First, I have to say that I’ve enjoyed all of the books you chose for us to read. These books produced passion and emotion in all of us in the classroom. Isn’t passion what a good author brings out in his or her reader? The mere fact that a fellow student had any emotion – happy, sad, disgust, intrigue – and expressed that emotion in class, accomplished some of what a good author strives to evoke from a reader. It also forced the other student-readers to examine their own conscience and evaluate their own emotions regarding the subject matter.
Arabic Coffee made me reflect on my own past and share that memory with my daughter. I wrote in my blog, “When I was growing up, I remember the coffee being made on the stove. We used a funny looking sock holder with a handle. The end always had something in it that made it look heavy and dark. It looked like a sock to me then but now I know it was a strainer. As the “sock” cooked in the pot on the stove, I would lean over and see this thick black soupy mixture. The smell was strong but sweet at the same time. Using our true traditional ways, our mixture required no sugar or milk. Bread was the only piece of food that came with it. It was used for dipping. At times my mother would give me a piece of her dipped bread. The taste was incredible.” I had almost forgotten that experience until reading this poem. My daughter discussed this “coffee” and tradition with my mom which led to other memories being shared. It was a great way to bring us together. “So for some people and some cultures, coffee isn’t just a cup of coffee. It warms us from the inside out and stays with us for a lifetime.”
So much of what we’ve read has to do with relationships. In and Out of Time talked about the relationship between two slaves. “I feel this poem is about two slaves who have been taken from their home. As the morning skies clear up, they both can see that home is farther and farther away. They haven't left home of their own free will. They’ve been ripped from their homes and everything familiar to them. They are frightened. Both are trying to be strong and support the other.”
This author makes you feel their pain. They suffer together their losses. They will survive together. “Now they have been torn from their home; torn from everything that has any meaning to them; torn from their reality; torn from their lives. He feels as though he has failed her. She feels he is her hero. He will always be her hero. As they look together into the distance, they know their love for each other will be forever.”
Krik? Krak! is another book that made you look deeper for more information. For instance, the man standing outside the cock fight clearly wanting to go in and join the others but didn’t. Why didn’t he? “He suffers with a limp that may have been caused by whatever hardship he had endured. Maybe the excessive daily drinking eases his pain – both physical and emotional. This is a man who was well-respected in society; someone who was contributing to society; someone who was shaping the lives of children and young people every single day. Now he is an empty shell of his former self. He is the useless town drunk standing on the outside looking in.”
As I mentioned in my previous blog, I really didn’t enjoy the Vagina Monologues. “What bothers me about this book is the sexual assaults that took place and seemed to be overlooked or underemphasized as an assault. Children being assaulted by grown males and females should have had the emphasis placed on the act as a wrongful assault on an innocent child. Maybe if someone had told these children sooner that they didn’t do anything wrong and that they were the child-victims of monsters in our society, they could have had a better life.”
Domestic violence is on the rise in this country and in the State of Connecticut. I am in favor of getting the message out and helping women (and men) victims of domestic violence. I just thought that there wasn’t enough emphasis placed on the sexual assaults on the children. In some cases, it seemed to glorify the relationship rather than recognizing the assaultive behavior.
In reading I Am An Emotional Creature, more passion against abuse of any kind was raised in me. No one – absolutely no one – has the right to hit another living creature. That’s it. There is no explanation necessary. There are no exceptions to that rule for any reason. Now the hard part is helping the young mind who has been raised in an abusive home believe and begin to live that concept. That concept must become reality for all. These books are still on my mind. The atrocities that so many people live through is astonishing.
Fun Home is reality for many people. There are so many people around us are suffering in many different ways. As a society abuse of any kind must stop. The change needs to start somewhere. As Michael Jackson said, “If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change.”
This brings us to Push. As I wrote in my blog, “In class we mentioned cycles. Well it’s pretty obvious to me that she [Precious] was the one to break the cycle of abuse. She was the one who initially knew something was wrong with her so-called parents’ behaviors. She was the one person who wanted to move forward with her life. This to me is the beginning of breaking the cycle. I think if she keeps going in this direction, she will be successful in finding her own place in the world. That, in and of itself, would be a huge accomplishment for Precious.
I think once she gets her own place that she can truly call home, all of these pieces will come together. She will be able to find work, utilize the caregiver she has been using for Abdul, maintain the medical assistance for Mongo and be able to find love with another. She has accomplished a lot since the beginning of the story. She is an inspiration to all of us.”
When the Emperor Was Divine was a very powerful book. It opened my eyes to the hardships so many endured and the protective spirit of this mother in particular. She was selfless especially when it came to her children.
“I believe this key became part of her existence because it allowed her to think positive thoughts. It also allowed her to maintain some hope. She clung to this key as if it was her life or at least her lifeline. As she ran her fingertip on the edge of the key, she probably said something to herself like, ‘I will forget all about this moment and all that we had to endure just because we are different.’ She would check the key everyday like a mom or dad at home checking the house before going to bed. She would place the key in her mouth to conceal it and keep it safe in her possession if she needed to. She did place the key around her neck as if to say, ‘This is where I belong.’ ‘We have a home.’ This is a temporary “home” because we are different.
When the sun came up on the day that the key was to meet its other half, she was very surprised to see what had been done to their home. I am sure they all must have felt violated and disrespected, but mom held her ground. She placed her key in the keyhole. With every click and clack, sense of being home became a reality.”
The Shawl is still with me. I think about this book and Rose’s experiences. If Cynthia Ozick was hoping for reaction and emotion when she wrote this book, she attained her goal.
“The shawl prevented Magda from experiencing anything unpleasant and gave her a sense of security. All Stella could do now was to continue walking in line. Her shawl had been used as an imaginary source of nourishment for her daughter. Stella was unable to produce milk because her ducts were dried up. So Stella used the shawl as a sponge. She would allow the shawl to absorb any and all liquids she could produce. The shawl would last up to three days giving Stella more time to think about what she was going to do next.
This shawl provided protection for Magda and the strength needed for Stella. This must have been extremely difficult for a person like Stella to be in this situation and to have a child to take care of at the same time. For a child her age she demonstrated great strength that only love can provide. This situation was extremely difficult for an adult to handle. How could anyone expect a child of Stella’s age to handle or even try to understand such a situation? No human being should ever be placed in such a situation nor should we (humanity) allow this to ever happen again anywhere in the world.
I am a firm believer that writing what you are feeling down on paper is a good way to begin to heal. This is exactly what Rose is doing. I also believe in the saying, “If you’re too busy looking in the rearview mirror, you can’t see what’s in front of you.” Writing things down, for Rosa, will help her reconcile her feelings and maybe be able to move on with her life. She has been through some horrific events. I give her credit for being a survivor. She’s stronger than she thinks.”
“Two or Three Things I know for sure, and one is that I would rather go naked than wear the coat the world has made for me.” At sixteen years old, this young lady stood strong in the presence of her friends. She turned to her stepfather and announced bravely, “You can’t break me and you’re never going to touch me again.” Those are very powerful words coming from the mouth of a young 16-year-old girl who has suffered from abuse her whole life.
She talks of her mother’s abuse, her aunt’s abuse, her cousin’s abuse and her own abuse. Yet, on this day, her birthday, she is able to bravely and so powerfully tell this monster that he will not break her – spirit or body – she will survive. She acknowledges that statistically she should be incapable of love or trust or passion as so many victims of abuse become. However, she is determined that she will never end up that way. She will survive. She will love and be loved.”
Each and every one of these authors manages to touch the reader to the point that what was written on paper remains in the minds of the reader. Randomly, an image or thought from the book will pop into the reader’s mind weeks or months after putting the book down. That’s the sign of a good author. I will seek out other books by these authors. I truly enjoyed your choices of readings and our discussions in class. I have enjoyed listening to the diverse opinions of my classmates and sharing my opinions.
