An American Brat, by Bapsi Sidhwa is a coming of age novel of one Feroza Ginwalla, a 16-year-old Pakistani girl. Feroza is sent to America by her parents as precaution to the fundamentalism that is overtaking Pakistan and their daughter. Feroza is sent to stay with her uncle Manek. From immediate arrival in the United States Feroza is bombarded by cultural shock and difference. This is made very evident by Sidhwa in how Feroza, while in customs, is nearly 'attacked' (verbally) by the security check guard. This instance was the first of many cultural shocks that Feroza experiences while in America. At first Feroza is very apprehensive to give into the new society of American culture and sticks hard to Pakistan beliefs and ways but she slowly adapts and accepts Maneks views of how Pakistan has affected their lives.
There are three points during this novel that show big change for Feroza. These three times are of course tied to when Feroza moves locations. The first move is of course when she comes to America. The second time is when she is presented with the opportunity to attend a Morman college and moves away from her uncle. The third is when she moves from college to Colorado with her newfound friend. Over each transverse of states Feroza becomes more enthralled and drawn into American ideals and her overall freedom which she possesses. This freedom Feroza uses as an opportunity to define herself and what she wants, all the new opportunities which she capitalizes on really lead to her character development. Feroza goes from a hesitant view of acceptance towards America to the overall yearning to define herself and separate from Pakistan, done through her romance with David, but still live a Pakistani life.
This novel seems to be a great representation of what it is actually like for an immigrant to be traveling through a country of which they know little to nothing about besides stories. This novel makes me intrigued by what I might experience this summer while I backpack through Europe. I don't think that I will find anything as extreme as Feroza for the cultures are not as different but the people to people interactions that I experience might bring about some form of culture shock.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Breath, Eyes, Memory
"Breath, Eyes, Memory", written by Edwidge Danticat, gives the first person view of a rape child growing up in Haiti. The story expresses the experiences of Sophie Caco ultimately ending with her development into a woman via her mother's death. The struggles that Sophie and her family go through all seem to revolve around two things, rape of the mother and the testing that happens to each woman.
Sophie’s mother, Martine, was raped as a 16 year old girl and from this Sophia was born. Soon after the raping Martine moved to New York to start anew. Sophia’s aunt, Tante Atie, brought Sophia up in Croix-des-Rosets, Haiti. Out of the blue Martine called for Sophia to come to America to live with her giving much stress and sadness to Tante Atie. While in America, Sophia meets a new gentleman and upon the exposure of their possible relationship Martine takes upon “testing” for Sophie’s virginity like her mother used to do to her before she was raped. The experience of testing and the rape seemed to have a negative effect on all women in the family. For Sophie it lead to the dissatisfaction with her body, bulimia and an inability to have a healthy sexual relationship with men. For Martine it lead to insanity and the never ending nightmares of the man who raped her. For Tante Atie the experiences lead to the separation of her and her sister which tended to be a common theme for the rest of her life with people suddenly leaving her and not being able to have a loveable close relationship with anyone.
For all of them the experience of ‘testing’ was a cultural influence that enforced the role of men as dominant and degraded women to the stature of sexual items. Specifically, it was shown that women are not valuable unless virgins until marriage. Since “A mothers reputation is dependant on her daughter”(?, I couldn’t find the exact quote) it was imperative that the mother did anything possible to make sure that the daughter made it to marriage by being a virgin. For some this cultural tradition would work out for the better but in this case only harm seems to follow. This is why Sophie says that, “[She] will not test Brigette” because she does not want her go through the trauma that she did.
Sophie’s mother, Martine, was raped as a 16 year old girl and from this Sophia was born. Soon after the raping Martine moved to New York to start anew. Sophia’s aunt, Tante Atie, brought Sophia up in Croix-des-Rosets, Haiti. Out of the blue Martine called for Sophia to come to America to live with her giving much stress and sadness to Tante Atie. While in America, Sophia meets a new gentleman and upon the exposure of their possible relationship Martine takes upon “testing” for Sophie’s virginity like her mother used to do to her before she was raped. The experience of testing and the rape seemed to have a negative effect on all women in the family. For Sophie it lead to the dissatisfaction with her body, bulimia and an inability to have a healthy sexual relationship with men. For Martine it lead to insanity and the never ending nightmares of the man who raped her. For Tante Atie the experiences lead to the separation of her and her sister which tended to be a common theme for the rest of her life with people suddenly leaving her and not being able to have a loveable close relationship with anyone.
For all of them the experience of ‘testing’ was a cultural influence that enforced the role of men as dominant and degraded women to the stature of sexual items. Specifically, it was shown that women are not valuable unless virgins until marriage. Since “A mothers reputation is dependant on her daughter”(?, I couldn’t find the exact quote) it was imperative that the mother did anything possible to make sure that the daughter made it to marriage by being a virgin. For some this cultural tradition would work out for the better but in this case only harm seems to follow. This is why Sophie says that, “[She] will not test Brigette” because she does not want her go through the trauma that she did.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The Joys of Motherhood
“The Joys of Motherhood”, written by Buchi Emecheta, is a novel that spans the life of Nnu Ego. The novel is taken from a third party’s perspective of Nnu Ego’s life and the many hardships that develop from some significant themes. Two of the main themes of this book include colonialism and the power in numbers.
Colonialism is shown throughout most of the novel through a clash of cultures. The two cultures being compared are that of traditional Nigeria and Britain. Nnu Ego, a woman of Ibuza, moves to Lagos, a colonial city of British influence. She is exposed to a new way of life primarily through capitalism and Christianity. The difference in capitalism is through the earning the money and the gender roles that go along with supplying an income for the family. In Lagos, the male was the only one allowed to bring in a salary. The female was able to sell objects, cigarettes for instance, but could not hold a waged position. In traditional Nigerian culture the women was made to work in the field and do manual labor to bring in money for the family.
While in Lagos, Nnu was influenced by Christianity through the structure of the family. The structure differed by the acceptable number of wives a man could have. For traditional Nigerian culture the male could have as many wives as he seemed fit. In Lagos, under the influence of Christianity only one wife was acceptable.
There is a common trend in Emecheta’s writing that shows the power in numbers. From the very beginning of Nnu’s life, she is taught to yearn for motherhood, having a family and existing within a community. While she strives to obtain these goals, she struggles immensely. At different points in the text Nnu is unable to bear a child, does not want to marry and feels separated from the community. Through these struggles, Emecheta shows a strong correlation between Nnu’s ‘group’ dynamic and the hardships that she goes through. The common trend is whenever there is separation between Nnu and a loved one (the group), her husband for instance, there is a struggle that mounts. For instance, when Nnaife goes to Fernado Po (95), Nnu struggles with money due to the separation of her and her husband, the son gets sick and Nnu has to go through childbirth without the father. Due to instances like this families relied a lot on group dynamic and the help and support of neighbors. “… workers would go away for weeks and weeks, leaving their young wives to have babies on their own with no help except that given by neighbours.” (51)
Another example of the power in numbers is the “sitting on the man”. It was mentioned that, in a typical Ibuza family, if the women were not getting what they wanted they could/would join together and hold out on the man’s needs/desires until he gave in. When Nnu and Adaku tried this their plan was ruined by Nnu feeling the need for security. Nonetheless, this common trend shows that there is power in numbers and the significance of being a group instead of an individual.
Colonialism is shown throughout most of the novel through a clash of cultures. The two cultures being compared are that of traditional Nigeria and Britain. Nnu Ego, a woman of Ibuza, moves to Lagos, a colonial city of British influence. She is exposed to a new way of life primarily through capitalism and Christianity. The difference in capitalism is through the earning the money and the gender roles that go along with supplying an income for the family. In Lagos, the male was the only one allowed to bring in a salary. The female was able to sell objects, cigarettes for instance, but could not hold a waged position. In traditional Nigerian culture the women was made to work in the field and do manual labor to bring in money for the family.
While in Lagos, Nnu was influenced by Christianity through the structure of the family. The structure differed by the acceptable number of wives a man could have. For traditional Nigerian culture the male could have as many wives as he seemed fit. In Lagos, under the influence of Christianity only one wife was acceptable.
There is a common trend in Emecheta’s writing that shows the power in numbers. From the very beginning of Nnu’s life, she is taught to yearn for motherhood, having a family and existing within a community. While she strives to obtain these goals, she struggles immensely. At different points in the text Nnu is unable to bear a child, does not want to marry and feels separated from the community. Through these struggles, Emecheta shows a strong correlation between Nnu’s ‘group’ dynamic and the hardships that she goes through. The common trend is whenever there is separation between Nnu and a loved one (the group), her husband for instance, there is a struggle that mounts. For instance, when Nnaife goes to Fernado Po (95), Nnu struggles with money due to the separation of her and her husband, the son gets sick and Nnu has to go through childbirth without the father. Due to instances like this families relied a lot on group dynamic and the help and support of neighbors. “… workers would go away for weeks and weeks, leaving their young wives to have babies on their own with no help except that given by neighbours.” (51)
Another example of the power in numbers is the “sitting on the man”. It was mentioned that, in a typical Ibuza family, if the women were not getting what they wanted they could/would join together and hold out on the man’s needs/desires until he gave in. When Nnu and Adaku tried this their plan was ruined by Nnu feeling the need for security. Nonetheless, this common trend shows that there is power in numbers and the significance of being a group instead of an individual.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Annie John
"Annie John" covers a young girl’s passage into adolescence. The narrative comes from the perspective of Annie John and her experiences through the age of 15. The main theme within this coming of age novel is expressed through the ever-evolving mother-daughter relationship between Annie and her mother. This theme sets the tone for the book and leads to many negative thoughts and feelings with a fairly depressing ending.
The mother-daughter relations throughout the book evolve towards the final separation at the end. At a young age, Annie’s relationship begins as very close and loving. Annie adored her mother so much that it came to the point where Annie felt abandoned every time she was not near her mother. At the time she hit puberty, the relationship abruptly changed. Annie was forced to be independent and learn what it meant to be a young lady growing up in Antigua. This sudden and unbearable separation of herself and her mother leads to an extreme love-hate relationship. Kincaid blatantly expresses this through Annie's perspective when she states, "I missed my mother more than I had ever imagined possible and wanted only to live somewhere quiet and beautiful with her alone, but also at that moment I wanted only to see her lying dead, all withered and in a coffin at my feet." (106) In an ongoing effort to please her mother yet be disobedient at the same time, Annie succeeds academically yet befriends many whom her mother does not approve. The love-hate relationship only leads to Annie's misjevious activities and an everlasting motive to undermine her mother. Annie does this by disobeying orders not to collect marbles, hang out with certain people and lying. All these actions against her mother only fire the hatred and negativity that Annie feels towards life and the world.
The hatred of life and the world expressed by Annie was horrid. A sense of pity, for Annie, was felt throughout much of the second half. Even with all this negativity, Kincaid ended the book on a positive and powerful note. Kincaid expressed how you have to make life what it is. Your perceptions in life determine the outcome. Annie's negative perceptions have a negative effect on her life, "how much I longed to be in a place where nobody knew a thing about me." (127) Even though Annie realizes all her misconceptions and overall love for her family, she has been told over and over again that she has to follow through with things that she starts. So, even though she realizes that she really needs, and is better off with, her family she must follow threw with the plans she has made to leave Antigua and begin her new life in Europe. This just leads to the never-ending separation of Annie from her family, not exactly a fairytale ending.
The mother-daughter relations throughout the book evolve towards the final separation at the end. At a young age, Annie’s relationship begins as very close and loving. Annie adored her mother so much that it came to the point where Annie felt abandoned every time she was not near her mother. At the time she hit puberty, the relationship abruptly changed. Annie was forced to be independent and learn what it meant to be a young lady growing up in Antigua. This sudden and unbearable separation of herself and her mother leads to an extreme love-hate relationship. Kincaid blatantly expresses this through Annie's perspective when she states, "I missed my mother more than I had ever imagined possible and wanted only to live somewhere quiet and beautiful with her alone, but also at that moment I wanted only to see her lying dead, all withered and in a coffin at my feet." (106) In an ongoing effort to please her mother yet be disobedient at the same time, Annie succeeds academically yet befriends many whom her mother does not approve. The love-hate relationship only leads to Annie's misjevious activities and an everlasting motive to undermine her mother. Annie does this by disobeying orders not to collect marbles, hang out with certain people and lying. All these actions against her mother only fire the hatred and negativity that Annie feels towards life and the world.
The hatred of life and the world expressed by Annie was horrid. A sense of pity, for Annie, was felt throughout much of the second half. Even with all this negativity, Kincaid ended the book on a positive and powerful note. Kincaid expressed how you have to make life what it is. Your perceptions in life determine the outcome. Annie's negative perceptions have a negative effect on her life, "how much I longed to be in a place where nobody knew a thing about me." (127) Even though Annie realizes all her misconceptions and overall love for her family, she has been told over and over again that she has to follow through with things that she starts. So, even though she realizes that she really needs, and is better off with, her family she must follow threw with the plans she has made to leave Antigua and begin her new life in Europe. This just leads to the never-ending separation of Annie from her family, not exactly a fairytale ending.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The House On Mango Street
This story was a pleasure to read but a little choppy! I did like how Cisneros used her poetic background to make this novel unique. It was fun to read in the aspect that I have not read a novel like it. It had a sense of flow while being choppy. There were many times when I was reading that I felt like I was reading a poem when the paragraphs became rhythmic. The novel also had a sense of adolescence. I don't know if this was due to the education of the author at the time or because the author really wanted you to feel like you were living this novel through the eyes of a young child. If the later is the case then I would say that the novel was really well done. If not, then the sentence structure and format kind of threw me for a loop and made it difficult to read.
The main theme that stuck out for me was that of sexuality. How Esperanza experienced a coming of age throughout the novel through sexuality. In the beginning it started out with little harmless men asking for kisses. To men worshiping her body. To being sexually abused. It showed how culture and the roles of males and females in specific societies jive. Esperanza's growth seemed to come mainly through the contributions of Sally. Sally's character really lead Esperanza and pushed her through all of her sexual experiences and ultimately, in my mind, lead to Esperanza's yearning for a house of her own, signifying protection and security.
The main theme that stuck out for me was that of sexuality. How Esperanza experienced a coming of age throughout the novel through sexuality. In the beginning it started out with little harmless men asking for kisses. To men worshiping her body. To being sexually abused. It showed how culture and the roles of males and females in specific societies jive. Esperanza's growth seemed to come mainly through the contributions of Sally. Sally's character really lead Esperanza and pushed her through all of her sexual experiences and ultimately, in my mind, lead to Esperanza's yearning for a house of her own, signifying protection and security.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf
I tend to concur with the common belief that this book was hard to read. I wish I could say that I enjoyed it even a little, but I cannot. This was the least entertaining book I have read yet. These negative feelings could come from one of many factors. First, even though it was of simple vocabulary, besides all the arab words, to me the book was a slow read because I could never get the names squared away. Two, there were many points in the book which I found myself rereading sections and paragraphs because I dosed off and could not keep attentive. Third, my unfamiliarity with the Muslim community made it hard to connect with the characters and really understand what they were going through. Fourth, this book took a long time to read! Lastly, the writing style was atypical and I just did not like it. This book has made me realize my need for fantasy in a novel.
One of my favorite lines of the book is this...
"Well, why are you Muslim then? If anything else is just as good?"
"Love," she says slowly. Love and attachment. I love the Quran, for example. And the forms and rhythms of Salaah. I keep coming back to it. It has a resonance for me."
"But you think someone else can pray another way and find a path to God?"
"Absolutely."
To me this one little part of the book had a lot of meaning and emotion behind it. There has always been a struggle and questioning of different religions. By this, I mean that many people feel that there is only one right religion and that people who are not involved in their religion are wrong and "sinners". To me it is the generalized idea of religion that we are to believe in a higher power (God for instance) and through religion find our path to God. I feel this line really shows that religion is more than just praying but it is a way of life and there is no write and wrong religion out there. It is dependent on what style of life you want to lead and choosing the religion that allows you to lead the lifestyle you need to find God! It was relieving to see this line brought up in the book. We choose religion to define how we want our lifestyle not to differentiate ourselves from others and divide us into good and evil. I feel that this is a common misconception today!
This line also plays a big role in the progression of the story for it is a step towards
Kandra Shamy and the final goal of finding out and defining who she is as a person.
One of my favorite lines of the book is this...
"Well, why are you Muslim then? If anything else is just as good?"
"Love," she says slowly. Love and attachment. I love the Quran, for example. And the forms and rhythms of Salaah. I keep coming back to it. It has a resonance for me."
"But you think someone else can pray another way and find a path to God?"
"Absolutely."
To me this one little part of the book had a lot of meaning and emotion behind it. There has always been a struggle and questioning of different religions. By this, I mean that many people feel that there is only one right religion and that people who are not involved in their religion are wrong and "sinners". To me it is the generalized idea of religion that we are to believe in a higher power (God for instance) and through religion find our path to God. I feel this line really shows that religion is more than just praying but it is a way of life and there is no write and wrong religion out there. It is dependent on what style of life you want to lead and choosing the religion that allows you to lead the lifestyle you need to find God! It was relieving to see this line brought up in the book. We choose religion to define how we want our lifestyle not to differentiate ourselves from others and divide us into good and evil. I feel that this is a common misconception today!
This line also plays a big role in the progression of the story for it is a step towards
Kandra Shamy and the final goal of finding out and defining who she is as a person.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The Bluest Eye
This novel was a real pleasure to read yet, it was very depressing. It was short enough to keep your interest but long enough to divulge you with symbolism and detail. The novel takes place in the 1940s and tells of a little girl's childhood and the hardships of a black girl growing up in a white-idolizing society.
A main lesson learned from the completion of this novel was the effect on a child’s life due to the insufficient amount of love passed on from parent to child. It was made very obvious how the lack of parenting capabilities, and past experiences of parent's childhood, really shape the environment of kin. It just goes to show how important it is to bring up your children in a proper fashion. This "fashion" is definitely relative and has many variables that make no two situations the same and many variations acceptable. Note: the way Pecola grew up was not acceptable!
A very important theme that I thought was well represented throughout the novel was the idea of seeing instead of being seen. At one point in the novel when Pecola's parents were arguing Pecola disappeared into the darkness and the only portion of her body that stuck out of the dark was her eyes. At this moment, Pecola could view the world without being seen. Her eyes were the window to which she could view the world and symbolized the idea that if she could change the color of her eyes then she could change the way that she viewed the world. Pecola wanted to see the world through the eyes of a white person and be seen as an equal of whites. This yearning to be white brought on a lot of self-discrimination of many blacks within the novel.
This novel really made me realize how blessed I have been to have my parents in my life.
A main lesson learned from the completion of this novel was the effect on a child’s life due to the insufficient amount of love passed on from parent to child. It was made very obvious how the lack of parenting capabilities, and past experiences of parent's childhood, really shape the environment of kin. It just goes to show how important it is to bring up your children in a proper fashion. This "fashion" is definitely relative and has many variables that make no two situations the same and many variations acceptable. Note: the way Pecola grew up was not acceptable!
A very important theme that I thought was well represented throughout the novel was the idea of seeing instead of being seen. At one point in the novel when Pecola's parents were arguing Pecola disappeared into the darkness and the only portion of her body that stuck out of the dark was her eyes. At this moment, Pecola could view the world without being seen. Her eyes were the window to which she could view the world and symbolized the idea that if she could change the color of her eyes then she could change the way that she viewed the world. Pecola wanted to see the world through the eyes of a white person and be seen as an equal of whites. This yearning to be white brought on a lot of self-discrimination of many blacks within the novel.
This novel really made me realize how blessed I have been to have my parents in my life.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Kindred
This novel really exemplified the difference between thought and engulfment within a situation. We, contemporary beings, look back on the past and take it for granted. We accept history without any real effect on ourselves. Dana, the main character of the novel, a middle aged black female, is transended through time into the age of slavery. She experiences first hand what it is like to be a slave yet she still has one advantage that the other slaves don't hold. She is an educated, knowledgeable and needed by a "superior". Even with these set advantages she has to live the life of a slave and experience what it means to be a one.
There are many similarities between the old times and current times. In the book Dana states “I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery”. This is concurrent with today’s society and the discrimination of women. In today’s world it is statistically shown that women hold inferior positions to men in industry and are paid less (on average). Well educated people look back on the situation and do not understand how anyone could stand to "put up" with the treatment that blacks were put through in the 1800's. This is when you have to look at the difference between living through something and reading about it. When you read about it you accept it for what someone else says to be fact and move on with your life. When it is a question of life and death this mindset is obviously changed.
This novel was a great way to learn what it was actually like to be part of the antebellum south without actually going there. Butler, the author, allowed the reader to experience everything through Dana and was able to show the effect such events had on a persons life and being.
There are many similarities between the old times and current times. In the book Dana states “I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery”. This is concurrent with today’s society and the discrimination of women. In today’s world it is statistically shown that women hold inferior positions to men in industry and are paid less (on average). Well educated people look back on the situation and do not understand how anyone could stand to "put up" with the treatment that blacks were put through in the 1800's. This is when you have to look at the difference between living through something and reading about it. When you read about it you accept it for what someone else says to be fact and move on with your life. When it is a question of life and death this mindset is obviously changed.
This novel was a great way to learn what it was actually like to be part of the antebellum south without actually going there. Butler, the author, allowed the reader to experience everything through Dana and was able to show the effect such events had on a persons life and being.
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