are always being watched can lead to political abuse.

Split Attention speaks about “doing e-mail” while doing other tasks such as during classes, meetings, while talking to our children, walking down the street, driving cars, or when having dinner with our family. “Once done surreptitiously, the habit of “Self-splitting in different world becomes normalized.” Which means that we can be in the physical world while also being in the virtual world?
I believe that Turkle would agree with Amy Goldwasser, they both have similar views about technology today. They believe that kids are too into electronics and are not focused on the important things in life. Turkle would love how Goldwasser says,” Kids today don’t read, don’t write, and don’t care about anything farther in front of them than their iPods.” I also believe that Turkle would agree with Dana Stevens when she suggests that the nation take a week off of TV.