Muse and Drudge

Harryette Mullen beautifully incorporates the individualistic everyday occurrences of numerous black women from all around the world into a seamless compilation and summation of the life of black women in her collection of poems, Muse and Drudge. By including no titles with the poems, Mullen is able to create an almost prose like collective narrative within her writing.

Her use of dialect, word play and fashion create a witty and truthful outlook on the consumerism which occurs in the United States and around the World. However, I find myself agreeing with Geoff’s remark in class on Friday during our discussion of the cover art and how consumers do by books by their covers. Perhaps Mullen could be said to be calling black people only eager to purchase a book because it has a black woman on its cover. This not only questions the intelligence of her fellow race, but also forgets to mention that white people might benefit from reading this collection of poems so as to understand the collective feelings of oppression. By placing a black woman on the cover of the book, perhaps a white person would fail to pick up the book. If Mullen’s aim was to create an open space and feeling of understanding on all sides, she should have picked a more neutral cover picture, or even no picture at all, just letting the title Muse and Drudge speak for itself. Indeed the title of the collection is very compelling and encompasses many different meanings for many different people, which is what Mullen wanted. So many questions arise in my head when I think about the meaning of the title. Is it white vs. black? Is it a description of the struggles of black people? Does it have Greek connotations? All are possible and truthful in their own ways.

I really enjoyed reading Muse and Drudge, especially after analyzing and discussing the poems with the class. Now that I have reread many of the poems and discussed the book in its entirety, I really see Mullen’s use of a collective narrative. This narrative, much like Rolling the R’s, is so seamless that it really drives home her message and feeling that all black women have come resemble a single identity to the outside society. Every person must be instead celebrated for their individuality.

Rolling the R's

When thinking about the ways in which the “Judith Butler Reader” ties into the themes and happenings in Linmark’s, Rolling the R’s, sexuality is an obvious commonality that comes to mind. I think this is especially evident when examining Edgar and his persona as a homosexual. Edgar is very open about his sexual ways, flaunting it to his friends and even letting his friends like Vincente watch. The scene in which readers discover that Edgar lets Vincente watch he and the janitor while in the janitor closet reminds me of the idea that Butler poses to her readers about the concept of coming out of the closet and how by saying that you are coming out still signifies and proves that the closet still exists, except now you are kept out of it. When Edgar is with the Janitor he is acting outwardly with his homosexuality, yet he is keeping the sexual act itself within the closet. With that being said, is Edgar really out of the closet? This is something that is really troubling for me to answer, yet I find the question very intriguing.

This same sort of confusion about closets and coming out of the closet exists in Edgar’s relationship with the priest. When Edgar and the priest play and sleep with one another they are making a sexual confession to one another, yet typically confession within a church occurs within a closet like structure. Thus, I think it is kind of ironic that, through their acts of homosexuality, the priest and Edgar are coming out of the closet sexually and confessing their “wrongs” when a confession to a priest occurs in a closet. Once again I am wondering if Edgar is being portrayed as in or out of the closet or is Linmark demonstrating like Butler, that the closet, whether one is in or out of it will always exist as a barrier.

Lyn Hejinian

Two of the main things that stuck with me throughout reading Lyn Hejinian’s poems and essays was the use of doubleness, as well as opposites. These two things combined, create the emotion and meat of her works. While reading, I often felt confused and frustrated, but when looking back on her writings as a whole I saw the truth in her writing, as well as, a very true representation on life. I think that Hejinian sums up these feelings and life with her quote, “Rarely one follows a thought to its conclusion” (504). This idea not only emphasizes her style of writing but also the lives that we all live.

Although life may be death bound, such an ultimate “conclusion” is hardly ever seen mirrored in any conversation or activity in everyday life. The same is true for the verse of Hejinian. When one finishes reading one of her poems or essays they are perhaps more confused than when they started and questioning if it all really makes sense. I think that this is a proper representation of life, in that life is a conglomeration of all sorts of interactions, reflections and experiences that somehow all fit together, but yet do not make sense, thus keeping life interesting and everyday as an unknown.

Hejinian also stays true to this style and concept of life in her frequent admissions of uncertainty. This allows readers to take and understand her works as opinions rather than facts. In doing so readers not only appreciate the beauty of literature, but also understand that there are very few hard facts in life. Life and literature is open to many different interpretations and no one person contains all of the answers. It is the never ending interactions we have that instead allow us make our own individual decisions.

White Noise

After reading Don DeLillo’s novel, White Noise and witnessing the ever present theme of death in the novel, I got to thinking about how I view death. Death, as a topic is intriguing no matter the circumstance because it is the unknown. In many regards the fear that Jack and Babette have of death is because it is the unknown, yet as a college student about to graduate my future is unknown and yet I see it as a new exciting challenge that I am eager for. In many senses this is how I see death, obviously I would rather not die and don’t want to die any time soon, but I am not afraid or preoccupied with that point in my life.
Almost as intriguing as the subject of death, is the character Murray Jay Siskind and his philosophical take on life and death. The conversation that he and Jack have at the end of the novel, I thought was one of the most important scenes in the entire book. The way in which Murray intertwines death and technology is so disturbingly honest, yet it is still beautiful in a philosophical way. The paragraph on page 272 in which Murray states, “You could put your faith in technology. It got you here, it can get you out. This is the whole point of technology. It creates an appetite for immorality on the one hand. It threatens universal extinction on the other. Technology is lust removed from nature,” is one of the most poignant and important in the entire novel. The last sentence in the quote really emphasizes society’s dependence on technology and gives me the feeling that my life and its natural occurrences and interactions are almost all fake because they are in some way shaped by technology. Is the life we live today actually natural and are we meant to live this way?
He then goes on later to mention that we focus our lives on something bigger and attach ourselves to it as a form of identity that sweeps us away from the reality of the world. It seems almost ironic that we spend so much of our lives fearing death and its obscurity, latching onto something or someone else to absorb our fear and yet death is the only thing that is sure in “life.” Should we instead embrace death for its assuredness, or are we subconsciously already doing that so that we don’t live every single day of our life in fear of what it might bring?

Sula

Toni Morrison’s, Sula beautifully melds the relationship entities of friendship and family. A friend can seem more of a part of a family than certain members of that family. I think that Morrison shows her readers the importance of friendship, especially between two girls, and how the love of a friend can be more meaningful and stronger than the bond between a mother and daughter. Yes a mother does give her daughter her life blood, but perhaps it is this fact that creates a certain barrier between a mother and child. The bond seems too forced at times and almost submissive. Perhaps mothers and daughters, especially those depicted in Sula separate their selves from one another because they are too afraid of the other learning secrets or the shameful recognition that they are one in the same person.

A mother always wants more for her a child, but I think Hannah demonstrates the fears a mother has of a daughter turning into the mother when she declares she loves Sula, but does not like her. In this time period, town and racial divisions, Hannah does not see Sula as capable of becoming more than what she (Hannah) is. This hurts both Hannah and Sula, causing them to further emotionally separate their selves from one another. This emotional separation is seen as Sula just stands aside and watches Hannah burn to death and be smothered in boiling water.

On the flip side, a friend is not someone that a person is born into or onto. They are an acquaintance that a person grows to love and appreciate for who they are as a whole person and that they can share and learn the secrets of life together. Both Sula and Nel love one another despite their family differences and grow to long for one another to fulfill their emptiness and share their lives with, never afraid to shame or judge the other. An example of this careless, open and everlasting friendship is seen on page 105 when Nel shares with readers that although Sula just slept with Jude she does not seem shameful or naked. The experiences the girls have shared and trials of growing up hold the girls true to one another because they are all the other has to recall every smile and tear they shared in the private and most meaningful instances of life. There is an unspoken need for one another. Both women demonstrate this need in each of their final scenes in the novel. Sula leaves the earth in the most peaceful and beautiful manner, all the while thinking of and wanting to tell only Nel of this experiencing and what she was thinking and going through. In the closing of the novel, although Nel is still alive, the reader leaves her crying and calling to Sula, her one true love in life, the only person that understood her and her feelings.

Borderlands - Gloria Anzaldua

In Gloria Anzaldúa’s novel, Borderlands she portrays a sense of orphanage and loss for both women and the Mexican/American race. Her life, along with other women and Chicanas exists in a borderland, a third country in which she is a semblance of a fractured body and land. Living in a borderland creates the exact image that one sees when they hear the word border. Each day she encounters all sorts of barriers and borders which restrict her way of life.

Readers learn that since a young school child she was kept from using certain words and language when she spoke, for she must speak like an American. Anzaldúa truly is the embodiment of her language. She carries it where ever she goes and it bubbles inside of her, just waiting to be let free. Yet she must suppress both herself as a woman, Chicana and as woman, as well as the language that lets her express all of these identities of self. Her language, both inside and outside of her is representative of cultural collision and a violence that exists at the borders.

The concept of the borderland existing as a third country in this book reminds me a lot of the Langston Hughes’ poem, “Cross.” Both the speaker in “Cross” and Anzaldúa live with an everlasting internal feeling of confusion as to where they belong. When a person lives along the border or at a cross, there is always the question as to which side they belong to or identify more strongly with and whether or not these individuals make a decision one way or another, there still remains a burning inside which asks them daily whether or not they made the right decision.

Borders like those on a map mark off where certain states or towns exist. These borders help people define who they are and gives them a sense of belonging, but Anzaldúa and the speaker in “Cross” will never have that sense of belonging, comfort and definition because they exist in the gray area of the line that divides two nations and races.

Frank O'Hara

Unlike many of the other works we have read by other poets, I am still in the dark as to whether or not O’Hara himself is the speaker in his poems. Although he uses “I” in his writing, it is unclear as to whether or not “I” is him or another person that he is bringing to life. O’Hara like Plath, seems to be concerned with the creation of self in his poetry, yet unlike Plath’s poems, it does not seem that the experiences occurring in the first set of poems we read are happening to him. Sometimes I think that his writing is either meant to be a sort of play on words or a joke or even a criticism of other poets and people. For instance, in the poem “Autobiographia Literaria,” O’Hara gives his readers this childish and rather obscure outcry that seems Sylvia Plath like when he writes, “If anyone was looking for me I hid behind a tree and cried out ‘I’m an orphan.’” The images of these four lines create in the readers head remind one of the crazy and outlandish images that Plath’s poems create.

Later, in the second group of poems we read there is another reference or mimicking of another poet. In the poem, “To the Film Industry in Crisis” the very long and list like style of writing O’Hara uses is very similar to Whitman. These similarities seen in both poems seem to make me think that he is trying to utilize another person’s voice to either poke fun at that writer or to use the other writer’s voice to criticize society. Perhaps O’Hara is afraid to criticize another using his own voice, thus removing a somewhat personal aspect from his poetry. Rather than embodying the I in his poetry a sense of sarcasm and negativity is established instead.

Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin’s representation of his main character David in his novel, Giovanni’s Room reminds me a lot of Henry in the Red Badge of Courage. Both characters, having left their homes, seem to be lost boys struggling to stay afloat in a man’s world. Henry and David experience a sense of inner and outer war in their lives.

David is at war with his self over whom and how he loves. Inflicted with an uncertainty of his outward social sexuality he becomes a cruel character to the people, especially the men he truly loves. This is seen in the way in which he treats Joey after the consummation of their love and relationship. David states, “I picked up with a rougher, older crowd and was very nasty. And the sadder this made him, the nastier I became” (10). He then goes on, ultimately to hurt Giovanni and Hella as well. This nasty outlash that David has on those he loves is a spawn of societal mores. David cannot overcome the shame that he feels as a homosexual man, because it is not socially accepted. As a result he bottles up his shame, no pun intended and turns to alcohol to try and take the edge off of his pain and the feeling of constant war that he feels within his mind and body. This inner conflict makes David a tragic character that readers sympathize with throughout the novel. Readers just want David to be able to be happy and at peace with his self.

All of these feelings, except those homosexual ones, can also be seen in Henry in The Red Badge of Courage. Henry too left home to find his self and become a man. Even though Henry does not want to be in war and struggles with his urge to flee, he stays in the battle because he longs for a badge of courage. This badge however causes him a great deal of physical pain and leaves him lost and confused for a time being. And like David, Henry being in a battle situation loses some of his comrades to death.

William Faulkner Stories

I find the readings of “A Rose for Emily” and “That Will be Fine” by William Faulkner that we did in class to be very interesting stories to contrast and compare, especially via the portrayal of the main characters and the narration.

Emily the “fallen monument” in, “A Rose for Emily” is a very intriguing and mysterious character that I can’t seem to get enough of. The vague gossip like narration of her and her life makes me want to meet Emily and have a conversation with her and learn more about all of the sufferings in her life that drove her to “insanity.” Obviously the town feels the same way as well or they would not spend so much time gossiping and creating this story of her life. I also, I guess in a sick way, find it honorable and endearing in the way that she kept her lover Homer Barron locked up in a room in her house in order to keep him close to her and never have to be apart from him. An act like that is not something to be done by the faint of heart. As much as I wish that I could have gotten to know Emily through her own mind and story, I think the mystery is what keeps the story interesting.

On the other hand, I think that the fact that, “That Will be Fine” is told through the eyes of the main character is part of what aggravates me about this story. No matter how much people may argue that because Georgie is a young naïve child who doesn’t know any better and therefore tells the entire truth of the story, I think that his telling of the story is actually more skewed than that of the town gossip in, “A Rose for Emily.” The gossip narration in, “A Rose for Emily” keeps the story true to itself in that it is focused on unearthing the mystery of Emily. Georgie, who is completely oblivious to what is going on around him in the actual story because he is so blinded by money doesn’t capture the meat of the background and dirt in, “That Will be Fine.” I think that Georgie’s narration takes away from the story because he is not actually interested in what is going on.

I think Faulkner does a much better job of capturing the thoughts and heart of his readers in creating a story like, “A Rose for Emily” that is told through the eyes of gossiping town. I think that a narration like this also makes the story more fun and interactive because the reader feels like they are part of the snooping that is going on amongst the town folk and as a result it almost makes the reader feel naughty or guilty!

Gertrude Stein

I am really intrigued by Gertrude Stein’s methodology and creation of poetic prose. The flow and rhythm of the sound in the verse is what draws me into the scenes she depicts in the set of poems from Tender Buttons.

In Tender Buttons she creates a view of everyday objects like a carafe or a chicken that turns these objects into glorified, meaningful and realistic pieces of art and life. As a feminist, I find her subjects especially intriguing. Stein takes the aspects of life that patriarchal society deems menial, and paints them as interesting nuances that interest both sexes. I thought it was really interesting on Wednesday when Rachel brought up the idea that Stein’s poetry reads a lot like a cook book. This idea is interesting, especially considering the fact that her writing is celebrating the household objects of the “woman’s world.” I wonder if this focus on femininity and the role of the woman was part of her thinking and aim in creating this collection of poetry.

Her work is pure art that imitates that of an abstract painting. At first glimpse her structure and rhythm seem rather barbaric, but upon closer observation, the structure and rhythm are magnified in the sound of each word she uses in her writing. Her writing may be similar to that of lose prose, but it is easy to see that she carefully chose each and every word to describe and bring to life the subjects of her poems. A perfect example of this is in the poem Chicken. In this poem uses the words stick and sticking to create the sounds of a chicken while not actually using those words to say this is the noise a chicken makes. Her words, in this sense can be taken for much more than face value.

In considering the conversation about the signifier and the signified, I was reminded of the painting by Magritte “Ceci n’est pas une pipe.” Stein’s poetry turns a simple representation of an object into the real life form.

Langston Hughes (2/16)

In reading Langston Hughes’ poetry I am compelled by his use of imagery and sensory. As a reader, I am drawn into the scene of each poem and I can taste, smell and share the pain of the suffering antagonists he creates in his works. Two poems that draw me in the most are The Bitter River and Suicide’s Note. These two poems, although very different in structure and length, bring forth the same underlying themes of suffering and loss. Water in both instances, is a central subject that represents death, destruction and pain. The water depicted in The Bitter River is much darker and polluted with the poem’s themes of suffering and loss. In the Bitter River, the water is a dirty, unwanted entity that only brings more pain. Langston Hughes personifies the river as the oppressive white race and as racism and segregation when he writes, “I have drunk at that river too long: Dreamer of dreams to be broken, builder of hopes to be smashed” (695). The antagonist sees the river, like segregation, as the root of all evil that has swallowed up and washed away all of the light and happiness in his life.

Going along with this idea, the poem Suicide’s Note also represents an end to life. In this poem however, that water of this river flows clam and invitingly. I am skeptic of this calmness though, because what is not seen in the poem is what has driven the writer of the suicide note to commit suicide. I assume that the same racism, pain and suffering seen in The Bitter River are what have drawn this individual to the river to drown their self. In this sense, despite the calmness, this river is no cleaner or any less bitter than that of the Mississippi which carries the blood of many black people. In drowning their self in the river they are trying to escape all of the pain and suffering, but they are making the water of the river just as bitter as the Mississippi. Suicide like lynching carries very negative and “bitter” connotations.

I find the comparisons between these two poems to be very intriguing and I would like to discuss Suicide Note in class.

William Carlos Williams

William Carlos Williams’ poetry is written very simplistically and yet it is more meaningful and beautiful than most poetry that is written in complex verse intended to mean much more than the words on the paper. The images that Williams creates in his poetry are what draw me into the poetry and allow me to find power and meaning in every word. I think it is much more interesting when 10 words can say more than 100, which is exactly how I view Williams’ poems.

Three of the poems we have discussed in class, I feel demonstrate Williams’ capability to say so much and share so much emotion with so few words. These poems include, “This is Just to Say”, “The Red Wheelbarrow” and “The Great Figure”. When reading these poems the reader is drawn into the scenes depicted by Williams and his choice verse. Not only am I the reader drawn into the scene, but I also feel the surrounding emotions and settings.

In the poem, “This is Just to Say” not only can I picture the plums, but I can almost taste the juice on my lips and feel that sense of warmth and happiness that the plums brought the subject of the poem. This poem is not only funny, but also filling. “The Red Wheelbarrow” also demonstrates how a simple tool or subject can take on such meaningful form. The opening lines, I feel, definitely set the mood and emotion of the poem. From the get go I am able to see and fee the underlying importance and need for the simple things in life. As simple as a wheelbarrow is, it is a very helpful and powerful tool that can make life much easier. Going along with the color red, the poem, “The Great Image” also depicts a very strong image of the red fire engine on its way to fire. The blurring of the engine that Williams depicts shows the urgency and need for those powerful and trustworthy aspects of life, much like that in the Red Wheelbarrow. This creates much emotion in the scene as well as in the reader.

Williams’ poetry demonstrates a great deal of emotion and meaningful imagery despite the lack of words. I feel that in the long run, his poetry is stronger as a result.

W.E.B. Dubois Discussion

One of the quotes that stands out as being particularly significant in W.E.B. DuBois’ speech, “Of Booker T. Washington and Others” is that which reads, “In all things purely social we can be as separate as the five fingers, and yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.” I think this quote exemplifies the state of the country during this time period.
During the Civil War the country was split and separated upon lines of race, political party, location and social interest. These divisions created boundaries and hostilities, but they also marked the grounds and issues upon which our country fought to unify and progress. While slavery, in my mind, is not a means to progress, those of the Confederate South believed that through slavery much grandeur, power and money could be made. To these individuals, slavery made for financial and political stout, thus they viewed and fought to keep slavery in order for the country to progress on a financial and power level.
On the other hand, those of the Union North fought to end slavery and the divisions that separated the citizens of the United States in order for the country to unite as one and advance as one unified nation. Most, including myself, see the North’s point of view more fitting for Du Bois’ metaphor of the hand. For, even though there are things in life that separate us along certain lines, all people can unite as humans, regardless of race, political and social class. With this mentality, progress can proceed and the United States can go forth as a unified nation and front.
It is interesting when reading and studying the events surrounding the Civil War to unveil the messages of the texts and find the hidden metaphors that stand out as the strongest symbols of the time and movement.

My Life

My name is Morgan and I am a senior at William Smith College. I am a Biology major and a Women's Studies minor. I have always had a very strong interest in biology and I originally wanted to become a doctor, but after taking many women's studies courses and embarrassing the opportunities of a liberal arts education I have become more interested in the policy and advocacy behind health care. After graduation in May I hope to go on to get my masters in Public Health, specifically in children's health care and advocacy. The field and study of biology has many opportunities and possibilities for me to enter into this type of graduate work. I just returned from a semester abroad in Australia and New Zealand where I studied Marine and Terrestrial Ecology. This was the trip of a lifetime and I had the chance to see all sorts of amazing sights, people and creatures. While traveling to The Great Barrier Reef, the Outback, the rain forest and the islands of New Zealand I saw just how important it is the proper policy and law is put into action in order to maintain the environment. This in return showed me the proper health care can only take place when the policy behind it is effective.
I am from the state of Vermont and grew up skiing at Killington about ten minutes from my home. Vermont is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, with its five seasons; summer, fall, winter, spring and mud season! The colors that cover the Green Mountains come autumn make home even more magical and leaves you with a warm feeling inside. Summer however, is hot and very humid while winter is cold and full of snow.
Since I grew up in very close vicinity to a ski area, skiing, especially downhill ski racing has been one of my passions since the age of three. I am also a competitive runner and am a member of the William Smith Cross Country Team. I also love hiking and playing in the outdoors with my families two dogs at every opportunity.
I am interested in this class because I love literature and writing and while I have studied American History and Literature, I do not know much about the authors and novels we are reading in this course. I have read Toni Morrison's novel Beloved and I am interested in reading more of her work, including Sula.
Good writing is the type of writing and literature is like a piece of artwork that draws you into the scene and allows you to see beauty, no matter how dark the scene or topic, Nabokov's, Lolita is a novel that comes to my mind. His ability to write so beautifully and create a love story out of the dark interactions of a pedophile and young girl.