So far, I think this book is pretty good. I like the main character a lot and I'm excited to see what happens with her and that Harney guy..they seem so cute together.
There were two passages about flowers that stood out to me, only because in the beginning of this class we discussed how women are compared to flowers a lot. The first one is when Charity is in her room and they author compares her face to a rose. The other one is on page 84 when the author is describing Harney's feelings for Charity. It says,
"It seemed to be enough for him to breath her nearness like a flower's.."
This was talking about how he doesn't need physical contact with her to enjoy her, sort of like a flower. In this class, we sort of talked about comparing women to flowers in literature as a cliche, negative thing. But in this situation it's interesting because he compares her to a flower in the sense that he just enjoys her company; he doesn't need to touch her to appreciate her. This makes comparing her to a flower actually seem like a positive thing, and not the typical sexist comparison.
The second passage that stood out to me was on page 23 when Charity's power over Mr.Royall is described. It says,
"He had never spoken a word of excuse or extenuation; the incident was as if it had never been. Yet its consequences were latent in every word that he and she exchanged, in every glance they instinctively turned from each other. Nothing now would ever shake her rule in the red house"
This passage stood out to me because I keep thinking and Mr.Royall is going to be more controlling. His reputation in the town of being above everyone else and very powerful does not match his relationship with Charity. He does pretty much whatever she wants, when in reality he probably could force her to marry him or just be more aggressive with her in general. I think this says a lot about what a strong woman Charity is, and I think that's one of the big reasons I like her.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Hannah's Narrative Collage: The Strength of the Weak
The idea being my narrative collage is that of women being known as the weaker sex. Throughout history women have been viewed as inferior to men, and this can be seen in popular culture, literature, and so on. The central image in my collage is "The Strength of the Weak," a blending of the idea of women being weaker and yet they have their own strength, own untapped resources. You can see on the left side images of women being attacked, silenced, raped, and even an image of a housewife. These are all images of women being weaker. Abuse and rape is about power, men wanting to feel stronger then the women. The woman with tape over her mouth is being silenced, like she has no voice, because she is inferior. The housewife is the traditional women's role because she can not work, that is a man's job. She can't do that job because she is weaker than a man. Under my central image I placed a magnolia, a white flower that came up more than once in my yahoo image search for "women" and "weak." I included this in my collage because we have talked extensively about women being associated with flowers in literature for many different reasons. The one particular reason for including it in my collage is that flowers are weak, they need proper care and attention or they will wilt and die. Kind of like women, according to men. On the right side of my collage are images of strong women, working women, and women in control. I especially liked the Wonder Woman image because it is so true. Women are strong, and independent and don't need men to get along. With my collage I really wanted to showcase the two sides to every argument or stereotype. Just as there may be some aspects of a woman that make her seem weak, there are aspects of a woman that make her strong. I chose a couple different quotes, from men and women, and one from text we've read in class. I think the quotes can pretty much speak for themselves, and what side they're on. I particularly liked the quote about women bearing burdens and wiping tears. That brought to my mind the image of a traditional housewife, yet it has a strong connotation to it because the woman is bearing burdens. I think women are constantly overlooked in their strengths and this quote displays both sides of this argument.
Readings for July 26
I really enjoyed these two readings and felt like the main thing that they had in common was that both girls deal with the issue of overcoming the prejudice people around them. They both face these hardships, however, seem to take a slightly different role of overcoming these hardships. I feel as if one of the girls seems to be stronger and deals with these confrontations head on. Whereas, the other young girl seems to be more passive and doesnt know exactly how to handle the situations.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
"Schooldays of an Indian Girl" and "Leaves From the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian by Charlie
Several similarities exist between the works entitled “The Schooldays of an Indian Girl,” and “Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian.” The first main similarity I noticed was the internal struggle with which each of the girls was faced. In the first story, the main character was forced to take up the ways of her white counterparts or to come back home and live among her own Native people. In the second excerpt, the main character is faced with a constant identity struggle; she does not feel as if she has a nationality. Both girls are faced with racism and ostracism due to their perceptions as “different.”
Some differences also occur. In the first story, for example, the girl seems to know she is different from white people, and to have already formed a sense of self-understanding in her culture. The girl in the second story seems to not know that she is different from the white people she encounters. She is forced to realize this difference through several life-altering events, including physical violence and torment. She also did her own research on her native country to discover why exactly people seemed to hate the Chinese, and to her surprise, she discovered that her country was among one of the oldest civilizations in existence. This gave her much pride, and over the years, her pride blossomed. She meets people who can relate to her later in the story, and begins to develop a greater sense of self-worth and appreciation for her people. The girl in the first story seemed to have slowly disassociated herself with her Native culture and customs. She knew that her mother would not be happy with her, but she continued her quest for knowledge according to the values of America. Due to being schooled, everything she learned as a small child was taken away from her as she was socialized. She held dearly her values and beliefs for as long as she could, but because of how she was taught, she was not able to maintain them. The girl in the second story was exactly the opposite; she immersed herself into Chinese culture in order to gain a sense of belonging, though she still felt that she did not have a specific race to call her own. I attribute these differences to the environment in which each respective girl was raised.
Some differences also occur. In the first story, for example, the girl seems to know she is different from white people, and to have already formed a sense of self-understanding in her culture. The girl in the second story seems to not know that she is different from the white people she encounters. She is forced to realize this difference through several life-altering events, including physical violence and torment. She also did her own research on her native country to discover why exactly people seemed to hate the Chinese, and to her surprise, she discovered that her country was among one of the oldest civilizations in existence. This gave her much pride, and over the years, her pride blossomed. She meets people who can relate to her later in the story, and begins to develop a greater sense of self-worth and appreciation for her people. The girl in the first story seemed to have slowly disassociated herself with her Native culture and customs. She knew that her mother would not be happy with her, but she continued her quest for knowledge according to the values of America. Due to being schooled, everything she learned as a small child was taken away from her as she was socialized. She held dearly her values and beliefs for as long as she could, but because of how she was taught, she was not able to maintain them. The girl in the second story was exactly the opposite; she immersed herself into Chinese culture in order to gain a sense of belonging, though she still felt that she did not have a specific race to call her own. I attribute these differences to the environment in which each respective girl was raised.
July 26 Readings
I really liked these two excerpts. Maybe it's because I myself am a mixed race (including 1/4 Apache), but I really identified with these texts. I felt that "The Schooldays of an Indian Girl" and "Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian" both touched on the topic of being different in their everyday lives. Both texts addressed the speakers' triumphs over the closed-minded people who surrounded them. I thought, however, that "The Schooldays of an Indian Girl" addressed prejudice from a helpless standpoint. I felt like the speaker was more passive about maintaining her identity than was the speaker in "Eurasian". I thought the "Eurasian" speaker was mroe forthcoming about her identity. She was stronger-willed and did not keep silent about herself. She was proud, starting at a young age, to tell people her mother was Chinese and to seek out those who would accept her for who she was, even if it meant changing their prejudice. I thought both of these texts touched on a very difficult subject that is still prevalent today (i.e. our class discussion the other day about "Crash" and racism today). No matter what race somebody is, as long as it's different from white, there can be something 'wrong' with it.
The two main characters in the passages The Schooldays of an Indian Girl by Zitkala-Sa and Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian by Sui Sin Far definitely shared some similarities. Both narrators are not white and they share some of the same prejudices growing up. They're stared at, snickered at, and laughed at by many people which forces them to do a lot of thinking and wanting to know their origins. The stories differ in that the Native American narrator is born in her own people's culture and taken away by the "palefaces" while the Chinese narrator is born not knowing much about her heritage or native tongue and is on more of a mission to get as close to her roots as possible. I felt like the main character in the second passage was happier to be half Chinese and more expressive of her origin then the Native American character. The main character in the first passage seemed to have undergone more of a shock in her childhood though. She was taken from her home, placed on a train, and sent to a school where her culture was not accepted and where she was expected to undergo drastic changes. The character in the second passage seemed to also be expected to be defiant of her roots and consider herself anything besides Chinese which she didn't do. Both characters seemed really strong to me because they both stood up and faced the prejudices being thrown in their faces and pretty much stood up for their race by continuing what they wanted to be doing and not pretending to be anything else.
July 26 Post
I did not really like either of these stories but I think it was because I was having trouble understanding what was going on. I was confused because I had never read anything about these cultures. However, one similiarity I found between these stories is they are both centered around a young girl who is a minority in her neighborhood. Both of these girls are trying to figure out who they are and why they are being treated the way that they are. Another similarity I found between the others is that both girls are trying to hold on to their heritage. They are not trying to conform to what the mainstream culture is. However, in the first I think she managed to move more into the mainstream because she disobeyed her mother and went to college, which is not what she was supposed to do. Another thing that I noticed is that these two girls both stood up for themselves. For example, when she had to get her haircut or when her and her brother were getting picked on on the street. I think one main difference between these two stories is how they were written. Also, both stories are dealing with different cultures and different values.
Thursday, July 26th
The two main characters in today's readings share a similar feeling of being different in American society. One, a little half-Chinese girl, and the other a little Indian girl. They are taken from their homelands at a very early age and are immersed in American society. Even at such a young age they both resist this westernization, knowing that it is not right.
The main similarities that can be drawn between the two stories is that as young girls both women hold fast to their Indian and Chinese nationalities. They resist westernization and stand up against it and ridicule for their unknown heritage from the "pale faced" people.
In the excerpt "from The School Days of an Indian Girl" by Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin,) the girl is embarrassed at the beginning by the "pale faced" children starring at her and pointing out her differences from them. Then a "pale faced" woman starts tossing her in the air, and bouncing her playfully, and she is insulted by such trifling. She holds hard to her heritage and fights the change into American ways when she is young. When they cut her long hair off she says she has "lost her spirit," and I think from this moment on she almost gives in to the change.
In the excerpt "from Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian" by Sui Sin Far (Edith Maud Eton," at a young age she learns that she is something different, apart from the other children and while her mother might have forgotten, she has not. People and children alike ridicule her for having a Chinese mother, and she yells at some teasers one day, "I'd rather be Chinese than anything else in the world." (p.524) The ridicule sometimes becomes too much for her and she thinks of "mysteriously disappearing." however she soon learns from all her readings of China that people are just ignorant. At age 18 she can't understand why the others are ignorant of her superiority. Even in the face of ridicule from her boss and fellow townspeople she stands up and says that she is Chinese.
However, they both gradually come to accept the change over, while still holding onto pieces of their heritage in their hearts.
The main similarities that can be drawn between the two stories is that as young girls both women hold fast to their Indian and Chinese nationalities. They resist westernization and stand up against it and ridicule for their unknown heritage from the "pale faced" people.
In the excerpt "from The School Days of an Indian Girl" by Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin,) the girl is embarrassed at the beginning by the "pale faced" children starring at her and pointing out her differences from them. Then a "pale faced" woman starts tossing her in the air, and bouncing her playfully, and she is insulted by such trifling. She holds hard to her heritage and fights the change into American ways when she is young. When they cut her long hair off she says she has "lost her spirit," and I think from this moment on she almost gives in to the change.
In the excerpt "from Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian" by Sui Sin Far (Edith Maud Eton," at a young age she learns that she is something different, apart from the other children and while her mother might have forgotten, she has not. People and children alike ridicule her for having a Chinese mother, and she yells at some teasers one day, "I'd rather be Chinese than anything else in the world." (p.524) The ridicule sometimes becomes too much for her and she thinks of "mysteriously disappearing." however she soon learns from all her readings of China that people are just ignorant. At age 18 she can't understand why the others are ignorant of her superiority. Even in the face of ridicule from her boss and fellow townspeople she stands up and says that she is Chinese.
However, they both gradually come to accept the change over, while still holding onto pieces of their heritage in their hearts.
In "The School Days of an Indian Girl," she ends up going to college after her schooling, against her mother's wishes, and even still there she is humiliated and ridiculed. Even though she bests her fellow students at a contest, this victory does not satisfy her heart, because her mother was holding a charge against her. The charge, not returning home to her homeland to live with her people, instead she goes to college to learn more American things.
In "Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian," she travels back and forth between the East and West and recognizes that, "After all I have no nationality and am not anxious to claim any. Individuality is more than nationality. "You are you and I am I," says Confucius. I give my right hand to the Occidentals and my left to the Orientals, hoping that between them they will not utterly destroy the insignificant "connecting link." And that's all." (p.533)
The biggest difference that I noted was that in "The Schooldays of an Indian Girl" she still recognizes her true home is with her mother and people on the plains. In the "Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian" she can't chose between the east or the west. She feels strong ties to both sides of her nationality and sites that being an individual is more important to her than having one nationality. I think the reason why in this instance the girls are different is because one is full blooded Indian and the other is Eurasian, a mix. The Indian girl is raised on the plains with her people and is taken away to be schooled. Her mother wants her to come home after the initial 3 years of school and return to her people. The Eurasian girl is born in America, and her mother does not recognize that she is Chinese. Her mother fully accepts westernization and wants to stay in America, not China, her nationality.
Blog for 7/26/07
When I read the first story I saw some very interesting similarities between the girls when it came to the way they were treated and looked down upon. They were both of different backgrounds and heritages but they still were not white. Many people looked down on them and treated them like dirt. The Native American girl even said she felt as if she were a toy, so here they obviously were not seeing her as an equal human being. The differences seemed to be the social level of the families at least at the beginning of the "Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of a Eurasian", the family seems a bit well off. Whereas the Indian families did not seem so lucky.
The thing that bothered me the most when looking at these stories is the treatment of the girl in the first story, "The Schooldays of an Indian Girl", when they cut her hair I feel that that was a big blow. The Indian culture prides themselves in their hair and do not wear it short unless, I believe she says, you are a coward. This just showed how much the others did not respect her or where she came from. I also really liked this character though because even after how she is treated, she seems strong. At the end of the story where it talks about her going to college I found that to be a very significant fact. Many people did not go to college back then, especially if they were Native American and female! Then on top of all that she also wins awards! I found that to be just such a neat story.
The thing that bothered me the most when looking at these stories is the treatment of the girl in the first story, "The Schooldays of an Indian Girl", when they cut her hair I feel that that was a big blow. The Indian culture prides themselves in their hair and do not wear it short unless, I believe she says, you are a coward. This just showed how much the others did not respect her or where she came from. I also really liked this character though because even after how she is treated, she seems strong. At the end of the story where it talks about her going to college I found that to be a very significant fact. Many people did not go to college back then, especially if they were Native American and female! Then on top of all that she also wins awards! I found that to be just such a neat story.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
7/26/07
The main similarity I see in the two passages is that both girls don’t want to conform to what others want them to be. They are trying not to steer away from their culture and looks. It seems like in other texts we’ve read as a class, the author or main character wanted desperately to conform to society and blend in. For example, in “When I Was Growing Up” directly contrasted with “Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian.” In the first short story, the author, Nellie Wong, keeps telling the reader she wants to white badly. Wong thinks it would make her life easy and she would be treated equally as a white. In the latter passage, the author, Sui Sin Far, isn’t really in a hurry to get away from her roots, she just accepts them. She gives detailed examples of when she is disrespected, ridiculed, and picked on because of her Chinease connection. However, although she sees and feels all this hate against her, she still stays strong. I think what conflicts her most is that she seems torn between having an English father and a Chinease American. She doesn’t exactly know how to balance each side out. But, she’s never ashamed or ready to get rid of either side, but she’s neutral. The last couple of lines says it all, “After all, I have no nationality and am not anxious to claim any. Individuality is more than nationality” (pg.533).
In terms of differences, “The Schooldays of an Indian Girl” author is defiant on her roots and wants to keep them at all costs. Unlike Far, she doesn’t take the fence about where she comes from and resists when the paleface woman tries to cut her hair. It’s a big deal to her, because her hair is part of her nationality and “shingled hair was for cowards” (Barney 515).
In terms of differences, “The Schooldays of an Indian Girl” author is defiant on her roots and wants to keep them at all costs. Unlike Far, she doesn’t take the fence about where she comes from and resists when the paleface woman tries to cut her hair. It’s a big deal to her, because her hair is part of her nationality and “shingled hair was for cowards” (Barney 515).
"The Schooldays of an Indian Girl"
by Zitkala-Sa
and
"Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian"
by Sui Sin Far
While both characters are faced with oppression due to their race, Sui Sin Far deals with it from birth where Zitkala-Sa learns of it at a very young age. Still, both children come up with some similar experiences, for example, situations involving their physical appearance. Sui Sin Far's Chinese heritage was not always obvious to the people around her, but once they realized it, had a "Eureka!" type moment where they act as if they knew it all along; describing the shape of her eyes and the tone of her skin as if they noticed it from the start. Zitkala-Sa deals with much of the same, with her long hair being sliced off by a "paleface", most likely due to the fact that it was considered uncivilized, or unkempt. I noticed that Zitkala-Sa received almost harsher treatment from the 'palefaces' around her than Sui Sin Far did. Perhaps this was because Far was half-English, and could use that to her advantage when need be. It's ironic that including both of the main characters in this story and all the white people as well, Zitkala-Sa was the one who's people originated in North America; yet she receieved some of the worst treatment.
Another similarity I noticed, was how certain remarks about their heritage and history where inaccurately made by white people, with both Sui Sin Far and Zitkala-Sa both failing to correct the assumptions, even though they seemed to know better.
For example, in Zitkala-Sa's story, a white woman tells her this about the devil:
"Then I heard the paleface woman say that this terrible creature roamed loose in the world, and that little girls who disobeyed school regulations were to be tortured by him."
But before that, she wrote:
"Among the legends the old warriors used to tell me were many stories of evil spirits. But I was taught to fear them no more than those who stalked about in material guise."
Which are obviously two conflicting viewpoints. The difference is, Zitkala-Sa's own people had no reason to instill fear in her; they weren't afraid of her, and they weren't trying to control her. The "paleface" however, was trying to control her, so instead of giving the young girl peace of mind, she scared her into behaving in the way she thought she should.
In Sui Sin Far's story, a white man tells her this:
"They tell me that if I wish to succeed in literature in America I should dress in Chinese costume, carry a fan in my hand, wear a pair of scarlet beaded slippers, live in New York, and come of high birth. Instead of making myself familiar with the Chinese-Americans around me, I should discourse on my spirit acquaintance with Chinese ancestors and quote in between the "Good mornings" and "how d'ye dos" of editors."
And while this "suggestion" from her editor is not directly designed to instill fear in her, it still plays of a fear of her not being accepted the way that she is--- a fear all his own that he is trying to impress on Sui Sin Far.
I think the common link between these two passages is the occurrence of the white people in Zitkala-Sa and Sin Sui Far's lives insulting their intelligence. The oppressors automatically assume they know what's best for the girls, whether it's how to dress, how to behave, where to live, how to talk, etc. Even though Sin Sui Far isn't enrolled in a school aimed at "civilizing her" like Zitkala-Sa, it's apparent from this passage that their whole lives are filled with people trying to "educate" them on what they already know, and better.
by Zitkala-Sa
and
"Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian"
by Sui Sin Far
While both characters are faced with oppression due to their race, Sui Sin Far deals with it from birth where Zitkala-Sa learns of it at a very young age. Still, both children come up with some similar experiences, for example, situations involving their physical appearance. Sui Sin Far's Chinese heritage was not always obvious to the people around her, but once they realized it, had a "Eureka!" type moment where they act as if they knew it all along; describing the shape of her eyes and the tone of her skin as if they noticed it from the start. Zitkala-Sa deals with much of the same, with her long hair being sliced off by a "paleface", most likely due to the fact that it was considered uncivilized, or unkempt. I noticed that Zitkala-Sa received almost harsher treatment from the 'palefaces' around her than Sui Sin Far did. Perhaps this was because Far was half-English, and could use that to her advantage when need be. It's ironic that including both of the main characters in this story and all the white people as well, Zitkala-Sa was the one who's people originated in North America; yet she receieved some of the worst treatment.
Another similarity I noticed, was how certain remarks about their heritage and history where inaccurately made by white people, with both Sui Sin Far and Zitkala-Sa both failing to correct the assumptions, even though they seemed to know better.
For example, in Zitkala-Sa's story, a white woman tells her this about the devil:
"Then I heard the paleface woman say that this terrible creature roamed loose in the world, and that little girls who disobeyed school regulations were to be tortured by him."
But before that, she wrote:
"Among the legends the old warriors used to tell me were many stories of evil spirits. But I was taught to fear them no more than those who stalked about in material guise."
Which are obviously two conflicting viewpoints. The difference is, Zitkala-Sa's own people had no reason to instill fear in her; they weren't afraid of her, and they weren't trying to control her. The "paleface" however, was trying to control her, so instead of giving the young girl peace of mind, she scared her into behaving in the way she thought she should.
In Sui Sin Far's story, a white man tells her this:
"They tell me that if I wish to succeed in literature in America I should dress in Chinese costume, carry a fan in my hand, wear a pair of scarlet beaded slippers, live in New York, and come of high birth. Instead of making myself familiar with the Chinese-Americans around me, I should discourse on my spirit acquaintance with Chinese ancestors and quote in between the "Good mornings" and "how d'ye dos" of editors."
And while this "suggestion" from her editor is not directly designed to instill fear in her, it still plays of a fear of her not being accepted the way that she is--- a fear all his own that he is trying to impress on Sui Sin Far.
I think the common link between these two passages is the occurrence of the white people in Zitkala-Sa and Sin Sui Far's lives insulting their intelligence. The oppressors automatically assume they know what's best for the girls, whether it's how to dress, how to behave, where to live, how to talk, etc. Even though Sin Sui Far isn't enrolled in a school aimed at "civilizing her" like Zitkala-Sa, it's apparent from this passage that their whole lives are filled with people trying to "educate" them on what they already know, and better.
"The Schooldays of an Indian Girl" and "Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian"
I definetly noticed several similarities between these two texts. Both of the girls mentioned being stared at, and how that alone gave them the worst feeling of all. It seems that when people would actually come out and say hurtful things, they were able to stand up for themselves and not feel quite as bad as opposed to when the "pale faces" would just stare. I feel like people discriminated against them in the same way in both texts, but in the first one they are actually trying to change her. The discrimination comes from trying to "save" the indian people by making them more American and Christian. The part that really stood out to me in the first text was when they made her fear the devil. They tried to change her beliefs so much, thinking that by scaring her with the devil they would be able to convert her. In the second reading, people didn't try so much to change the Chinese, but were just rudly curious about them. The part that stood out to me in that text was when the finace asks the girl to tell his friends and family that she is actually Japanese, because they would be more interested in a "little Japanese lady". This just shows how ignorent people really are about the importance of your nationality. Even though Japanese and Asians may look the same to most people, there is a big difference between them and it is a big deal to say you're one of them when you're actually the other. People in those days didn't realize that, and I think that even today people don't make an effort to see the difference between Chinese and Japanese.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
July 24 Post
In"Seventeen Syllables" I did not think it was a typical romance narrative. When the mother was talking about how her marriage was arranged and telling her daughter not to marry, I did not think those were features of a romance narrative. However, there were some characteristics such as having the man lust after the woman, as in Rosie's case and when the mother was referring to how she wanted her husband to save her from her problems. You don't often see romance narratives where the marriage is being arranged. Usually they are two people who are falling madly in love, not two people who are being forced to love each other. The only part of the story I liked was seeing Rosie in love. I felt bad for her because her mom was trying to persuade her otherwise because of her own problems that she had with love. I felt bad for her because she was seeing her parents marriage fall apart and it was affecting her relationship. I think it makes a difference that it was not really following a romantic narrative because I was not as interested in the story. I love stories about romance and falling in love and this to me was no that a story about that.
"Men in your life" in my opinion was more of a romantic narrative because this woman is talking about the man she is going to marry, by choice, and why she wants to marry him. It follows more of the romantic narrative because she is talking about how she really loves Eddie. Even though Eddie does not have a lot of money, she loves him for the things he does and the things they do together. I liked this story a lot more than the first one because she was putting love over money which is I think is a good thing to do. Also, I really liked this story because the friend did not like her boyfriend which is something that is common in my life and with my friends. There is always that one friend that for some reason does not think the boyfriend is good enough. But I liked how the woman did not listen to her friend and went with how she felt. I think that is an important lesson.
"Men in your life" in my opinion was more of a romantic narrative because this woman is talking about the man she is going to marry, by choice, and why she wants to marry him. It follows more of the romantic narrative because she is talking about how she really loves Eddie. Even though Eddie does not have a lot of money, she loves him for the things he does and the things they do together. I liked this story a lot more than the first one because she was putting love over money which is I think is a good thing to do. Also, I really liked this story because the friend did not like her boyfriend which is something that is common in my life and with my friends. There is always that one friend that for some reason does not think the boyfriend is good enough. But I liked how the woman did not listen to her friend and went with how she felt. I think that is an important lesson.
Narrative Story Brainstorm for 7/25
There are several stories that demand repeated attention in society today. Thinking about it, I realized that many of them have to do with disrimination or violence of some kind against a certain group of people. The clothesline project raises awareness about violence against women, and there are millions of other organizations that raise awarness about other issues like gay rights, race issues, poverty, child abuse etc. For child abuse in particular, I read a book called "A Child Called It" in middle school. It was based on a true story, and written by a man who was abused by his mother as a child. Writing is just one of the outlets people find to raise awareness about these issues. There are several funds/organizations that deal with child abuse, and even telephone numbers to call and get help. I've also seen people appear on talk shows like Oprah to tell their story and help raise awareness in order to stop it all together. Although these outlets do not solve the problem completely, they're a step in the right direction and they all add up to make a difference.
Tuesday 7-24
Seventeen Syllables
I think this story follows the typical theme of the women having a problem that she needs a man to solve for her that alot of romance narritives have. Her mom saying that she almost commited suicide and how her husband came to the rescue, even if it was an arranged marriage, she thought that getting married would solve all of her problems but its obvious that down the road it wasnt a "happily ever after" ending. It goes against the norm of having everything work out in the end and i think it goes to show that we can't depend on someone else to solve our problems for us, we have to solve them on our own and make ourselfs happy before we can let anyone else into our lives.
Men in Your Life
I think that this goes along another different common theme of alot of romance narratives. A lot of times the conflict between the two people is class or background. This goes along with that theme because the women went on all these dates with men that had money and were well off but in the end she realizes that even though Eddie doesn't have money, what she thought she wanted, she loves him for his effort and she loves him for him. In the end it is kind of a "love conquers all" story. It doesnt show what is going to happen when the stress of being poor gets in the way of their relationship, because a lot of the time it does.
I think this story follows the typical theme of the women having a problem that she needs a man to solve for her that alot of romance narritives have. Her mom saying that she almost commited suicide and how her husband came to the rescue, even if it was an arranged marriage, she thought that getting married would solve all of her problems but its obvious that down the road it wasnt a "happily ever after" ending. It goes against the norm of having everything work out in the end and i think it goes to show that we can't depend on someone else to solve our problems for us, we have to solve them on our own and make ourselfs happy before we can let anyone else into our lives.
Men in Your Life
I think that this goes along another different common theme of alot of romance narratives. A lot of times the conflict between the two people is class or background. This goes along with that theme because the women went on all these dates with men that had money and were well off but in the end she realizes that even though Eddie doesn't have money, what she thought she wanted, she loves him for his effort and she loves him for him. In the end it is kind of a "love conquers all" story. It doesnt show what is going to happen when the stress of being poor gets in the way of their relationship, because a lot of the time it does.
Men in your life and Seventeen Syllables
The story Seventeen syllables starts off telling the story of a young girl and almost right away goes into talking about how her mother is persuing her writing and it has left her father and her almost lonely. The story basically describes a husband and wife falling apart, and then their young daughter falling in love for the first time. I guess, this text was a romantic narrative, although, I am not positive how I feel about that. The second text, Men in your life, I believe is a true romantic narrative. In this text the woman is talking about the man that she is going to marry, Eddie. She is telling stories of things that they have done together and she is talking about the different reasons that she loves him. It differs from the first story because in the first story the young girl was telling the story of her love life, but also the destruction that was happening to her her parents love life. Both stories dont really put all that great of an outlook on love. The first one ends with a mother asking her only daughter to promise that she will never marry, and the second one seems to just be listing different reasons to marry a man because of the things that he does for you. Neither approach love or marriage as something you do because you really love and care about another person.
Romantic movie
My favorite romantic movie would probably be Dirty Dancing, a plot line that I am sure we are all very familiar with. Basically, a young girl from a well to do family goes to a summer resort with her family and falls in love with the dance instructor there. No one approves of their relationship but they fall in love anyway. This resulting in him getting fired from the resort. On the final night of their stay he comes back to get her though and puts on the end dance performance even though he isnt supposed to. This is my favorite part, and probably favorite line of all time, "no one puts baby in a corner." I think that I like this scene so much because it is very corny. But also, the dancing actually is really good and throughout the whole movie I just sat there wondering if they were going to be able to work it out. Finding out that they were was the exact ending that I was wanting.
I'm not sure if the text "Seventeen Syllables" by Hisaye Yamamoto follows a typical romance narrative or not but I think it does contain a lot of questions of romantic love. The narrator's mother seemed to almost wish to be saved by being married to a man and made me think it was kind of like a happily ever after story gone wrong. She married her husband because to prevent herself from committing suicide and not because of true love. She ruins the image of love for her daughter by telling her to never get married and almost instills a fear in her of ever falling in love. Her passion for the haiku is very romantic and the strong reaction of her husband destroying her prize too. This text is an example of why most marriages where people marry for other reasons than love don't normally work out. In contrast, the second text "Men in Your LIfe" by Alice Childress definitely has more romantic characteristics. The narrator marries the man Eddie despite the fact that he is poor and has a list of specific characteristics that she loves about him. She marries him because it feels like love, not to escape a problem which seems more romantic.
7.24.2007
“Seventeen Syllables” is a text that somewhat follows the narrative of many modern romantic love stories. This is a sort of double love story: a mother’s and a daughter’s. The mother’s love story is familiar because it involves heartbreak, as many love stories do. She fell in love with a man she was deemed inferior to, and their love had to be hidden from their families. This is another theme that often appears in modern love stories. Mrs. Hayashi knew the pain of heartbreak and lost love, and she tried to urge her daughter not to marry, seemingly to help her avoid misery. Because she was not able to be with the man she actually loved, Mrs. Hayashi began writing poetry as an outlet to express herself. This, yet another theme that appears in modern love stories, is upsetting, because she will never again be with the love of her life. This text, in my opinion, follows the narrative of a romance narrative far more than “Men in Your Life,” but I don’t think that it closely resembles any one specific narrative. It has elements of different types of narratives integrated throughout, but the ending is not only ambiguous, but seemingly negative, with the mother calling her daughter foolish for wishing to marry Jesus, the boy whom she has feelings for. In many love stories, the mother encourages the daughter to chase blindly after her love at all costs, as long as she is sure he is appropriate, but Rosie’s mom discourages her.
I don’t think “Men in Your Life” follows a romance narrative, because the women in the story are not in need of salvation, nor do they seem as dependent on men, as the women in many narratives do. In addition, Tessie’s husband is far from Prince Charming, with his constant complaining, nagging, and mumbling. His brother Wallace is not much better than he. Wallace, an affluent man, took the narrator to dinner at a fancy restaurant, and although he was very capable of buying her whatever she wanted, he offered her hash, for he knew that was what she was used to. I was very disgusted with this, as was she, for he clearly assumed that since she was not too familiar with fine cuisine, she would simply settle for a better version of hash than that to which she is usually accustomed. Any man that has the means to provide a woman with what she wants but offers her less than that to which she is entitled is not deserving of her company; this is an indicator of how he will treat her in the future. I loved the relationship between Eddie and the narrator for many reasons, especially since it did not seem to follow any common narrative at all. Eddie, a poor man, gave her everything he possibly could, even though that was close to nothing. This is true love. He washed dishes for her and babysits her cousin’s children, jobs that are usually believed to be designed for women. Not only did he make the best of what he had, but he also used his imagination to expand that to become even more meaningful. I also appreciate the fact that neither of them has more power than the other. The only thing that seems to resemble a romance narrative is the happy ending, with Eddie and his love living poorly but happily together. This text offers the concept of romantic love as something shared equally between two people, regardless of financial stability. It also implies that men and women should both be respected equally. I appreciated the fact that the narrator was not a woman in distress, but in stead, knew exactly what kind of person she wanted to marry. The details of this story definitely make a difference in demonstrating that a woman does not always need to be submissive in relationships, nor does she need to be the courted party to find happiness. The story also implies that the traditional house in the suburbs, white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and the little dog are not mandatory items for a happy life.
I don’t think “Men in Your Life” follows a romance narrative, because the women in the story are not in need of salvation, nor do they seem as dependent on men, as the women in many narratives do. In addition, Tessie’s husband is far from Prince Charming, with his constant complaining, nagging, and mumbling. His brother Wallace is not much better than he. Wallace, an affluent man, took the narrator to dinner at a fancy restaurant, and although he was very capable of buying her whatever she wanted, he offered her hash, for he knew that was what she was used to. I was very disgusted with this, as was she, for he clearly assumed that since she was not too familiar with fine cuisine, she would simply settle for a better version of hash than that to which she is usually accustomed. Any man that has the means to provide a woman with what she wants but offers her less than that to which she is entitled is not deserving of her company; this is an indicator of how he will treat her in the future. I loved the relationship between Eddie and the narrator for many reasons, especially since it did not seem to follow any common narrative at all. Eddie, a poor man, gave her everything he possibly could, even though that was close to nothing. This is true love. He washed dishes for her and babysits her cousin’s children, jobs that are usually believed to be designed for women. Not only did he make the best of what he had, but he also used his imagination to expand that to become even more meaningful. I also appreciate the fact that neither of them has more power than the other. The only thing that seems to resemble a romance narrative is the happy ending, with Eddie and his love living poorly but happily together. This text offers the concept of romantic love as something shared equally between two people, regardless of financial stability. It also implies that men and women should both be respected equally. I appreciated the fact that the narrator was not a woman in distress, but in stead, knew exactly what kind of person she wanted to marry. The details of this story definitely make a difference in demonstrating that a woman does not always need to be submissive in relationships, nor does she need to be the courted party to find happiness. The story also implies that the traditional house in the suburbs, white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and the little dog are not mandatory items for a happy life.
Readings for 7/24/07
"Seventeen Syllables"
I thought that this story was not following the usually romantic narrative. First I thought about the mother and her predictament when it came to love and such, and I got the impression that she had never really experienced great romantical feelings for her husband. She even tells her own daughter never to marry. She tells about how her marriage was arranged and to be honest I can understand why she sort of felt how she did. I know that I would like to have my family pick out my husband for me. You can't force love. This story also showed a side of young love when talking about the daughter, Rosie. Rosie meets a young man who is also college aged and he puts a move on her. She continues to think back to his kiss and touch and she seems to be scared but in a way happy at the same time. She avoids him the next day but is pleased to see that he keeps looking toward the house where she is suppose to be. I think this is more a physical attracion right now than it is love. Although it could turn out to be so, they are still young. I think the story was a bigger look into the many ways that love can appear. It isn't always happy stories that talk about love and meeting your soul mate. What about stories like this that talk not about the abundance of love, but the lack thereof?? It was definitely new type of love narrative.
"Men in Your Life"
In the story I think you can see some of the normal romantic narrative. Such as, love is all you need. If the man whom the narrator loves is poor but they love each other, she believes they will be fine. In the story she talks about her date with Wallace, who seems to be a real sleeze ball. He is cheap, and seems to only want one thing from her all throughout the date. It is sad but there really are so many men out there. They are successful yes but not in the romance department. They have steady jobs but not relationships. I found this story to be a bit more happy than the last one because it seems like the guy, Eddie, that the author is thinking about marrying is a very good guy. He is a bit poor, but that can be overcome, you can always find a job. But you can't always find love or someone who is going to treat you right.
I thought that this story was not following the usually romantic narrative. First I thought about the mother and her predictament when it came to love and such, and I got the impression that she had never really experienced great romantical feelings for her husband. She even tells her own daughter never to marry. She tells about how her marriage was arranged and to be honest I can understand why she sort of felt how she did. I know that I would like to have my family pick out my husband for me. You can't force love. This story also showed a side of young love when talking about the daughter, Rosie. Rosie meets a young man who is also college aged and he puts a move on her. She continues to think back to his kiss and touch and she seems to be scared but in a way happy at the same time. She avoids him the next day but is pleased to see that he keeps looking toward the house where she is suppose to be. I think this is more a physical attracion right now than it is love. Although it could turn out to be so, they are still young. I think the story was a bigger look into the many ways that love can appear. It isn't always happy stories that talk about love and meeting your soul mate. What about stories like this that talk not about the abundance of love, but the lack thereof?? It was definitely new type of love narrative.
"Men in Your Life"
In the story I think you can see some of the normal romantic narrative. Such as, love is all you need. If the man whom the narrator loves is poor but they love each other, she believes they will be fine. In the story she talks about her date with Wallace, who seems to be a real sleeze ball. He is cheap, and seems to only want one thing from her all throughout the date. It is sad but there really are so many men out there. They are successful yes but not in the romance department. They have steady jobs but not relationships. I found this story to be a bit more happy than the last one because it seems like the guy, Eddie, that the author is thinking about marrying is a very good guy. He is a bit poor, but that can be overcome, you can always find a job. But you can't always find love or someone who is going to treat you right.
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