Erin Slattery and Elizabeth Roberti

May Sarton 

1. In May Sarton’s poem Journey Toward Poetry on page 296 what do you think she meant by... 

“After the mad beautiful 

racing is done, 

To be still, to be silent, 

to stand by a window

Where time not motion changes 

light to shadow, 

Is to be present at the 

birth of creation.”

     2. What main theme do the three poems, Journey Toward Poetry, The Muse as Medusa and Of the Muse all seem to share?

Carol Ann Duffy

1. In the poem Standing Female Nude, the main character will be hung and considered art when she is a river-whore, selling herself for the art piece and possibly at night while prostituting.  

Why do you think she was laughing at such a horrendous situation?

2. The poem Litany, on page 335 'an autobiographical poem, evokes the speakers childhood memory of tasting and regurgitating a tempting obscenity'

Most children get punished multiple times through out their childhood,  what do you think made this memory significant enough to Duffy that she would write a poem about it?

May Sarton reciting her poem My Sisters, Oh My Sisters

Carol Ann Duffy reciting Mrs. Aesop

Video Response

I thoroughly enjoyed all three woman presenters and the content they presented in the TED talks. Generally, I found it so interesting that all three women had different things to say and topics to address and the way it was being presented, yet their passion, dedication, and empowerment were still very similar to one another.  After listening to each woman I couldn't shake the feeling of empowerment and the sense of a family of womanhood these three women represented.  I enjoyed Isabel Allende the most simply because I found her perspective to be interesting and perfectly blunt.  It's always so interesting to see an older woman, one who grew up in a different generation with even worse ideals of women at that time, tell it how it is and find the strength and courage to stand up for her vagina.

CWW: Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato was born on August 20, 1992 and raised in Dallas Texas. She is an actress, singer, song writer, and musician. She rose to fame with the help of Disney. She had the lead role in Camp Rock and soon after earned her own show on the Disney Chanel called Sonny With a Chance. Besides acting, her biggest passion is for music. She currently has three albums released. She was climbing higher into fame, until her personal issues caught up with her. On October 30, 2010, Demi Lovato voluntarily entered herself into a treatment facility for her eating disorder issues and self harm. She stayed for 3 months, and when released she also shared with the world that she was diagnosed as Bipolar. She is a strong, young woman who shares her story to help other girls (and boys), who are going through similar issues. Before and after her treatment, she has been involved in many organizations. She is a spokesperson for an anti- bullying group (PACER), a spokesperson for Dosomething.org, a contributing editor to Seventeen Magazine to discuss personal issues like her own, a spokesperson for an organization called "Love Is Louder Than the Pressure to be Perfect," was given The Honorary Ambassador of Education Award from the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, and much more. Out of her three albums, she has many songs that pertain to the themes discussed in our class as well as empowering lyrics. Some of them include Skyscraper, Every Time You Lie, Believe In Me, and La La Land. I chose La La Land to share with the class.
Here is the music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmjO1p9Oxrk
Some lyrics I want to point out are:
"I'm not a supermodel. I still eat at Ronald's. Baby, that's just me."- I related this to our class discussion on Jane Kilbourne's presentation. We constantly are bombarded today with advertisements of photoshopped, skinny women. We devalue curves today and have an unhealthy idea that consists of " the skinnier the better." Demi Lovato points out her curves all the time and takes pride in them.
"Who said I can't be single and have to go out and mingle?"- I related this to Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own because on page 35, she wrote about how it was a normal part of life to beat of woman if she refused to be with the man picked out for her. We even discussed in class on Friday how in today's society, no one thinks anything of a man wanting to be single, but if a woman does, it is a confusing concept.
"Tell me do you feel the way I feel? 'Cause nothing else is real in the La La Land appeal."- She is trying to help females ban together to say that the pressure on girls to look and act a certain way are not okay. I related this to our discussion on George Eliot's piece when we were asking the question about whether she should be bashing other women or not. Demi Lovato is for coming together.
"I won't change anything in my life. I'm staying myself tonight."- I related this to Bell Hooks's Talking Back. She wrote a lot in this piece about speaking up, no matter the consequences, and to resist the people who break your spirit. She says on page 76, "Moving from silence into speech is for the oppressed,... and those who stand and struggle side by side a gesture of defiance that heals, that makes new life and growth possible." Demi Lovato is speaking out against our societal norms of what a girl should look like, and she is trying to be a positive role model for other girls to look to, so slowly societal norms will change.

Blog Post # 2

George Eliot, a woman who wrote about the negative aspects of woman's writing's when she in turn is a woman writer herself.  "Silly Novel's by Silly Novelist's", I found was a very rude response to the woman writers that were in that particular time period. I was not astounded by her writing or this piece but I chose to do my second blog on it to express the true feeling's about it that I have. George Eliot was bashing on lady novelists and about the stories with the girly feautures and basically making fun of "girly", "feminine", "fluffy" story lines. I feel that the romantic and the fluffy stories that women wrote were about true identity and that it was a way to say that yes I am a woman, and this is the stereotype, so I'm going to embrace it. I feel that if that's the way women historically speaking were looked upon as a stereotypically feminine person then they may as well embrace it. The way that George Eliot writes I feel that maybe she is ashamed to be a female but doesn't have a way to come out and say it. That she's embarassed to be classified in the same classification as the other women simply to get "the in" with the guys. To me, bashing other women when that is their own specific passion, is a way for her to hide behind how she truly feels. She covered up her real name to George Eliot...who knows else else she could be trying to hide from .

Today's discussion

     I'm not one for speaking much in class, but I though that today's discussion was really interesting.  Even though i am not much a fan for Twilight either, i find the female role in it troubling.  For one, i don't think Bella is much of a prize... but it is still the concept of two men fighting over the same woman. Even the story of The Notebook, there is still two men that want the same woman. What i think is awkward is that in a male's world, why is it mostly two men fighting over the same woman?  For men, i think it would be more appealing for one man to have two women fighting over him.  The idea that the male is a perfect species that everyone adores and admires.  But instead it is mostly one woman and two men.  I think this is so because of the stereotype of survival of the fittest.  The man that wins the woman feels empowered and the woman just got to pick the one she wanted.  The man though, has the satisfaction of defeating his opponent and claiming his prize, not to make women sound like property.  But to many men that is what we are.  We have all known that one guy who loved the chase and not the catch.  The idea of men fighting, conquering and succeeding, i think is a common thrill to many men.
      The concept of flying was one that i enjoyed listening to people discuss as well.  I agree completely  with everyone in the sharing thought of flying being free and that's what we feel we want to be as a gender.  We have been held down in the past by men and now we have become a little more and more free from their clutch.  I also loved the idea that Melissa said about how it is a different perspective and i agree completely.  When asked which superpower people want between flying and invisibility, most people say the power of flight. I would want that too, because of the freedom and because you can see the world from a different view.  A view high up where no one else can touch you.  It's actually a wonderful concept.  I really enjoyed the conversation today, and I'm thankful for this blog so everyone can see my ideas too even if i don't like hearing my voice all the time!

Video Response

The video's on the three speakers we watched in class were especially interesting. The best part about them, I thought, was the fact that all three speakers presented with such passion in which they were speaking about. You could hear the sincerity in their voices and the dedication to stand for what they believe in. Each video consisted of alot of energy and facts that were at times very mind blowing. For instance, the stories that Isabel Allende was describing were hard to take in. The devistating stories about the women who were so strong and fought for themselves and their families including their children in order to servive were just absolutly breath taking. I sincerely enjoyed the Courtney Martin presentation and how she incorporated that her views were based off of her mothers but she still had her independent beliefs where she branched off. One of the most heart warming parts was when she spoke about her father and how supportive he was and how he quit his job to support women.

Video Posts

Isabel Allende, Courtney Martin, and Megan Tamerick are three very similar woman. They are proud of being feminists and want the world to know it. Yet they do it with such grace and humor. I thoroughly enjoyed their presentations. The information was powerful yet light and easy to listen to. My favorite though was Isabel Allende with her Tales of Passion. I always love an older woman that can tell it like it is, and she didn't miss a beat. Often times the public doesn't think woman can be funny. Which wasn't the case for Isabel. She was very good at playfulling making fun of herself and her husband as well. Her story about holding up the Olympic flag next to the beautiful Sophia was hilarious.Yet her story about the tutsie refugee camp was so meaningful. The woman of the story Rose manages to keep her seven children alive, and still gave birth to twins. Mind you this was after she watched her husband get tortured and murdered. The kind of strength and passion that must have taken. Then rose saves her oldest daughter from being raped at gun point. After this story I don't understand how woman could ever be considered weak. I felt very lucky to live where I do, and have the freedoms that most woman in other countries do not have. Isabel and Rose should be role models for all woman. Their confidence and bravery are the reason they have gotten to where they are today.

Blog number 2

I really wanted to write my second blog on Gloria Anzaldua's piece "Speaking in Tongues" because of how compelling I found her writing. I found it really interesting that she had some characteristics similar to Emily Bronte. Instead of encouraging women to write, she kind of called them out a bit. On page 319 she said "We cant do the white woman's homework for her"Part of me believes this is her bitter side talking, due to how she was talking about white woman having an advantage in the writing world earlier in her piece.

I found her childhood a bit shocking, as hard as it must of been growing up as a lesbian feminist, her family didn't really help much either. Her family "felt it was too bad I was dark like an Indian" page 315. Luckily this pushed her to rebel against their sexist restrictions. This act of courage reminded me of a quote she said later in her piece; "Fear acts like a magnet, it draws the demons out of the closet and into the ink in our pens" Who knows, maybe if she didn't have such a hard child hood from her family and teachers, it wouldn't of pushed her to work so hard in her life.

I really enjoyed how she ended her piece "Speaking in Tongues". She stated on page 322 that "Many have the gift of tongue but nothing to say". This really reminded me of our generation today, how so many people take writing for granted or claim "I am just not good at it" or "readings boring". Its sad in a way that so many of these woman writers were learning about risked their lives just to express themselves and we don't appreciate how much easier we have it today.

Courtney Martin

My favorite speaker on Wednesday’s class was Courtney Martin. As we all know, the media is a huge part of today’s society, its everywhere from the TV, down to our phones and I like how Courtney uses that to her advantage to get her idea across. She shows the relationship between how her mother and herself demonstrate/ speak out about this idea differently. She also shows that, every generation has a different idea under the feminism idea to fight for, society is contently changing. Courtney Martin stated that her dad had quit a job just because Country would not be able to work there someday, but in fact her brother could. In her speech, she also uses three paradox of her generation to define them. She talks about how an individual’s upbringing will impact on the way someone is. In a few of my other classes we have talked about this idea and I completely agree; when a young child see’s something done a multiple of times, they then start to “mimetic,” copy that act. Courtney Martin has accomplished a lot in life in just a short period of time. She inspires me to speak out for myself.

Class Video Response

I really enjoyed all three of the videos that we watched in class. I thought all three women were captivating speakers who offered up some good points and had great senses of humor. They really said some things that made me think and I would love to see more of these videos in the future.

 I really loved all of Isabel Allendale’s messages, particularly about “making the world good, not better.” I thought this was a very powerful statement that really inspires me to make an impact. I was also blown away by some of the statistics and stories that she mentioned. They really made me put things into perspective, realize how lucky I am, and realize how far the world has to come in general. The fact that men with AIDS rape virgin girls because they think it will cure them is one of the worst things I have ever heard. Many women go through so much, partially because of the abuse of power in a male dominated society. I also liked her emphasis on passion, adding more feminine energy to the world, and preserving life because that is how we can change the world and help other women around us.

I really liked Courtney Martin’s talk and the fact that she mentioned one’s upbringing can have a huge influence on who a person is because I think that is so true. I thought it was so cool that her Dad quit his company because his daughter would never be able to have the opportunity to work there if she desired. I really liked how she talked about embracing the paradoxes, accepting overwhelm, and loving well. I also thought the concept of reinventing feminism was very cool because as society changes, so do the issues we have to fight for.

I also really liked Megan Tamerick and her points about women in the job market. I completely agree with what she said about women needing to challenge male stereotypes. I also thought it was interesting to see how differently a man and a woman can portray the same story. I hate that people still blame the victims in today’s society, such as the 11 year old girl who got raped. It is sickening that the town was focusing on how the rape would affect the boy instead of how it would affect the little girl for the rest of her life, and I’m glad a female could offer her perspective and force people to see things differently.

All in all, these women helped me realize that we do matter, we are empowered, and we CAN make a difference.

Response to Videos in class

I really enjoyed watching all three of the women in class today. I thought that were all very different, and had different ways of expressing their ideas but I liked them all. My favorite was probably the first women we watched, Isabele Anda. I loved how instead of just talking about all the negative things happening with women, she brought up some great examples of strong women. It's crazy to think these things are happening everyday in the world around us and get little to no recognition. I wrote down one direct statistic from her talk which was that 80% of people in refuge around the world are women. I also wrote down that for every dollar made by women, 20 are made by men. That's crazy for me to think about, and I think we forget sometimes that even though we have come so far in our struggle for rights - we still have a ways to go. I would like to watch more of these women speak in class, and definitely feel that it gave me a new insight to the idea of feminism.

Forward Momentum: Video Response 9/27

The three speakers we watched yesterday possessed the most important quality that I hear writers are supposed to have, which is energy. Like Cixous says on page 395: "...she lets go of herself, she flies; all of her passes into her voice, and it's with her body that she vitally supports the 'logic' of her speech." Women perhaps, if left to their own devices, are more apt to write through their bodies. I personally loved Allende's transfixing storytelling ability and her energy, and the determined mindset and steady gaze that Megan woman had throughout her presentation.

Response to Class Videos

This wasn't the first time that I had seen the Courtney Martin speech. I actually saw it last semester in Prof. McGee's Fem theory class. So, I can't exactly remember my initial responses to it. I do remember thinking that this young woman has accomplished A LOT in her relatively short life, thus far. Even though it inspired me, in all honesty it somewhat frightened me. It made me realize the impact that I could have, even as an individual. I had never considered that. I didn't know what to do with that feeling. Its almost easier to sit back and accept an "underprivileged" identity. That way, I at least have certainty about something. Throwing yourself into a bigger cause has the potential to fail. I had spent my whole life living in a utopian bubble to equality and happiness (more or less). It was such a shock to be exposed to the paradoxes Martin describes, or just the hidden oppression of women in general. With that said, I really enjoyed Martin. I love how she makes such bold statements but keeps it easy to understand. Also, by sharing her personal experiences, she is able to connect with the audience. When a speaker is dry and impersonal, the audience is not going to respond as well. They aren't going to feel connected. Martin was engaging and funny, which are qualities that will make the audience like her more and in turn, remember her message.

I also loved Isabel Allende. She was such a good presenter. I LOVED that she used humor in her speech. It kept me engaged and actively listening. She didn't just make it all a joke though. By using examples of her characters, who were in very unfortunate situations, it brought an aspect of reality to the discussion. It made me stop and really think. She reminded me of a lot of the women in my life, and I think that's why I enjoyed it. She was quirky, yet caring; compassionate, yet somewhat vulgar at times. Women should be able to have all these different sides. She, herself, is a great example of resiliency and perseverance. I love that she can get her message across in such a universal way too. It is embedded in her novels, which can be read by anyone. Sometimes, for example with  Martin, when there is the feminist label, people are put off. If you can represent women in a less harsh way, responses tend to be better. I may have to look into some of her books now!

Class Video Post

I personally found yesterdays class to be one of the best class sessions I've had in a while.  One of my favorite things to do is relax and watch videos; I love hearing what other people have to say, I love learning about new view points and finding out new theories and just being over all informed about the world.  That's why I loved these videos so much because not only did we have a class period where we got to watch videos but I felt like I met three new people and learned so much about them.  I enjoyed all three in such different ways but my favorite was probably the first one in which Isabel spoke.  She was such an empowering woman with so much enthusiasm and confidence.  She understood that the term feminism wasn't overly accepted from society and thus she simplified it for people by saying more or less, be what you want to be and don't worry about the term you use.  Isabel kept me engaged; she was funny but didn't sway from her points which she made very well.  I thought it was awesome how they chose her to be one of the five women chosen to hold flags at the Olympics.  Usually you would think of very famous women to be chosen for such an important event like the beautiful girl she kept talking about that was tall and thin and perfect.  I had never heard of Isabel before that class video but somehow she was chosen.  I also thought she opened my eyes a great deal discussing all the women around the world who are still being treated so poorly.  I understand that women are treated very differently from men and definitely are still not equal but this is not an aspect that I have had to face throughout my life.  I have never had struggles like that; my mother is very much an equal head to my home and a very strong woman and of course in turn I was raised to be that way as well.  Isabel really taught me that there are women out there who will be beaten for simply not having dinner ready on time.  They are forced to have children even if they don't want to, they are used as sex objects and they are treated as though they are worthless.  Isabel's video was very well executed, to the point and interesting.  She was a great women speaker and never spoke down upon men, but just talked about empowering women instead.  Her focus on the positive even in negative situations shows just how great she is and doesn't feel discouraged but she feels the hope that is to come for women; I think that's what makes Isabel so great.

Video Response

I really liked all of the videos we watched! I thought all three ladies presented interesting and thought provoking information. My favorite presenter was definitely Isabel Allende, though. I loved her optimism and supportive attitude. She really gave praise to all types of women. She expressed how beautiful, talented, and passionate many different women are. She honors all women and I love that. I think in society today, there are too many women hating on other women, and I think Isabel is a great role model for others to see that we can all support each other. One thing she said that really stood out to me was when she said something about there being no need to make up strong characters, because they are all around us. I thought that was a beautiful comment. Another thing I really liked was that she pays attention to the global view of women's rights. She acknowledges that things have gotten better for women in the United States, but there are still many women in other parts of the world who are treated horribly. Too many people in our society today only pay attention to our country, and forget that there are other people in the world who aren't as fortunate. Lastly, I like that she ended her speech by saying that everyone in the room has knowledge and passion that can change the world. That was very inspirational. It is true that not everyone has the same level of intelligence, creativity, and passion, but everyone has something to offer that can help change the conditions of our world.

Video Response c:

My personal favorite speaker that we watched in class on Wednesday was Courtney Martin. I really love her emphasis on learning from your mother and taking on her example and her life trials and learning from them. As she said we as young women often try to be nothing like our mothers. Which is understandable, we want to be our own person and go down our own paths in life, but I also think it is very important to learn from our mothers. Our mother's have already done something that we are just embarking on, grown up. They have raised us and already instilled in us a lot of ideas that empower us to be strong women, just like many of them are. I know I wouldn't be who I am today, or have the independence that I possess without my mother bringing me up that way. Just like Martin's mother introduced her to the idea of feminism and inspired her to make it her life's work, our mother's have all inspired us to be who we are today in some shape or form.

The Laugh of the Medusa

Kaelyn & Taylor's Discussion Questions for Friday!

1. "Women must write her self: must write about women and bring women to writing, from which they have been driven away as violently as from their bodies- for the same reasons, by the same law, with the same fatal goal. Woman must put herself into the text- as into the world and into history- by her own movement." Pg. 391

Do you agree that for women to be significant in history they must be the ones to tell their stories? What does Helene say women should be writing about and why?

2. "The immense majority (of women writers) whose workmanship is in no way different from male writing, and which either obscures women or reproduces the classic representations of women. (as sensitive-intuitive-dreamy, etc.)" Pg. 394

Do you find that women writers often perpetuate stereotypes of women? Why do you think this is the case?

3. "Flying is woman's gesture- flying in language and making it fly. We have all learned the art of flying and its numerous techniques..." Pg. 400

What do you think Helene means by "Flying is woman's gesture"? Can you personally relate to this "art of flying and its numerous techniques"?

4. "You only have to look at the Medusa straight on to see her. And she's not deadly. She's beautiful and she's laughing." Pg. 399

What is the significance of the Medusa though out the piece? Why is she laughing?

Discussion Questions for monday

Discussion questions for Monday

This is Gloria Anzaldua who wrote "Speaking in tongues" and heres the questions to go along with it:

Q: On page 321 Anzaldua says "Fear acts like a magnet, it draws the demos out of the closet and into the ink in our pens" Can you think of a time in your life when fear has instigated you to do something?

Q:A quote from page 319 says "I'm scared of writing, but more scared of not writing" In this time period do you think you would of took the risk to write, or would you of choose to follow society and not write or keep it strictly private?

This here is Audre Lord who wrote "A Burst of Light: living with cancer" and heres the questions to go along with the reading:

Q:On page 3 Lorde says "How could I shut them out of the most important decision of my life?" She is referring to her decision about how to handle having cancer and is deciding whether or not its the right decision to tell her children. Since we can relate to her children being in college, if your mom had cancer would you rather her tell you or wait till a break or a more convenient time?

Q: On page 1 Lorde says " I felt the battle lines being drawn up within my own body" She was very proactive, researching and finding another doctor. If this happened to you would you be as proactive trying to learn as much as you can or would you just let the doctors handle it?

Meghan's reflection: Wednesday Sept 26th

Isabel Allende:

Recently, I have been faced with a question about the differences in the sexes. Homecoming is soon and each hall participates by performing a skit. Usually, Nixon Hall (my residence: an all first year girl dorm) is partnered with Alumni (also an all first year girl dorm) and Chautauqua (an all first year boy dorm), however, this year we are left without Chautauqua. In the past Nixon Hall has done well with combining enough humor and seriousness in the skits to acquire a first place win. This year, I feel has been different. This year, without any boys, I think the humor is a lot harder to come by. I wonder, if it is easier for boys to really test the boundaries or toe the line in their lives, hence making it far easier to be funny especially in a public setting.

So when I listened to Isabel Allende speak about a serious topic; the need for more women to embrace their passion and love their passion and who they are and at the same time engage her audience in laughter, I thought about m girls. Allende demanded a certain control over her audience; able to turn the audience from total silence while listening to a true horror story and then, in the next minute have that same audience laughing in their seats. Never once, does the audience question the appropriateness of such a sudden switch because she does it successfully. Even though, I believe, humor may be even scarier in front of an audience than any other kind of public speaking.

While designing and writing the skit for my hall and with my hall, I saw a lot more interest when we tried to add even a little humor, but it remained difficult to convince any of my girls to embrace that passion; to feel comfortable to truly put themselves out there.

Isabel Allende displayed her own passion by showing us her ability to be funny which was her ability to accept herself and feel comfortable enough with herself that she could speak at all.

So, what about those girls that don't display their passion? Will we survive? Allende hints when she spoke of the women with the nine children, that her passion saved her family; that her love saved the family. Are we doomed if we cannot display our own passions; our own confidences?

Post on Today's Class

I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed the videos we watched in class. Each speaker were feminists and strong women’s rights activists but they each touched up on different topics. They each touched upon different topics which were all very informative. I thoroughly enjoyed Isabel Allende’s speech. She brought to our attention of her successes, on how she had written and published many books but didn’t get ‘recognized’ or categorized as ‘cool’ until she was hand-picked to hold the flag in the Olympics. It is sad but true!  Most people are unrecognizable until they are seen by the public on the media. Which, after listening to the last speech, I realize that the media is mildy ‘twerking’ their news reports when there is a woman involved. It is absurd to say that a girl that was raped was at fault because she ‘wore makeup’ and was ‘asking for it’.

Closing this blog post I’d like to share my favorite quote from the clips:

“Men run the world and look at the mess we have”

            -Isabel Allende

Video Response

The video that I thought was most captivating was the speech by Isabel Allende.  Even though her speech was much longer than the other two women's, I felt that her age and experiences in life allowed you to give a vote of confidence for Ms. Allende.  Also, I thought that Ms. Allende's theory of being able to change the world for women is inspirational.   Moreover, Ms. Allende was able to really nail home her purposes through the true stories she told about the many hardships women have had to overcome and continue to overcome.  All in all, I loved Isabel Allende's speech and found that what she had to say was intelligent, motivating, and moving. 

Blog Post #1

I really enjoyed Jean Kilbourne's presentation. Her a witty sense of humor reminded me of many of the authors we have read so far in our text. Like the other authors, Ms. Kilbourne’s way with words complimented the messages she conveyed. Her funny approach was engaging to the audience and made me think about the serious effects of the media on our society. I think that the presentation tied in nicely with our reading in Section II, “Writing Bodies/Bodies Writing”. Both the presentation and this section addresses the stereotypical aspects of what it means to be female. This quote on page 376 relates directly to the ideas  Ms. Kilbourne addresses, “Moreover, in this conception of body and mind as inimical, women have been identified with the bodily sphere and thus devalued, while men have been posited as rational; and superior beings.”  Ms. Kilbourne's talk raised the same issues in saying that the media dictates what goes on in our society and how it has shaped what the ideal woman should be. 

 After the presentation, I thought about her points regarding women’s ongoing pressure to fit the perfect feminine stereotype but then it occurred to me that the information was not new to me, simply because I am female and am exposed to this pressure on a daily basis. We are all living with the never ending media messages. I began to think that the best audience for this presentation would be males. I wondered what affect her message had on them. Could they comprehend what she was saying, fully?  Did they think any differently about judging a female afterword? I think her presentation was well thought out and did have the potential to sway the opinions of the male audience, if they had an open mind to it. Ms. Kilbourne is an effective communicator and I have so much respect for women who can relate relevant information so well. What did you ladies think?

P.S.  For those of you who were not able to attend the presentation. Here is her website: www.jeankilbourne.com/ . Check it out!

Video Response

I enjoyed the videos we watched today. They were very informational and enlightening. I liked Allende because she brought a lot to the table. She made all of her stories and experiences connect to each other and give us the bigger picture. I always find it amazing when women look outside of their own lives and cultures and experience how women in the Congo or India survive. I'm doing The Vagina Monologues at SUNY Fredonia and it is my 2nd year. I find it so heartbreaking when i express these true stories of women just like us. It is also uplifting. They deserve their stories to be told so maybe there can be progress and change. I did not find Courtney very appealing because of her age and experience. She seemed very child like and someone who doesn't really understand the world. I'm not saying that young women can't change the world, they can. I just didn't like how she presented herself and what she stood for. I really enjoyed Meghan. She was funny and intellectual. Her views were given to me in a great way and i agreed and disagreed with what she had to say.

Michelle Noce

Hi Ladies,

I have many ideas about all three videos that I would love to share here, but for brevity (and so I do not take over the discussion) I will just relate the story I began telling you about at the end of class. It directly relates to (and exemplifies) the last video on women and the media. Yesterday it came to my attention on facebook that a woman I had gone to high school, Michelle Carrey Noce, with had died under "suspicious circumstances". Admittedly I had not thought of this woman since high school, she was not someone I knew well, but I went to a fairly small high school in central NY so there was no one at my school that I didn't know in some capacity. Her obituary spoke of her "unexpected death" and described her  as an animal lover who had studied equestrian science and worked in childcare. She was survived by a son , her parents, and various other family. This seemed about right in my memory: caring, quiet, happy. However, the mention of the "suspicious circumstances" from the facebook post left me still curious, so I searched the news. I came to find out that she had been homeless for some time. This in and of itself is shocking, to find out that someone from my childhood had been so unfortunate as to be utterly homeless and desperately trying to survive on the streets. It clarifies how simply a single turn or change of events could imagine any one of us in her circumstances, in a future she never imagined for herself as she studied animal science or was working with children. However, the two news reports I read told her story in a very different way. And after having just watched Kamerick's video it was amazing to encounter this disparity in reporting so quickly and obviously. Both articles reported on the basic facts: she was found unconscious under a bridge in downtown Syracuse with head injury that ultimately led to her death. She was well known in the area by other homeless persons and social workers. She had been previously abused. However, here is the first article I read:
 http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/09/syracuse_police_still_unsure_h.html

The Title" Syracuse Police still unsure how homeless woman suffered injury" implies that it could've been an accident or careless/drunkeness? despite the fact that a witness (homeless) is cited in the article saying she was 'jumped". Two men are quoted in the article (and they are specifically defined as "homeless" /friends). One is quoted as a witness as saying she was "sitting at the corner with a cardboard sign 'when she was jumped.' And the other was generally quoted as stating that she had been known to be in abusive relationships. This framing of her death reminds me of the "she was wearing makeup" details that Kamerick cites in her example articles. The rest of the article goes on to assure that this does not mean that they are 'cracking down" on the homeless. Then the final say in the article is from the police chief:

Since Cecile got involved with the problem in 2008, everyone in the homeless population who was offered services has refused them, he said.
"There are beds, places for them to stay,” he said. “They just choose not to take them.”

To end the article in this way seems to imply "hey, she got what was coming"

Here is the link to the second article:
 http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/09/homeless_woman_found_under_syr.html

The second article, reported by a woman:  Days before she died, homeless Syracuse woman told pal she was being harrassed"
...a very different picture, just comparing the titles...

The second article provides a much fuller picture of Michelle, it includes recent pictures  of her conversing with a local food pantry owner. It tells a story of a woman reaching out for help and enmeshed in a complex community and a victim of personal violence. Yet not a woman who was willing to remain victimized, but had spoken out, looking for help. Her emotions were present, she was the center of the story.

Video Response

I loved, loved LOVED the first video with Isabel. Her first quote is what drew me in to begin with.  "What is truer than true?"  And she answers with "the story" when really, aren't stories fabrications of the  mind?  How are stories really true? That's just an initial thought that kept my little mind a-turning during the first video.  The next thought that i really loved was how passionate she was about passion! She takes her life of being a feminist to heart no matter what people say and no matter that people say feminism is out of date.  She continues with it and says that "feminism isn't out of date, it's evolved."  Her logo from the Olympics, passion lives here, and her story that went with it was (besides hilarious) i think, inspiring.  Passion really does drive everything.  It drives athletes, actors, teachers, dancers, characters, families, students, doctors, singers, and writers.  Passion is what makes everyone go that extra step ahead of the last.  The only reason why people do anything is because of passion.  We, as humans now-a-days, don't like doing something without a purpose.  We don't get up to change the TV channel unless we really hate the show enough.  We don't get up to make dinner unless we're hungry enough to do so.  Someone who has passion is someone who does something even if they're not supposed to.  They do it because it's the right thing to do.  We don't follow our dreams unless we have to passion to push us further.  We look to Save. The. World. And we can't do that without passion.
     She was also talking about the women that have had to deal with premature marriage, work labor, rape and even abuse.  It really is true that women and children are the down fall of the pyramid.  When the men need something to push them up higher, it's like they push women down further to stretch up their chins.  Men just sometimes don't understand what us women can do when we're united.

     "What kind of world do we want?"   "I want to make the work good, not better, good. Why not? It is possible."

Post on Videos

I specifically enjoyed the first video with Isabel Allende: Tales of Passion. She was able to give a really good lecture on stories about different women that she had encountered throughout her life. When she started her lecture she was very humorous but while the lecture went on she told us about "Tales of Passion" that were not so humorous. It is wonderful that Isabel Allende could be so humorous to take the edge off of the stories that she was telling that were quite depressing. It was a good lecture to me because she was able to keep your attention and make good points relating to how women are treated with a slight form of humor. One main thing she touched upon was how at the winter Olympics it was going to be the first year that only women would carry the flags from different countries around the Olympic stadium. She did not mention why this was the first time only women were doing this but I was slightly shocked that women were never doing it before. Even though today we are technically considered "equal", we really aren't. Things that men do everyday are still in some cases not right for women to do as well. When is the inequality going to end? Also,  I found it especially interesting that every video we watched these women lecturers brought up how rape is so common for women to encounter at some point in their lives. It shocks me that women all over the world are being treated this way and in some way it is the women's fault that she is being raped. How is it our fault if we are dressed in a certain way, or wear to much makeup, or we drank a little too much. Does this mean that every girl that goes out in down town Fredonia deserves to get rapped because of the way they act and dress? I think not. This is a really interesting topic for me and how it relates to women who write every day. This is a problem that needs to be stopped but seems as though it never will. Why is that?

Contemporary Women Writer

     I chose Ellen Hopkins for my contemporary women writer presentation.  Hopkins typically writes young adult novels. I really enjoy her writing style.  Her novels are written using poems unlike typical chapters.  Another thing I really like about her writing is that it is very raw and honest.  Her books are mainly about realistic struggles that young people face such as drugs, sex, suicide, violence, etc.  While researching her I found out that one of the reasons she became a writer was to show her daughters that they don't have to have a stereotypical female career.  She wanted to show them that you don't have to fall into the pressures of society to be a successful female.  
     Hopkins book Burned is a perfect example of a teenage girl that doesn't want to become her father's idea of a women.  He was a very religious man who believed a woman's role was to have babies, male of course, cook, clean, and obey their husbands.  He was destructive and abusive toward his children, his wife, and himself.

http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/262533-burned

Video Links

 TED Talks:

Isabel Allende: Tales of Passion

Courtney Martin: Reinventing Feminism

Megan Tamerick: Women Should Represent Women in Media

Elaine Showalter

"Nonetheless, the feminist obsession with correcting, modifying, supplementing, revising, humanizing, or even attacking male critical theory keeps us dependent upon it and retards our progress in solving our own theoretical problems." (p. 356)
I loved this quote because this type of behavior is true for a lot of situations people face everyday.  We almost hold ourselves back from being all we can be because of someone else or something else.  If we allow these discouraging situations to keep our focus off of doing what we want to or love to do such as writing we will never further ourselves.  If women are claiming that they don't need male approval and shouting out that women can do everything man can then why are they even focusing on men's negative opinions.  Men wouldn't stop before doing something and ask what a woman would think about the situation and if women are equal to men they shouldn't either.

Double Standards

Today I didn't share my initial reactions to the new section of reading we are starting in the course, so I thought I would share here. What I noticed is that some of the same issues from the past are still occuring today, and I think a lot of them deal with double standards between men and women. I noticed on page 378, it said, "Orpheus, that quintessential elegist who mourned in song the loss of his wife, Eurydice, is demasculinized because of the excess of his grief." Men who wrote with too much emotion or extreme pain were weak, which relates to the traits of women. This is still a relevant topic today. It is okay for men to have a certain degree of sensitivity, but when men cry or get over emotional about something, people will make fun of them or even call them "gay." It is still considered weak for men to be that emotional, and it is still considered a womanly trait to be over emotional. Another point was on page 383. It said, "Since the time of the early Christians, remaining virgins has been a way for women to become men's equals and take away the 'sins of Eve.'" In a way, this still relates to our current society. If young men sleep with many women, they may be sometimes praised by their friends, but if women do that, they are considered sluts or whores. There are still many double standards today that clearly stem from these historical issues.

SNL sketch: Women's Bodies

Hi ladies! This is the SNL sketch I was talking about towards the end of class. I personally found it hilarious and it pokes just the right amount of fun at men in politics thinking they know a women's body better than she does. Enjoy!

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/gob-tampons/1418195/

Blog Post #1!

As we were discussing our favorite quotes in the first section, I was reminded of how much I truly enjoyed the second half of Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own." I particularly liked the section where she discussed the conscious, a mind that is by nature split or torn. I believe that this section is extremely relevant to women's issues in general and today's society as well. 

Portrait by Roger Fry

In class, I commented that it's as if Woolf is simply accepting the concept that man and women exist in some sort of spiritual dyad. She is saying that women cannot be complete without man, as if they are two halves to a whole being.  When I first read this, I felt somewhat offended. I thought she was almost agreeing with this concept. The more times I read it, the more I realized the satirical nature in which she writes (speaks). To a common woman, it would be very difficult to decrypt her text. It seems as though she is speaking is plain terms but there is so much subtext, its often overwhelming. Topics that include anything regarding the mind are already difficult to comprehend. I think its almost counter productive for her to be satirical.  As shown in the quote below, it's as if she recognizes the irrationality of the concept, but almost accepts it as a reality.

"One has a profound, if irrational, instinct in favor of the theory that the union of man and woman makes for the greatest satisfaction. the most complete happiness" (pg 63)

 Another thought I had while reading this section was that by saying man and woman are inherently only happy when together, it not only takes away a woman's individual identity, but a man's as well. I think it is too easy to dismiss the difficulties our society creates for a man. Since the women's issues are so blatant, it makes men seem like they are "living the life" so to speak; this meaning that they do not have problems. Also, this statement takes away any sort of identity other than a heterosexual. People who are homosexual, by this standard, are not whole beings and are incapable of being happy. As much as I disagree with this statement, this was the reality of Woolf's time. 

I love that she was able to write from so many different discourses, but some of the sections were difficult to follow. I can understand why not a lot of women in this time were able to keep up with the movement: they weren't able to access or understand her writings. There weren't adequate and appropriate resources to get the word out that there was another way of living as women besides homemaker and secretary. As I thought about this, it made me wonder what is available to us, in the 21st century. There is a blog that I though I;d share with all of you that I've come across a couple times in my Women Studies classes. It's called "The F Word" and it's a contemporary feminist blog. It gives features and commentary on a lot of the most recent women's health, political and social topics. It's also a place where women from all over the world can comment and post about any issues. This is only one example of social outlets for feminist writing and thought. You may not be aware of it, but there are so many out there! Hope you all enjoy!

http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/

p.s. I thought it was interesting that in every single portrait and photograph of Virginia Woolf I found, she always looks so sad and complacent. For a woman with a lot to say, I was expecting a bit more animation! Any thoughts? 

Blog Post #1

My favorite quote from the first section of LAWL is from Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own.
Virginia Woolf is well known for her work with "truth and illusion". This quote specifically demonstrates examples of this in regards to women:

 "Imaginatively she is of the highest importance; practically she is completely insignificant. She pervades poetry from cover to cover; she is all but absent from history. She dominates the lives of kings and conquerors in fiction; in fact she was the slave of any boy whose parents forced a ring upon her finger. Some of the most inspired words, some of the most profound thoughts in literature fall from her lips; in real life she could hardly read, could scarcely spell, and was the property of her husband." (pg. 36)

This paragraph from A Room of One's Own gives several instances where women were so oppositely represented when compared in truth and fiction. For example, even though there was never one single law stating "Women are the property of their husbands," a woman's place in the world was decided by ancient traditions and principles that evolved over centuries such as: 

• Women were denied a separate legal status from their husbands.
• A husband and wife were considered one person under the law and that one person was the husband.
• Women were denied rights of inheritance.
• Women were denied the right to own property in their own right.
• Men could be compensated for the loss of a wife due to another man's negligence.
• Men paid a bride price to the parents of his wife in the same way he purchased livestock.

It wasn't until the nineteenth century that women in the United States got the right to own their own property and to write a will. Finally, in 1920, women in the U.S. received the right to vote.

Amy Poehler

I'm doing my current women writer's presentation on Amy Poehler who started her career on the popular show Saturday Night Live in 2001. Once she left Saturday Night Live, Amy Poehler signed on with a new show called Parks and Recreation which she has written three episodes. She is an American actress, comedian, producer and writer. She has been nominated numerous times for the Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and several times for a lead actress along with numerous other awards for her episodes.

What's interesting about her newest show Parks and Recreation is that it is more about her relationship with her best friend Ann (Rashida Jones) then their respective romantic relationships as is usual with female leads.

Hi ladies!
I thought I would share the quote I found in the reading to bring to class today, but didn't share. It is on page 53 in our textbook. It comes from "A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf. It says, "Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind." I found this quote inspirational for all women. It sets an extremely powerful and positive tone. No matter what physical boundaries men set up, women still were always capable of using their minds. It may have been difficult to educate themselves, but they were always able to think and create ideas. That is the most powerful aspect of human beings; their capabiltity to think and create. No one can stop you from using your brain and developing your mind. This is even important for women to remember today. You can do what you put your mind to, no matter what other people do to hold you back. The proof is in the fact that women have way more rights than what they did before.

I take umbrage against this ad in particular, because I drove a stick shift for years, and not a single one of my male friends had any idea how to drive it. Whenever we were in a situation when I needed someone else to drive my car. I was always S.O.L., because hardly anyone knew how to drive it, and IN FACT the only one of my friends that COULD drive it, was a female.
This is all besides the point, though.

"They tell us, we mistake our sex and way;/ Good breeding, fashion, dancing, dressing, play/ Are the accomplishments we should desire;/ To write, or read, or think, or to enquire/ Would cloud or beauty, and exhaust our prime;"
-Anne Finch,  The Introduction 

Finch as well as a couple other of our women writers so far this semester have touched on this subject, this concept of intelligence marring women's beauty. To be intelligent, or outspoken, not only can be met with punishment, such as in bell hooks' case, but it can also reduce a women's eligibility as a proper wife. "Boys don't make passes at girls who wear glasses." Sure, glasses can be cumbersome or thick and unstylish, but does this maxim say something more? 
Women are sometimes afraid to say what they really mean, because they risk being accused of being masculine, no? I think many girls, especially in high school, made an effort to be seen as ditzy, blank, innocuous, because boys responded in a certain way. But men enjoy "dumb" women because it enables them to boost their ego easily, giving them power and authority over their "foolish" female companions. It is very easy to appear powerful if you have someone willing to be dominated and outsmarted following you are around.
The result is mature, adult women speaking in baby-voices, thinking it is sexy. Clever, capable women pretending to be dead-behind-the-eyes, refusing to participate in intellectual pursuits or even seeking the profession that interests them, simply because they fear the harsh insecurities of the men in that field.
 While some men indulge in the petty practice of belittling their girlfriends to seem bigger, they do not respect these women, and these women end up being left behind. Because, in the words of Ferris Bueller, you can't respect someone that licks your boots. So nobody wins, and everyone gets hurt.
However, most men are good, and prefer to wait for an intellectual equal, because being with someone pretending to be mindless is very similar to being alone. It is a lonely feeling. So I'm going to choose to not hold it against them, because we grow out of these sort of childish things. Usually, at least; some do not grow out of it, and this is the sad part. Many men who belittle women's intelligence do go on to marry and have children, and encourage their daughters to seek good fashion sense, and send their sons to universities, all the while seeing to it that the mother of his children never savors the sweet flavor of self-respect.

fyi

"The English Department is seeking a student intern for the department's newsletter this semester. The student will earn 3 internship hour credits. The position includes writing features about the major events going on in the department this semester, soliciting articles from other students and organizations, designing the newsletter format, and learning proofreading and editing skills. In conjunction with a faculty supervisor, the intern will produce three newsletters during the semester. Interested students should contact Professor Parsons (parsons@fredonia.edu) as soon as possible."

Mystery Girl- Yeah Yeah Yeahs It was the struggle of the century
And all the grown men came to see
The girl who tamed the tiger, yeah yeah
The heart of southern lovebirds
They found her under the sea
She said she came from cell block three

The girl hit hot like a barracuda baby
She floated on air like a crest of wave
She was a primal institution
She was a danger to herself, yeah

Mad loving by the cold hearted
Take a big breath
Because we just started

Mystery girl

"Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing
what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it
is to have a boyfriend." - Stephen King

A Modern Day George Eliot?

Hi Ladies,

A friend just posted a link this blog post on facebook and it made me think of the George Eliot piece (Silly Women Novelists) in a contemporary context. See what you think:

http://carrotsformichaelmas.com/2012/01/29/10-books-you-must-read-to-your-daughter-or-how-to-keep-your-daughter-from-ending-up-like-that-horrid-girl-in-twilight/

"highs and "lows" discussion questions

Discussion Questions

 

If women writers, of any race, were not allowed to be taught in school, would you know any?How would that make you feel?Could you imagine becoming a writer?

On pg.350 Christian writes, "...women were neither the word nor the world, though sometimes we could be dots on some i's, muses or furies in the service of the text or the idea." What does this mean to you?

Given the definition of "high" and "low" in the text, give a few examples of what you consider to fit in each category.

Christian grew up in the Virgin Islands. How her world view make this essay even more valued in the women writers world? What does she bring to the table that Virginia Wolfe did not?

If you have a family member or friend who grew up during the 1950s-60s, think of a story they told you about racism during these times. Especially if they were white.

Elaine Showalter

Just wanted to share something I read in her piece"Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness": Page 361

 "But scholars who want a women's language that is intellectual and theoretical, that works inside the academy, are faced with what seems like an impossible paradox, as Xaviere Gauthier has lamented: "As long as women remain silent, they will be outside the historical process. But, if they begin to speak and write as men do, they will enter history subdued and alienated; it is a history that, logically speaking, their speech should disrupt""

 

The point Xaviere Gauthier made is true. It almost seems (or atleast seemed in earlier days) that it was a lose, lose situation. You're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. 

Blog Post #1-Hurston's I get Born and Walker's In Search of Our Mothers' Garden

Like many of you, I really loved I Get Born by Zora Neale Hurston and In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens by Alice Walker. I have read books by both authors previously and I really enjoyed them, so I was excited to read these passages. I read and completed an extensive annotation project on The Color Purple during my senior year and I read Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston last year, and I remembered being fond of both writers.  I was also excited to read these passages because they were both written by African American women and I wanted to see how that would impact their lives, if at all after our discussion about race the other day. Along with this, I found the connection between Hurston and Walker interesting and wanted to learn more about it and I found this interesting article. (http://chrisdanielle.tripod.com/alicebio_4.html)

In Hurston’s I Get Born, there were a few things that stood out to me. I really like Hurston’s writing style. First, it made me very sad that Hurston’s father was not very open to having another daughter from the beginning. On page 290, Hurston stated that, “I don’t think he ever got over the trick he felt I played on him by being born a girl.” I found it interesting that he only wanted one girl, and Hurston’s older sister, Sarah, was the favorite child out of all the children that he had, boys included. She was also similar to him in the fact that he liked to travel. However, he didn’t pay much attention to her. It was weird that he could basically rank one daughter first, and the other last, despite the fact that Zora looked so similar to him. I also was sad to find out that Hurston’s mother died when she was so young. I was amazed that she was able to remain so positive throughout her writing, despite the fact that she had such a difficult life. The fact that her father saw her as inferior to her other siblings did not get in the way of her success. She kept fearlessly following wherever the path would lead her.

I also thoroughly enjoyed In Search of Our Mothers’ Garden by Alice Walker. I thought Walker made a lot of really great points. I thought it was interesting that like other women we have read about, Walker shed light on the fact that it was harder for women to express their artistic side. Many women would never have dared to attempt the pen, write a song, paint a picture, etc. There could have been millions of brilliant women in the past that never had the chance to express themselves. However, despite the fact that this was true, women did not let this stop them and attempted to foster creative growth in their children, therefore giving them more opportunities. For example, Walker states, “And so our mothers and grandmothers have, more often than not anonymously, handed on the relative spark, the seed of the flower they themselves never hoped to see; or, like a sealed flower, they could not read’ (page 329).They would find other outlets for their creativity, such as gardening. They would pass it down in subtle ways, such as storytelling. This was an individual strength for women and caused Walker to find her own strength. This is shown in the quote, “Guided by my heritage of a love and beauty and a respect for strength –in search of my mother’s garden, I found my own” (page 331). It made her children respect her. Not only was the garden beautiful, but it represented a lot of these ideals. Walker’s mother had a huge influence on her life, which is opposite on Hurston because her lack of a mother is one of the characteristics that impacted her most. Her mother did do much for the family, wanted the best for her children, and taught them well. A mother-daughter relationship is truly a beautiful thing and Walker was aware of this. She was lucky to have such a great influence in her life.

 

 

 

Blog Post #1-In Search of Our Mother's Gardens

I know that I touched upon this during Friday's class, but I wanted to elaborate on it more.

Within the text, "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens, Walker states the following:

"Black women are called, in the folklore that so aptly identifies one's status in society, 'the mule of the world," because we have been handed the burdens that everyone else-everyone else-refueses to carry. We have also been called "Matriarchs," "Superwomen," and "Mean and Evil Bitches." Not to mention "Castraters" and "Sapphire's Mama." ...When we have asked for love, we have been given children. In short, even our plainer gifts, our labors of fidelity and love , have been knocked down our throats. To be an artist and a black woman, even today, lowers our status in many respects, rather than raises it:  and yet, artists will be."

I would like to look at this quote at it's historical side. What I find interesting is that she is the only author that we have read thus far in class that is still living. I find it interesting because so far, the women writers that we have been presented with are speaking on behalf of the women from the mid 1600's-late 1800's. Walker was born in 1944. I believe that the gap in history correlates with why many of us in class were so drawn to her writing style: because we are more familiar with it.

Compared to other other writers, Walker is able to metaphorically relate women of every race,  and complications we face because of our sex to this so called "garden". Using the quote above, she emphasizes that in the past, black women have been known to be "the mule of the world". Black women during this time, were beginning to obtain more freedom. The passing of the 15th (Black Suffrage-1870) and 19th Amendment (Women's Suffrage-1919) made tremendous gains for our nation. Even though African Americans were still treated poorly, they still had much more freedom compared to our previous authors, such as Eliot, Finch, and Hurston.

Walker states that,  "To be an artist and a black woman, even today, lowers our status in many respects, rather than raises it:  and yet, artists will be." The previous authors that we have discussed in class all seem to be emphasizing the same rhetoric: of women not being accepted as writers. I am proud knowing that Walker was "guided by [her] heritage of a love of beauty and a respect for strength-in search of [her] mother's garden."  In my opinion, this one quote makes Walker the strongest women writer that we have been presented thus far because she is able to respect and acknowledge her heritage, and how where she came from helped her grow stronger as a person. She understands that women are put on this pedestal by men, and we must accept our place in society. I enjoy that Walker is able to not bash were she came from or how she was raised, but have a sense of gratitude. She understands that this is the way society works, and how it must be in order to create equality amongst not only gender, but also race. 

This piece is very strong in my opinion. It is filled with many teachings that my family has instilled in me; maybe it is because my grandparents grew up in the same era as Walker? Just some food for thought. I do know however, that Walker has pride in acknowledging were she came from, just like my grandparents. Heck, we are all flowers in "Our Mother's Gardens" after all. 

Here is a link to an interview with Walker as she explains her prideful background in becoming a writer. She is very humbling throughout it!

Blog Post #1: Hurston & Walker

       For our last reading in class we covered both Zora Neale Hurston and Alice Walker. Both of these women spoke to me in terms of their writing, especially because I can relate to being a strong African American women. And even though they are both from places called Eatonville (Hurston-Florida, Walker-Georgia) they share completely different experiences that shaped womens writing today!
       Because Hurston's mother died when she was only eleven, and her father wasn't really there for her growing up, it was very difficult to be a successful women. In "I Get Born" on page 290 in the book she explains that her own father, John, was so unhappy with Zora's upcoming birth because he was having another baby girl:
       "Still, and all, I looked more like him than any child in the house. Of course, by the time I got born, it was too late to make any suggestions, so the old man had to put up with me. He was nice about it in a way. He didn't tie me in a sack and drop me in the lake, as he probably felt like doing."
       Where I highlighted is what bothers me the most about this quote. John would have attempted to plan something like an abortion or adoption it seems. It's almost like once she was born, her father shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, I can't do anything about it now."
       Zora also explains that John even threatened to slit his own throat. The fact that her own father acted this way scares me. It doesn't make sense! Eatonville, Florida was an all black town in which everyone took pride in being colored and supported each other. And by having such a healthy, friendly, environment around you, wouldn't you think that men would be a little more understanding of women in this community? Especially ones own father. Even the white man that helped Lucy, right after she gave birth had a special interest in Zora, but not John.
       And although Hurston says that all this about her father is just "hearsay," I believe that a person would be able to tell if their mother/father actually loved them. For example, if I heard this about my father, I would not believe it at all because I have proof that he loves me. I'm sure that when Zora was young, she didn't realize how serious this was. But it's almost an instance where you take evidence from childhood and then look at it a different way in adulthood. Kids have a carefree mentality and don't realize certain things in life until later on. Lastly, Hurston also mentioned the story of how she started walking. I believe this was a turning point in her life and it shows that since that time in her life, she hasn't stopped motivating herself and won't ever take anything sitting down!


       Alice Walker's "In Search of Our Mother's Gardens," really opened a new way of thinking about myself as well as other African American women.
       "In the selfless obstractions their bodies became more to the men who used them, they became more than "sexual objects,' more even that mere women: they became "Saints.' Instead of being whole persons their bodies became shrines: what was thought to be their minds became temples suitable for worship."
Jean Toomer explains that black women he idolized so much would be long dead before their day of revelation would come. In other words, they have lived and died such a mundane life and served as a child bearer or an underdog to the white folk.
       It again, amazes me how low in status black women were because some of the most empowering females in our world are in fact African American. Tyra Banks, Oprah, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and many others: http://www.forbes.com/sites/worldviews/2012/08/31/the-worlds-most-powerful-black-women-business-leaders-2012/
An perfect example from the text is Phillis Wheatley. She not only was a slave by age seven, but she was so lowly ranked that even in her poems she wrote about a "Goddess" with blonde hair. It's almost like she believed that she wasn't meant to be anything, like and knew her place in the world. And although Wheatley's thoughts were altered to believe she was inferior, Walker still supported her because she is a woman.
       The title "In Search of Our Mother's Gardens," first comes from Walker discussing her own mother's garden. Her mother would plant all different types of flowers to create an art of her own because she didn't have time to write, sing, paint etc... In a way, every mother has a garden in which they pass down to their children and so on, in order for them to inherit wisdom and the lessons of life.