Writing, like any other form of activism, is a viable form of BIPOC in the present-day United States and helps broadcast the voices of the oppressed. The book “Gorilla, My Love” by Toni Cade Bambara in 1971 exemplifies how writing can tackle racism, sexism, and social injustice. Through the characters’ stories and struggles, Bambara can bring attention to the plight of Black Americans in a time of racial tension and social unrest. She can provide a voice to the silenced and marginalized persons. In the same way, writing can continue to be a powerful tool for BIPOC to share their stories and experiences to bring awareness about their struggles and advocate for change in the present-day United States. In addition, writing can be a powerful and eternal means of liberation since it helps us connect with our unique perspective and express ourselves in meaningful and empowering ways. Writing allows everyone to find their own stories and express it to the world, which allows people to acquire general skills of becoming responsible to own happiness. Writing serves as a tool for liberation by allowing us to challenge oppressive forces, speak truth to power, and create meaning for ourselves in a world where we often feel powerless.
Category Archives: Fiction
Shelley
I define the story of Frankenstein and his creation as possibly reflecting criticism of how slaves were treated. Frankenstein knew the body parts of the corpses were dead, yet he still knew he could bring them back to life. They considered slaves as not humans, yet they had them doing human labor. Something you could not get any other living thing to do the way a HUMAN would understand to do. Calling slaves unhuman was their way of offsetting the guilt and the inhumanness they knew they were doing to slaves. In the book it explained that the monster learned how to read, write, and communicate. With that came the development of thoughts, emotions, and desires for the monster. This explains why slave masters did not want slaves to read and write because they did not want them to be able to think and form opinions for themselves like thoughts of liberation and freedom.
The people in the book did not want to bother with the monster because of the way he looked. It reflects the discrimination slaves endured because of their skin color and being called non-human. The blind character in the book spoke with the monster because he had nothing to judge him by, being that he could not see. The monsters killing reflect the pain that slaves went through. Because of how the author was described as someone who opposed slavery, the book reflects how people mistreated and degraded other humans (slaves) for the selfish benefit of themselves and for the fact of just being evil.
Feminism in Ichiyo
The female character Oseki from Ichiyo’s “13th night” made a lasting impression on me and seemed to represent Japanese women at the time. Oseki’s background, how her higher husband treated her, and her terrible marriage all contributed to her character. The ideology of the 19th century made substantial distinctions between class and feudalism in this particular social setting. It was unknown how many women were crying at the time about their miserable marriages and the way they were treated by senior-class men. Additionally, the well-known author Haruki Murakami used his writings to express a variety of messages regarding women at the time. As in the illustration “Norwegian forest” which depicts a lady fleeing civilization before ultimately making the decision to terminate her life. In this society, women take on the role of a true wife by taking care of their children and keeping their husbands happy. It was a significant historical turning point, and later, as women grew more powerful, independent, and attractive, they overcame the power structure.
Parents
Children, in my opinion, should be treated as blank pieces of paper since their emotions are so delicate. Any word or deed can harm them and haunt them forever. But it doesn’t imply we should tell them lies; instead, we should tell them the truth while speaking as subtly as we can rather than as honestly as we can. Furthermore, we should be honest with children, but do it gradually, rather than telling them untruths or lies about life. I think we can all agree that we were once children who believed what our parents said and felt pain when they couldn’t or weren’t telling the truth.
In the tale “Gorrila, My Love,” the character of Hunca Bubba tells Hazel that she is “the cutest thing that ever walked the earth” and that he will marry her when she gets older then he decided marry someone else. That saddens Hazel so much that she knows for certain that children “must stick together or be forever lost” because grown-ups cannot be trusted. This anecdote serves as a reminder of the lasting impact that psychology will have on Hazel’s life. Children who experience psychological trauma when they are young will suffer serious repercussions in the future. Therefore, instead of shielding kids with truthful lies, gently inform them of the truth.
Writing as Activism
I believe that for BIPOC in the United States, writing is still a practical form of communication. The voices and feelings behind those remarks are people who endure daily oppression. When oppressed individuals write about their experiences through literature, they are able to profit from the voices of other oppressed people and contribute to the production of new knowledge. And hearing voices When we can imagine the plight of the oppressed and have our own ideas, reading about them in text is a powerful approach to touch people’s emotions. Writing is growing in popularity as we know that knowledge is available everywhere in the age of social media, protests, and news broadcasts. People will increasingly turn to authors with a voice on social media to disseminate the word about their plight.For instance, there has been a push to expose discriminators in recent years, and social media voices have aided in their dissemination.
Writing has always been the most effective technique to communicate ideas and opinions. Humans have been endowed by God with the innate ability to speak with one another and form communities. Therefore, information communication in all its forms—including social media posts, articles, scripts, etc.—remains crucial.
Alexie
In “THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO SAY PHOENIX, ARIZONA” by Sherman Alexie, Victor does not have a job and must rely on counsel for the little funding they have. The counsel not having the funding shows how much his native tribe is dealing with lack of fun to maintain native traditions. It messes with his identity because he cannot provide his father with a proper ceremony due to lack of funds. The people in victors’ life must deal with their traditions being stripped away from them by colonialization. This can cause substance abuse to cope with and further divide families.
Feminism in Ichiyo
In Higuchi Ichiyo’s story “The Thirteenth Night” the female characters represent the lives of women in Japan from the time period Higuchi Ichiyo lived in. The story shows how at the time, education was not prioritized for women and that women’s lives were centered around the needs of men. In the story female character, Oseki represents a woman who in those times would want to value her happiness over the necessity to stay with her husband for financial reasons. A woman who had to endure the rife of her husband in order to stay in her child’s life. A time when women had zero say in the development of themselves financially, as individual or as a creative.
In those times women were seen as only mothers and wives. They were deemed to have zero value outside of that. They did not have much power but some rebel by vocalizing their distaste for these society norms. In the story Oseki’s mother represents women from those times who were fed up with the way men were allowed to treat women and Oseki’s mother was willing to leave everything that Oseki’s husband provided for the family behind to save her daughter from unhappiness.
marxism in the thirteenth night.
When Oseki met Roku again it reminded her of the fair life she once imagined having with Roku. She could have had a life where she could bond with someone without feeling inferior. Her relationship with her husband shows that because she came from an unwealthy family, and she was undereducated it caused her to struggle to keep up with her husband’s lifestyle. It made her feel left out in settings where he socialized with his friends and their wives. It made it hard to retain her husband’s desire for her. That allowed her husband to unfairly loathe and bully her repeatedly. With the benefits she received from her husband toward caring for her family, she knows she cannot stand up for herself or she will fail her family. Oseki is constantly battling being poor or remaining supported finically by her belittling husband. She feels trapped and devalued in her relationship. I feel like Oseki realized that wealth does not equate to happiness. In a Marxist theory view Oseki learned that she became his wife to serve him and not to be his loving partner, and if she married in her class, she might not have necessarily felt that way.
Feminism in Ichiyo
In this story, it is clear that Oseki is trying as much as she can to search for her happiness, which was before she got married. She got married, but she does not feel happy. She only continues with this marriage in order to support her family economically. She only continues her unhappy marriage to solve the social status that her husband can provide for her family. One of her greatest achievements in life is that she gets rid of her husband, but the thing that prevents her is her son and her family. She endured ill-treatment in order to be with her son and help her family. The woman’s priority at that time was to obey the man.
Marxism in the Thirteenth Night
Higuchi Ichiyo focusing on the struggles of the protagonist Hands Oseki, from a low-ranking family. Oseki left her home and came to her parent’s home to seek permission to divorce her husband, Isamu, a wealthy civil servant. Her father disapproves of the divorce, as it would mean a loss of an improved standard of living for her famil.Oseki details her unhappy marriage, and her mother supports her, but her father believes It is her responsibility to take care of her husband.Oseki decides to go back home, mostly because she believes that she would never see her son Taro again, if she got the divorce. Oseki meets her childhood friend, Kosaka Roku, who used to be in love with her, and they talk about his downward spiral since she got married. In the end, the narrative ends with them returning to their unhappy lives, unsure if they will ever see each other again. I think that the significance of their meeting in this story is every to make it clear that money do not make happiness.
