Question:

For Ensler, language is important. Why? What does it matter what we call body parts? What is the importance of language in defining sexuality, bodies, etc? Why do you think she asks those questions about what vaginas would wear, etc? What is she trying to do with that?

Response:

Ensler mentions in the beginning how when she was growing up the women who were present in her life referred to the vagina as the "down there." She lists off the various slang terms people have assigned to the vagina and I think people do this to avoid feeling awkward. Ensler is right when she says, "Vagina. Doesn't matter how many times you say it, it never sounds like a word you want to say." (Ensler, page 5). There is just something about the word itself that sounds uncomfortable.

I suppose it doesn't really matter what we call body parts. We all have our own personal choice, but in Ensler's opinion she believes that by using slang and refraining from using the word "vagina" then we are keeping distance from something that is really everywhere and unavoidable in some sense. We can clearly show the kind of person we are through the language we use. In the case of The Vagina Monologues - those who abstain from saying "vagina" come off as more conservative and uncomfortable as oppose to someone who may openly throw around the proper term and show no sense of discomfort in talking about it. We're all different and I really think that Ensler tries to emphasize this in the various monologues she has incorporated in her book.

Ensler also talks about giving the vagina its own name - not so much a slang name, but rather a real name...She wants people to treat it as if it were a person. Maybe not like a person, but she just strives to make people aware that it is there and you cannot escape it so why not just embrace it and get to know it. She believes that by giving it a name you can become more comfortable with yourself. I don't necessarily agree with this, but I can see where she is coming from with that idea. When you personalize something it makes it more real, more important.

Ensler dedicates this book to helping women (and perhaps men too) become more aware of the female body. She wants to promote the importance of stopping sexual violence and to also show the diversity among women, but the similarity they share as well. Sometimes when you think you're the only one experiencing something its nice to be reassured that you're not always alone. By using the language of humor, sadness and anger Ensler successfully engages an audience and spreads her message(s) worldwide.

Question:

Emotion plays a huge role in what Ensler is trying to accomplish. Why is this? How does she use emotions like humor as a strategy? How does she move us from laughter to embarrassment to sadness to other emotional reactions and why do you think she is doing this?

Response:

Emotion is the primary focus in Ensler's Vagina Monologues. She strives to display how different yet similar women are when it comes to discussing the female body. Ensler is succesful in such an attempt by including a variety of stories, which ultimately show some sign of relevance to each other. In each interview I could tell there was some hesitation in the women openly talking about their body, but eventually they became more comfortable and almost relieved to finally being able to talk to someone about it. I suppose that that was also what Ensler was going for with this book. She wanted to break the ice and hear what everyone has to say. I can't think of too many people, if any, who ever choose to freely talk about their vagina and in this book those unsure feelings are brought forth and the women seem to ultimately discover a sense of who they are.

Ensler uses humor as a strategy because everyone always feels more comfortable in awkward situations when they feel they can laugh. I hate talking and reading about the human body. I've always hated health class too. It's just awkward. When I saw we had to read this book I felt weird just reading it on the syllabus nevermind checking it out at the library. Anyway, as I read more into it I felt less awkward because of the humor Ensler uses throughout. After she discusses a more seriously toned interview she'll follow up with a more light-hearted story. I found myself laughing a few times, which definitely eased up on the weirdness of reading about vaginas.

She definitely causes readers to switch emotions rather abruptly. She just seems to be giving us a good feel of how differently women view their bodies, but how similar some of the stories are as well. Some interviews are amusing and others are more upsetting, such as the section pertaining to rape victims. She wants everyone to know that we are just about all thinking the same thing and feeling the same emotions toward ourselves. We almost all find the same things embarrassing, amusing and sad and through this book it is like she's just bringing it all together so we can see we're all somewhat alike.

Haitian History

When reading stories that are based around a particular culture it is important to have basic knowledge about that culture. The stories we have been reading focus on the Haitian lifestyle and to better understand the material I've researched some information on the culture.

Toussaint L'Ouverture: "Toussaint L'Ouverture, the black chieftain of Hayti, was a slave on the plantation "de Libertas," belonging to M. Bayou. When the rising of the negroes took place, in 1791, Toussaint refused to join them until he had aided M. Bayou and his family to escape to Baltimore. The white man had discovered in Toussaint many noble qualities, and had instructed him in some of the first branches of education; and the preservation of his life was owing to the negro's gratitude for this kindness. In 1797, Toussaint L'Ouverture was appointed, by the French government, General-in-Chief of the armies of St. Domingo, and, as such, signed the Convention with General Maitland for the evacuation of the island by the British. From this period, until 1801, the island, under the government of Toussaint, was happy, tranquil, and prosperous. The miserable attempt of Napoleon to re-establish slavery in St. Domingo, although it failed of its intended object, proved fatal to the negro chieftain. Treacherously seized by Leclerc, he was hurried on board a vessel by night, and conveyed to France, where he was confined in a cold subterranean dungeon, at Besancon, where, in April, 1803, he died. The treatment of Toussaint finds a parallel only in the murder of the Duke D'Enghien. It was the remark of Godwin, in his Lectures, that the West India Islands, since their first discovery by Columbus, could not boast of a single name which deserves comparison with that of Toussaint L'Ouverture." (Whittier).

Whittier, John. "Toussaint L'Ouverture." Reference Answers. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://www.answers.com/topic/toussaint-l-ouverture-1.

Voodoo Religion: "Roman Catholicism is the official religion of Haiti, but voodoo may be considered the country's national religion. The majority of Haitians believe in and practice at least some aspects of voodoo. Most voodooists believe that their religion can coexist with Catholicism." ("Traveling Haiti").
1937: "Thousands of Haitians living near the border of the Dominican Republic are massacred by Dominican soldiers under the orders of President General Trujillo." ("Traveling Haiti").


History of Haiti." Traveling Haiti. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://www.travelinghaiti.com/history.asp.

Boukman: "A leader of the rebellion in its initial stages, he is reputed to have led a vodou ceremony together with the mambo Cecile Fatiman at Bois Caïman on August 22, 1791 which signaled the start of the rebellion. He had come to Saint-Domingue by way of Jamaica, then to become a maroon in the forest of Morne Rouge. Giant, powerful, "grotesque-looking man... with a 'terrible countenance', a face like an exaggerated African carving." Fierce and fearsome, he was an inspiring leader. While Boukman was not the first to lead a slave rebellion in Saint-Domingue, as he was preceded by others such as Padrejean in 1676 and François Mackandal in 1757, he delivered the spark that helped to ignite the Haitian Revolution." ("Boukman").

"The L'Ouverture Project." Boukman. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://thelouvertureproject.org/index.php?title=Boukman.

Massacre River: "tragedy, not geography, forms the real border. Its name, as any Dominican or Haitian can tell you, is the same as that of the deceptively calm northern river: The Massacre. During just a few weeks in October 1937, Dominican soldiers killed 30,000 Haitians along the border because the victims' skin was dark, even though Dominicans were just a few shades lighter. The events still divide the Dominican Republic and Haiti so deeply that there may as well be an ocean not only around them but between them." (Wucker).

Wucker, Michele. "The River Massacre." HaitiForever. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Feb 2011. .

Nye’s poetry directly reflects her own perspectives on humanity. She seems to strongly believe in cultural connection and the elimination of stereotyping. Being that she is a Palestinian American, I feel her writing can express a greater truth since she has experienced ethnic stereotyping and disconnection on a first-hand basis. In her poem My Father and the Fig Tree, she discussed her father’s lack of connection with his Palestinian culture. He claims that Palestine had the greatest figs and since his childhood years in that country, he has yet to have a fig just as good since his move to Texas. Her dad repeatedly tells stories in which he incorporates the fig tree. By always mentioning fig trees it shows that her dad cannot let go of his culture nor should he. The dad is determined to feel equally connected to his home in Texas and his Palestinian culture. He believes that in order to feel the connection he needs to plant his own fig tree. Once he plants his own fig tree he begins to feel less split between the two cultures. I believe Nye wants us to understand how difficult immigrating to a new culture can be. It is more than just a move – it is a new beginning and in often times a drastic change in lifestyle. People want to feel a sense of belonging and in the case of immigration that is not always an easy feeling to develop.

In Nye’s poem Grandmother, the subject of stereotyping is brought to attention. The idea of stereotyping does not consume the entire poem, but rather it was an aspect that caught my attention. Many ideas can be taken from this poem; however, I feel that stereotyping played an important factor in the poem. Nye greatly respects her grandmother. She sees her as a wise, religious, knowledgeable and well-respected woman. The community around the grandmother always went to her for advice or for a healing touch. She was very experienced and had seen a lot in her day, which made her a very well-rounded individual. After Nye expressed her grandmother’s impressive talents she mentions the grandmother’s inability to read. I believe that by putting her greatest characteristics first she was trying to convey that her being illiterate was rather an insignificant part of who she was. In the United States it is crucial to be literate. If you cannot read then your chance at success is very limited. Our country may see Nye’s grandmother as unimportant and worthless primarily based on her inability to read; however, if we focused on her talents rather than her flaws then we would see she is a very valuable individual. It is important to see someone for who they are and not for what they know. We focus too much on everyone’s imperfections. We would all be better off if we saw everyone’s talents before their inadequacies.

Nye is painting a picture of life and how she understands it. She sees the world as disconnected, but is confident that we can eventually all connect and appreciate one another. Her poetry expresses the great potential humanity has to arrive at peace. Our world has become very diverse and violent and as she sees it we must bring all our differences together and create some similarities.