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Viva la Vulva

Week 13:

This week we read a few poems about feminist activism and one key phrase stood out to me in a poem by Sandra Cisneros: “viva la vulva”, so I decided to look more into it. Turns out this campaign was started only about a year ago when a Northern European woman’s care company, Libresse, released its new line of hygiene projects including soap, wipes, and liners. The company wanted to address the growing insecurity woman feel when it comes to their vulva and hopefully makes a change so that discussion of female genitalia is not so taboo. The company is not new to the activist world, in fact they started the #bloodnormal movement in 2017 to help normalize periods. The company wants its customers, and by extent all women, to feel comfortable in their own skin and in their own vulvas. 

The company also conducted a study to gauge how women feel about their vulvas and found that “44% have felt embarrassed by the way their vulva naturally looks, smells or feels. 68% of women don’t technically know what their own vulva is”. These stats astounded me and were very alarming. No woman should feel uncomfortable about their body because everything from the way they look and to periods is all-natural and should not be looked at as disgusting.

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The true activist

Week 11:

So while reading, I realized that we should be discussing Nester instead of the author in terms of the activist because he had a more prominent role as an activist than the author ever did. We see his streaks of rebellion begin in New Orleans when he attempts to integrate a  white church with a black choir. This can be explained as ignorance, but I still think at least a small part of him knew what he was doing. The streak continues in the civil way he treats the African Americans as he does not treat them like they are beneath him in any way. Another instance is when he eats in the back diner with a black man when he certainly knows that he is supposed to sit in the front with the other white men. Nester continually defies the stereotypes and the societal “rules” in Alabama. As someone who has also experienced prejudice, Nester is more aware of how cruel it is to judge someone on the color of their skin. I realize that this story is a memoir and is supposed to be more about the author’s life, but a stronger focus on the father and how he refused to bend to the segregation would have made a stronger argument. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel because of the simplicity of the story and because I have never read a graphic novel, so it was a nice change from the typical literature we read.

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Illustrations

Week 10:

Lila could have just written a novel to explain the same story as Darkroom, but she chose to illustrate it and create a graphic novel instead. This actually enhances the story and makes it more impactful. For instance, when Lila alludes to a horrid act of segregation, she draws only a few fists and a cropped image of a man’s face. These vague details implement a sense of foreboding and uneasiness in the reader. This style is more effective than straight text because it is difficult to allude to an event and still create the same sense of nervousness. Another example of how this style is used well is when Lila is describing how America is portrayed in magazines. The recreations show the readers exactly what the author is trying to convey and also allow them to reflect on how these images compare to reality. The illustrates also help to show readers how the people themselves do not look much different, regardless of their race or ethnicity. This effect emphasizes how ridiculous segregation really is, but also makes the readers see how even though Lila and her family do not look much different from the white people, they are still treated differently. The irony of the title “a memoir in black and white” pokes fun at how people in this era believed there to only be two the races, the dominant whites and the black slaves (even though they are legally free). Regardless of skin town or religion, or family background or any other characteristics, all people should be treated equally and this graphic novel helps to illustrate that.

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For the family?

Week 9:

As Farewell to Manzanar came to an end, I decided the analyze why exactly Jeanne wrote this memoir. After watching an interview reading the introduction, it is clear that her intention was to write a story for a grandchildren, however, that does not seem to translate accurately. Throughout the story, the names of family members stays vague and confusing. Most of the members remain unnamed. In addition, the grandchildren who are supposedly the intended audience are never named or really met, except for a brief mention. It is understandable that specific information or memories would be hazy due to the long gap before Jeanne actually wrote about the camp, but she should not have forgotten her family’s names. Because the characters are unnamed, it makes the reader feel disconnected from the story. Without the emotional tether to the characters, the importance of remembering this event is lost. A memoir is supposed to be a personal account, but the focus on historical facts mutes the significance of the memories. 

The disconnected story line is also difficult to follow and makes it hard to immerse yourself into the story and connect with what is happening to the characters. This like due to the PTSD that Jeanne struggles with and because she waiting so long to talk or write about her experiences.

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Manzanar

Week 8:

Since Jeanne did not write this story until she was much older and she is suffering from PTSD, many of the relationships that she experienced in those many years in the camp are warped by grief and a childlike naivety. This also implies that her parents did not actually forget about her. Much of the emotional turmoil that Jeanne experiences in the early chapters is due to the supposed dismissal of her family. It is certainly an interesting dynamic though how Jeanne included the purely fictional account of what she thinks occurred in the interrogation of her father. This inclusion really shows how the isolation and separation caused by Manzanar severely effective everyone that was held there in all other camps. In some ways, the United States is just as bad as Hitler and his concentration camps. We divided families and gave them inhuman living conditions, just like Hitler. The only difference is the U.S. faced no repercussions which is unfair to all who were affected. 

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Farewell to Manzanar

Week 7: This week was focused on the historical background of the new novel. Instead of focusing on what happened, I would like to analyze why it happened. To begin, we all know that Pearl Harbor was truly horrifying, but the way the United States reacted to such atrocities was just as horrifying. While it is indeed true that the US reacted due to the "yellow peril"'s influence, I don't believe it is fair to completely blame them for their actions. Up until this point in the war, the US had stayed (reportedly) neutral, so the Japanese had no justifiable reason to attack us. With that being said, I think this random attack immediately put the US into panic mode and they began to act put of instinct. Now, I do not condone this treatment and imprisonment at all, but I think it is only fair to look at the situation from all points of view. The United States was afraid and paranoid after the attack and were fearful of possible spies. No matter how you view this dark part in history, I think it is important to learn and grow from all of our past mistakes, especially since we seem to be repeating them already.

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Was it just in her head?

Week 6:

This week’s post discusses the short story, “Real Women Have Bodies”, which is a work of fiction. The construction of this short story is odd in the way that readers get little to no information about the narrator. The happenings of the story are also so bizarre that it makes readers question the sanity of the narrator. While the story is indeed fictional, I still believe that everything that happened in her head was make-believe. 

Since I am such a skeptic, I believe the narrator could be suffering from any number of disorders that cause such hallucinations. For example, Schizophrenia, delirium and even taking LSD can cause severe delusions and fantastical allusions. In these circumstances, real-life experiences, such as a break up from a long or deep relationship, could cause a break in the subconscious and cause delusions such as women’s bodies disappearing. People who suffer from these disorders do not often realize that what they are seeing is not actually real. Traumatic experiences can also cause these delusions to take hold of one’s life completely. Since we do know that the narrator does not get along with her family, we do not know why which could be the cause of the narrator’s trauma.

Even so, this short story is insightful and wonderfully written to give readers a view of the social injustice towards the LGBTQIA+ community and towards women in general.

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Viva las mariposa

Week 5:

As a whole, “In the time of the Butterflies” is a book inspiring rebellion against the patriarchy. Each of the characters demonstrates the different levels of femininity and masculinity throughout the novel. To begin, Minerva is the most liberal feminist between the sisters. In several instances throughout her life, she defies the stereotypes and pursues her own dreams, despite what the patriarchy tells her. For example, she desperately wants to go to university to study law and she also waits to get married. Unlike the other sisters, Minerva never asks Monolo, her husband, for permission. Minerva acts solely on her own instincts and only Dede is ever truly able to stop (slow) her. 

In comparison to Minerva, Dede is the most reserved of the sisters and conforms the most to the ideal version of a woman. Dede allows her husband Jamito to control her and take care of her while she is the ideal house wife. Dede is always asking for permission from Jamito. This begins to change the closer the novel gets to the death of the sisters. Dede begins to tire of playing the submissive, but she never fully gives up the role.

As far as masculinity is demonstrated in the novel, Trujillo is the most extreme example of maintaining the patriarchy. Trujillo uses his status as a man to get whatever he wants, or rather, to take what he wants. Trujillo has multiple mistresses and feels threatened by the Mirabal sisters because they threaten his masculinity and rein. Meanwhile, Monolo is comfortable enough with his own masculinity that he is happy to let Minerva make her own decisions. At times it may seem like he is trying to control her decisions, but I think he only acts this way because he genuinely cares deeply for Minerva and does not want to see her get hurt. Overall, this novel accurately demonstrates the struggle that women faced and still face to gain respect and independence while under a patriarchal system.

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Strong Mother

Week 4:

 As this novel comes to a close I have decided to address which sister I am most like and how I think I would have reacted in this situation given all the knowledge I have accumulated over the discussions and readings. After analyzing and comparing the sisters, I think I am most like Patria minus the strong religious intentions. My beliefs have always revolved heavily around my family and I distinctly remember instances where I defended my sister and close friends against foes. Like Patria, I would do anything to protect those that I love, even if it means joining a rebellion. 

Some people might criticize Patria because she plays dumb when the SIM come to the house, but if she had not, then who would defend and try to save Nelson? A mother’s devotion and resilience cannot be diminished. While it might not seems like the most courageous act, it was the wisest choice. I most likely would have acted the same as Patria when the SIM came in order to help protect my daughter who would have been vulnerable to Trujillo without me and to take care of my youngest son. Minerva and Mate’s children were already separated, no more families should be totally ripped apart. Patria possibly has the most to lose; her children, her faith (which is a big part of who she is), her home, and her sisters. As the oldest sister, Patria feels the most responsible for the family, especially since her father died. Even in these desperate times, Patria still puts her family before all else.

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Patria’s Evolution

Week 3:

Throughout the story so far, we have seen the development of three of the sisters into becoming full-fledged resistance members. The most inspirational one, to me, is Patria. Patria is still a very religious and caring woman, but after the horrors she witnesses on her religious retreat, she comes down the mountain a changed woman. 

Patria reminds me a lot of the Virgencita in the way that she protects her family, specifically her children with everything she has, regardless of the consequences. Patria’s compassion for those who suffer, and being able to see her own children represented in the suffering is what motivates her to fully join the resistance. After seeing the young boy shot down, she finally believes and understands what her sister, Minerva, was trying to say: “It’s all the same fight”. 

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In The Time of The Butterflies

Week 2:

If I am being honest, I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I do since I do not typically like historical books. However, Julia Alvarez has a certain way of writing in which she draws readers in and captivates them with just the right amount of cliffhangers, seriousness, and humor. I particularly enjoyed the chapter that was narrated by the youngest sister, Maria Teresa, because her youthful innocence allowed for comic relief to an otherwise depressing tale and helps you to look at the devastation in another light. 

The novel would not be as impact-full if it was written in strictly one point of view. Readers would not get the radical view of Minerva, who sees Trujillo as he truly is. We would not see the shattering of beliefs if it wasn’t for Patria, and we certainly would not see the true effects of the aftermath of the desolation. Having the four sisters narrate the story is effective and beautiful. I cannot wait to continue reading and see how everything unfolds and how Mate becomes so involved in the resistance to warrant Trujillo to murder her. The evolution of all the characters is something I truly look forward to.