Medusa

This poem is clearly written about Plath's mother, and the connection between them which Plath seemingly resents.

"In any case you are always there,
Tremulous breath at the end of my line"

Word choice here (tremulous) indicates that Sylvia Plath may not view her mother as a strong role model. But her use of words like "fat and red, a placenta" are undeniable references to a maternal relationship and its rawness, with its origins being very physical.

The religious references in the last stanzas of the poem reminded me of our class discussion on Wednesday, and the topic of how divine love and maternal love compare. Sylvia Plath expresses frustration with what I perceive to be her mother's spirituality. The line "Hiss at my sins" seemed to me to suggest that her mother's religious beliefs created tension in their relationship, and probably made Plath feel like her mother looked down upon her. Maybe Plath's mental health had something to do with her feelings of being judged. I think this is a common theme in many mother-daughter relationships when a mother's spirituality is involved. Religion itself seems to worsen an already wide generational gap. 

"Off, off, eely tentacle!

There is nothing between us."

This line stings a bit, and to end a poem like this is to end it in anger. Plath has made her decision--she wants to be free of her mother's judgments and expectations. She is hurt. 

Before the Birth of One of Her Children

I think this poem by Anne Bradstreet is about her preparing for the possible death that could happen during labor.  Especially because this was written so long ago, in those days it was more common for there to be complications with women and pregnancy and women giving birth.  When I read the poem the first time around I thought that she was using death to represent the stereotype of women and how maybe her friendships were being taken away from her in a sense once she had a baby.  Such as in the line

 "No ties so strong, no friends so dear and sweet, But with death's parting blow is sure to meet." 

 Then she continues to say

 "How soon, my dear, death may my steps attend, How soon't may be thy lot to lose thy friend",

but after rereading it a few times I realized the word "death" was not representing anything.

I think this poem was meant to be written to her lover and preparing him for her death and how to deal with it while still successfully taking care of their newborn child.  The line I really liked was the following:

"Yet love thy dead, who long lay in thine arms:  

And when thy lost shall be repaid with gains 

Look to my little babes my dear remains".

This was my favorite few lines because I think she is telling her husband to look to their newborn child for happiness and when he looks at the baby to be reminded of her and all their memories and love they shared together.  Bradstreet said "thy lost shall be repaid with gains" meaning he may have lost her but their newborn child will bring him even more joy and happiness now even after she is gone.  

In addition to this, the reason I think she is speaking to her husband is because of the line 

"These farewell lines to recommend to thee,

That when the knot's untied that made us one, 

I may seem thine, who in effect am none."

I think she is insinuating in these lines of their marriage when she says the "knot untied that made us one", because after her death their knot of love will be untied because she will be gone.  It is a sad poem but realistic and heart warming that she wrote the poem and felt content with passing on as long as her baby and husband are happy.

Nick and the Candlestick

I really enjoyed Sylvia Plath's poems and tried to decipher all of them but mostly came out empty handed. They are all abstract and chaotic but I think that's why I like them.
My opinion of Nick and the Candlestick, is that Plath is talking about the birth of her son. I also believe she is figuratively speaking about her world before her son enters it.

I think that she is saying that her womb and her world was cold and horrid before her son came into it. That he brought "roses and rugs" to make her world more comfortable. I think that Sylvia was expecting that her son would bring happiness and consistency back into her world "You are the one solid the spaces lean on, envious" This idea makes so much more sense in my head :)

Sylvia Plath

Having read Sylvia Plath before, I thought that would help me to understand her poems in this book, but it didn't. The poem that I found easiest to follow was "The Disquieting Muses." Plath talks about her mother throughout the poem. At line 41 she wrote, "I woke one day to see you, mother, floating above me in bluest air." How I interpreted it was that her mother passed away, or was no longer in her life, and she was finally okay with who she truly was. The way Plath described her mother made it seem as though her mother always wanted her to be someone other than herself. In line 35 Plath wrote, "..each teacher found my touch oddly wooden in spite of scales and the hours of practicing, my ear tone-deaf and yes, unteachable." Many parents make the mistake of forcing their children into doing something they are not passionate about. Obviously Plath was not a good musician and her mother refused to accept that. On the flip side, the entire poem could be honoring her mother in some way that I, as an outsider, cannot understand. That is the difficult thing about poetry; it can be hard to decipher what the poet's intentions were at the time the piece was written. Not only that, but Plath had a very unique style and mind.

In Reference to her children-Anne Bradstreet

So, I have never understood poetry, ever.  I feel as if I have tried so hard to understand poetry, both in high school, and through college, and it has never made sense to me.  I’m not sure what it is about this particular poem of Bradstreet’s, but it really clicked with me.  To finally read a poem that I could make sense of the first time I read it was really exciting.  I thought it was so beautifully written; I loved how she was telling the story of all of her children, and how they grew up.  Reading this gave me a whole new perspective on motherhood.  It is one thing to hear someone talk about their kids growing up and leaving home, but her choice to write about them as if they were birds gave her poem so much more depth.  My favorite lines from this poem are “Great was my pain when I you bred, Great was my care, when I you fed, Long did I keep you soft and warm, And with my wings kept off all harm, My cares are more, and fears than ever, My throbs such now, as ‘fore were never” (671).  Bradstreet really does a great job of displaying what motherhood really is in this poem, but these lines stood out to me the most.  The way she wrote this poem offers so much insight to what being a mother really is all about.  As we’ve discussed in class, a mother has the toughest job, but reading about motherhood in this poem gave me a greater appreciation for all of the things they do that go unsaid.  Mothers have to do everything for their kids, and then at some point, let them leave the nest and fly away. This poem was so sad and so beautiful at the same time, because of how real it was, and the emotion she showed through it. 

Nick and the Candlestick by Sylvia Plath

While reading Sylvia's Bio I thought her poems would be really interesting and I would be able to read them well and understand what she was talking about. Her poems didn't make too much sense to me, but the one that I understood the most was Nick and the Candlestick. Obviously she is talking about her son Nicholas. To me it seems like she is writing about the birth of her son and how she brings him home. "I have hung our cave with roses, With soft rugs-" I took this as the part where she brings Nick home, she is referring to our cave as our home. "You are the one Solid the spaces lean on, envious. You are the baby in the barn." I thought this as Nick was the baby home in the barn. Earlier she also says "O love, how did you get here? O embryo" I thought this was Sylvia talking about how this child came into the world, but really knowing how he did. I'm not sure how the candle fits in though. I could be completely wrong with this too, but this is what I thought!  

The Disquieting Muses

After reading Sylvia Plath's poem "The Disquieting Muses" I believe that Plath saw the demons and fears she faced in her mental illness as connected to her mother. As children we are taught so much by our mother's, but the one thing that they never teach us is fear. Because fear is naturally occurring it can be terrifying and baffling for children when their mother cannot "save" them from their fears. Sometimes we may even blame them for their inability to do so. Plath starts the piece by introducing to the narrator's fear that is three faceless women by rhetorically asking her mother what,

"cousin did you so unwisely keep
unasked to my christening, that she
sent these ladies in her stead" (814).

With this I believe Plath is showing how she blames her mother for the experience of this nightmare or fear that could be interpreted as her mental illness. She believes that her mother could prevent her from going through something like this. In an attempt to almost take back or minimize the blame, she questions if her mother could have done something,

"I wonder
whether you saw them, whether you said
words to rid me of these three ladies" (814)

Plath eventually acknowledges that the fear and terror becomes too much for her to handle, "but these ladies broke the panes". This refers to the feeling of safety her mother created for the family. Because her mother was unable to keep the narrator's feelings of fear away, the "ladies" won and were able to have a stronger influence on her life. Later Plath admits how these demons effected her life,

"I could
not life a foot in the twinkle dress
but, heavy-footed, stood aside
In the shadow cast by my dismal-headed
Godmother's, only you cried and cried" (814).

Plath realized that her fears had completely taken over her life, causing her to feel as if she had disappointed her mother. Plath closes the piece by stating how these "ladies", or her fear and mental illness was now constant, "day now, night now, at head, side, feet. They stand their vigil in gowns of stone". The fear is now in the narrators life acting as a mother might. It began to dictate, forcing the narrator to allow it to take over the a mother's role.

In Reference to Her Children, 23 June, 1656

When I read Bradstreet's poem, I knew immediately that she was comparing her 8 children to birds  and that she was describing the "empty nest syndrome" that mothers typically face as their children grow up and leave her house. I think that that comparison works very well for Bradford.

She wrote, "I nursed them up with pain and care,/ Nor cost, nor labor did I spare,/ Till at the last they felt their wing,/ Mounted the trees, and learned to sing," (lines 3-6). I think she wrote this to show that she is proud of what she could accomplish as a women and how strong women have to be to have children.

Throughout the rest of the poem is where I really saw her struggles with "empty nest syndrome". Her children were getting older and leaving home, just as when birds learn to fly the leave the nest. I think she was just sad to see that all what she had put all of her hard work and all of her love into was leaving her nest.

She wrote, "Farewell my birds, farewell adieu,/ I am happy if well with you," (lines 93-94). She is proud of what her children have become and what they are doing wit there life, so as long as they are happy, she is too. However, like all mothers, I feel that no matter how happy her children are she wishes that she could have them forever.

To cope with that she wrote all about what her children were up to and accomplishing, both to show how wonderful she thought her children were, as well as a way to show others that what her children have become was mostly because of her. So, I feel that she is proud of her children, but also extremely proud of herself as a mother.

-Jessica Mitchell

"Nick and the Candlestick"

Overall, I interpreted this poem as Sylvia Plath's writing about her body after she had birthed two children and her husband separated from her. Her lines:

"Waxy stalactites
Drip and thicken, tears

The earthen womb
Exudes from its dead boredom."

To me, I see this as Plath referencing her body as a cave and a dark, dormant cave. Touched long ago, yet now untouched, marked by going through the process of labor. Perhaps "waxy stalactites" refers to the birth of her children. The bio was sure to outline the separation of Plath and her husband and how it showed in her writing and that is what I found myself coming back to with each of her poems.

The disquieting muses-sylvia plath

In this poem I am seeing really how muses are her dislike and rejection of all things related to her mother. She wrote, "Mother, you sent me to piano lessons and praised my arabesque and trills although each teacher found my touch oddly wooden in spite of scales. And the hours of practicing, my ear tone deaf and yes, unteachable. I learned, I learned, I learned elsewhere. From muses unhired by you, dear mother." She is saying although you tried making me into a proper lady with piano lessons and singing, I have learned from other muses who I found myself. She dislikes the idea that she had to be given people to look up to instead of finding her own.

Response to Classmates Posts

When reading Jess Walton's post on Before the Birth of One of Her Children, I definitely agreed with her when she said talking about death could go in two different ways. At first, I also thought she was talking about her own death. But as I read more I got the feeling that she was talking about her relationship between herself, as a mother, and her child. You may loose some things when you become a mother, but you gain so much more.

As I was reading Katarina Kleine's post on Nick and the Candlestick, I noticed similar ideas and concepts she did in the poem. This poem seems to be very religious and uses religious references and terms. In the poem it says, "Those Holy Joes." I automatically think of Joseph. It also even says the word religion in the 6th stanza. I also agreed with that at times it is hard to understand what the writer is trying to say when it comes to poetry and religion. The writer might be trying to say one thing, while his or readers might interpret it in a different way. Sometimes I feel there isn't a right or wrong answer. How you feel about a concept can't be wrong.

Sylvia Plath-Childless Woman

As I was reading this poem I got a sense of loss and sadness. The narrator of this poem is a woman who does not have a child. I do not think it is because she does not want one, but because she can't physically have one . She keeps saying that her world is lost without the feeling of having a child and doesn't know where to go or what to do. The narrator talks about her body and what it is doing to her. She feels like she has no path in life. I think the writer keeps having miscarriages when trying to have a child. She says, "Uttering nothing but blood-" All she can think about is the feeling of not being a mother to her own a child and that she will eventually die alone. I can not relate to this issue, but one of my biggest dreams in life is to be a mother. So I know I would feel just as devastated as the writer is portraying her feelings to her readers. It is life changing.

Before the Birth of One of Her Children (Jess Walton)

I apologize if I get this totally wrong, I'm not the best at analyzing poetry.

The common theme I pulled from this piece was that with the birth there would be a loss. I thought this could be taken two different ways. First, considering the time period, I thought that she could be preparing for her own death. "How soon, my dear, death may my steps attend". The second way was the death of the bond between mother and child. "That when the knot's untied that made us one" I also thought it was interesting that she took this morbid take on birth. Most would see it as a start of new life and happy, she sees it as a loss, be it her life, or the life of this mother/child bond.

Friday's class post

"Nick and the Candlestick" - Sylvia Plath

I believe this was a dramatic monologue. I really enjoyed it. It was so dark and the imagery was really intense. I think it’s about a mother in a room with a candle burning and she is looking at her son Nick? (not to sure though) I did have to read the poem about 5 times to really have a good understanding. After the line “the earthen womb” I got the vibe it has to do with a mother. But the dark imagery like “wrap me, raggy shawls, cold homicides” leads me to believe something bad happened maybe like an abortion or this speaker’s child has died? But I also got this theme of religion and the line “O love, how did you get here? O embryo?” makes me think of like the Virgin Mary and then the last line “You are the baby in the barn” could be another reference to like Jesus in the manger? Other words like “religion” and “Christ” and “first communion” and then like “your crossed position.” But then the lines “I have hung our cave with roses, with soft rugs” really confused me. 

Before the Birth of One of Her Children

"All things within this fading world hath end,
Adversity doth still our joys attend;
No ties no strong, no friends so dear and sweet,
But with death's parting blow is sure to meet.
The sentence past is most irrevocable,
A common thing, yet oh inevitable,"

When I read this, I thought Anne Bradstreet was talking about how when women get pregnant they are expected to drop everything in their lives and be all about their child. In the third line I believe she is talking about the friend she has that their friendship is strong, but "death" is coming near. By death I believed she was talking about the birth of the child. She saying that this sentence cannot be changed but its unavoidable. I feel like is society today people mostly see it as the women's responsibility to take to the care taker of the child, and the man to be the bread winner. But sometimes when people see single moms they don't really think anything of how the father left because "it is the women's" responsibility. But when people see single dads they most of the time comment on how the mother must be a bad mother. I think that there is a double standard in society.

Real Life "Princesses"

It seems there's never an end to the disney debate! Here's an interesting article about an artist who "princess-ified" real life female heroes, including some we've discussed in class (MALALA!). Also I enjoyed this because I have a slight obsession with Ruth Ginsberg. I think it's important to note how the artist points out that Disney gives each of their Princesses their own story but in the end glosses them all over with the same sparkly "superficial brush".

http://www.womenyoushouldknow.net/flatten-heroine-artist-puts-disney-princess-filter-10-real-life-female-role-models/

Bradstreet

I’m 100% not a poetry fan. I’ve never been able to understand it or grasp it, but I really did enjoy reading “In Reference to Her Children” by Anne Bradstreet. I found it great that she used birds to metaphorically describe her children, because just as birds fly the coop, children leave the home. She goes on to describe where each of her eight children end up, which I find to be somewhat like bragging, something every mother loves to do! I know my mother will go on for hours about what I’ve done in my 20 years on earth, even though I don’t believe it to be anything too exciting. However, I know she’s extremely proud of me and who I became, mostly because she had a great deal in  who I’ve turned out to be. I feel like this is what Bradstreet is getting at. No matter what her kids grow up to do, she’ll be proud of them and love them always. She goes on to say she wishes that they have kids, to experience what she experienced with them. I feel like that’s something all mothers wish for their children, to have a child and share an unbreakable bond with them like they’ve shared. My favorite line is “A dam loved you well.” That’s what I’ll say about my mom and what I hope my kids say about me! I wish to someday become a mother, because I want a best friend that I can also say is my child. I’m excited to one day brag about the connection I had with my mother and make the connection I have with my child even stronger. This piece showed her happiness she has as a mother and the peace is brought upon her knowing that she has eight little birds who have left the nest, but she’s proud of each one of them and who they’ve become.

Happy Halloween

Little laughing Medusa and Pirate brother

Open Mic Night!

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    OPEN MIC

       NIGHT!

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October 30^th 7-10pm @ Tim Hortons!!!

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Hosted by Music Therapy Club

Discussion Questions 10/30

1. Do you agree with Norwich's aspect of motherhood as "a complete and connected cycle of life" (pg.654)?

2. In Norwich's biography, it mentions that she claimed to be "unlettered" (illiterate). Why do you think she put on this facade in society to hide her brilliance? (pg.654)

3. In the Sixteenth Chapter of Norwich's piece it says that "The mother's service is nearest, readiest and surest: nearest because it is most natural, readiest because it is most loving, and surest because it is truest. No one ever might or could perform this office fully, except only him." Is there a difference between Love for a mother as compared to a Divine Love? Why or why not?

4. "Teach a child in his youth the trade of his life, and he will not forget it or depart from it when he is old" (662). From the mother aspect, would you follow this advice manual if you lived in the 16th century? Furthermore, in today's society?

5. "It is indeed very unequal for the godly and ungodly to be united together, that their hearts must be both as one, which can never be joined in the fear of god and faith of Christ" (662). Would you let faith hinder the love of a significant other if their beliefs were different from yours? How would your relationship effect your mothering?

6. "If thou canst not love her to the end, leave her to him that can" (pg.663). In this quote she portrays what a man should rightfully do. Is it her place to be telling men what they should, or shouldn't do? Would this be an example of why male writers are more predominant?

7. "For we brought nothing with us into this world, neither shall we carry anything out of the world" (pg.664). What do you think that Leigh is trying to portray by stating this?

Car Smash

Car Smash: Get all of your midterm stress out.

The car smash is in Dods Grove today from 12:30-5:00pm 

$0.25 per hit 

$1.00 for 1 minute 

$3.00 for 5 minutes 

Tools included: Sledge Hammer, Crowbar, Bat, and Hammer 

Women can't write because they aren't "Masters of a house"

While doing my response paper I stumbled upon this article:
 http://jezebel.com/5807943/male-novelist-can-always-spot-female-writers-by-how-much-they-suck 

I wouldn't take this guy seriously, but the discussion of what is male and female writing is what struck my attention.They talk about the gender genie, and I decided to check it out. I tried to stump it but unfortunately it kept getting it right. What do you think, is their a difference? Is it relevant?
Here's the link for the Gender guesser:
http://www.hackerfactor.com/GenderGuesser.php#Analyze


ALSO, I don't know about you but I always get excited when plus size models are advertised. take a look at this. Photoshopping models to look larger, great just what the media needs.

http://www.bust.com/these-models-are-completely-photoshoppedbut-not-in-the-way-youd-expect.html?utm_source=bust.com&utm_medium=module&utm_campaign=popular

BBC World Service-100 Women

BBC World Services took 100 women from around the world and interviewed them on what it was like to be a woman today. There are women from Malala to Chelsea Clinton. They have everything from debates to one-on-one interviews. Hope you enjoy!

Writing and Motherhood

A quote that I thought was interesting from Writing and Motherhood was, "Mother's don't create works of art because all of their creative, aggressive drives find an outlet in the production of their children," (625).

I took this to mean that women are either procreative, as in have children, or they are creative. They can't be both. In class, someone brought up the quote, "Mother's don't write, they are written", and I think that these two quotes kind of work together, in the assumption the once women have children, that is all they can do. Their children run their lives and drain them of all other creative juices, and while I agree that children do tend to run the lives of mothers, I would disagree that women can either have children or they can be creative and produce writing or works of art. I think that there are women that can do both, and that just shows the strength in women's character.

-Jessica Mitchell

Mothers Writing

"Mothers write, and they write fiction as well as personal statements." (p.633)

I found this overarching quote very interesting. In my eyes, it suggested that women's personal experiences as mothers are shown through in their writing.

In class, we discussed how experiences with mothers influence how you parent your own child. In this respect and an angle in looking at Suleiman's quote is to say writing becomes like a child to a woman writer. It suggests that women writer as daughters and as mothers. It ties back into the introduction in that we write as daughters because we are influenced my our mothers and essentially become like our mothers or the complete opposite. Regardless, we are influenced by our experiences and so our writing is.

More CWWP Follow Up

Brenda Chapman was misquoted in a recent interview about Disney's new movie "Frozen" when the journalist who reported her opinion about the two new female characters, Anna and Elsa, saying that Chapman was appalled by how similar they were.

Here was her defense:

“And it made perfect sense. The two characters, I believe, are sisters (what I gleaned from the trailer) — maybe even twins — I don’t know because I have not yet seen it. Of course, if they look so much alike, it would be difficult to give them individual expressions and make them feel like different people. I was actually trying to defend the poor guy! His only mistake was to use the word ‘pretty’ instead of ‘appealing’… which I have no doubt was his meaning behind it…. My other comments were about the industry in general needing more variety in female characters — both physically and character personality — and NOT at Frozen, which I am very much looking forward to seeing.”

Read the article here.

Abortion

Something interesting I found out about abortion

For another one of my classes I had to read T.S Eliot's "The Wasteland" and its so confusing to understand with more footnotes than actual poem. However when i read part II. of the poem, A Game of Chess, the last part of it was about a woman who's husband just returned from the army. It talks about how she needs to get new teeth to look better for her husband or he will cheat on her and it will be her fault. But the reason she needs new teeth and looks like she isnt taking care of herself is because she is taking this "pill" from this "chemist" to have an abortion. I thought it was really interesting how this was published in 1922 and Margaret Sanger's "My Fight for Birth Control" wasnt published until about 10 years after this, and then about 10 years after that birth control was legalized. Below is just the part in section II. when they are talking about this.

T.S Eliot's "The Wasteland" II. A Game of Chess
"When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said— I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself, HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME Now Albert's coming back, make yourself a bit smart. He'll want to know what you done with that money he gave you To get yourself some teeth. He did, I was there. You have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set, He said, I swear, I can't bear to look at you. And no more can't I, I said, and think of poor Albert, He's been in the army four years, he wants a good time, And if you don't give it him, there's others will, I said. Oh is there, she said. Something o' that, I said. Then I'll know who to thank, she said, and give me a straight look. HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME If you don't like it you can get on with it, I said, Others can pick and choose if you can't. But if Albert makes off, it won't be for lack of telling. You ought to be ashamed, I said, to look so antique. (And her only thirty-one.) I can't help it, she said, pulling a long face, It's them pills I took, to bring it off, she said. (She's had five already, and nearly died of young George.) The chemist said it would be alright, but I've never been the same. You are a proper fool, I said. Well, if Albert won't leave you alone, there it is, I said, What you get married for if you don't want children? HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME Well, that Sunday Albert was home, they had a hot gammon, And they asked me in to dinner, to get the beauty of it hot— HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME Goodnight Bill. Goodnight Lou. Goodnight May. Goodnight. Ta ta. Goodnight. Goodnight. Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night."

--What also is really interesting is the last lines with the "goodbyes" is from Hamlet when Ophelia gives her "mad speech" before her drowning. So i guess this could insinuate that Lil maybe wants to kill herself bc of this burden of having an abortion and not being attractive for her husband.

Discussion

Going off of our discussion in class today about how when a man is with a child people look at them and just think awe what a good father. I think the reason for this is because woman are the ones who carry the child, they have a connection with the child no matter what but fathers don't have that. I think fathers have to almost build that bond and connection with their child so it is very different to see a man out with a child but I think that's why people look at them the way they do and praise them. I think it's expected of the mother just because they are the ones that carried the child. Speaking as someone who wants to be an Early Childhood Education teacher whenever I see children out walking or wherever I don't even pay attention to who is with them. I look to see that the child looks happy, healthy and that the person with the child isn't completely ignoring them. I always smile when seeing a child, to me it doesn't really matter who is with them as long as the child is being taken care of (or at least looks it from where I am).

10/25/13 Discussion Leading

Patricia Hill Collins

“Shifting the Center: Race, Class, and Feminist Theorizing About Motherhood” Pg. 638-652

1)Does the society and culture of the mother shape how the children are raised? Does Patricia Hill Collins emphasize the mother’s culture over the children’s culture in an educational setting?

2) (Pg. 647 quote from Jenny Yamoto)

“I’ve noticed that depending on which parent, Black mom or Asian dad, goes to school open house, my oldest son’s behavior is interpreted as disruptive and irreverent, or assertive and clever...I resent their behavior being defined and even expected on the basis of racial biases their teachers may struggle with or hold...I don’t have the time or energy to constantly change and challenge their teachers and friends’ misperceptions. I only go after them when the children really seem to be seriously threatened."

Do you think racial segregation is still an issue in today’s educational system? What levels do you think it would be most prevalent...grade school or even college?

3) (Pg. 639 quote) “Gender roles become tied to the dichotomous constructions of these two basic societal institutions-men work and women take care of families”

Do gender roles still play a part in society today? Do you see examples in the passage that relate to your family?

4) (Pg. 641 quote) ”I use the term “motherwork” to soften the existing dichotomies in feminist theorizing about motherhood that posit rigid distinctions between private and public, family and work, the individual and the collective, identity as individual autonomy and identity growing from the collective self-determination of one’s group.”

Collins uses the term “motherwork” throughout the piece. How would you define the term “motherwork”?, compared to how Collins described it.  

5) (Pg. 537 quote from Audre Lorde) “For the erotic is not a question only of what we do; it is a question of how acutely and fully we can feel in the doing. Once we know the extent to which we are capable of feeling that sense of satisfaction and completion, we can then observe which of our various life endeavors bring us closest to that fullness.”

Audre Lorde and Patricia Hill Collins both describe the power of women’s bodies and how women’s ability to conceive children is the only dominant ability over men.

(Pg. 646 quote) “In a situation, getting to keep one’s children and raise them accordingly fosters empowerment.”

6) (Pg. 649 quote) “How many time have I heard mothers and mothers-in-law tell their sons to beat their wives for not obeying them, for being hociconas (big mouths), for being callajeras (going to visit and gossip with neighbors), for expecting their husbands to help with the rearing of children and the housework, for wanting to be something other than houswives?”

Collins quotes Gloria Anzaldua in a negative light towards women. With this perspective, is Anzaldua encouraging suppression of women in society and the home? Her attitude proves that women are the most harsh critics of other women, even though this is regressive towards progression.

Discussion questions part 1 for 10/23/13

1) “In the process of this transition, the girl must reject herown mother in favor of the father, whose child she longs to bear.” (622) 

What were your first reactions to this quote, which is basically the Electra Complex, does anyone agree with theory?

 

2.) Do you agree with Suleiman when she says, “women are prepared psychologically for mothering through the developmental situation in which they grow up...” (623), and is it even fair to say this when there are abusive or absent mothers? 

 

3.) Why do you feel the mother-daughter v.s. Mother-son relationship are so different from one another, does this difference shine some light on the Electra and oedipal Complex?


4.) On page 623, "The ideal mother has no interests of her own...she really feels this identity of interest." How would people feel today about this statement? Is it still true or expected of women to change or eliminate their interests when they have a child?


5.) It is said in the passage that if men were to act more motherly, than the conjunction of motherhood and writing would become a completely different subject. Do you think this is true? How would it change?


6.) Suleiman says that throughout history, if men were to love their child, or speak about the love of their child, it is simply an added bonus to being a man, however with women, it is "too emotional" to speak of their child in that way. What do you think about this statement? Is it fair? Is it justified?

writing as a daughter

A quote that I thought was really interesting from the intro to rethinking the maternal was one that said "writers question whether mothers are powerful or powerless in their role as primary care givers of children”.  I think that it is bizarre how mothers are often not given credit for all that they do.  Mothers are such powerful women, but it is in such an understated way that they don’t get the credit that they deserve.  Often times when mothers are referenced, it is seen as though what they do isn’t a big deal, or doesn’t really matter all that much, when they are such important people to have in our lives.  Even daughters don’t always appreciate what their mothers do for them.  I used to say that someday I was going to be the very opposite of my mom, but now I can only hope to be half of the mom someday that my mom was to me, but I didn’t realize how much she really does for my brothers and I until I was 15 or 16.  I think it is such a crazy thing that moms do everything that they do for us out of love, but are often said to be powerless.

 

Time link

New UN Women Ad campaign used the top Google searches to show what's being said about women across the globe:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/18/new-ad-campaign-uses-popular-search-terms-to-show-how-the-world-really-feels-about-women/

Joy Harjos

Joy Harjo's poem entitled "Heartshed" was my favorite out of the four poems I read by her.  I think we can all relate to her words in this poem, in the sense of always going back to a certain lover who was a great impact on our lives.  I interpreted this poem as being focused around her expressing her feelings about a specific lover who she is always going back to.  But she describes it as a good thing in the line,

"You keep coming back, the one who knows the sound they call 'in the beginning'.  It doesn't mean going backward.  Our bones are built of spirals."

I think she is saying that every new beginning with this lover helps her learn more about them.  In the end she says 

"I forgive you, forgive myself, from the beginning

this heartshed."

As if she means the pain caused from before is forgiven and together they move forward on their journey once again of "heartshed."  

Links

These are just some interesting things that I've read or seen in the past few days.

The first is a thought catalog article by Nico Lang that touches on some topics that have been in the news lately like the "Fat Shaming Week" that was occurring on twitter. It also discusses how to respond to matter similar what I posted last week about the ridiculous "Women and Low Self Esteem" article. It was nice to read how we can articulate a better response than just "hate clicking".
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/we-need-to-do-something-about-societys-fat-shaming-problem/

This is an interesting video that shed's light on how a new generation is coming it's identity as Feminists, and makes the title less intimidating.
http://www.bust.com/cutest-teen-feminist-explains-how-to-be-a-teenage-feminist.html

"Shrinking Women"- Lily Myers

This slam poet named Lily Myers observes her family history. The influence from her mother shapes her perception of women's bodies. In her family, the women have been smaller than the men for her entire life. Lily tries to examine why in this beautiful, yet heartbreaking poem. The text of the poem can be found in the videos description. The original link can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQucWXWXp3k

The Laugh of Medusa

A quote that I thought helped me understand this piece was, "Write, let no one hold you back, let nothing stop you: not man, not the imbecilic capitalist machinery, in which publishing houses are the crafty, obsequious relayers of  imperatives handed down by an economy that works against us and off our backs; and not yourself," (p. 392).

This quote just made it clear to me that she thought that women need to write no matter what. Write about yourself, write about women, and especially get women to write about their bodies more. She believes that too many women have let others get in their way and discourage from writing about self and body. No one should be able to get in your way, not even yourself. This also relates strongly to what bell hooks' message was. They both feel that no matter how you do it, get your voice out there and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

-Jessica Mitchell

An update on the Princess Merida redesign...

I know a lot of you were upset about the redesign of the Disney Princesses that we covered in our presentation last Friday so I wanted to share this with you.

I bought a Disney Princess poster at WalMart over the weekend and Merida looks how she should, but the other princesses are still in their sparkly new outfits and jewelry, which is still disappointing. Merida really stands out now.

Here's a picture:

Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power

I wanted to start with the paragraph that says "The erotic has often been misnamed by men and used against women.  It has been made into the confused, the trivial, the psychotic, the plasticized sensation.  For this reason, we have often turned away from the exploration and consideration of the erotic as a source of power and information, confusing it with its opposite, the pornographic.  But pornography is a direct denial of the power of the erotic, for it represents the suppression of true feeling.  Pornography emphasizes sensation without feeling."  I really liked this paragraph because it holds so much truth.  The word "erotic" has been characterized as regarding something sexual and only sexual.  But Audre Lorde describes the word "erotic" as being able to be used to describe any sort of intense emotional experience. While reading this it made me think of the poem by Sharon Olds, "Sex Without Love".

She continues to say "The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings."  I interpreted this as finding a passion that gives you an "erotic" feeling.  Doing something you really love to do can make you feel erotic, which I have not ever thought of describing the feelings I feel when I am doing something I am passionate about as "erotic".  However after reading this piece, it made me realize that is the perfect word to use to describe those feelings.

"The internal requirement toward excellence which we learn from the erotic must nor be misconstrued as demanding the impossible from ourselves not from others."  When I read this I interpreted it as once we find out how to get to the point of eroticism, we then try to reach that point at all times.  An example, is if I, as a student, do really well one semester and get a 4.0, I may feel erotic due to my great accomplishment.  However, if the following semester I take more credits than the last, I should not try to demand the impossible from myself of reaching the erotic feeling again even though I may feel an "internal requirement" to do so.  There are many different areas of our lives in which we can fulfill that erotic feeling, but it is different for everyone.  We just need to find what it is for ourselves.

Discussion Questions for 10/16, Jillian & Michelle

Sharon Olds:

1. In "That Year," how does Olds' comparison of rape and the Holocaust impact the images she describes to her audience? Is this comparison effective?

2. What is the significance of the title "The Language of the Brag"? What is "the Brag"?

3. Relate "The Girl's," perseverance back to Aimee Mullins' story and how strong both remained in order to overcome great trials.

4. In "Sex Without Love," what is Olds' purpose in repeating "come to the," in lines 8 and 9?

Joy Harjo:

1. In the poem Fire what do you think was Joy Harjo's reason for placing the word "alone" on its own line. What do you think she was trying to get across to her audience about women's relationships to other women around them?

2. Why do you think Joy Harjo incorporates "fire" into all four of these poems and what is she trying to say by using the symbolism of fire.

3. In the poem Heartshed, who do you think she is talking to?  How is she expressing eroticism with this poem and connecting it to our spirituality? 

4. What do you think Joy Harjo meant by "I walk into another room inside your skin house" ?

Aimee Mullins: "My 12 pairs of legs" hits home

Listening to Mullins talk was motivating and hit home personally for me in a way.  This talk reminded me of my godmother because she can relate to Aimee Mullins life regarding her disability.  My godmother, for years, had fought cancer and unfortunately had to deal with the continuance of its return.  The cancer was always found to be growing in the joint in her hip.  When they had to originally remove the cancer, the first time around, it caused her to have a shorter leg on that side than the other.  This right here was an inconvenience because she now had to permanently use crutches and purchase special shoes, one having a slightly higher heel to it than the other.  A few years ago, when the cancer returned once again, the decision was made to completely amputate her leg.  Today she is very independent.  As a family, we do not look at her as woman with a disability.  She does not yet have a prosthetic leg but she continuously uses her crutches, her wheel chair, and her enthusiasm for life to assist her in getting around.

Aimee Mullins reminded me of my aunt because, like Aimee, when people meet my aunt their first comments are regarding how beautiful she is.  I have never once, in my 22 years of living, seen this woman with a frown on her face.  She has an indescribable glow about her and positive perspective on life that you don't see in most people.  As much physical and emotional pain that my aunt has had to endure in her life, I have never once heard her complain.  She is witty, intelligent, and inspiring.  Whenever something goes wrong in my life I think of her and how it could be worse.  So when listening to Aimee Mullins TedTalk about her "12 pairs of legs" it made me think of how I perceive my aunt.  I have never once thought of her as a woman with a disability, but more so as one of the strongest woman I know.

My favorite part of her speech was one of her last sentences, "It is our humanity and all the potential within it that makes us beautiful."  This saying perfectly describes my aunt and I am going to share this video of Mullins talk with her.

All Kinds of Beautiful

Aimee Mullins TedTalk was so inspiring to me that it gave me chills. She closed her speech with,

"I think that if we want to discover the full potential in our humanity, we need to celebrate those heartbreaking strengths and those glorious disabilities that we all have. I think of Shakespeare's Shylock:"If you prick us, do we not bleed, and if you tickle us, do we not laugh?" It is our humanity,and all the potential within it, that makes us beautiful." 

This really hit home with me. For someone who has completely overcome the obstacles life has thrown at her to have such an optimistic view made me reevaluate my perception on the beauty of life. I admire her for not looking at having prosthetic legs as a disability, but rather as an advantage and an opportunity to shape who she wants to be on that particular day. Mullins is such an inspiration to all women because she has learned to love herself and her body's beauty.

Miss Representation

I know I'm two years behind on this, but in my Gender Studies class we are watching a documentary called "Miss Representation." Many of you have probably seen it, as it was produced and aired on Oprah's network in 2011. This is an incredibly powerful documentary that relates to many of the real world connections we've talked about in class, and I recommend watching it and sharing it with everyone you know. I had an incredibly emotional response to the film, and I think many others have too. I'm not sure that enough girls and women realize what a serious situation we are in.

Here is the trailer, but if you have a few more minutes I would recommend watching the extended trailer instead, as I believe it gives a better overview of all the topics covered.

The official website is here.

"Disabilities"

I didn't want to mention this in class today because we were running out of time and it was kind of off topic, but when we were talking about having a "disability" but still being able to do what everyone else does, I was thinking of this video that I watched this morning.
People may technically have a "disability", but that does not mean they are disabled. This video is really an opener, that someone may have a disability but it does not define them; it is a small part of who they are as a whole.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=c_W27IlN3HM