For my project I chose African American writers James McBride and Barbara Mellix, drawing from McBride’s The Color of Water and Mellix’s “From Outside, In”
I covered identity, race, writing, and the English language, focusing on how their works relate to these concepts. I focused heavily on both writers’ identities and how it factored in to their work.
From Kate’s post on #NotAllMen
As Kirsty S. explains, yes, it is very difficult to discuss sexism and misogony. Both are heavy topics and, it is all too easy to feel like you are being accused of something awful. Instead of saying you’re “not like all men,” prove it with your words and actions and become a better ally. Unfortunately, everyone is sexist. We live in a sexist society upheld by sexist institutions. Even if you are not aware of your own aggressions, they still exist and need to be acknowledged.
From Sam’s post on College Tuition:
Something many current politicians mention is the idea of forgiving student loans or medical debts. While these are quick solutions and will undoubtedly help many people, they miss the underlying problem of why these debts exist in the first place in order to prevent a situation like this again. There is no deeper analysis for why it costs thousands of dollars for a simple medical procedure or why college tuition has increased nearly 800% over the past few decades.
James McBride, The Color of Water, 1996, Penguin Group
Context: The Color of Water is an autobiography by James McBride, who is African American, and it was a tribute to his mother, who was a white Eastern European Orthodox Jew. In his work, he documents as much of his mother’s life that he knew about and he writes about his experience growing up as an African American with a white mother. Also, all of Mrs. McBride’s children grew up to have very successful careers and James McBride is a perfect example.
Role: I plan to use The Color of Water and compare and contrast it with Barbara Mellix’s writings. I feel that James McBride’s upbringing juxtaposed with Mellix’s brings attention to a very interesting point: the diversity of writing, upbringing, and use of language just within the community of African American writers.
Why The Color of Water interesting: I believe The Color of Water could be considered interesting to my fellow classmates because it demonstrates a new perspective on a subject we have discussed at length. This subject is the work of African American writes, such as Barbara Mellix, who discuss growing up using Black Standard English, but perfected the usage of Standard English.
Roxane Gay’s piece “Fullness” and her interview with Trevor Noah were both very interesting, and both addressed a topic most people would consider a difficult subject. I decided to begin with watching the interview with Trevor Noah and then read Gay’s writing, which I believe, for various reasons, helped me better understand her work. By watching the interview first, I was able to personify Gay’s work which allowed me to empathize with her experience. In addition, watching the interview first, instilled in me a sense of understanding with her experience; that I feel I likely would not have if I had read her piece first.
In the interview, Gay explains how so many people hold misconceptions and prejudice towards people who are over-weight, while disregarding their struggles or feelings. These misconceptions and prejudice create a culture in which over-weight people are shamed, dehumanized, considered outcasts, and also considered abnormal. Furthermore, it is shown as the interview progresses and in “Fullness,” that Gay clearly states that her “craving is for more than what is just on a plate.” This craving is to be accepted in society, not feel ashamed for her weight, and to not feel the many pressures associated with being over-weight. Some of these pressures can be very burdensome, for example, Gay explains how she is constantly berated for her weight and regardless of what she does, it is difficult to fit in. Even booking an airline ticket can become an arduous task. If she buys one ticket, she is berated for invading people’s space; but if she buys two tickets people question why she needs two tickets. This mentality towards over-weight people creates an environment in which people like Gay, face constant lose-lose situations, such as the airline ticket dilemma.
As a result of these pressures, people like Gay are more susceptible to being convinced that they need to change their body and that she’s abnormal because of her weight. This notion is absurd; and it made me much more empathetic with her experience, one that she has been dealing with her entire life. For example, Gay was pressured for years to undergo weight lose surgery and finally capitulated. When speaking about herself post-weight lost surgery, she says “I am depressed and miserable. I am cold all the time and exhausted because I’m only eating between 1,200 and 1,500 calories. I am filled with regrets because everything has changed, but everything is exactly the same.” I feel that this quote is more of a metaphor than a quote in which Gay is talking about the physical changes accompanied with weight loss surgery. What Gay truly craves, in my opinion, is not to lose weight but for society to accept her and her body for what it is; and for society to not create unfair and ridiculous social standards regarding weight.
I found it interesting that while the rest of the country had moved on from the Tamir rice shooting due to the Iowa Caucus, while on Oberlin’s campus “unease spread like a cold front coming of the lake.” I feel like Heller is pointing out that while the national conversation continues, sometimes smaller communities and areas continue to feel the pain of hardships that have happened. This made me think of Flint, Michigan, a city in Michigan that has no access to clean water, and the media had covered it nationally but even after the media coverage stopped, the crisis was still happening.
Heller also makes a very interesting point regarding race, which is that although a white male cannot know what it means “to be, say, a Latina,” the white male can “make yourself her ally, though deferring to her experience, learning from her accounts, and supporting her struggles. I found this stance on race relations to be dynamic and shows compassion through empathizing with marginalized groups’ struggles.
In addition, I thoroughly enjoyed how Heller would use a narrative while also making commentary on social and cultural issues. For example, toward the end when he is telling the story of the talk with Amethyst Carey, he uses this story while also highlighting the social issues, he does this with phrases such as “Carey wears sweatpants and a T-shirt that says “NJ NEEDS MORE HOMES AND JOBS.” Here, Heller is explaining what Carey is wearing but it also speaks to the social issues she advocates for, which include more affordable housing and jobs.
After reading Anzaldúa’s piece, I was thoroughly intrigued by her use of language and how she would switch back from English to Spanish. This created a unique piece that I would describe as not “Anglo” literature or “Chicano” literature, but instead a combination of the many influences she has had on her writing as well as her life experiences. For example, she writes about the many languages used in the Southwest, which were: Standard English, Working slang English, Standard Spanish, Standard Mexican Spanish, North Mexican Spanish dialect, Chicano Spanish, Tex-Mex, and Pachuco. All of these languages and/or dialects influence her writing and it is shown in this work. Therefore, I would argue that Anzaldúa’s work was not an American or a Mexican piece, but an amalgamation of the unique culture present in America’s Southwest.
Although I did thoroughly enjoy Anzaldúa’s piece and the structure of it, I do have some issues with parts of her work. For example, she constantly utilizes the words ‘we’ and ‘our’ when referring to Chicanos. Does this mean that she is speaking for all Chicanos? If so, I feel that it is very difficult for one person to accurately speak for an entire group of people. In addition, I feel that she could have ended her work on a more conciliatory tone. For example, in her second to last paragraph she makes the statement, “tenémos que hacer la lucha,” which roughly translates to we have to fight. Also, the last paragraph it almost sounds if she is saying that Chicano and American culture is incompatible; and that Chicanos “will walk by the crumbling ashes as we go about our business…we, the mestizas and mestizos, will remain.” This quote and the general tone of her ending should have stressed unity and co-existing, not that only the mestizas and mestizos, will remain.
One of my favorite things to do is surfing. Since I was a little kid, I have surfed the beaches of Long Beach, New York. As I have grown up, I have purchased, sold, and broken countless surfboards, but there is one in particular I will never let go. This board is my asymmetrical surfboard from Varial Surf and it is my favorite surfboard in my quiver. Asymmetry is uncommon for surfboards, which are usually symmetrical. Even though it is asymmetrical, it has created some of the best rides and experiences of my life. The feel of the board is different, it rides down the line differently, and the turns are unusual.
When reading Lambeth’s article, I truly felt the connection that she and her dog had together. In addition, the article was a beautiful story of how two beings can connect and be foundations for each other, which I realized was in a way similar to me and my surfboard. During reading Lambeth’s article, there were many moments where my thoughts related to her writing. Specifically, when she is talking about her and her dog’s reflections in the mirror, and she says, “I soon came to simply trust and love what I saw in the glass: persistence, trust, grace.” This quote was exactly the mindset Ms. Lambeth should have had the entire time because that is what truly described the relationship between her and her dog.
E367: Writing and Diversity 