Thursday, December 6, 2007
An American Brat
In Bapsi Sidhwa’s novel, An American Brat, a story is told of a girls voyage to America and how she became embedded into a community that changed her views that ultimately broke the relationship she had with her family. “Feroza hugged the adventure of her travel to America to herself throughout the flight. As she hurtled through space, she became conscious also of the gravitational pull of the country she was leaving behind. Her sense of self, enlarged by the osmosis of identity with her community and with her group of school friends, stayed with her like a permanence -- like the support that ocean basins provide the wind- and moon-generated vagaries of its waters. And this cushioning stilled her fear of the unknown: an unconscious panic that lay coiled somewhere between her navel and her ribs and was just beginning to manifest itself in a fleeting irregularity of her heartbeat”(52). We see that through Feroza’s journey from Pakistan to America, the American culture and community change who Feroza is. The goal for the voyage was to help Feroza understand and realize her morals as a woman as being respected. When she reached America though, it did the opposite and in a way corrupted who she was. Feroza’s roommate, Jo, who was free spirited with her sexuality showed Feroza the American culture. This tore Feroza further and further away from her Pakistani culture. With her ways of breaking away from her traditional lifestyle by getting jobs and dating people that her community would not approve of. One relationship in general with David Press really disappointed her family. Being Jewish and not part of their culture he was seen as a terrible influence on Zareen and Cyrus’s daughter. The story is about Feroza’s coming of age. She is growing out of her traditional Pakistanian ways of being a woman and enters into the American lifestyle. She creates her own identity and embarks on her own voyage of life to her own decisions and trusts that they are the way to live.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Breath, Eyes, Memory
In Edwidge Danticat’s novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, a story is told of a young girl who has to deal with the past of her mothers life. Sophie Caco, who was raised in Croix-des-Rosets by her Tante Atie until her mother sent for her from New York. Sophie loved her aunt more than her own mother due to the fact that she had no recollection of her mother. As she moved to America though she would never be able to forget the past of her mother. Even at their first meeting together, Sophie’s mother, Martine asks her daughter, “You’re a good girl, aren’t you?” (60). This question leads Sophie into a constant recollection of her mothers past of testing and being raped. Purity was a very important thing for the Haiti people and was said that if the daughter was impure that it brought same upon her family.
When Sophie began to have feelings for Joseph, Martine started to test Sophie and would “double” in order to distract herself from being tested. In her later life, Sophie would double again in order to try and have sex with her husband which was painful because Sophie destroyed her body in order to have her mother stop testing her. Sophie lost her desire and feeling to really love her husband because of her mother and what she put her daughter though (123). Sophie lost her mother when Martine thought that Sophie was impure, and after that Sophie had a great obsession of purity. Learning about the honor of a husband when his bride was a virgin and how each mother obsessed with keeping their children pure until that day (154-155).
One mother and daughter had reconciled with one another, Sophie asked why Martine had tested her which Martine replied by saying, “Because my mother had done it to me. I have no greater excuse. I realize standing here that the two greatest pains of my life are very much related. The one good thing about my being raped was that it made the testing stop. The testing and the rape. I live both every day/” (170). This shows a relationship between mother and daughter because of how both of their testing were stopped. Although Martine loved her daughter she just wanted to be a good mother, as she had learned from her own mother.
Throughout the novel Sophie struggles with this constant theme of purity. The constant obsession of this makes Sophie mad in a way but lets it go in her group meetings with others who had been raped. Being freed from hating her mother for these actions allows her to give up herself. Each woman around her had been affected by testing, her grandmother, aunt, mother, and herself. She had to choose to let her past and her mothers past go in order to live a life in America with her husband.
Testing was a cultural part of Sophie’s life, and as an American she could stop this control over her own daughter. She had moved from her birthplace and had started a new independent life where she could free herself and her daughter from the family’s past.
When Sophie began to have feelings for Joseph, Martine started to test Sophie and would “double” in order to distract herself from being tested. In her later life, Sophie would double again in order to try and have sex with her husband which was painful because Sophie destroyed her body in order to have her mother stop testing her. Sophie lost her desire and feeling to really love her husband because of her mother and what she put her daughter though (123). Sophie lost her mother when Martine thought that Sophie was impure, and after that Sophie had a great obsession of purity. Learning about the honor of a husband when his bride was a virgin and how each mother obsessed with keeping their children pure until that day (154-155).
One mother and daughter had reconciled with one another, Sophie asked why Martine had tested her which Martine replied by saying, “Because my mother had done it to me. I have no greater excuse. I realize standing here that the two greatest pains of my life are very much related. The one good thing about my being raped was that it made the testing stop. The testing and the rape. I live both every day/” (170). This shows a relationship between mother and daughter because of how both of their testing were stopped. Although Martine loved her daughter she just wanted to be a good mother, as she had learned from her own mother.
Throughout the novel Sophie struggles with this constant theme of purity. The constant obsession of this makes Sophie mad in a way but lets it go in her group meetings with others who had been raped. Being freed from hating her mother for these actions allows her to give up herself. Each woman around her had been affected by testing, her grandmother, aunt, mother, and herself. She had to choose to let her past and her mothers past go in order to live a life in America with her husband.
Testing was a cultural part of Sophie’s life, and as an American she could stop this control over her own daughter. She had moved from her birthplace and had started a new independent life where she could free herself and her daughter from the family’s past.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The Joys of Motherhood
In Buchi Emecheta’s novel, The Joys of Motherhood, one of her main themes is the fate of the main character, Nnu Ego, and how she is cured by fate throughout the novel. The fate of Nnu Ego twists her life into destruction. In this fate she becomes a prisoner in her role as a mother. Although we have learned that to the society of Ibuza, the female role as a mother was highly looked upon. Becoming a mother defined a woman and gave her power in her community. Having children was an honor where in Lagos, having children was a burden. When Nnu Ego’s first marriage ended because she could not bear children, she was sent to marry Nnaife, in Lagos. Here she goes through hard times that put a strain on her life that create the downward spiral she experiences from her fate.
With her first marriage to Amatokwu, Nnu Ego became had her first major step down because she was cursed to not have children. She felt that she was failing everyone since they so highly expected for her to have a child as the first wife. Then when she married Nnaife, her first child, a son, died only four months after living and she tried to kill herself. Finally after months of mourning her chi allowed for her to have a child that would live. The curse though was seen by her husband when he stated, “ What type of chi have you got, eh? When you were desperate for children she would not give you any; now that we cannot afford them, she gives them to you” (91). Once Nnaife starts a family things go down hill and he cannot care properly for his family when his steady job comes to an end when his master moves back to England for the war.
After suffering from the poverty level they have reached, another burden comes on the family when Nnaife’s brother dies and one of his wives comes to live in Lagos. Nnu Ego and Adaku have much tension between the two of them. “On her way back to their room, it occurred to Nnu Ego that she was a prisoner, imprisoned by her love for her children, imprisoned in her role as the senior wife” (137). She realizes that she must produce a boy for her husband as she is starting to become older. Her role as as mother is taken over and she feels trapped.
Although Nnu Ego remains faithful to her husband to the bitter end to her death. I feel that her joy of being a mother took over Nnu Ego’s life to a point that it did enslave her. Even after her death people, “ said that Nnu Ego was a wicked woman even in death because, however many people appealed to her to make women fertile, she never did. Poor Nnu Ego, even in death she had no peace! Still, many agreed that she had given all to her children. The joy of being a mother was the joy of giving all to your children” (224). In these last paragraphs it sums up how much effort Nnu Ego put forth for her family. Through her trials she did everything for the benefit of her family. The love that she shared for her family and children chained her to the slavery that she became subjected to by being a mother.
With her first marriage to Amatokwu, Nnu Ego became had her first major step down because she was cursed to not have children. She felt that she was failing everyone since they so highly expected for her to have a child as the first wife. Then when she married Nnaife, her first child, a son, died only four months after living and she tried to kill herself. Finally after months of mourning her chi allowed for her to have a child that would live. The curse though was seen by her husband when he stated, “ What type of chi have you got, eh? When you were desperate for children she would not give you any; now that we cannot afford them, she gives them to you” (91). Once Nnaife starts a family things go down hill and he cannot care properly for his family when his steady job comes to an end when his master moves back to England for the war.
After suffering from the poverty level they have reached, another burden comes on the family when Nnaife’s brother dies and one of his wives comes to live in Lagos. Nnu Ego and Adaku have much tension between the two of them. “On her way back to their room, it occurred to Nnu Ego that she was a prisoner, imprisoned by her love for her children, imprisoned in her role as the senior wife” (137). She realizes that she must produce a boy for her husband as she is starting to become older. Her role as as mother is taken over and she feels trapped.
Although Nnu Ego remains faithful to her husband to the bitter end to her death. I feel that her joy of being a mother took over Nnu Ego’s life to a point that it did enslave her. Even after her death people, “ said that Nnu Ego was a wicked woman even in death because, however many people appealed to her to make women fertile, she never did. Poor Nnu Ego, even in death she had no peace! Still, many agreed that she had given all to her children. The joy of being a mother was the joy of giving all to your children” (224). In these last paragraphs it sums up how much effort Nnu Ego put forth for her family. Through her trials she did everything for the benefit of her family. The love that she shared for her family and children chained her to the slavery that she became subjected to by being a mother.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Annie John
"Annie John" is a story of reality and self-discovery of a young girl growing up on the island of Antigua. Growing up, Annie is a very smart young girl who is always great with her school work, but a little mischievious that drives her throughout the seven year live span the book covers. She is constantly changing through her relationships and with herself as she matures. The main relationship that is seen is the one with her mother. Following the relationship from the very beginning we see how close the two are, from the teaching of death at the beginning from her mother, to baths together, and shopping. At the beginning of Chapter 2, The Circling Hand we see two different sides of Annie and her mothers relationship. We start with the closeness, ""My mother and I often took a bath together. Sometimes it was just a plain bath, which did not take very long. Other times it was a special bath in which the barks and flowers of many different trees, together with all sorts of oils, were boiled in the same large cauldron" to Annie becoming very upset at her mother for making love with her husband and not feeling that same unity with her mother which makes her feel rejected, "I was sure I could never let those hands touch me again; I was sure I could never let her kiss me again. All that was finished". The same hands that touch the dead, that was an early obsession for Annie, now were frowned upon as the circled her husbands back. The relationship with her mother is first tested when Annie lies to her mother about the fisherman not going out to see that day, which shows the fall of her mother's trust which is brought about throught the book.
Another relationship that is seen is the one with her friend Gwen. This relationship decreases as Annie matures and becomes too intelligent for Gwen's childish games. Another friendship that shaped who Annie was, was the Red Girl, who Annie was jealous of her for freedoms. At school she was the popular one, but discovers a new side of her after reading ahead in her book studying about Christopher Columbus. Getting into trouble for defacing the book as her teacher said, she is filled with grief but learns about the man who discovered her island as being chained up for disobeying the Queen. She finally realized that she is in a way chained to the life that she has and wants to get away, Belgium, and leave the life that she lives. After her breakdown with her mother by telling her "like mother, like daughter" after her mother calls her a slut, Annie goes into a mental break down. This break down brings Annie back into a child like state which in a way represents to me how Annie wishes life was, with her mother always by her side. But when her mother does leave her, she remains ill until her grandmother, Ma Chess comes and holds her until she is healed. After she recovers, Annie comes to a final realization that she needs to leave the home she has come to love. She decides to leave for England for nursing school. When leaving I feel that she has finally accepted the relationship she has with her parents and understand the seperation that they have come to experience. Although she does not want to leave for a while, she knows that she must in order to find her own identity and not be stuck in the life of Antigua.
Another relationship that is seen is the one with her friend Gwen. This relationship decreases as Annie matures and becomes too intelligent for Gwen's childish games. Another friendship that shaped who Annie was, was the Red Girl, who Annie was jealous of her for freedoms. At school she was the popular one, but discovers a new side of her after reading ahead in her book studying about Christopher Columbus. Getting into trouble for defacing the book as her teacher said, she is filled with grief but learns about the man who discovered her island as being chained up for disobeying the Queen. She finally realized that she is in a way chained to the life that she has and wants to get away, Belgium, and leave the life that she lives. After her breakdown with her mother by telling her "like mother, like daughter" after her mother calls her a slut, Annie goes into a mental break down. This break down brings Annie back into a child like state which in a way represents to me how Annie wishes life was, with her mother always by her side. But when her mother does leave her, she remains ill until her grandmother, Ma Chess comes and holds her until she is healed. After she recovers, Annie comes to a final realization that she needs to leave the home she has come to love. She decides to leave for England for nursing school. When leaving I feel that she has finally accepted the relationship she has with her parents and understand the seperation that they have come to experience. Although she does not want to leave for a while, she knows that she must in order to find her own identity and not be stuck in the life of Antigua.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The House on Mango Street
Esperanza, the main character of The House on Mango Street, explains her story of growing up and become more or a woman over the year span of the novel. She is made into who she is by her friends around her. She always seems to want more than what she is given. He longing though out the novel to move out of her home shows just how much she does not enjoy the life that she is living. She sees how others in her community are stuck in a society that they can never get out of. Her parents constantly say that they are going to move out of the home that they are in to a better one, Esperanza’s friend, Sally, even was married into a very unpleasant lifestyle. She knows she does not want to be sucked into the life that others of the community are a part of and that is why she is has such a strong urge to move away. She knows though after he incident with the boys raping her, she knows that she will always be connected to Mango Street no matter what. It will always be a part of her that she will never forget.
I did not feel that I really could relate to Esperanza’s experience but did enjoy hearing about her experience as a Mexican-American. Her culture is very important to her, like he name which means hope. It is a name that she shares with her grandmother which shows how important family is. Also, you see the side of how Esperanza is seen as a girl. She shows how different she is from her brother and how since he is a boy they do not know each other as well as she knows her sister. Esperanza does not want to be like the women though in her community who are very sexual and have a strong urge to have the attention of boys. She will not give into the lifestyle and that is why she wants to leave so badly.
I did not feel that I really could relate to Esperanza’s experience but did enjoy hearing about her experience as a Mexican-American. Her culture is very important to her, like he name which means hope. It is a name that she shares with her grandmother which shows how important family is. Also, you see the side of how Esperanza is seen as a girl. She shows how different she is from her brother and how since he is a boy they do not know each other as well as she knows her sister. Esperanza does not want to be like the women though in her community who are very sexual and have a strong urge to have the attention of boys. She will not give into the lifestyle and that is why she wants to leave so badly.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf
In Mohja Kahf’s novel The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf, I felt that Khadra was sucked into a specific lifestyle that her parents wanted her to live. When she was little she obeyed and even got frightened when others who are Muslim do not live the life that she was trained to live. This is evident on her Haj to Mecca when her cousin, Afaaf, subjects Khadra to a different lifestyle that Afaaf thought was American. “ What is your problem?... What’s the matter, is this not as fun as what you do in America?” (178). Khadra responded in the one way that she was taught by her mother as an insult to her cousin saying, “I hate you- you’re a FILTHY girl, with FILTHY friends- you take me home RIGHT NOW. You- you- you goddamn bitch.” (178).
Her religion was all she knew but after her second journey to her homeland, to Syria, Khadra received a different identity of who she was when she stayed with Téta. She experienced for the first time going out without a hijab on. But she still “would have to manifest the quality of modesty in her behavior” (312). Her family probably would have been disgusted to know of Khadra acting in this way, but to her, it was not about the hijab anymore, it was about the concept of modesty. Even though she experienced this though, on her return to America, she drapped a veil over her because it showed others her heritage which she was so proud of.
One thing that I really enjoyed reading about though, was not about the religion or even the family of Khadra, but was seeing Kharda’s friend, Joy, and her family. The whole scene talking about working in the kitchen and making the kibbeh really took me home. My boyfriend’s family is Lebonese and I have been involved in the whole process of making kibbeh and it really is a whole family event. Also, seeing the importance of family, taking care of them is also something that really touched me. Although, in my culture girls do not have to be followed around everywhere, just the fact that the Muslim community really looked out for one another was something very nice to see. They all bonded together calling each other aunt, uncle, sister, and brother. They whole community was one big family that loved each other and looked out for one another always. We do not always see that today and it was refreshing to see how much they cared for their community.
Her religion was all she knew but after her second journey to her homeland, to Syria, Khadra received a different identity of who she was when she stayed with Téta. She experienced for the first time going out without a hijab on. But she still “would have to manifest the quality of modesty in her behavior” (312). Her family probably would have been disgusted to know of Khadra acting in this way, but to her, it was not about the hijab anymore, it was about the concept of modesty. Even though she experienced this though, on her return to America, she drapped a veil over her because it showed others her heritage which she was so proud of.
One thing that I really enjoyed reading about though, was not about the religion or even the family of Khadra, but was seeing Kharda’s friend, Joy, and her family. The whole scene talking about working in the kitchen and making the kibbeh really took me home. My boyfriend’s family is Lebonese and I have been involved in the whole process of making kibbeh and it really is a whole family event. Also, seeing the importance of family, taking care of them is also something that really touched me. Although, in my culture girls do not have to be followed around everywhere, just the fact that the Muslim community really looked out for one another was something very nice to see. They all bonded together calling each other aunt, uncle, sister, and brother. They whole community was one big family that loved each other and looked out for one another always. We do not always see that today and it was refreshing to see how much they cared for their community.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Kindred
Moving from one life to the next must have really taken a toll on Dana. Living in two different worlds and having to succumb to the suppression of racism must have killed Dana’s heart. Although the story was interesting, I did not understand the purpose of the book. Yes, Dana has to save her ancestor in order to live in her present life in the 20th century but I don’t understand how she came to have the powers to go between the 19th and 20th century even if it is a fictional story.
Rufus has changed greatly due to his experience as a white male in the 19th century. Although he had no racism in his own time, married a black woman even though that was not acceptable for his time, he seemed to loose some of his views of slavery when he time traveled.
On the plantation when Dana first arrived there, she had no bond with the slaves just because she had no reason to feel that she was equal to them. She had lived in a world where she was not forced to be a slave and could do as she pleased. After many returns to the South though, Dana felt closer and closer every time she was punished for her thoughts and actions as a black woman. She was rejected in the South as a real human being and by the actions that white men and woman showed to her, she grew to love the slaves she was with and care for them as a mother would for her children.
I understand that Dana’s arm was hurt because she killed Rufus and I assume from the ending and beginning that her arm was crushed where Rufus was holding her before she killed him, but I don’t understand why Dana’s arm was in the wall. Was she just saying that to get Kevin out of jail and to save him from punishment?
Overall, the book hurt to hear about how slaves were treated and how they were just property bought and sold like cattle. It was nice to see how Dana’s family had changed over time and be able to look at how her ancestors acted versus her actions in the present day.
Rufus has changed greatly due to his experience as a white male in the 19th century. Although he had no racism in his own time, married a black woman even though that was not acceptable for his time, he seemed to loose some of his views of slavery when he time traveled.
On the plantation when Dana first arrived there, she had no bond with the slaves just because she had no reason to feel that she was equal to them. She had lived in a world where she was not forced to be a slave and could do as she pleased. After many returns to the South though, Dana felt closer and closer every time she was punished for her thoughts and actions as a black woman. She was rejected in the South as a real human being and by the actions that white men and woman showed to her, she grew to love the slaves she was with and care for them as a mother would for her children.
I understand that Dana’s arm was hurt because she killed Rufus and I assume from the ending and beginning that her arm was crushed where Rufus was holding her before she killed him, but I don’t understand why Dana’s arm was in the wall. Was she just saying that to get Kevin out of jail and to save him from punishment?
Overall, the book hurt to hear about how slaves were treated and how they were just property bought and sold like cattle. It was nice to see how Dana’s family had changed over time and be able to look at how her ancestors acted versus her actions in the present day.
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