Author Archives: aminata s

Rosenberg case

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Taken from “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath

Rosenberg case

Definition: Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg were United States citizens convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war, and executed. Their charges were related to the passing of information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. In 1995, the U.S.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenberg_Case

From the start of the story: “The summer they electrocuted the Rosenberg’s, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.

After searching what the Rosenberg’s case was about am more aware of why it was brought up in the story so many times.

Shock Therapy

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Taken from the story “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath

Shock therapy ( shock treatment)- noun

Definition : treatment of chronic mental conditions by electroconvulsive therapy or by inducing physiological shock.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_therapy_(economics)
From page 135: “He thinks you should have some shock treatments at his private hospital in Walton”

This part shows when illness became severe. I know understand the meaning better and how it relates to Esther’s mental state.

 

Prosaically

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From “A room of ones own” by Virginia Woolf

prosaically -adjective

Definition: commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative: a prosaic mind.

http://m.dictionary.com/definition/asunder
From page 4 of 13: “what one must do to bring her life was to think poetically and prosaically at one and the same moment.”
After defining this word I know understand that the prosaic is a contrast for poetic.

Asunder

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From “A room of One’s own”, by Virginia Woolf

Asunder – adverb. Adjective

Definition: into separate parts; in or into pieces.

http://m.dictionary.com/definition/asunder
From page 6 of 13: ” so tortured and pulled asunder by her own contrary instincts, that she must have lost her health and sanity to a certainty.”

After defining this word I now understand the context it was used in. Because women were not allow to display their talents like most man without being “hindered by other people”, this mad them into two people. The artist and the women society wants.

Fictitious

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From “professions for women” by Virginia Woolf

Fictitious – Adjective

Definition: created, taken, or assumed for the sake of concealment; not genuine; false: fictitious names.

http://m.dictionary.com/definition/fictitious

From page two of three: ” Her fictitious nature was a great assistance to her. It is far harder to kill a phantom than a reality.

I knew what the word meant but after finding the definition I understand that the word fictitious nature was used to describe the phantom that was a part of her.

 

 

 

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Recitatif – (noun

Definition: 1 is a derivative of recitative with similar definition. 2.the nature of or resembling recitation or declamation

Found in : Recitatif by Toni Morrison

Passage: Recitatif is the title of the story by Toni Morrison . The story is about two young girls named Roberta and Twyla. The word was not used in the story.

I was interested in defining this word because it stood out to me as a title of a story. At first I actually thought it was a made up word . After finding the definition it makes perfect sense

 

 

Woman Hollering Creek: Telenovela

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The Telenovela in “Woman Hollering creek” by Sandra Cianeros stands as a blueprint for the life that Cleofilas sought for when she married Juan Pedro. The telenovela functions asher escape and a comparison to her abusive husband. The soap opera conditions her view about romance. It has fixed views on love and life and Cleofilas anticipated this same treatment from her husband. She wanted “passion in its purest crystalline essence. The kind of books and songs and telenovela describe when one finds, finally, the great love of ones life.”(Cisneros 1401)

Before getting married, her life was full of chores and dealing with her family. Getting married she thought her life would be different but it took a different road.she became a victim of domestic violence , “when the moment came, and he slapped her once , and then again and again; until the lip split and bled an orchid of blood.”(1403)

The telenovela also functions as enjoyment to Cleofilas in “Women Hollering creek”. She enjoys watching the soup operas because she knew her life will never be like the beautiful married and happy people she sees. Every time her husband puts his hand on her, she explains a new telenovela she has been watching . The telenovela serves as a friend to Cleofilas and something to confines too. It’s very important to her.

Photo memory

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This is a photograph of my grandmother, great grandmother and my older brother, around late 1980’s or earlier. My grandmother is wearing a red and white lace African outfit with her head customarily tied with my bother on her lap.  That leaves my  great grandmother wearing a dark brown outfit with colorful patterns. They are comfortably sitting down on a tan sofa visiting a relative or two or so it seems. The house could be where I lived back home with just different arrangements.

This is one of the few pictures I have of my grand parents. A lot of the memorable photos that my family had, all were destroyed and misplaced. But this photo survived,
My mother first tired to enlarge this photo from a 4 by 4 size  to a 8 by 8 inch size. This picture has always been so special to me because this is the only picture I have of both of my grandparents together. I never met my grandmother because she died before I was born, but I knew my great grand mother growing up

Every time I look  at this picture, it remains me of the times me and siblings bothered my great grandmother. I was around seven years old or younger. I remember making fun of how she walked and how she spoke so softly you had to came close to her lips to hear whatever it was she was saying. She used to always say “you guys leave me,” in my native language creole. She didn’t say much but her disciple ways were always something to look back on and laugh.

Looking at this photography brings me back to the times my great grand mother ate fufu and okra. This meal is serve in Sierra Leone. I remember always avoiding to eat with her or eat her left overs because she was old. As a child I hated eating left overs from old people because I thought it was grist. I remember her constantly screaming at me for this habit I had, but she loved me anyhow, she would say ate or you’re going to go to sleep hungry

I can also remember the day she died just from looking at this picture, her body was cold and she became very tiny. This picture means the world to me and I am glad to share this. I was influence by Zadie Smith “Scenes from the smith family Christmas.”image

Sent from my iPhone

The bell jar project two, part 2

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PART TWO

The novel “The bell Jar” has been portrayed differently all around the world. For my cover I have chosen to represent the most symbolic symbols noted in the novel. These symbols include mirrors,fig tree, blood,and heartbeats. I choose my cover to represent these symbols because I believe these symbols depicts important moments in the novel. In the novel Esther worst enemy is herself,she knows that she wanted to kill herself but doesn’t have a logical reason as to why. As shown in the novel, Esther constantly confronts reflection on herself. After her shock treatment with Dr. Gordon she thinks her reflection is another women in the room and even more so after her last attempt to kill herself she couldn’t recognize herself in the mirror.

This moment is demonstrated in my cover in the reflection of the fig tree. The fig tree is also another important symbol in the novel. The fig tree is mentioned multiple times in the book. In Esther’s case, the fig tree represents a different life and she can only choose one. She struggles with the decision to make a choice. Esther’s inability to make a decision leads us to another symbol that is constantly used in the novel, which is blood. The shedding of blood marks transitions in Esther’s life. This includes when Marco tries to rape her and he smeared blood on her, when she loose her virginity she bleeds heavily, and when she decides to kill herself, she slashes her calf for preparation to slash her wrists. Esther slashing her wrist is shown vividly in my cover because this was the moment she first attempted to kill herself. The presence of blood shows that Esther will sacrifice her body for peace of mind.

Although she wanted to kill herself, she was unsuccessful in all attempts. Her failure to successfully kill herself is shown through another symbol of the novel, heartbeat. Her body was determined to live in all attempts. The beating heart symbolizes this bodily desire to live. In her attempt to drown herself, her heart beats ” I am I am I am.” The heartbeat is represented in my cover through the red heart by the hand. The mirror, fig tree, blood, and the heartbeat are very important aspects of the novel. I’ve tried my best to portray this idea in my cover by using four simple photos and combining them together to make one thing.