Palestine, By Joe Sacco - 1809 Words

The graphic novel Palestine, published by Maltan journalist Joe Sacco in the early ‘90s, is a journalistic piece that represents his recollections of two months spent talking to and living with Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. The casual narrative style, which some might say is too shallow for such heavy subject matter, in fact allows Sacco to avoid many of the pit falls that have made Western reporting on non-Western conflicts unhelpful at the very least and more often incredibly damaging. Sacco starts in Cairo with a dramatic conversation with some Egyptians about Palestine and Israel in which one of his conversation partners is depicted violently smashing his fist on the table in the middle of the second page and proclaiming†¦show more content†¦The graphic novel combines the ability of the image to elicit an emotional response and pull the audience in with the flexibility to allow the audience to go through the piece at their own pace. This allows Sacco to take more risks and gives him time to depict moments that do not have the shock value necessary to become the subject of traditional journalism, and these mundane daily moments are often the most powerful. One such moment occurs when Sacco goes to see the Egyptian boarder. He sees a woman yelling through the boarder fences and his companion informs him that she is having a conversation with someone in Egypt. The boarder, Sacco informs us, â€Å"was bulldozed right through Rafah, a Palestinian town,† leaving â€Å"a few thousand,† of the towns former inhabitants â€Å"stranded in Egypt,† (244). As he is leaving, Sacco sees two women â€Å"sitting on rocks waiting for a friend or relative on the Egyptian side to show up†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (244). In the next panel the women are seen through a matrix of the chain-link boarder fence and Sacco is visible behind them, following his companion away, under the caption, â€Å"we leave them to their waiting†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (244) . These two panels contain no graphic images and minimal action, and yet they give such a haunting imagery to the plight of the Palestinians, a people forced to wait, eternally staring through fences at what was once home. Another simple but loaded moment that gives the reader a powerful sense ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on Palestine by Joe Sacco; a Book Review1971 Words   |  8 PagesJoe Saccos graphic novel, Palestine, deals with the repercussions of the first intifada in Israel/Palestine/the Holy Land. The story follows the author through the many refugee camps and towns around Palestine as he tries to gather information, stories, and pictures to construct his graphic novel. While the book is enjoyable at a face level, there are many underlying themes conveyed throughout its illustrated pages and written text. The most obvious of the themes is that of violence, brutalityRead More Palestine By Joe Sacco; A Book Review Essay1946 Words   |  8 Pages Joe Sacco’s graphic novel, Palestine, deals with the repercussions of the first intifada in Israel/Palestine/the Holy Land. The story follows the author through the many refugee camps and towns around Palestine as he tries to gather information, stories, and pictures to construct his graphic novel. While the book is enjoyable at a face level, there are many underlying themes conveyed throughout its illustrated pages and written text. The most obvious of the themes is that of violence, brutalityRead MoreThe Underground War in Gaza by Joe Sacco1514 Words   |  7 PagesTimes newspaper releases from their journalist, Joe Sacco the author of the comic book â€Å"The Underground War in Gaza† on July 6, 2003. In his comic he exposes the conflicts between Israel and Palestine. 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