Fun Home Response

The autobiographical graphic novel, "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel, is a very interesting and emotional story that brings out some very important qualities that people possess and struggle with. She portrays her point of view of life by exposing many things about her father, Bruce, a suspicious but unique man who is an English teacher.

Throughout this novel, Alison is challenged with facing the reality of who she really is as a person. She has the tendencies to dress more man-like with short hair and wearing boyish clothing. She struggles with this because of father's strict attitudes and strange personality. Alison often talks about memories she has, but is not sure if they are accurate to what she remembers. 

Alison's family lives in Bechdel Funeral Home, also known as "Fun Home," which is obviously not an ideal place for a family to live. We learn that Bruce has an obsession with fiction and artifice because he is constantly trying to be someone he is not, but wants to be. Bruce is very specific of how the decor around his home looks and decorates it all himself, refusing help from anyone else. This is just one strange thing we see about him in the story. We soon learn that Bruce has been seeing his guy friend who was the babysitter for the Alison and her siblings as well. This is a huge turn in Alison's life as she slowly starts to realize the true sexual identity of her father, similar to herself. 

What we learn towards the beginning of the story is the most tragic part of the whole novel. This is when we learn about Bruce's apparent suicide. Alison learns that her father got hit by a truck and this really gets to her. At first, she can't believe it and just laughs it off, but after time passes she realizes the seriousness of this tragedy and how it will effect her further on. Alison eventually comes out as lesbian and isn't ashamed of it anymore. She knows that she had to be her to live life happily and not held behind bars in her own mind of struggle. 

My Photo Essay

My name is Darren Brautigam and I am 19 years old. I have an older brother, Kurt, and sister, Morgan, of the ages 22 and 24, but today will primarily focus on my brother and I. Below are pictures ranging from 5 years ago to photos from about the last year two. I will start with the earliest picture which is Kurt and I scuba diving in Mexico in the resort's swimming pool. This was a pretty fascinating experience that me and my brother got to see while already on a phenomenal vacation trip. 

The next two photos presented below are a couple from a time my two cousins and I went up to Erie to visit my brother at school. The first one simply shows all of us sitting on Kurt's couch in his apartment. The four of us have become really close to each other throughout the years and enjoy spending time all together when we find a chance. It is harder nowadays because we are all in college in different places. The second photo was taken at the same time as the first picture. It's me and my brother sitting below a bridge that crossed a gorge up in Erie. During times when we are both free and back at home, we enjoy finding places that are interesting and fun to explore like abandoned buildings, houses, etc.

This final picture of my brother and I is from the day of my high school graduation. This specifically was a special time for me and my brother because I am the youngest in the family and was finally done with high school. Two years prior, Kurt graduated and I also attended his ceremony. My brother was a big influence for me throughout high school and helped me get through a lot I dealt with, even when it wasn't about school or education.