push 4/10 post

Precious, in Push, is faced with a tremendous amount of despairity and baggage, and, in the end, finds some light at the end of the tunnel.  Some may see it as an example of the, "American Dream," however, I think that it is a contradiction of the American dream and more of a story of despair.  Although Precious eventually showed progression in the quality of her life, even while battling a terminal disease, it is absurd to inquire that Precious' situation is anyone's idea of the American dream.  Although, I do think that Precious' personal gain did benefit from the fact that she was in America.  Precious utilized her resources by visiting a number of clinics and help groups to help her better understand her situation, and get more educated about her lifestyle, and life in general.  I think that the story is essentially a depiction of both hope and disparity, as Precious seemed as if she had nothing to live for, but managed to make the most of her situation, and realize her own value, and have a sense of fulfillment from conceiving her second baby born out of incest.  However, I do not think that her situation is simple enough to state whether it is a story of hope or despair.  The life that she was born into was obviously something that was not only illegal, but is the epitome of a bad upbringing.  Ultimately, Precious comes from a nasty environment and abusive home and learns to use the resources that are available to her to overcome the trauma of the way she was raised.  I think that this can be labeled as nothing but a personal success story, being that Precious was in such a broken home, and eventually learned how to make the most of the tiny bit that was given to her.

Late entry for thursday 4/7

I think that Push portrays the life of a female, in one specific situation, and how it affects her life and the way she views herself.  I think that Sapphire is doing this to say much more, however.  I think that the novel is her way of letting the world know that there are horrible places, with horrible things going on, and it is not just Precious.  I think that the way that people relate to this book is much different, and more extreme than just about any other book.  The type of experiences that Precious went through may not be the same as everybody who reads it, but people who have experienced trauma from their environment growing up can relate, no matter the location of their home.  Power, abuse, and survival are prevalent throughout the book, and I think that Sapphire did not write this book after anyone in particular, rather just an image of anyone who has been oppressed by their environment, and how it takes a toll on their lives.  Precious' mother did nothing to protect her from the crude environment that she brought her daughter into.  Although she seemed to truly care about her at times, she did nothing to intervene the trifled life of Precious.  The abuse from her father clearly took it's toll on her self-esteem and self image, and the gritty environment she was in, along with her financial and social situation, made Precious' life a very dangerous one, that would eventually kill her.  Sapphire uses all of these as an example of the severity of many lives in many nooks of the world.

fun home 3

Writing, for many authors and artists, is an outlet of self-expression to help cope with whatever they may have faced throughout their lives, or simply to express how they feel.  Alison Bechdel and Eve Ensler both use their writing to get their words and feelings out in a way that it otherwise wouldn’t.  Bechdel, in Fun Home uses pictures and writing to depict and exemplify her life.  She uses satire and dark humor to give the reader a sense of the lives of a family who play a non-traditional role, although it may not seem that way from the outside.I think that she uses her comic tone to, in a sense, poke fun, at her father’s role and the effect that it had on her childhood and throughout life.  Bechdel’s ability to look at a subject that is rarely touched on or brought to public attention in such a comedic and satirical tone clearly shows that it is truly an outlet for her, as well as Eve Ensler.  Ensler also used subjects that have been essentially kept away from the public in order to express something that she felt passionately about. Both authors use tones, that to me, almost gave me the feeling that they have a secret that they have been to keep, but are trying to tell the general public.  I think that this is caused by the fact that both authors use subjects, which, perhaps because of my gender, are so seldom discussed in such a manner.  I think that it is good that there are women who are willing to express their emotions and stories with an open audience.  I believe that it is good to hear a female’s point of view on subjects that often kept disclosed.  Both authors use the art of literature to express the things that are kept close to themselves, and far from everyday conversation.

Fun Home #2

Bechdel uses many pictures to depict the minimal text in her story, Fun Home.  I think that the most blatant purpose of her pictures is to show the facial expressions of the characters.  I think that without the pictures, the story would not have the same feel, and the reader would not get the same understanding of the family as they do with the pictures.  Smiles are few and far between in the pictures, and most of the time it shows nothing but solemn and stern faces.  Also, I think that the details of the faces often show that the characters are thinking to themselves.  Bechdel does this to give the reader the feeling that the family is distant, and rarely express their emotions with each other.  Sometimes, she incorporates the characters thoughts in the pictures to show just what they were thinking.  I think that Bechdel uses shading mainly to show character's emotions in the background.  She uses darker colored clothing and shading on the characters who may not be the emphasis of the picture, but whose emotions are important to the reader's understanding of the story.  I also think that there are a number of things pointed out by the lighting of the story, such as objects or events that reinforce what the text is saying.  The tidiness of the house is often exhibited, as is the perceieved, "traditionalistic" functioning of the family.  I think Bechdel also uses silhouettes to describe peoples' emotions without even showing their faces.  Bechdel does a tremendous job with complimenting her text with sketches that truly capture the emotions and thoughts of the characters in the story.

Fun Home

  Right off the bat, the reader can tell that Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel is different than most any book that they have ever read, and looked at, before.  In the first chapter, it is clear that the father is the voice of the household in the story, although he does not take on the traditional male roles.  He was a clean freak, and it seems he took more pride in his house and what it was furnished with than his children and what they had accomplished.  The mother seems to have a limited role early on in this story, and I think that this will greatly affect all of the children's personality in this book.  It also briefly touches on a deep, dark secret that the father has.  In one scene, while the family is in a church, the text reads, "But would an ideal husband and father have sex with teenage boys?" as the father is looking at the young boys in church.  I think that this is symbolic because they are in church, which shows that the father must not have any regard for standards and morals, and truly does have a deep, dark secret.  I do not think that this secret was well hidden, however, as his children have little connection to him despite the tasks that he makes them do in order to keep his house perfect. One part of the story describes a scene where one of the children is forced to kiss their father goodnight, and can only seem to muster an awkward kiss on the knuckles, that was followed by running out of the room in an awkward situation.  The father seemed to never even be there at all, even when he was there.  The children seem to have a poor relationship with him, and I think that it will affect their personalities for the rest of the story.

Timeline of Minerva

1938 - Minerva goes to school.

- Minerva eventually meets Lena, a girl who has been taken in as a mistress by the Trujillo.  She tells Minerva that she is mistreated, and that the Trujillo is corrupt and devestating.  This startles Minerva, and makes her want to do something.

-Minerva starts to attend secret, anti - government meeting behind the backs of her parents.

1949- Minerva meets Lio, and starts to spend time with him

- Finds out that her father has been holding on to notes that Lio had been writing her.

- Goes to the Trujillo discovery dance, and slaps the dictator.

- Her father goes to jail

- Minerva is allowed to go to college to study law

1957 - Minerva graduates from college, but is prohibited from practicing law by the Trujillo

- Gets married to Manolo, and they begin to become revolutionaries.

-They are taken to jail in 1959, and get out on house arrest in 1960

- Refuses to accept her pardon, and is later released

- Gets killed visiting husband in jail, trying to get him out

Blog for 3/14 Q#7

I think that Alvarez is trying to accomplish a sense of true sacrifice in the best interest of one's country, as well as the people who live in it.  She uses a true story, and fictionalizes it, in order to give the reader a sense of just how brave and righteous these girls were.  Once Minerva finds out about her friend Lina, and what the Trujillo had done to her, she immediately wants to take action.  This shows that she has an extreme sense of empathy for her country, as well as her friend, once she saw the true power that the Trujillo possessed, and that empathy made her take action against them.  I think that Alvarez is trying to say that the truth must always be revealed for someone to be true with themselves.  I think that this is made evident on the pilgrimage, where Chea finds out that she has been cheated on.  I think that this exemplifies Alvarez's theme of truth to ones' self, because they go on the pilgrimage to find themselves again, because it felt like all faith was being lost between the family.  This also exemplifies Alvarez's theme of search for self.  I think that by this she is saying although she found out something negative in her life, the important part was that she looked for thr truth, and got it; so she does not have to live in ignorance, as most of their country is under the rule of the Trujillo.  I think that the justice theme is the most evident, as it also ties into the roles of women throughout the book.  These young women spend their lives trying to justify themselves as women, and Dominican citizens with rights, and hearts.  All of the women in the novel, at one point or another, step out of their "role in society" to make a statement and benefit their country.