Waltz with Bashir
Waltz with Bashir is a book about a veteran soldier from the Lebanon war and the Beirut Massacre. Here the author, Ari Folman and David Polonsky, narrate us the story of Boaz a soldier who participated in this war. It tells us about the events that happened during this war but what it also tells us is that Boaz forgets being or doesn’t remember that most of this events happened. In other words he only remembers about one-third of the war he was in. Through the story we see how he visits all of his friends that were with him during the war. Also we learn a medical explanation about why he forgets most of these things.
Entry Number 1: Pages 1-30
September 10, 2011
Boaz is a mostly shy and reserved person, during the war he didn’t kill any innocent people and was sent to kill dogs because he couldn’t kill any human being. The most important thing for the character is to have a reason for everything that you do. At the beginning of the story he starts really scared and wonders if he did anything really bad or without a reason, but at the end he figures out, with the help of doctors and other friends, that he did not.
A thing that I could tell or show him would be this article about Dissociative Disorder, which is a breakdown or loss of a person’s identity, events, or surroundings. This happens when a person forgets events that he lived, or places that he may have visited. It is not considered Amnesia because he only forgets certain things.
“Yes, I remember being in Beirut. The invasion will be with me for the rest of my life. But…. how can I say it? The massacre´s not in my system.” Page 27
Entry Number 2: Pages 31-55
September 17, 2011
Boaz went to Russia to visit one of his friends from the war. Once there he finds out new stuff and places and events in which he was involucrate. He is still investigating and trying to find what happened with the gaps that he is still missing from the war. He finds out that he may have had a girlfriend during the war. This is astonishing for him because he has a girlfriend back home. He appears to be mixing his feelings with this adventure of his.
From this part of the book I would recommend him to visit a psychologist or a physiatrist or a professional on this subject. It is really hard for a person to find feelings or memories that are really hidden in your conscious, but with the help of a professional you can do it. Another way would be to stimulate the brain by playing mind games or memory games. This is scientifically proven to help a human brain remember certain things. I would tell him to play this game: http://www.deliverfreedom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/memory_game.jpg
“My next was to find someone who was there that first night of the was, maybe even someone I´d brought to the place with the bright light. It took a while, but the search led to Ronnie Dayag, a Biologist.” Page 34
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