Final Blog Assignment (Due May 21, 2011)

Questions:

What have you learned throughout this course?

What strikes you as important in all the discussions we have had?

What is women's literature?


Response:

I primarily only read biographies of musicians so this course definitely took me out of my box. Initially, I was hesitant about whether I would be able to maintain an interest in the course's readings. Never having been exposed much to women's literature I didn't entirely know what to expect. I didn't understand what the difference was going to be between women's literature and just plain literature. Over the course of the semester I found that I was having minimal difficulty keeping interest in the class's reading selection. For the most part the stories were quite intriguing and really made me think about various situations. Reflecting back on the work we read I am now able to recognize the distinction between women's literature and other literature. The books we analyzed dealt with the lives of women and the struggles they have encountered, the emotions they feel & objectives they hope to achieve. This genre is unlike your usual literature because it only focuses on women. It should've been obvious to me that these stories were only going to discuss situations concerning women. In any case, I learned how to simply define women's literature - books written about women, by women.

Throughout the course there have been many topics and ideas that I can deem important. For instance, The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler provided a great deal of debate. I had a hard time determining whether Ensler was taking things too far or just far enough. As awkward as I felt reading this book, I can honestly say it was probably one of the most entertaining books covered during this course. It really made me think about what should be said and what should be left to oneself. I determined that it isn't always the best thing to never talk about something. Sometimes we need to just share stuff and get it out of our system even when we don't necessarily want to. The Vagina Monologues was basically the same as Ensler's, I Am An Emotional Creature. Both stories shared the same idea of expressing experiences and thoughts that are often put aside and never talked about. With Emotional Creature, the setup is more so a story rather than a variety of interviews like The V. Monologues. However, despite the separate styles the same idea is still present. Ensler wanted to share the struggles women go through. She focused not only on one age group, but on several. I think age variation was a similarity among each book we read. For example, in Fun Home - Bechdel walked us through her life, from when she was young and confused to her adult years when she became more aware and accepting of herself. Also, in The Shawl we are introduced to the characters when they are young and struggling in the camp and then we are drawn to focus on Rosa when she is much older and still struggling. Age is also a factor in When the Emperor Was Devine. Though the key character seems to be the mother, the author also tells the story from the young daughter and son's point of view. Anyways, I just thought that it was worth mentioning that in each story we read you can see that there is always a variation in age and that the women author's don't just focus on one age group, but share the perspectives of young girls and older women. It makes it more interesting when you are able to compare and contrast the views of different generations.

When I returned to my very first post I saw that it was a poem I had chosen by Shel Silverstein.

"No Difference"

Small as a peanut,

Big as a giant,

We're all the same size

When we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,

Poor as a mite,

We're all worth the same

When we turn off the light.

Red, black or orange,

Yellow or white,

We all look the same

When we turn off the light.

So maybe the way

To make everything right

Is for God to just reach out

And turn off the light!

Looking back on this course and all the topics we have covered, I believe this is actually a very fitting poem to the idea of this class. No matter the nationality of the women in these stories, their sexual orientation, their education level, their age, their home life, etc...they are all the same in the end. They all feel the same emotions, strive for success and want the most out of life.

The Shawl (Post #2)

Question.

What is the significance of Dr. Tree and his study? Why does Rosa reject his version of reality? What does she object to? Can you make any connections between her attitude toward Tree and her attitude toward Stella?

Response.

Dr. Tree contacts Rosa hoping to arrange a meeting. He is a part of a study that focuses on the current conditions of those who survived such events like Rosa had.

"For some months teams of medical paraphrasers have been conducting interviews with survivors, to contrast current medical paraphrase with conditions found more than three decades ago, at the opening of the camp. This, I confess, is neither my field nor my interest. My own concerns, both as a scholar of social pathology and as a human being..." (Ozick. Pg 37). Dr. Tree and his study are significant because it is just another occurence that causes Rosa to feel labeled as crazy and unaccepted as a human being. She is especially offended by the term "survivor." This becomes very evident when Dr. Tree refers to himself as a human being and Rosa as a survivor. She doesn't want to be treated as a medical study, she wants to be seen as the intellectual human being she deems herself to be. Rosa sees Dr. Tree and Stella as being one in the same. Rosa knows what Dr. Tree's intentions are and she believes that Stella agrees with Tree's ideas.

"Drop in the hole! Disease! It comes from Stella, everything! Stella saw what this letter was, she could see from the envelope-Dr.Stella! Kansas-Iowa Clinical Social Pathology, a fancy hotel, this is the cure for the taking of a life! Angel of Death!" (Ozick. Pg 39). They both want to "help" Rosa, but at the same time they're causing her to become more isolated and withdrawn from reality. When Rosa gets upset she resorts to writing letters addressed to Magda, her deceased daughter whom she still considers to be alive and very successful. I think Dr. Tree and Stella have solid intentions to helping Rosa, but Rosa is so far gone in her own world that it would take much time for her to let go of the past and move on.

The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick

Question:

What do you think Ozick's intentions are with this book? What does she want us to get out of it?

Response:

It's hard to say exactly what Ozick's intentions are with this book. I feel as though she has more than just one message to share. In my perspective, there seems to be a lot of different meanings one can come across while reading The Shawl. I believe that many readers can walk away from this book carrying separate ideas about what they considered to be the most important and common theme.

In my opinion, I think Ozick wants us to observe fear and hate. These two themes seem to be the most common within both sections of the book. In the first part when the focus is on Rosa, Stella & Magda it is very clear that they are living in fear and hate the situation that has come upon them. When Magda's presence becomes known to the guards she is tossed toward the electric fence, which ultimately kills her. The guards encourage Rosa to run in Magda's direction, but Rosa is aware of the consequences of doing so and fears what they could do to her. "...the steel voices went mad in their growling, urging Rosa to run and run to the spot where Magda had fallen from her flight against the electrified fence; but of course Rosa did not obey them. She only stood, because if she had ran they would shoot, and if she had tried to pick up the sticks of Magda's body they would shoot...."(Ozick, page 10). They constantly lived in fear and especially in this instance where Rosa could have been shot and killed for almost no reason at all. In the second section of the book where Rosa is the primary focus I find that her hatred toward her past is very evident. She hated her experience in Warsaw, she hated the customers who visited her old antique shop and she hated her living situation in Florida. After her struggle in Poland she arrived in NYC and became a rather successful store owner. However, after she destroyed her own shop because of her fear and hatred toward "the voices" (aka, the customers) her life quickly went downhill. For some time she was doing well for herself, but soon enough everything collapsed and she wound up in Florida in an old hotel room that is described as being very unkept and rather depressing.

Anyway, I think Ozick really just wants us to see the impact that fear and hatred can have on us. If we dwell on such emotions we can only do worse for ourselves.

When the Emperor Was Divine (#2)

Who had more difficulty returning home after life in the containment camp - the children or the parents?

Both the adults and children arrived home to a scene of disappointment and felt a great deal of unwelcoming vibes from their community. After living in a containment camp for such a significant amount of time, they were anxious to return home and attempt to pick up where they had left off. They were once again a family with the father now back in their lives and they were ready to begin their work and school routines. I don't think they were entirely prepared for what they ultimately came home to. I believe they were aware enough to know that it would take some time to socially adjust, however, I don't think they quite anticipated the change they actually encountered. The parents were probably more devastated than the children. Being that the kids are still very young, they don't entirely understand the situation. The daughter has a better idea of the family's circumstances, but the son is still too young to have a solid understanding of the whole ordeal. I believe the parents had more difficulty returning home than the children. After years of working so hard to obtain a successful life, they were now back at the start. Their home was run down and inhabited by unwelcomed guests, society was very hateful toward their culture and life really was at an all time low for the parents. The things they dreamed of coming home to weren't there. All they wanted was to return home as a family and have their own space again. However, there home situation made them feel like they had never really left the containment camp. Overall, I do think the parents had more difficulty returning home than the children. Though I do believe the kids were very upset in their own way. Children handle situations very differently than adults. They have very simple perspectives and are naive for the most part. I don't think the kids quite knew what they had lost, but nonetheless they were aware that they weren't in the home they once lived in. Time had taken a toll on their home and community as well as on themselves.

When the Emperor Was Divine (#1)

For this book it is important to have some background knowledge about the U.S internment camps and the reclassification of Japanese-Americans after the Pearl Harbor attack. The U.S wanted to relocate Japanese families to the mid-west. This act was exposed as being a way to keep these families from harm, but in actuality it was an attempt to separate possible Japanese spies from outside contacts. The U.S government wanted to prevent any further trouble so they decided to collect Japanese-American families living on the west coast and move them to internment camps where they would reside together. It was certainly nothing like the concentration camps used over in Europe, but nonetheless our country didn't want it to be publicized and viewed as cruel treatment. Though it wasn't nearly as bad as the concentration camps, families were still negatively effected. In the first chapter the mother is the main focus. It begins with her taking notice of signs speaking about the repositioning of Japanese-Americans. She takes note of what objects are allowed to go with the families and heads home to pack up and move out. Her children are aware of the move, but may not entirely understand why; at least, the boy doesn't comprehend, but I feel the girl may be somewhat aware of the situation. Anyway, the mother goes through the household items deciding what to leave behind and what to pack up. Pets were not allowed to be brought along so she had to do something about their bird and dog. She released the bird into the wild and killed the dog by impaling it with a shovel. Even though it was the 1940s I think she could have come up with a less barbarian method to getting rid of the dog; however, I guess with lack of time and being under stress perhaps nothing better could come to mind. In any case, while reading this initial section I really got to thinking about their situation and how I would respond to such an event. I can't imagine having to leave behind several personal belongings and a life you've worked so hard to achieve. They seem like a decent upper-middle class family and to have to be relocated and lose everything just seems so upsetting. It's actually beyond upsetting, it's devasting. Such a change can really inflict emotional damage, but in the case of this family it may bring them closer together. Aside from being separated from the father who was imprisoned for having possible Japanese connections, I think the mother - daughter - and son are going to stick together and try to look past this setback.

Question: Could Precious really break the cycle of abuse? How could she know how to be a good parent? Response: Despite the abusive behavior Precious has been surrounded by, I believe she can successfully break the cycle of violence and be a decent mother. She has a desire to raise her children and care for them. She wants to be there for them and provide them with the childhood she didn't get the chance to experience. Considering her personal motivation to be a better mother than her own shows a lot of promise in her future parenting. I think due to the amount of suffering she was put through by both parents, she has developed a greater interest in learning how to properly raise her children. She doesn't want her kids to experience the life she lived. Precious may not entirely understand what it takes to be a good mother, but I think she knows well enough what she shouldn't do. Based on her ambition to excel in school and obtain a solid job, I can forsee her becoming a good parent. She is showing a desire to get her life together. Even though she has had to deal with several obstacles, she continues to push through and look for the light at the end of the tunnel. All her life she has looked for love and affection and was never able to find any. Her mother treated her like a slave and her father traumatized her as well. With Abdul she finally has someone who doesn't fight her; he is someone she can actually love and care for and I think she really cherishes the relationship she has with Abdul. I don't think she will ever adobt the attitude of her mother, father or grandmother.

"Push" Reading about Precious Jones made me really appreciate everything I have - supporting family, good friends, an education and a promising future. I often take for granted the things I have in my life. I don't stop to think about how lucky I am to have a high school education or to be able to have the opportunity to obtain a college degree. I don't stop to think about how much my friends and family care about me and that I always have their help and support. It's things like this that get overlooked on a daily basis. After being exposed to the life of Precious Jones, I feel very fortunate to have all that I have. Precious had nothing - almost since the very beginning of her life. Her parents weren't mentally stable. She didn't have any positive influences in or out of school. Abuse was something she experienced nearly everyday and a low self-esteem followed her almost everywhere. Then, if her life wasn't difficult enough - she gets pregnant twice by her own father, whom also infects her with HIV. It was remarkable to see her overcome every obstacle that was thrown her way. After the amount of physical and mental abuse she was put through, she still had the desire to successfully raise her children, get a solid education and find a job that would enable her to be a more independent person. No matter how depressed and low she felt, she would always try to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She knew that she was meant to be someone special and there wasn't anything that could stop her from achieving her aspirations. I think about this story and how it is about this one girl and the many complications she was presented with throughout her life. Then I think about all the other people who may be out there experiencing the same situations. When you read a book like this you're hit with a sense of reality. You see that things really aren't perfect and that some people do in fact go through such events as rape, abuse, bullying, early pregnancy, incest, etc. This book has most definitely caused me to be more grateful for all that I have and to above all - value my education. If there is one thing I took most from Push it is that we shouldn't underestimate the power of education.

"Fun Home" Aside from the main characters - Alison & the parents - I question how her brothers felt about the family situation. She doesn't go into much detail about them other than their playful time together and moments when the dad forced them to help with home renovations. I'm curious to know if they have the same views as Alison and if they were as affected by the events as she was. Since neither one of the brothers was homosexual I'm sure they didn't have as much difficulty growing up as Alison did; however, with the parents being so emotionally detached I'm sure they still experienced many hard times. I wonder if they even cared that there was very little communication between children and parents. In the previous books we've read this semester, in particular Ensler's writing, it is suggested that women are more emotional than men. I think that idea can connect with Alison's "Fun Home" too. Because of Alison's gender did she take the family's disconnection more seriously than the brother's? Since there isn't much mention about the boys, it's left to the imagination to figure out how they may have felt about certain encounters with the mom and dad. So many questions come to mind when I think about her brother's reactions over her own. For example: - How do the brother's react when they eventually find out that their dad experimented with homosexual behavior? - Was there any connection between the boys and the parents? Was either one more like the mom or the dad or neither? - Did the brother's care as much that they never had quality time with the parents? - The brothers had each other and Alison was more or less alone. Do you think the boys' connection with each other made up for their lack of communication with the parents? - Did either brother ever take notice of Alison's homosexual tendencies? When her sexual orientation was finally determined what were the brother's reactions? Did they care? Were they surprised? Based on the information provided by Alison, these questions probably cannot be answered. However, it is still interesting to ponder what the brother's may have felt over those years and if they had similar feelings as Alison.

"Fun Home" Bechdel covers a variety of themes throughout her story. A couple that had an impression on me were identification and regret. I personally feel that these are the two main themes of the book. Bechdel's difficulty with determining her identity was an issue she seemed to deal with since childhood. She preferred to look and act like a boy rather than a girl. In the beginning I didn't think too much of it because young kids don't always identify with things that society may deem gender specific. For instance, young girls may want to play in the dirt as opposed to dressing up and young boys may choose to play dress up instead of rolling in dirt. It doesn't necessarily mean anything when you're a young child, but if such feelings persist through adolesence and young adulthood then it may be hard to decipher who you really are. I believe that dealing with such a situation is difficult to begin with; however, if you do not have anyone to talk to or get support from then the problem becomes much worse. In Bechdel's case she never had anyone to turn to for help. Her parents were distant not only from each other, but from Alison and her brothers as well. There were no emotions expressed between any family members, which caused a social barrier. There was information that was never disclosed to any of the kids until they were older. When Bechdel started college she became more aware of homosexuality and felt that maybe she was a lesbian. I felt a sense of denial within Bechdel when the two girls invited her to the lesbian-feminist concert. She acted like they were freaks instead of people that she could finally talk to about her feelings. When Bechdel found out about her dad's homosexual experiences I know at first she was shocked, but I think there was also a feeling of understanding...almost like an "a-ha" moment where she finally could see where she came from. In Bechdel's case I don't know how I would react to such news. I could either be happy that I now had a connection with a parent who I never felt close to; or upset because someone I thought I knew isn't really who they seemed to be. It has to be a very difficult situation either way, probably quite traumatizing too.

"Fun Home" This book has been a decent read thus far. I wasn't expecting it to take such drastic twists and turns, which is why I think I've managed to maintain interest. The father figure didn't initially come off as the selfish and unemotional man he turned out to be. At the very start I thought he was just going to be one of those dad's that just isn't a family guy, but his character grew to be much more intriguing than that. He was insane, perhaps bi-polar. For him to treat his home furnishings better than his own kids clearly demonstrates some kind of mental illness. In some sense he was a very confusing character as well. You get a feeling that he doesn't really know what he wants out of life. It's almost like after he left Europe to return home to run his father's funeral business, he kind of lost sight of what he really wanted. He had a wife and three kids and it seemed he wasn't where he wanted to be. You don't want to side with the dad, but in some way you have to feel sorry for him. As much of a bastard as he was, he was lost-confused-and really just unable to connect with anyone. When you're alone and don't have anyone to turn to you become angry. Unfortunately, his wife and children received the brunt of his rage. It was also a surprise when he died. But, it wasn't just his death that shocked me it was the emotion that his family expressed as well. They were somewhat content with the idea that he was gone forever. When it was suspected that his death may have been suicide I wasn't very thrown back. I hadn't thought of it as being a suicide prior to the suggestion, but the various clues given afterwards really make you think about whether he was trying to hint something all along. Anyway, it is turning out to be a pretty good book. I am curious to see what else goes on with her family, but at the same time I'm not too thrilled about reading such a depressing book.