ENG3298 Blog

 "My brothers would return home from boarding school to a household consumed with anxiety."  - The Road From Coorain     This piece dives into the world of Conway as a young girl growing up in Coorain. Her brothers went to private school and came home to a world that was well beyond what they had grown accustomed to- one that was full of rules, punishments, conversation and anxiety. The work was hard, the family was close, and yet the two worlds that seemed to be meeting could not be further from similar. Her father was a work horse and her mother was calm and level-headed, both used to running their land for their living and never having formal education for themselves. In their Australian town however, their land was plagued by weather that was far out of their control; often times, this was what caused the dread and pain within the walls of their home. The weather is what caused them to mortgage their land, kill off some of their animals and start to wonder what l...

 "He promised not to sell her again and I believed him."  - Page 633, A Daughter of Han     In this story, Ning shares about her relationship with her husband who was emotionally, if not physically, abusive and would sell their children for money. Both he and her were poor and did not come from wealthy families, they had no oil to light lamps and had to beg on the streets for money for food. The first time the husband sold their daughter, it was for 3500 but the second time, Ning was not sure how much he got for her. The second time as well, Ning did not go and get back her daughter. The family who had paid for her was one of wealth, who ended up giving her a good life-- something she would not have had otherwise because of her familial situation.      This piece in particular really upset me because of the sheer sadness of it all. Ning knew she could not leave her husband in good faith and spoke about how her parents may not have left her money but th...

 "I remained in the chair with my eyes closed and ignored them. That was my only way to defend myself." - 110, Life and Death in Shanghai     In this first person recount, Nien Cheng speaks of her time in China's prison system. In this, she was beaten and confined to small spaces, left with little to no food and water and told that she needed to "confess" to be able to get her handcuffs off her. The handcuffs were actively digging into her flesh and wounding her deeply, which we later find out resulted in her being unable to straighten her arms above her head for almost a year after. She speaks of delusion and waining in and out of conciousness. She talks of her being unable to even sleep because of the pain her body was experiencing and the discomfort she was going through. She spoke of the disrespect she was shown, acting like she was not even human and more of a piece of meat. But mostly, she shows examples of her "fighting spirit" which she speaks ...

 "His mother had put me through hell with her slander, and I was determined to put an end to all that." - Page 91, A Life of Her Own     In A Life of Her Own , Carles is seen to be a very strong women who is proud of her own independent thought. Although everyone who was important to her did not approve or appreciate her marriage, she and her fiance moved on and continued to love one another for themselves and not for anyone else. The quote above symbolizes her putting an end to not only his mother's torment but the internal torment she was submitting herself to.      Carles was the main money-maker of her family which was unique for the time period, but also in her own way, still maintained the mother-daughter and advisory relationship with everyone around her. In her writings you can see her taking control, using her own experiences to ensure that those who read do not fall into the same patterns. It was very interesting to see her growth even from t...

 "Had they met now in the hereafter, I wondered?" - Page 86, Testament of Youth     In this work, Brittain recounts a time in her life that was full of war and death. In this, someone in her family had died in the war and she talks about the many letters and condolences that people sent and said to her in her time of mourning. This is a great testament to the impact that the war had on many writers as they had to live, work and thrive in an environment that was always on the brink of destruction (both physically and metaphorically). I think that in this story, Brittain offers readers a unique look into the truth behind loss and what that means as a woman who is still trying to find herself. Personally, I felt as if the many people coming up to her and sending letters, although nice, could have also been perceived as condescending because they implied that her life was no longer "whole" or capable of being lived anymore. The quote above describes her contemplating wh...

 "I knew how to love people and things then, but I also knew how to hate." - Page 73, The Italics are Mine     After reading this piece by Berberova, I think that there are many important takeaways. First and foremost, I think there is something to be said about her acknowledgement of her passions at such a young age. On top of this, I think that her realizing that things would not be the same for her as they are for a man is mature beyond her years. For her, all she ever wanted to be was a poet, and while the world around her told her 'no', she believed she could. The story of her going through and making a list of all the things she 'cannot be' because she was a girl was truly astounding and made me think back to when I was a little girl, contemplating all of the things I could or wanted to be. Maybe it was a cultural difference for her situation, but I can not imagine being 10 years old having to face the facts of "you cannot do this because you are a ...

 "Men never think the way women do."   - 46:20, Daughters of de Beauvoir     This documentary shows Beauvoir's life from beginning to end under the unique lense that was her femininity. I think that I personally related to this documentary as well as the The Prime of Life because of the experience of life I have had as a female as well as the understanding of the culture in which Beauvoir was expressing her ideals within. For her, she was always trying to reach a point in her life that she could simply live without having to fight for the space to live. Equally in that regard, I think that there is a lot to be said about her relationship with her s/o who respected her for much more than just her personality, and acknowledged her academic and intellectual achievements as well.      I think this documentary offers a unique ideology behind the writings and works of Beauvoir and who she was behind the scenes. It is one thing to say that she was a feminist...

     In her work, The Prime of Life , Simone de Beauvoir talks about her works as a way to, "[stop] us from taking ourselves too seriously." In a time full of change, having just rented a room from her grandmother and graduating university, and finally having the relationship she had always wanted with Paul, Simone needed an escape to fully understand, incapsulate and express the things she was going through. Simone was able to find a newfound sense of freedom within not only herself nor her relationship, but within her works as well. This is what I imagine anyone wishes for their life as a young adult and even well beyond college years.     As a graduating senior, I identify closely with Simone and the life changes she was going through. I will soon be moving on from my collegiate years, going back home and having to readjust my lifestyle to fit that of my parents within their home. I often as an English major think of writing as a vessel into my subconscious, ...

    "But Momma convinced us that not only was cleanliness next to Godliness, dirtiness was the inventor of misery. The impudent child was detested by God and a shame to its parents and could bring destruction to its house and line."  - Page 42, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings     While reading this story, I often referred back to the title, "I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing." Maya recalls on a time in her life where her family was often taunted by white folk in her town. In this, her family always remained respectful, compliant even, and never acted "out of sorts". Along with this, Maya speaks about her time in her church, which ended in the story with her being whipped until she cried. In my opinion, the "caged bird" in this scenario is Maya, or even the women of her family. Within this metaphor of a title, I think the meaning lies behind it that the women in her family and the women in the town in general, spoke in such a way and acted in such ...