Many critics of The Autobiography of my Mother have remarked on the unrealistic facets of Xuela's extremist character. Her lack of remorse, her emotional detachment, her love of the dirty and "impure," and her consuming need for total control over everyone and everything around her give her an almost mythic quality. A more well-rounded, humanistic character would have doubts and failings that Xuela does not seem to possess. In light of Xuela's deep-seated resentment of authority, stubborn love of the degraded and unacceptable, intense rejection of the ìmaster-slaveî relationship, and--most pointedly--her hatred of the British and British culture, many critics have embraced the idea that Xuela is highly symbolic of the conquered, colonized races whose blood makes up her own.
There are many complex parallels between Xuela's character and the collective psyche and cultural beliefs of Dominica's "conquered" races. Yet, instead of sinking in despair, Xuela refuses to gracefully accept her lot in life. Early on, she rejects the imposed cultural perception of herself as inferior. Her description of her elementary schoolteacher is prescient: "a woman of the African people, that I could see, and she found in this a source of humiliation and self-loathing, and she wore despair like an article of clothing, like a mantle, or a staff on which she leaned constantly, a birthright which she would pass on to us" (15). Xuela then explains the distinction between Africans and Caribs in her Dominica. "My mother was a Carib woman, and when they (the class) looked at me this is what they saw. The Carib people had been defeated and then exterminated, thrown away like the weeds in a garden; the African people had been defeated but had survived. When...
... middle of paper ...
...den. She understands it, although she does not share it. Xuela also possesses a deeply rooted need for control over her personal realm, possibly brought on by her hatred of the control exerted by the British over Dominica, as well as by her unhappy childhood.
Above all, Xuela makes it her project in life to love herself, and, as one reviewer remarks, "she does so with a remarkable dedication" (Mead 52). Her own body becomes a temple to her, a place in which to feel safe and loved. Xuela says that she loves herself out of necessity, for the world she lives in is cruel and has little love to give her.
Xuela's character is hard to take, from any standpoint. She is almost inhumanly resilient, and her hatred of all that is Western and white is all-consuming. For these reasons Xuela is sometimes seen as an abstraction, a symbol of an entire people's suffering.
In all, Tademy does a great job in transporting her readers back to the 1800s in rural Louisiana. This book is a profound alternative to just another slave narrative. Instead of history it offers ‘herstory’. This story offers insight to the issues of slavery through a women’s perspective, something that not so many books offer. Not only does it give readers just one account or perspective of slavery but it gives readers a take on slavery through generation after generation. From the early days of slavery through the Civil War, a narrative of familial strength, pride, and culture are captured in these lines.
Rather, it criticizes this culture through its portrayal of women. The narrative is focused on a male and is told by a male, which reflects the male-centered society it is set in. However, when we compare how the narrator views these women to who they really are, the discrepancies act as a critique on the Dominican culture. Yunior, who represents the typical Dominican male, sees women as objects, conquests, when in fact their actions show their resistance to be categorized as such. Beli, whose childhood was filled with male domination by Trujillo and the family she worked for, attempts to gain power through sexuality, the avenue the culture pushes women toward. This backfires, creating a critique of the limited opportunities available for women. La Inca portrays a different side to this, working quietly but in ways that are not socially acceptable through self-employment. Society attempts to cage these women, but they continue to fight against it. Diaz, in an interview, quoted James Baldwin, stating, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced" (Fassler). He exhibits the misogyny in the system but does not support it, rather critiques it through strong female characters. By drawing attention to the problem, the novel advocates for change. Diaz writes, at the end of part 1, “Nothing more exhilarating… than saving yourself by the simple act of waking”
Do you agree with Schmeltekopf that business schools are not preparing students well for the for the ethical challenges they will face in the workplace? Why or why not?
The first part of the book gives an account of Immaculée’s family background. The love she experienced from her parents and her three brothers is illustrated. Her parents cared for everybody, particularly the poor. Because of the love with which she grew up, she never realised that she was living in a country where hatred against the Tutsi, her tribe, was rampant. It was not until she was asked to stand up in class by her teacher during an ethnic roll call that she realised that her neighbours were not what she thought them to be – good and friendly. After struggling to get into high school and university, not because she was not qualified but because of discrimination against her ethnic background, she worked hard to prove that if women are given opportunities to...
The novel seemed to me to be an examination of the struggle of one woman for individual freedom and identity in juxtaposition to overwhelmingly mixed messages from her family, tribal community, and the white community into which she tries to assimilate. Cecelia stands in for native American women as the poster child of assimilation and achievement, her struggles, identity crisis, and inability to blend in either world. I liked that Ms. Hale did not let Cecelia off the hook as a protagonist, I believe that Cecelia received a thorough scourging from both the indigenous community and the white community. What I did not like about the novel were the feelings of victimization and the reasons for Cecelia’s victimization I grasped from the novel. I began at some point in the novel to feel that Ms. Hale’s portrayal of gender and income based discrimination were too unfairly tied to Cecelia’s ethnicity. I do not dispute that this is likely, but I do disagree that the types of gender based bias Cecelia experienced were solely because of her ethnicity and color.
The memoir of Old Elizabeth is an important historical document as it presents both the story of slave women as well as giving large amounts of insight into the way that religion influenced the lives of slaves and how it played a part of their daily lives. This intersection of religion and gender shows the added hardships that women had to face in comparison to their male counterparts. Elizabeth’s narrative is A typical as it put’s most of the focus on her gender rather than her race, which directly conflicts with the typical slave narrative which focuses mainly on the ways that race influences the life of the author or subject of the narrative.
Essay #1: Sexual Politics It has been said that “Society has always defined for us what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman, what a man should be like and what a woman should be like, and these traditional definitions of gender roles have limited and even harmed individuals”. The theme of sexual politics comes to mind in this quote. One can define sexual politics as the relationship of the sexes, male and female, regarding power. Society’s definition of this can limit an individual in their gender role and restrain a person from being themselves.
Munro, C. Lynn. "The Revolt Of “Mother”." Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition (2004): 1-2. Literary Reference Center. Web. 2 Jan. 2014.
The cycle began with the Sethe’s unnamed mother, who was the first generation of slave in the family. As a result of being a field slave, she was unable to breast feed her daughter, leaving the responsibility of to Nan who also “had to nurse white babies” who “got it first” leaving Sethe with “no nursing milk to call [her] own” (236). Her mother remains nameless because it was in the mother language which Sethe did not take part in as she was born, on a boat, into slavery. It was because Sethe knew “what it is to be without milk that belongs to you” and having to “fight and holler for it, and to have so little left” that she makes an extra effort to “get that milk to her baby girl.” (97) It was after Schoolteacher’s nephews milked her that there was not enough milk left from Nan’s sparse feedings for Sethe to accommodate her children.
During the time of Miguel De Cervantes’ writing of Don Quixote in the early 1600’s, gender roles were much different than they are today. In present time, it is much more common to see fluid gender roles and equality amongst males and females as opposed to the more traditional gender roles of males being dominant over females. The setting of Cervantes’ Don Quixote is after the time of chivalry where men performed honorable deeds to impress the lady of their desires. Being the only male who is practicing knight errantry, which was very popular during the historic period of chivalry, Don Quixote is the only male character who repeatedly demonstrates respect towards female characters as well as the eagerness to assist them in any way he can. Due
Chinua Achebe analyzes a culture he is not accustomed with. The Madwoman in the attic theory comes into play as a westerner writing about “savage Africa”. Things Fall Apart provides an important understanding of Africana identity and history for those in the West who may be unfamiliar with African culture. Achebe tackles female identity within this book with delicacy keeping with the Ibo view of female nature in the background of the story but the forefront of the reader’s mind. A discussion of womanhood must touch upon manhood because they operate as a complementary, opposing, and equal entity.
Seawell, Buie 2010, ‘The Content and Practice of Business Ethics’, Good Business, pp. 2-18, viewed 22 October 2013, .
In the short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is a story that everyone can related to. The story is about a mother telling her daughter what to do, what not to do and how to do things. Kind of like society or parents or a friends of what to do. There has also been always been expectations of what to do and how to do things in life regards of gender, nationality or religion. The male has he’s duties and the female has different duties. However, in the typical society today, a person is supposed to graduate from high school and go straight in to an Ivy League university, to get a degree in a field of study that makes lot of money. While working a person must save money for that dream big house with the white picket fence. At the same time, you have to look for that perfect spouse so you can have the big beautiful dream wedding. After the wedding it’s the romantic honeymoon to Bora Bora. After a couple years the baby comes, and you are a happy family. Typically, that is what parents teach their children of what is what is expected of them.
Racism and sexism thinly veiled by xenophobia in America, Adichie portrays these two factors in society. Generally by putting her main character through a consistent stream of seemingly routine events involving one or even both of the factors. Often times she deals with micro-aggressions about her hair, which does not fit the American standard of beauty and elegance. Often showing how people are quick to assume that she is unintelligent simply by her skin and her accent. Often times Adichie portrays Ifemelu as the object of criticism and envy. Ifemelu is merely struggling to survive in a new environment. An environment that by all accounts constantly attempts to tear her down, her psyche and emotional stability constantly suffering damage.
The Facts: Kermit Vandivier works for B.F. Goodrich. His job assignment was to write the qualifying report on the four disk brakes for LTV Aerospace Corporation. LTV purchased aircraft brakes from B.F. Goodrich for the Air Force. Goodrich desperately wanted the contract because it guaranteed a commitment from the Air Force on future brake purchases for the A7D from them, even if they lost money on the initial contract.