“He was scintillant with recollections. Of course, he couldn’t think of telling Mrs. Pontellier all about it, she being a woman and not comprehending such things” (The Awakening, Chopin) pg. 58 “Despite Victor's reference to the woman's need for training, it is her superior knowledge of "natural" hierarchies which eventually reinforces the domestic order as well as an established sexual economy. Although she eventually does go in search of his mother as he asked, she has underlined his social/ physical immaturity, thus emasculating him before Edna” (Alien Hands, Birnbaum) Pg. 309 Guiding Questions: Both of these quotes show Victor’s view of women and how he feels that they do not have the type of knowledge that he does but he is proven wrong by his servant who is both black and a woman. What is the significance of having a black woman emasculate a white male in the book? What does this say about the way that Chopin wanted readers to think after reading this book?
"I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. I can't make it more clear; it's only something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me." Page 62
12 Reasons Women Who Put Themselves First Are Happier (And More Successful)
“It’s practical… a lot of times we slip pretty low on our own priority list because we’re so busy caring for everyone else. One of the things that I want to model for my girls is investing in themselves as much as they invest in others.” Michelle Obama
Do you think women are not expected to put themselves first? Why or why not? Do you agree with Edna stating that it is right for her to put herself before her children, and do you think men are expected to think the same way?
“The pigeon house pleased her. It at once assumed the intimate character of a home, while she herself invested it with a charm which it reflected like a warm glow. There was with her a feeling of having descended in the social scale, with a corresponding sense of having risen in the spiritual. Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual. She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life. No longer was she content to "feed upon opinion" when her own soul had invited her” From Kate Chopin’s The Awakening
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” From Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.
“I wish I were a girl again, half savage and hardy, and free, and laughing at injuries, not maddening under them! Why am I so changed?” From Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights
Guiding Questions: I feel like the connection between these three amazing pieces of work is the relationship between society – which is, again, the white, male patriarchy – and women and how the expectation of society kills the individuality of the woman. It attempts to ruin her soul in a way. And it even relates to today in regards to Kesha and how she’s being treated more as a product than an individual. Why does society want to control women? And how do we fight against those notions? How do we fight for the individuality of women and the uncorrupted soul of every woman?
The Awakening - Chopin "Conditions would some way adjust themselves, she felt; but whatever came, she had resolved never again to belong to another than herself."
I Am Malala - Malala Youstafzai “My mother always told me, 'Hide your face--people are looking at you.' I would reply, 'It does not matter; I am also looking at them.'"
Women are commonly thought of as the more passive, more submissive sex, and that we are more likely to be influenced by other people (especially men). What is the main reason for this, and how do we escape it? Is it something that must be emphasized in individuality, or in women as a whole?
Chopin- The Awakening "She went on and on . . . Her arms and legs were growing tired. She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not thought they could possess her, body and soul . . . Exhaustion was pressing on and overpowering her."
Birnbaum- "Alien Hands" "The pigeonhouse resembles the Grand Isle cottages where Edna experiences the first stirrings of rebellion and which Gilbert suggests represent a "female colony."39 But perhaps more important than the homosocialppeal is a past of racial bondage, for the cottages are ex-slave quarters. The Pontellier's place of summer retreat was a sugar plantation prior to 1866-"the main building" of which is still "called 'the house"' (44)."
Guiding Questions: It is a cruel irony that Edna's "awakening" leads to her story being a tragedy rather than a triumph; Chopin uses many images of entrapment through the story, but I noticed they were more intense at the end, revealing the true nature of Edna's awakening. Do you think there was ever anything good to come out of Edna's awakening, or was ignorance bliss? Was her suicide necessary for the story?
“She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves. They had never taken the form of struggles. They belonged to her and were her own, and she entertained the conviction that she had a right to them and that they concerned no one but herself. Edna had once told Madame Ratignolle that she would never sacrifice herself for her children, or for any one. Then had followed a rather heated argument; the two women did not appear to understand each other or to be talking the same language.” 52
“’She’s making it devilishly uncomfortable for me,’ he went on nervously. ‘She’s got some sort of notion in her head concerning the eternal rights of women’ . . . . Woman, my dear friend, is a very peculiar and delicate organism—a sensitive and highly organized woman, such as I know Mrs. Pontellier to be, is especially peculiar. It would require an inspired psychologist to deal successfully with them. And when ordinary fellows like you and me attempt to cope with their idiosyncrasies the result is bungling. Most women are moody and whimsical. This is some passing whim of your wife, due to some cause or causes which you and I needn’t try to fathom. But it will pass happily over, especially if you let her alone.” 70-71
“‘The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.’” 88
“’You are the embodiment of selfishness,’ she said. ‘You save yourself something—I don’t know what—but there is some selfish motive, and in sparing yourself you never consider for a moment what I think, or how I feel your neglect and indifference. I suppose this is what you would call unwomanly; but I have got into a habit of expressing myself. It doesn’t matter to me, and you may think me unwomanly if you like.’” 111
“’Yes,’ she said. ‘The years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh! well! perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.’. . . ’But I don’t want anything but my own way. That is wanting a good deal, of course, when you have to trample upon the lives, the hearts, the prejudices of others—but no matter-still, I shouldn’t want to trample upon the little lives.’” 117
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8k3CX_ZuQ – Staceyann Chin: All Oppression Is Connected
Very powerful poem on oppression by a black gay woman. Very worth a view. (warning: swearing)
Guiding questions: How can the feminist movement grow if other women butt heads with our beliefs or don’t understand true feminism? How do we all work towards gaining equal rights without being separated by race, sex, class, age, etc. that has ripped apart other movements? How come women’s voices are only heard after we become the victim of oppression?
“She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul” (Chopin, 95).
“Though she finally kills herself, or rather lets herself drown to death, one feels that it is not in the desperation born of an over-burdened heart, torn by complicating duties but rather because she realizes that something is due to her children, that she cannot get away from, and she is too weak to face the issue” (from The Mirror).
Guiding Question:
Once Edna begins to go through her awakening, she says to Madame Ratignolle that she would never give herself up for her children. She would give up anything “unessential,” but not herself. Her relationship with her children is complex all throughout the novel. While this review from The Mirror seems to try pinning Edna’s ultimate downfall on a feeling of guilt at being unable to perform motherly duties, it appears that Edna’s end is instead brought about by her inability to escape a society that pins such duties on her, in which her role and self are so strictly defined without her consent. However, do you think that she did feel any guilt about not fulfilling the image of the picture-perfect mother? That is, for the sake of her children? How would you describe her relationship with her children?
Honestly, I do not think she felt any guilt for not being the picture perfect mother to her children. I only think this because if she did, she would have spent her free time with them really getting to know them as people and figuring out what they needed and wanted out of life. Instead she doesn't, she spends her free time going to see friends, having an affair, and moves out of the house at one point. This is the actions of a person with no guilt. Edna's relationship with her children is kind of dry to me. It seems as if she is there for them because she had them not because she wants them. There is a big difference between having children and wanting children. A mother whom wanted children instead of having children would give up every part of herself even her soul. which Edna dose not want to give up to them. It seems to me as if she only had the children because her husband wanted the kids, but even he doesn't really show interest in them enough to really want them.
Although much concern is expressed in The Awakening regarding women's reputations after associating with Arobin, it seems that in other respects he is not considered a despicable character and makes good company, whereas if Edna were to gain his reputation she would be ostracized. Where do you see this double standard in your life? How can we fight it?
"'Yes,' she said. 'The years that are gone seem like dreams - if one might go on sleeping and dreaming - but to wake up and find - oh! well! perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one's life.' 'It seems to me, my dear child,' said the Doctor at parting, holding her hand, 'you seem to me to be in trouble. I am not going to ask for your confidence. I will only say that if you ever feel moved to give it to me, perhaps I might help you. I know I would understand, and I tell you that there are not many who would - not many my dear.'" (p. 147). -"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
"Let me tell you about my friend Eli Marsh who overcame unwanted same sex attraction. He is gentle, funny, warm-hearted and compassionate. And very grateful to those who helped him change. He understands that overcoming unwanted attraction is very difficult and doesn't work for everyone. But it did work for him and for about 20 people he knows. Just because it doesn't work for many, why should it be banned for all?" http://www.berkshireeagle.com/letters/ci_29517082/letter-gay-conversion-therapy-has-worked-many
In "The Awakening," is the Doctor trying to provide genuine help for Edna? Or is he merely trying to regain her compliance as a housewife and mother? Are practices like conversion therapy actually beneficial for those involved or does it stifle the actual desires of the individual? What impact does this type of social treatment have on individuals being pressured to conform? What sorts of behaviors are typical of cultural oppression?
"Perhaps -- no, I am not going. I'm not going to be forced into doing things. I don't want to go abroad. I want to be let alone. Nobody has any right -- except children, perhaps -- and even then, it seems to me -- or it did seem--"
"The result of such an alignment is the critical reinscription of a traditionally Western conceptual dual (and duality) of self against culture and the idealization of the self-sufficient individual." --Alien Hands, Birnbaum, p. 301-302
Guiding questions: Both quotes here suggest that Edna refuses to let any person or any societal expectations tell her what to do. Does this imply that Edna is "self-sufficient?" If yes, how so? If not, why? Both quotes here also suggest that Edna is in fact "self-sufficient." Do you think this is an accurate representation of Edna, or does she seem to be dependent on others? What characters from other works can you think of that are dependent on others? How are they dependent on others? What characters from other works can you think of that are "self-sufficient?" How are they self-sufficient?
"But as she sat there amid her guests, she felt the old ennui overtaking her; the helplessness which so often assailed her, which came upon her like an obsession, like something extraneous, independent of volition. It was something which announced itself; a chill breath that seemed to issue from some vast cavern wherein discords waited. There came over her the acute longing which always summoned into her supernatural the presence of the beloved one, overpowering her at once with a sense of the unattainable.” (pg 73)
“The situation which at this stage might seem, and especially to Forsyte eyes, strange—not to say 'impossible'—was, in view of certain facts, not so strange after all. Some things had been lost sight of. And first, in the security bred of many harmless marriages, it had been forgotten that Love is no hot-house flower, but a wild plant, born of a wet night, born of an hour of sunshine; sprung from wild seed, blown along the road by a wild wind. A wild plant that, when it blooms by chance within the hedge of our gardens, we call a flower; and when it blooms outside we call a weed; but, flower or weed, whose scent and colour are always, wild! And further—the facts and figures of their own lives being against the perception of this truth—it was not generally recognised by Forsytes that, where, this wild plant springs, men and women are but moths around the pale, flame-like blossom.” (Ch 5, The Forsyte Saga)
Guiding Questions: So often in novels, particularly ones set in the Victorian Era, we find women at odds with the idea of love, and so often they are trapped in a loveless or unsatisfying marriage. I believe that this may have to do with the fact that it was socially acceptable for men to take mistresses (or “convenients”; honestly, Victorian slang is great). Many of these stories often end happily, giving the protagonist a full sense of freedom, and satisfaction. The Awakening, however, shows Edna in her new home, with her freedom, feeling a sort of emptiness. Why is it that women in these novels are always the ones to break with their spouses for love? Is it that we’re considered, or seen as, slaves to our impulses? Or is it the fact that we have the strength to make that break, to go against societal norms in favor of things that we truly want?
"Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual. She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life." Kate Chopin's "The Awakening"
"I'm not a princess, I'm a queen. I can handle things on my own." (Don't know who first said this; I've seen it on social media for years).
How would Edna's depression be handled differently if she were a man, both my others and by herself?
"'You have been a very, very foolish boy, wasting your time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier's possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he were to say, 'Here Robert, take her and happy; she is yours,' I should laugh at you both.'" "The Awakening", Kate Chopin
"The U.S. Supreme Court has already determined that corporations have similar rights to people, though if you look closely, you’ll find that theirs are far more enviable—especially compared to those of us who’ve been legally cursed with female bodies and female voices, which are meant to be soft and agreeable. Money speaks louder than you or I ever could in a courtroom, even if we were pop stars whose fans waited outside for hours to support us; corporate interests are louder than ethics and empathy, louder than autonomy, or self-determination, or basic rights to safety." Madeleine Davies, "How We Failed to Protect Kesha"
Guiding Questions: First off, why does Robert seem so uncomfortable when Edna brings this up? When Edna talked about breaking free of the idea of being a man's possession, it reminded me of Kesha's recent and controversial trial to try to break her contract with her rapist that ruled against her. Can women today still be possessions of men? How does the idea of "corporations as people" play into this? Is our brand of capitalism still inherently patriarchal and if so does that mean creative artists subjected to contracts are still the possessions of men?
“’She’s making it devilishly uncomfortable for me,’ he went on nervously. ‘She’s got some sort of notion in her head concerning the eternal rights of women’ . . . . Woman, my dear friend, is a very peculiar and delicate organism—a sensitive and highly organized woman, such as I know Mrs. Pontellier to be, is especially peculiar. It would require an inspired psychologist to deal successfully with them. And when ordinary fellows like you and me attempt to cope with their idiosyncrasies the result is bungling. Most women are moody and whimsical. This is some passing whim of your wife, due to some cause or causes which you and I needn’t try to fathom. But it will pass happily over, especially if you let her alone.” Chopin, "The Awakening" pg. 70-71
"But there were so many red flags Now another one bites the dust And let's be clear, I trust no one" - Sia, Elastic Heart
Guiding question: Why is it that when there are warning signs of a problem, such as depression, the most common answer is to just not address it and leave it alone?
“Alien Hands”: Kate Chopin and the Colonization of Race. Author: Michele A. Birnbaum By emphasizing and identifying with the subjugation and silencing of the slave, the white woman “asserts her right to speak and act, thus differentiating herself from the brethren in bonds. The bound and silent figure of the slave metaphorically represents the woman’s oppression and so grants the white woman access to political discourse denied the slave.”
“To White Feminists Who Don’t Want to Discuss Racism: Here Are 7 Things You Need to Know” by Britni de la Cretaz “If you feel yourself getting defensive or wanting #NotAllWhitePeople in the comments, that’s a great time to just. not. say. anything. Seriously. Shut up, sit down, and listen. I know how hard that is. As white people, we’re often socialized to think that our words and thoughts have more value than anyone else’s, but that’s not true. That’s white supremacy at work. And undoing that conditioning is hard, but he have to be willing to do hard things if we hope to dismantle racist systems.” http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/10/white-feminists-dont-talk-race/
Guiding Questions: I believe the biggest part of being a feminist is understanding that oppression comes at different levels. As women, our struggles differ from each other because no two stories are alike. Women of color are more oppressed than white women, which is hard for many people to accept. How do we empower each other? How could Chopin’s portrayal of women of color as the “other” be harmful? Birnbaum’s article was so enlightening because as I read “The Awakening” I simply accepted the roles of women of color. After reading the article, I took a step back and realized the harm. Did you have a similar experience?
I would give up the unessential I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself" (pg 62).
Giving up valuable but materialistic things is something that can make a person feel vulnerable but imagine giving up yourself. In this article Tom Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen talks why mothers/ ladies should put themselves first.
As women in society, how can each find a way to help one another to better themselves and to always remember to put themselves first. What should be the necessary steps to get to that point?
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and ‘“Alien Hands’: Kate Chopin and the Colonization of Race” by Michele A. Birnbaum - Quote from Text: “‘They are very handsome, I suppose, those Mexican women; very picturesque, with their black eyes and their lace scarfs.’ ‘Some are; others are hideous. Just as you find women everywhere,’” (Chopin 109, The Awakening).
- Connection between Readings: “[D]espite her presence the quadroon is often neither heard nor seen. As Edna awakens, race is rendered narratively invisible” (Birnbaum 305, see footnote 19).
- Guiding Question: I’m confused on the relation at the time between race and gender inequality. Did the causes help each other? It seems like they were almost two separate entities although they were fighting for some of the same things. How do you think they affected each other (if at all)? What do you think was one’s view of the other?
I was also confused on the relation between race and gender inequality in these texts; unless it had been pointed out, I don't think I would have picked up on the relation at all, which in itself is interesting and makes me wonder whether or not that was the author's intent. Because I didn't notice this/focus on this idea while reading, I'm not sure how the two affected each other and I think I would have to go back and reread to really understand. Because of the time period and the historical context, I would imagine that many of the characters would take little notice of people/women of color and their struggle, because they came from a place of privilege. However, I like that you pointed out that both women and people of color were fighting for the same things. Neither had the same basic rights as white men, and both were, at one point, thought of as "property" or as belonging to men. I am very curious to explore this relation further in class and hear what the rest of the class has to say.
I accidentally posted this in week 5. My bad. Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why—when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be alive or dead; when life appeared to her like a grotesque pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation.
The Secret Sadness of Pregnancy with depression-Andrew Solmon "Even in our increasingly egalitarian society, mothers feel the weight of parenthood’s identity shift more profoundly than fathers do."
Question: I think The Awakening provides an interesting perspective on gender and it's relation to depression. This article was interesting because it was equally gendered simply because men don't give birth. In the past there is a sort of narrative f depression being a woman's illness, today however more suicides are committed by men, what does this evolution of depression say about gender stereotypes and the evolution of gender in society?
“He was scintillant with recollections. Of course, he couldn’t think of telling Mrs. Pontellier all about it, she being a woman and not comprehending such things” (The Awakening, Chopin) pg. 58
ReplyDelete“Despite Victor's reference to the woman's need for training, it is her superior knowledge of "natural" hierarchies which eventually reinforces the domestic order as well as an established sexual economy. Although she eventually does go in search of his mother as he asked, she has underlined his social/ physical immaturity, thus emasculating him before Edna” (Alien Hands, Birnbaum) Pg. 309
Guiding Questions: Both of these quotes show Victor’s view of women and how he feels that they do not have the type of knowledge that he does but he is proven wrong by his servant who is both black and a woman. What is the significance of having a black woman emasculate a white male in the book? What does this say about the way that Chopin wanted readers to think after reading this book?
Kate Chopin's "The Awakening"
ReplyDelete"I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. I can't make it more clear; it's only something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me." Page 62
12 Reasons Women Who Put Themselves First Are Happier (And More Successful)
“It’s practical… a lot of times we slip pretty low on our own priority list because we’re so busy caring for everyone else. One of the things that I want to model for my girls is investing in themselves as much as they invest in others.” Michelle Obama
http://thoughtcatalog.com/brianna-wiest/2014/08/12-reasons-women-who-put-themselves-first-are-happier-and-more-successful/
Do you think women are not expected to put themselves first? Why or why not? Do you agree with Edna stating that it is right for her to put herself before her children, and do you think men are expected to think the same way?
“The pigeon house pleased her. It at once assumed the intimate character of a home, while she herself invested it with a charm which it reflected like a warm glow. There was with her a feeling of having descended in the social scale, with a corresponding sense of having risen in the spiritual. Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual. She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life. No longer was she content to "feed upon opinion" when her own soul had invited her” From Kate Chopin’s The Awakening
ReplyDelete“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” From Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.
“I wish I were a girl again, half savage and hardy, and free, and laughing at injuries, not maddening under them! Why am I so changed?” From Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights
Guiding Questions: I feel like the connection between these three amazing pieces of work is the relationship between society – which is, again, the white, male patriarchy – and women and how the expectation of society kills the individuality of the woman. It attempts to ruin her soul in a way. And it even relates to today in regards to Kesha and how she’s being treated more as a product than an individual. Why does society want to control women? And how do we fight against those notions? How do we fight for the individuality of women and the uncorrupted soul of every woman?
The Awakening - Chopin
ReplyDelete"Conditions would some way adjust themselves, she felt; but whatever came, she had resolved never again to belong to another than herself."
I Am Malala - Malala Youstafzai
“My mother always told me, 'Hide your face--people are looking at you.' I would reply, 'It does not matter; I am also looking at them.'"
Women are commonly thought of as the more passive, more submissive sex, and that we are more likely to be influenced by other people (especially men). What is the main reason for this, and how do we escape it? Is it something that must be emphasized in individuality, or in women as a whole?
Chopin- The Awakening
ReplyDelete"She went on and on . . . Her arms and legs were growing tired. She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not thought they could possess her, body and soul . . . Exhaustion was pressing on and overpowering her."
Birnbaum- "Alien Hands"
"The pigeonhouse resembles the Grand Isle cottages where Edna experiences the first stirrings of rebellion and which Gilbert suggests represent a "female colony."39 But perhaps more important than the homosocialppeal is a past of racial bondage, for the cottages are ex-slave quarters. The Pontellier's place of summer retreat was a sugar plantation prior to 1866-"the main building" of which is still "called 'the house"' (44)."
Guiding Questions: It is a cruel irony that Edna's "awakening" leads to her story being a tragedy rather than a triumph; Chopin uses many images of entrapment through the story, but I noticed they were more intense at the end, revealing the true nature of Edna's awakening. Do you think there was ever anything good to come out of Edna's awakening, or was ignorance bliss? Was her suicide necessary for the story?
The Awakening - Kate Chopin
ReplyDelete“She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves. They had never taken the form of struggles. They belonged to her and were her own, and she entertained the conviction that she had a right to them and that they concerned no one but herself. Edna had once told Madame Ratignolle that she would never sacrifice herself for her children, or for any one. Then had followed a rather heated argument; the two women did not appear to understand each other or to be talking the same language.” 52
“’She’s making it devilishly uncomfortable for me,’ he went on nervously. ‘She’s got some sort of notion in her head concerning the eternal rights of women’ . . . . Woman, my dear friend, is a very peculiar and delicate organism—a sensitive and highly organized woman, such as I know Mrs. Pontellier to be, is especially peculiar. It would require an inspired psychologist to deal successfully with them. And when ordinary fellows like you and me attempt to cope with their idiosyncrasies the result is bungling. Most women are moody and whimsical. This is some passing whim of your wife, due to some cause or causes which you and I needn’t try to fathom. But it will pass happily over, especially if you let her alone.” 70-71
“‘The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.’” 88
“’You are the embodiment of selfishness,’ she said. ‘You save yourself something—I don’t know what—but there is some selfish motive, and in sparing yourself you never consider for a moment what I think, or how I feel your neglect and indifference. I suppose this is what you would call unwomanly; but I have got into a habit of expressing myself. It doesn’t matter to me, and you may think me unwomanly if you like.’” 111
“’Yes,’ she said. ‘The years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh! well! perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.’. . . ’But I don’t want anything but my own way. That is wanting a good deal, of course, when you have to trample upon the lives, the hearts, the prejudices of others—but no matter-still, I shouldn’t want to trample upon the little lives.’” 117
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8k3CX_ZuQ – Staceyann Chin: All Oppression Is Connected
Very powerful poem on oppression by a black gay woman. Very worth a view. (warning: swearing)
Guiding questions:
How can the feminist movement grow if other women butt heads with our beliefs or don’t understand true feminism? How do we all work towards gaining equal rights without being separated by race, sex, class, age, etc. that has ripped apart other movements? How come women’s voices are only heard after we become the victim of oppression?
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening
ReplyDelete“She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul” (Chopin, 95).
“These waking realities – motherhood, marriage, Victorian mores – leave Edna heavy-lidded” (Birnbaum, 301).
“Though she finally kills herself, or rather lets herself drown to death, one feels that it is not in the desperation born of an over-burdened heart, torn by complicating duties but rather because she realizes that something is due to her children, that she cannot get away from, and she is too weak to face the issue” (from The Mirror).
Guiding Question:
Once Edna begins to go through her awakening, she says to Madame Ratignolle that she would never give herself up for her children. She would give up anything “unessential,” but not herself. Her relationship with her children is complex all throughout the novel. While this review from The Mirror seems to try pinning Edna’s ultimate downfall on a feeling of guilt at being unable to perform motherly duties, it appears that Edna’s end is instead brought about by her inability to escape a society that pins such duties on her, in which her role and self are so strictly defined without her consent. However, do you think that she did feel any guilt about not fulfilling the image of the picture-perfect mother? That is, for the sake of her children? How would you describe her relationship with her children?
Honestly, I do not think she felt any guilt for not being the picture perfect mother to her children. I only think this because if she did, she would have spent her free time with them really getting to know them as people and figuring out what they needed and wanted out of life. Instead she doesn't, she spends her free time going to see friends, having an affair, and moves out of the house at one point. This is the actions of a person with no guilt.
DeleteEdna's relationship with her children is kind of dry to me. It seems as if she is there for them because she had them not because she wants them. There is a big difference between having children and wanting children. A mother whom wanted children instead of having children would give up every part of herself even her soul. which Edna dose not want to give up to them. It seems to me as if she only had the children because her husband wanted the kids, but even he doesn't really show interest in them enough to really want them.
"...Someone was talking of Alcee Arobin visting you... his attentions alone are considered enough to ruin a woman's name." Kate Chopin, The Awakening
ReplyDelete"Men who have a lot of sexual partners are studs, Casanovas, pimps, and players. Never sluts." -Jessica Valenti, "He's a Stud, She's a Slut"
http://www.alternet.org/story/86736/he's_a_stud,_she's_a_slut%3A_the_sexual_double_standard
Guiding Question:
Although much concern is expressed in The Awakening regarding women's reputations after associating with Arobin, it seems that in other respects he is not considered a despicable character and makes good company, whereas if Edna were to gain his reputation she would be ostracized. Where do you see this double standard in your life? How can we fight it?
"'Yes,' she said. 'The years that are gone seem like dreams - if one might go on sleeping and dreaming - but to wake up and find - oh! well! perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one's life.'
ReplyDelete'It seems to me, my dear child,' said the Doctor at parting, holding her hand, 'you seem to me to be in trouble. I am not going to ask for your confidence. I will only say that if you ever feel moved to give it to me, perhaps I might help you. I know I would understand, and I tell you that there are not many who would - not many my dear.'" (p. 147).
-"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
"Let me tell you about my friend Eli Marsh who overcame unwanted same sex attraction. He is gentle, funny, warm-hearted and compassionate. And very grateful to those who helped him change. He understands that overcoming unwanted attraction is very difficult and doesn't work for everyone. But it did work for him and for about 20 people he knows. Just because it doesn't work for many, why should it be banned for all?"
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/letters/ci_29517082/letter-gay-conversion-therapy-has-worked-many
In "The Awakening," is the Doctor trying to provide genuine help for Edna? Or is he merely trying to regain her compliance as a housewife and mother? Are practices like conversion therapy actually beneficial for those involved or does it stifle the actual desires of the individual? What impact does this type of social treatment have on individuals being pressured to conform? What sorts of behaviors are typical of cultural oppression?
"Perhaps -- no, I am not going. I'm not going to be forced into doing things. I don't want to go abroad. I want to be let alone. Nobody has any right -- except children, perhaps -- and even then, it seems to me -- or it did seem--"
ReplyDelete"The result of such an alignment is the critical reinscription of a traditionally Western conceptual dual (and duality) of self against culture and the idealization of the self-sufficient individual."
--Alien Hands, Birnbaum, p. 301-302
Guiding questions:
Both quotes here suggest that Edna refuses to let any person or any societal expectations tell her what to do. Does this imply that Edna is "self-sufficient?" If yes, how so? If not, why? Both quotes here also suggest that Edna is in fact "self-sufficient." Do you think this is an accurate representation of Edna, or does she seem to be dependent on others?
What characters from other works can you think of that are dependent on others? How are they dependent on others?
What characters from other works can you think of that are "self-sufficient?" How are they self-sufficient?
"But as she sat there amid her guests, she felt the old ennui overtaking her; the helplessness which so often assailed her, which came upon her like an obsession, like something extraneous, independent of volition. It was something which announced itself; a chill breath that seemed to issue from some vast cavern wherein discords waited. There came over her the acute longing which always summoned into her supernatural the presence of the beloved one, overpowering her at once with a sense of the unattainable.” (pg 73)
ReplyDelete“The situation which at this stage might seem, and especially to Forsyte eyes, strange—not to say 'impossible'—was, in view of certain facts, not so strange after all. Some things had been lost sight of. And first, in the security bred of many harmless marriages, it had been forgotten that Love is no hot-house flower, but a wild plant, born of a wet night, born of an hour of sunshine; sprung from wild seed, blown along the road by a wild wind. A wild plant that, when it blooms by chance within the hedge of our gardens, we call a flower; and when it blooms outside we call a weed; but, flower or weed, whose scent and colour are always, wild! And further—the facts and figures of their own lives being against the perception of this truth—it was not generally recognised by Forsytes that, where, this wild plant springs, men and women are but moths around the pale, flame-like blossom.” (Ch 5, The Forsyte Saga)
Guiding Questions: So often in novels, particularly ones set in the Victorian Era, we find women at odds with the idea of love, and so often they are trapped in a loveless or unsatisfying marriage. I believe that this may have to do with the fact that it was socially acceptable for men to take mistresses (or “convenients”; honestly, Victorian slang is great). Many of these stories often end happily, giving the protagonist a full sense of freedom, and satisfaction. The Awakening, however, shows Edna in her new home, with her freedom, feeling a sort of emptiness. Why is it that women in these novels are always the ones to break with their spouses for love? Is it that we’re considered, or seen as, slaves to our impulses? Or is it the fact that we have the strength to make that break, to go against societal norms in favor of things that we truly want?
"Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual. She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life." Kate Chopin's "The Awakening"
ReplyDelete"I'm not a princess, I'm a queen. I can handle things on my own." (Don't know who first said this; I've seen it on social media for years).
How would Edna's depression be handled differently if she were a man, both my others and by herself?
"'You have been a very, very foolish boy, wasting your time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier's possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he were to say, 'Here Robert, take her and happy; she is yours,' I should laugh at you both.'" "The Awakening", Kate Chopin
ReplyDelete"The U.S. Supreme Court has already determined that corporations have similar rights to people, though if you look closely, you’ll find that theirs are far more enviable—especially compared to those of us who’ve been legally cursed with female bodies and female voices, which are meant to be soft and agreeable. Money speaks louder than you or I ever could in a courtroom, even if we were pop stars whose fans waited outside for hours to support us; corporate interests are louder than ethics and empathy, louder than autonomy, or self-determination, or basic rights to safety."
Madeleine Davies, "How We Failed to Protect Kesha"
Guiding Questions:
First off, why does Robert seem so uncomfortable when Edna brings this up? When Edna talked about breaking free of the idea of being a man's possession, it reminded me of Kesha's recent and controversial trial to try to break her contract with her rapist that ruled against her. Can women today still be possessions of men? How does the idea of "corporations as people" play into this? Is our brand of capitalism still inherently patriarchal and if so does that mean creative artists subjected to contracts are still the possessions of men?
OH MY GOD YOU BROUGHT UP THE KESHA TRIALS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Delete“’She’s making it devilishly uncomfortable for me,’ he went on nervously. ‘She’s got some sort of notion in her head concerning the eternal rights of women’ . . . . Woman, my dear friend, is a very peculiar and delicate organism—a sensitive and highly organized woman, such as I know Mrs. Pontellier to be, is especially peculiar. It would require an inspired psychologist to deal successfully with them. And when ordinary fellows like you and me attempt to cope with their idiosyncrasies the result is bungling. Most women are moody and whimsical. This is some passing whim of your wife, due to some cause or causes which you and I needn’t try to fathom. But it will pass happily over, especially if you let her alone.” Chopin, "The Awakening" pg. 70-71
ReplyDelete"But there were so many red flags
Now another one bites the dust
And let's be clear, I trust no one"
- Sia, Elastic Heart
Guiding question:
Why is it that when there are warning signs of a problem, such as depression, the most common answer is to just not address it and leave it alone?
“Alien Hands”: Kate Chopin and the Colonization of Race.
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Michele A. Birnbaum
By emphasizing and identifying with the subjugation and silencing of the slave, the white woman “asserts her right to speak and act, thus differentiating herself from the brethren in bonds. The bound and silent figure of the slave metaphorically represents the woman’s oppression and so grants the white woman access to political discourse denied the slave.”
“To White Feminists Who Don’t Want to Discuss Racism: Here Are 7 Things You Need to Know” by Britni de la Cretaz
“If you feel yourself getting defensive or wanting #NotAllWhitePeople in the comments, that’s a great time to just. not. say. anything. Seriously. Shut up, sit down, and listen. I know how hard that is. As white people, we’re often socialized to think that our words and thoughts have more value than anyone else’s, but that’s not true. That’s white supremacy at work. And undoing that conditioning is hard, but he have to be willing to do hard things if we hope to dismantle racist systems.”
http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/10/white-feminists-dont-talk-race/
Guiding Questions:
I believe the biggest part of being a feminist is understanding that oppression comes at different levels. As women, our struggles differ from each other because no two stories are alike. Women of color are more oppressed than white women, which is hard for many people to accept. How do we empower each other? How could Chopin’s portrayal of women of color as the “other” be harmful? Birnbaum’s article was so enlightening because as I read “The Awakening” I simply accepted the roles of women of color. After reading the article, I took a step back and realized the harm. Did you have a similar experience?
I would give up the unessential I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself" (pg 62).
ReplyDeleteGiving up valuable but materialistic things is something that can make a person feel vulnerable but imagine giving up yourself. In this article Tom Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen talks why mothers/ ladies should put themselves first.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2801325/supermodel-gisele-bundchen-says-mothers-order-good-parent.html
As women in society, how can each find a way to help one another to better themselves and to always remember to put themselves first. What should be the necessary steps to get to that point?
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and ‘“Alien Hands’: Kate Chopin and the Colonization of Race” by Michele A. Birnbaum
ReplyDelete- Quote from Text:
“‘They are very handsome, I suppose, those Mexican women; very picturesque, with their black eyes and their lace scarfs.’
‘Some are; others are hideous. Just as you find women everywhere,’” (Chopin 109, The Awakening).
- Connection between Readings:
“[D]espite her presence the quadroon is often neither heard nor seen. As Edna awakens, race is rendered narratively invisible” (Birnbaum 305, see footnote 19).
- Guiding Question:
I’m confused on the relation at the time between race and gender inequality. Did the causes help each other? It seems like they were almost two separate entities although they were fighting for some of the same things. How do you think they affected each other (if at all)? What do you think was one’s view of the other?
I was also confused on the relation between race and gender inequality in these texts; unless it had been pointed out, I don't think I would have picked up on the relation at all, which in itself is interesting and makes me wonder whether or not that was the author's intent. Because I didn't notice this/focus on this idea while reading, I'm not sure how the two affected each other and I think I would have to go back and reread to really understand.
DeleteBecause of the time period and the historical context, I would imagine that many of the characters would take little notice of people/women of color and their struggle, because they came from a place of privilege. However, I like that you pointed out that both women and people of color were fighting for the same things. Neither had the same basic rights as white men, and both were, at one point, thought of as "property" or as belonging to men. I am very curious to explore this relation further in class and hear what the rest of the class has to say.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI accidentally posted this in week 5. My bad.
ReplyDeleteKate Chopin’s “The Awakening”
There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why—when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be alive or dead; when life appeared to her like a grotesque pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation.
The Secret Sadness of Pregnancy with depression-Andrew Solmon
"Even in our increasingly egalitarian society, mothers feel the weight of parenthood’s identity shift more profoundly than fathers do."
Question: I think The Awakening provides an interesting perspective on gender and it's relation to depression. This article was interesting because it was equally gendered simply because men don't give birth. In the past there is a sort of narrative f depression being a woman's illness, today however more suicides are committed by men, what does this evolution of depression say about gender stereotypes and the evolution of gender in society?