When I think of this past semester in our Women's Literature class I think of; hierarchy, power, identity, flowers, competition, social interactions and relationships, restrictions, freedom, hope, companionship, color, and exclusion. This semester has been full of deep thought and incredible discussion! My hope with my little short story is to incorporate some of the main themes of women's literature that we have discussed in class while attempting to write in the style of Virginia Wolf. I wrote this story because I am fascinated by the ideas and themes we came up with and how they are so easily found in every day life. Like Virginia, I will go through one day in the life of a regular teenage girl. Her thoughts, her despairs, and her experience.
beep Beep BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!! ugh, that is the worst sound in the world. Isn't there a better way to wake up? I can just imagine it now, flowers flying into my window; coming in as a tornado and lightly surrounding me. White lilies falling down softly on my face, the sunshine seeping through my window. Back to reality. I drag myself out of bed and slump to the bathroom. Why do I go through this routine every day of picking at my face and doing and redoing my hair and covering up my face with make-up? Oh yeah, because then I wouldn't get any attention; I would be dismissed, a nobody; an unwoman; and no one wants "to hear what the Unwomen are saying"(Atwood, 129). It's rainy- of course- welcome to London! I turn down Hall Road on my way to school. I have my hood up and my music playing. Man this backpack is heavy. What is the point of homework anyway? We spend 6 hours a day at school and then are expected to go home and spend 4 more hours doing homework. The unjustness of it all. If only Moira were with me she would understand where I am coming from. Oh goody, there is Claire, with her perfect hair and her perfect outfit. She is so shallow; I don't understand what goes on in that little head of hers. All she talks about is celebrities and the only thing she reads is magazines. Oh, I almost forgot, today is the 8th, Claire is having her oh so special and important party tonight. No wonder she has her smug gloating face on. I do envy her. "Simplicity is what I envy"(Mukherjee, 236). "Hey stranger!" It was Jyoti, interrupting me from my solitude. Well if it had to be anybody at least it was her.We walked together to school and made it through the excruciating 6 hours of pure humiliation. All school is is another place in the world to be restricted; another place where a hierarchy exists, another competitive arena, another group to be excluded by. The teachers always say that school is a place to open up and discuss your thoughts. Really it's a competition to see who can say the most insightful thought with the most text references. Lunch is Claire's heaven and my hell. Lunchtime only brings exclusion and submission. There's the football team knocking everyone in line and taking someone's table. My point has been proven. Their power is intimidation. And there goes Eve, rolling up her sleeves; standing up to them. I always admired her; brave enough to go against them. She and her friend Noami are kind of like Batman and Robin. They are the ones who stand up to the bad guys. They give hope to those of us who are shaken on our identity. They always told me that I "will be part of the family"(Mukherjee, 167). All that has brought me is false hope and a reminder that I don't know who I am. All I know is that I am a woman. I deserve more; I deserve white lilies; I deserve power; I deserve freedom; I deserve companionship. I hate being stuck in this box like a fly being swatted. Like an animal behind a cage, watching the world go on without me; always trying to keep up. I am a woman. I am woman. Claire is a woman, Eve is a woman, Jyoti is a woman, I am a woman. Doesn't that mean something? That brings a connection between us. This connection we have as women. We may be brutal to each other, but we have this underground connection. We bear the children, we are skewed by the world, we long for companionship, we are women. One can only hope that that will be enough to bring us together. Maybe someday; someday. Until then, I might as well go to the party and witness the world at work.
Thursday 7 June 2012
Grandmother Interview
My grandmother is an incredible woman! I learned so much about her that I didn't know before. Even though the 1 hour interview turned into a 4 hour interview, I didn't mind or interrupt because my grandmother fascinates me.
My grandmother is a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as am I. I tell you this because this church is a major part of her life and is a huge benefactor of her thoughts and opinions.
My grandmother grew up in Utah. She had a wonderful childhood. She specifically remembers helping out in the house a lot, belonging to some clubs, reading, sewing, listening to the radio, going on family trips, and roller skating! My grandmother looked up to her mother a lot. During the interview I could tell that my grandmother just adored he mother! It really touched me when she began tearing up while talking about her mother. My great-grandmother must have been an incredible woman! My mother often compares my great-grandmother to Queen Elizabeth!
As a young teenager, my grandmother worked as a Popsicle bagger! She would go to the factory every Saturday and bag Popsicles! My grandmother is a very happy woman and took advantage of every good thing! She made clear to me that girls did not wear trousers to school! That was a scandal at that time! My grandmother loved music and saw people like; Eddy Fisher, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and the 4 Ames Brothers. My grandmother loved to have a good time!
At university my grandmother was involved in everything!!! She was in a sorority, she was president of her pledge class, she was the Air Force Sponsor, and she received many honorary awards.
After finding her true love, my grandfather Fred Hales, she began teaching school. But when she was pregnant with my uncle, she was not allowed to teach anymore. She stopped her career to have children. She had six wonderful children and after they all grew up and left the house, she began teaching again. She continued to be involved in many things throughout her life. My grandmother confided in me that in her day, no one talked about birth control and she herself never used it, but her daughters did. She also mentioned that divorce at the time was devastating and socially unacceptable. It is really sad for her to see how common and normal divorce is now a days. My grandmother's mother had sisters who worked but her mother was grateful she didn't have to work so she could stay at home and raise the children.
When I asked my grandmother if she considered herself a typical woman of her generation, she replied, "typical in the sense that I believe a woman's role is wife and mother and family is the most important thing". She went on to discuss what that times were like. She called her generation the private generation. She called the '60's a blast in your face, she never understood the '60s. My grandmother never felt unequal to men. Especially with the church, being a very matriarchal society, she was very liberated. She had full liberty to an education, to work, to anything she wanted.
My grandmother commented that one way she thinks that relationship between men and women changed was that women became more like men and men became more like women. Men don't want responsibility, women's equality was the price of men. My grandmother thinks that the women's movement tended to make men weak and make women strong in the wrong way. My grandmother was and is all for women being equal, getting a good education and all of that, but she did not agree with the women's movement. When my grandmother went to the State convention to ratify the Equal Rights amendment she agreed with some, but disagreed with a lot. She thought it was and is disintegrating the family. She thought the price was too high. She grew up with a lot of opportunities so she was not very sympathetic and she didn't see the need for a feminist movement. My grandmother grew up in a family with women who had done things. My grandmother calls herself a feminist in her own way.
After this interview I realized how much I didn't know about my grandmother. It was so helpful for me to learn so much about her history and the time in which she lived. "The links between women need mending"(Wolf, 283). I like what Naomi Wolf says when she writes, "all women have experienced the world treating them better or worse according to where they rate each day; while this experience wreaks havoc with a woman's identity, it does mean that women have access to a far greater range of experience than the snapshots 'beauty' takes of us would lead us to believe"(Wolf, 286). My grandmother had her own experience, full of opportunities and she has taken advantage of every aspect of her life.
In Jasmine, when Jasmine says, "Lillian Gordon, Mother Ripplemeyer: one day I want to belong to that tribe", I can completely connect to her (Mukherjee, 197). But I might change it up a little bit. I would probably say, "Jane Watson Hales, Jill Hales Tingey: one day I want to belong to that tribe", and not literally because I kind of already do belong to their tribe (Jane being my grandmother, Jill my mother), but figuratively. I want to belong to the group of incredible women they belong to. My life is just full of wonderful women! I am very grateful that I come from a long line of such incredible, headstrong women! I hope to be just like them.
My grandmother is a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as am I. I tell you this because this church is a major part of her life and is a huge benefactor of her thoughts and opinions.
My grandmother grew up in Utah. She had a wonderful childhood. She specifically remembers helping out in the house a lot, belonging to some clubs, reading, sewing, listening to the radio, going on family trips, and roller skating! My grandmother looked up to her mother a lot. During the interview I could tell that my grandmother just adored he mother! It really touched me when she began tearing up while talking about her mother. My great-grandmother must have been an incredible woman! My mother often compares my great-grandmother to Queen Elizabeth!
As a young teenager, my grandmother worked as a Popsicle bagger! She would go to the factory every Saturday and bag Popsicles! My grandmother is a very happy woman and took advantage of every good thing! She made clear to me that girls did not wear trousers to school! That was a scandal at that time! My grandmother loved music and saw people like; Eddy Fisher, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and the 4 Ames Brothers. My grandmother loved to have a good time!
At university my grandmother was involved in everything!!! She was in a sorority, she was president of her pledge class, she was the Air Force Sponsor, and she received many honorary awards.
After finding her true love, my grandfather Fred Hales, she began teaching school. But when she was pregnant with my uncle, she was not allowed to teach anymore. She stopped her career to have children. She had six wonderful children and after they all grew up and left the house, she began teaching again. She continued to be involved in many things throughout her life. My grandmother confided in me that in her day, no one talked about birth control and she herself never used it, but her daughters did. She also mentioned that divorce at the time was devastating and socially unacceptable. It is really sad for her to see how common and normal divorce is now a days. My grandmother's mother had sisters who worked but her mother was grateful she didn't have to work so she could stay at home and raise the children.
When I asked my grandmother if she considered herself a typical woman of her generation, she replied, "typical in the sense that I believe a woman's role is wife and mother and family is the most important thing". She went on to discuss what that times were like. She called her generation the private generation. She called the '60's a blast in your face, she never understood the '60s. My grandmother never felt unequal to men. Especially with the church, being a very matriarchal society, she was very liberated. She had full liberty to an education, to work, to anything she wanted.
My grandmother commented that one way she thinks that relationship between men and women changed was that women became more like men and men became more like women. Men don't want responsibility, women's equality was the price of men. My grandmother thinks that the women's movement tended to make men weak and make women strong in the wrong way. My grandmother was and is all for women being equal, getting a good education and all of that, but she did not agree with the women's movement. When my grandmother went to the State convention to ratify the Equal Rights amendment she agreed with some, but disagreed with a lot. She thought it was and is disintegrating the family. She thought the price was too high. She grew up with a lot of opportunities so she was not very sympathetic and she didn't see the need for a feminist movement. My grandmother grew up in a family with women who had done things. My grandmother calls herself a feminist in her own way.
After this interview I realized how much I didn't know about my grandmother. It was so helpful for me to learn so much about her history and the time in which she lived. "The links between women need mending"(Wolf, 283). I like what Naomi Wolf says when she writes, "all women have experienced the world treating them better or worse according to where they rate each day; while this experience wreaks havoc with a woman's identity, it does mean that women have access to a far greater range of experience than the snapshots 'beauty' takes of us would lead us to believe"(Wolf, 286). My grandmother had her own experience, full of opportunities and she has taken advantage of every aspect of her life.
In Jasmine, when Jasmine says, "Lillian Gordon, Mother Ripplemeyer: one day I want to belong to that tribe", I can completely connect to her (Mukherjee, 197). But I might change it up a little bit. I would probably say, "Jane Watson Hales, Jill Hales Tingey: one day I want to belong to that tribe", and not literally because I kind of already do belong to their tribe (Jane being my grandmother, Jill my mother), but figuratively. I want to belong to the group of incredible women they belong to. My life is just full of wonderful women! I am very grateful that I come from a long line of such incredible, headstrong women! I hope to be just like them.
Thoughts on "Mrs. Dalloway"
After finishing "Mrs. Dalloway", by Virginia Wolf, I thought about it a lot and decided I really liked the book. It took me a while to decide that I liked it. There were specific parts and running ideas and themes that really caught my attention and I think those are what made me like the book so much.
I love the way Virginia Wolf writes. I think she is brilliant in the way she gets into peoples' heads. It is impressive the detail she comes up with and the thoughts she writes out onto paper. I love how by the end of the book, when she switches which character's thoughts are being said, you know which character it is before you see the name.
Septimus began as my least favorite character but later, he an his wife turned into my favorite characters. His story is one I would most like to focus on in this blog post.
I think one reason Septimus has been weighing so heavily on my mind has to do with the recent tragedy we have been facing at our school. Watching the movie was particularly shocking, the 4th grade teacher, Septimus, Richard, Virginia Wolf, all suddenly pounded into my mind when Richard fell out of the window. That scene hit me really hard and was quite difficult to watch. I think recent events and the movie we watched bring out the running theme of death in the book a lot more.
I think I keep thinking about Septimus because the scene where he is in his flat alone with his wife, Rezia, and he is finally, for the first time since the war, acting normal. That was my favorite part of the book. To see Rezia's pure joy and Septimus coming to light was just incredible. It parallels with the religious idea of redemption which is a significant part of my religion and means a great deal to me. I did not expect Septimus to jump out of the window and when he did, it took a chunk out of me. Their lovely scene in their flat gave me so much hope and joy and such an ending is so terribly sad. It hits me really hard because I have also experienced a good family friend committing suicide. Sometimes I think suicide is a selfish thing to do. "He was selfish. So men are"(Wolf, 19). Septimus could live without Rezia but she could not live without him.
It makes me so sad that people become so low that they turn to killing themselves. Suicide is one thing I have a really hard time with thinking about and this book was good for me to ponder about.
I also like that Septimus is kind of our way into Virginia Wolf's mind. Wolf did an incredible job with the reader being able to see into the mind of someone who is not right in the head. I like when Septimus thinks, "and it is cowardly for a man to say he would kill himself, but Septimus had fought; he was brave; he was not Septimus now"(Wolf, 19). It put his despair into context. One can only hope that those who chose suicide are not right in the head, that it is not really them choosing such a fate.
What is up with Women?
It is often a funny joke between men that it is impossible to understand women. I agree, what is up with women? Why do we try so hard to look "beautiful" when we don't even really know what beauty is? Why do we try so hard to impress men and women alike instead of just being ourselves? Why are we so focused on clothes and make-up and hair instead of things that actually matter? Why do we care if someone is wearing the same dress as us? Why do we travel in packs and go to the bathroom together? Is it because we are not confident and need people with us all of the time, or is it because women in their nature are social and genuinely enjoy company....all of the time? A more serious question, "why must one woman's pleasure and pride have to mean another woman's pain"(Wolf, 286)? I could go on forever on things even I don't understand about women or why we do the things we do.
One passage I read in the Beauty Myth, by Naomi Wolf, that particularly struck me and has triggered these thoughts is, "men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This
determines not only the relations of men to women, but the relation of
women to themselves"(Wolf, 58). I think what struck me so much was that I believe that this is absolutely true and it made me sad. I myself am guilty of doing this. I have caught myself a few times acting in a certain way based on how I thought people saw me or thought of me. I would do something, not for myself, but I would watch myself doing something through other peoples' eyes. I know it sounds confusing, but if anyone else is guilty of the same thing I think they know exactly what I am talking about. Since I read this passage, I have been trying hard to not to "watch [myself] being looked at", but to do what I do because I want to (Wolf, 58). I don't want to think about what other people are thinking about me. And it was surprisingly easy. It didn't feel unnatural, but it was different and a challenge at times. I for one would love to feel "the pleasure of shedding self-consciousness" for good (Wolf, 285).
Another idea that popped into my head while reading that passage was that I think women are constantly in competition mode. It is completely true that with women, "jealousy among the best of friends is a cruel fact of female love"(Wolf, 284). You know why? It is because women are constantly competing. They are constantly trying to be prettier than their friend or have nicer clothes because it is so natural for women to be jealous of each other and that turns into a massive competition between women. The bottom line is that women are brutal. I completely agree with Wolf when she says, "women blame men for looking but not listening. But we do it too;
perhaps even more so. We have to stop reading each others' appearances
as if appearance were language, political allegiance, worthiness, or
aggression. The chances are excellent that what a woman means to say to other women is far more complex and sympathetic than the garbled message that her appearance permits her"(Wolf, 286). I am like most women and am guilty of many of the crimes Wolf
mentions. I have been jealous of my friends at times and sometimes I read other
peoples' appearance like it is a puzzle I am trying to crack, and it is
exhausting and it fills me up with self consciousness.
I have a confession to make; I did not like the Beauty Myth very much. I
thought it had really interesting ideas and it did a great job at
stretching my opinions and making me think differently, but I also found
it very extreme and incorrect. The one part I did like and agreed with
most was her last chapter, "Beyond the Beauty Myth". I completely agree with Wolf when she says, "the toughest but most
necessary change will come not from men or from the media, but from
women, in the way we see and behave toward other women"(Wolf, 283). I like Wolf's solution. She suggests, "let us start with a reinterpretation of 'beauty' that is noncompetitive, non hierarchical, and nonviolent"(Wolf, 286). I agree with Wolf's solutions and I think the only thing that can change the ridiculous things women do is women themselves. Don't you want to stop being so self conscious all of the time? I do!
Wednesday 6 June 2012
A Beautiful Heroine.
In The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf writes, "a beautiful heroine is a contradiction in terms, since heroism is about individuality, interesting and ever changing, while beauty is generic, boring, and inert"(Wolf, 59). In some ways I see what she is trying to say, but I disagree with her and I think by making this statement she is kind of contradicting herself.
I see her point in that women who obsess about beauty are all about the material outside and are really quite shallow in the inside. Many women who focus on their beauty can be "generic, boring, and inert"(Wolf, 59). But I think it is incorrect for her to say that "beauty is generic, boring, and inert"(Wolf, 59). A woman can be beautiful and still have substance to her. A beautiful woman can have thoughts and opinions and a great personality. I don't think it is correct to say that beauty isn't about "individuality, interesting, and ever changing"(Wolf, 59). All women are different and they all have individual beauty that defines them. Beauty can be interesting and beauty changes as you grow and age. Who knows the definition of beauty? Aren't there many different types of beauty? Can you tell me then how beauty is not individual and interesting? I consider my grandmother a beautiful woman, and her beauty has changed much and will change much. Tell me then, is that not an example of beauty being ever changing?
I also disagree with Wolf in her argument that "a beautiful heroine is a contradiction in terms". I don't see why a heroine can't be beautiful. To me, my mother is my hero and I think she is the most beautiful woman in the world!
Wolf said herself that women can never win because people are constantly typecasting them. When they are beautiful, they are judged based on the fact that they only got that job because they are pretty. When they are not pretty, they are dismissed. Isn't Wolf also typecasting when she makes her statement about a beautiful heroine? Why can't beautiful women be a heroine and why can't a heroine be beautiful?
Wolf's argument continues; she says, "culture stereotypes women to fit the myth by flattening the feminine into beauty-without-intelligence or intelligence-without-beauty; women are allowed a mind or a body but not both"(Wolf, 59). I hesitantly agree with this passage a bit more than the other just because it says "culture stereotypes", which I agree with, but I am still not sure it is that black and white. I have many heroes who are incredibly intelligent women and who I believe to be beautiful! Among them are; my mum, my grandmother, all of my aunts, my sisters, Abigail Adams, Queen Elizabeth I and II, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Hilary Clinton, Rosa Parks....and the list goes on.
With all of the disagreements I have with Wolf, this is one passage she wrote that I do agree with; "the woman wins who calls herself beautiful and challenges the world to change to truly see her"(Wolf, 290). Now that ladies and gentleman is a beautiful heroine.
I see her point in that women who obsess about beauty are all about the material outside and are really quite shallow in the inside. Many women who focus on their beauty can be "generic, boring, and inert"(Wolf, 59). But I think it is incorrect for her to say that "beauty is generic, boring, and inert"(Wolf, 59). A woman can be beautiful and still have substance to her. A beautiful woman can have thoughts and opinions and a great personality. I don't think it is correct to say that beauty isn't about "individuality, interesting, and ever changing"(Wolf, 59). All women are different and they all have individual beauty that defines them. Beauty can be interesting and beauty changes as you grow and age. Who knows the definition of beauty? Aren't there many different types of beauty? Can you tell me then how beauty is not individual and interesting? I consider my grandmother a beautiful woman, and her beauty has changed much and will change much. Tell me then, is that not an example of beauty being ever changing?
I also disagree with Wolf in her argument that "a beautiful heroine is a contradiction in terms". I don't see why a heroine can't be beautiful. To me, my mother is my hero and I think she is the most beautiful woman in the world!
Wolf said herself that women can never win because people are constantly typecasting them. When they are beautiful, they are judged based on the fact that they only got that job because they are pretty. When they are not pretty, they are dismissed. Isn't Wolf also typecasting when she makes her statement about a beautiful heroine? Why can't beautiful women be a heroine and why can't a heroine be beautiful?
Wolf's argument continues; she says, "culture stereotypes women to fit the myth by flattening the feminine into beauty-without-intelligence or intelligence-without-beauty; women are allowed a mind or a body but not both"(Wolf, 59). I hesitantly agree with this passage a bit more than the other just because it says "culture stereotypes", which I agree with, but I am still not sure it is that black and white. I have many heroes who are incredibly intelligent women and who I believe to be beautiful! Among them are; my mum, my grandmother, all of my aunts, my sisters, Abigail Adams, Queen Elizabeth I and II, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Hilary Clinton, Rosa Parks....and the list goes on.
With all of the disagreements I have with Wolf, this is one passage she wrote that I do agree with; "the woman wins who calls herself beautiful and challenges the world to change to truly see her"(Wolf, 290). Now that ladies and gentleman is a beautiful heroine.
Monday 23 April 2012
Advertisements
Since we have begun reading The Beauty Myth and especially after watching "Killing Us Softly", I have been paying more attention to advertisements and all I can say is that I am appalled. We are plagued with images of women turned into objects and sensual advertisements with pornographic images of women. Most advertisements now focus on sexuality no matter what product they are selling, whether it be a car, beer or nasal spray.
In "Killing Us Softly", we were shown image after image of women being objectified. There was an add that made a woman look like a car, many that made women take the shape of a beer bottle and one became a piece of a video game. Making women into objects like this dehumanizes them. It implies that women are objects and not human beings. It also degrades women. The advertisement with the woman looking like she is a part of the car is suggesting that women are of the same value of a car.
The advertisement I have posted above shows a couple in bed together but on the woman's face is a car magazine. The slogan reads, "the ultimate attraction". This implies that the car is of more value than the woman. This advertisement can also make women think, "if this incredibly beautiful woman can't keep her partner's attention, how can I?" It is advertisements like these that make me wonder about our society today.
Another Volkswagen advertisement shows a woman's face with a seductive expression. The slogan for that advertisement reads, "you know you're not the first. But do you really care?" Can someone please tell me what that has to do with cars? They are not selling cars, they are just trying to look desirable by putting a woman's fake face on their advertisement.
An advertisement that was especially grotesque to me was a woman in meat packaging. It's slogan is, "Human Meat: Billions of animals are abused and violently killed because you eat meat". This advertisement made me sick. They are comparing animals to humans. This picture is of a woman that is obviously a victim of violent abuse and death is representing the abuse of animals? Badly done. What about all of the men, women and children that are abused and violently killed every day? I am sorry but such an advertisement is sick and wrong and I am appalled that it is acceptable in our society.
What is so sad is that everything is fake in every advertisement. There is not a picture that goes through that goes untouched. What is worse though, is that that is what women compare themselves to. Women see perfect bodies and skin and hair and they attempt to achieve a beauty that is not achievable. Advertisements today are fake and sexual. It is the only way they catch attention and attempt to look desirable. It makes me so sad to see our society accept and enjoy these awful advertisements.
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