“LGBTQ homeless youth are more likely to experience violence, sexual assault, HIV infections, mental health, and substance abuse issues than their heterosexual homeless counterparts. From their headquarters in Harlem, homeless youth can drop in for food, hot showers, healthcare, and more. AFC offers group therapy, case management, recreational activities, even emergency housing and transitional living.”

http://www.aliforneycenter.org/

As of late their seems to be more talk than usual regarding another person race or religion. This may be because of the new presidential elect Donald Trump. Throughout his election campaign Donal Trump has said some very racist things. Now if a normal person has said some of the things that Trump has said he would automatically be labeled a racist, however some people still don’t understand how Trump is being racist.

Trump has made some racist statements regarding specific races such as Mexicans. I feel as though Trumps racist comments have sparked more people to think that its okay to make Racist comments. An example I can think of this is that I was at work recently, I was a supervisor in a grocery store and a customer decided to verbally attack one of the cashiers. The customer felt that since the cashier them an attitude they had a right to tell them that “they couldn’t wait for Trump to become president and take care of her” I don’t think that it is ever appropriate to say something like that to a person. Just because some looks a certain way or has an accent doesn’t mean that they are a certain ethnicity. Not all Spanish people are the same, they don’t all come from the same country. Not all black people are the same or come from the same country.

People continue to pretend that race is not a major factor in day to day life. How can that be true when their is a racist president? When some races still feel superior to other? When others feel they can make a threat to another human being just because of their race? The more you look into it the more you may see some of the current hate crimes of people of certain races or religions may have come from the recent presidential’s own actions and the influences that he has on others.

Women of all different ages have different sexual experiences. Some good and some negative. We have read about different sexual experiences throughout the semester.

During Ifemelu’s first sexual experience with Obinze she felt that it was “like a weak copy, a floundering imitation of what she imagined it would be.” meaning that she expected it to be more. Even before they had sex she stated that she expected them to make a ceremony of it. Ifemelu and Obinze didn’t use protection so Ifemelu was worried that she would get pregnant. She was irritated that she had been tense and unable to relax. Ifemelu gets sicks later in the week and believes that she’s pregnant. She calls Aunty Uju and she tells her to go to a town where nobody will know her and take a pregnancy test. Ifemelu played an active while reluctant role in her first sexual experience. She was very panicked after the experience.

In contrast Celie in The Color Purple had a very different first sexual experience from Ifemelu. Celie was raped by her step father. Celie seemed very distressed during her first time saying “he put his thing up against my hip and wiggle it around. The he grab hold my titties. Then he push his thing inside my pussy. When that hurt, I cry.” Celine did not play an active role in her sexual experience, she was taken advantage of. It was no enjoyable for her, it was more of a painful experience, physically and mentally. After the rape she was treated badly by her step father still and he raped her repeatedly. Celie blames herself because she does not yet understand that she was a victim.

     Violence, sexuality, and voice are reoccurring themes throughout The Color Purple. It seems that many times one of these themes are brought up in the text they include at least one if not bother of the other themes. Some of these instances are that such of Celie being raped by her father Alphonso, her forced marriage to a man with many children, or her relationship with Shug.

     When Celie was only 14 she was raped by her step father Alphonso. At the time, Celie does not understand that it wasn’t her fault. Celine recalls that “he grab hold my titties. The he push his thing inside my pussy.” Celie’s first sexual experience is a violent one that has lasting affects on her. Celie is also silenced by the rape. Not really ever speaking up or back, just doing what is told of her.

     When Celie is forced to marry the man that her sister Nettie was dating things start off bad. She starts off her wedding day being abused by Harpo, her husbands eldest son. Harpo “laid open” Celie’s head. Later that day Celie and her husband consummate their marriage and she describes it as “he on top of [her],” from the way Celie is describing her first time in bed with her husband it doesn’t seem like she in enjoying herself. This could be because of her first sexual encounter with a man was rape and she is still trying to cope with what happened to her.

     Celies relationship with Shug changes dramatically from the beginning to the end of the book. In the beginning she is taking care of Shug since she is sick. Shut treats her terribly. But eventually they from a friendship. One thing leads to another and they are kissing “Us kiss and kiss till us can’t hardly kiss no more. Then us touch each other.” This is Celie’s first positive sexual experience. It happening with a woman doesn’t come to a surprise as me as many women who have been abused by men cant stand the touch of one anymore and they turn to women for their partners.

     Violence, sexuality and voice are brought up constantly in The Color Purple. Where one of these pop up the others are sure to follow. All three of these show in most of the scenes in the book in one way or another. It seems that violence is used in a way to silence some of the characters. Violence even affected the sexuality of some of the characters in the novel.

Introduction:

Esther’s life as a school girl. The expectations that of her.

Thesis statement: Esther doesn’t fit in with traditional expectations regarding men, eating habits, or career choice.

Body:

Esther’s eating habits:

“One bowl was strategically between me and Doreen’s empty chair… Betsy, on my right, would be too nice to ask me to share it with her I just kept it out of her way at my elbow.” (Plath 26)

“Covered the chicken slices with caviar thickly as if I were spreading peanut butter on a piece of bread.” (Plath 27)

Esther’s disregard of marriage:

“I’m never going to get married.” (Plath 93)

Esther’s dislike of housewife duties for herself:

“cook and clean and was was just what Buddy Willard’s mother did from morning till night.”

“a dreary and wasted life for a girl with fifteen years of straight A’s.”

Conclusion:

Esther doesn’t fit in with some of the expectations of women such as eating a certain way, her views on marriage and her career aspirations.

The women in this time had many of expectations of them that some women may not have wanted to fulfill because they had other aspirations.

     When Laura Franks says that she has “refused to play gender games” I think she means that even though in society they make it seem like you have to choose, you don’t. A lot of people don’t identify with the gender they were assigned at birth or don’t identify with a gender at all and prefer pronouns such as they/theirs, it’s all about the persons perspective on their gender identity. I believe this has to do with fear because people fear not being accepted in society. Wether it has to do with the hate they may receive for not fitting into social norms and being themselves or just because people don’t agree with their view points when it comes to gender because they view things as simple as male or female depending on the genitalia of the person.

     Their are instances in The Bell Jar where Esther does or doesn’t conform to her gender expectations. One scene where she doesn’t comply with gender norms is when she mentions that she was still wearing Betsy’s clothes that now drooped because “[she] hadn’t washed them in [her] three weeks at home.” (Plath 127) Esther even goes further to mention that she “hadn’t washed [her] hair for three weeks, either.” (Plath 127) Usually when you think of a young woman, you think of them taking care of themselves and their personal hygiene. Its not like a young lady to not take care of themselves and let themselves go. This is a perfect example of not performing the gender role that is expected of her because this wouldn’t be acceptable to other people if they saw her or knew that she was behaving like this. At this point in the book Esther is falling deeper and deeper into a depression and her reasoning for behaving as such is that it seemed “silly to wash one day when [she] would only have to wash again the next.” (Plath 128) This isn’t reasonable thinking and it’s one of the first times that her falling into a depression is showing physically and can be noticed by others.

Mrs. Greenwood, Esther’s mother seems to portray the concept of “proper” femininity for the mid 20’s. It appears, from Esther’s description of her mother being upset when her  husband died and didn’t leave any money to support them, that she was a homemaker after she got married. I’m assuming this because it was never clarified, or I can’t find the part where it was. After her husband passes away she has to get a job to support herself and her children. She ends up teaching typing and short hand at the college. Esther’s mother seems to value the virtue of a woman. She believes that a woman should still be “pure” until they are married. She even goes so far as to send Esther a article in which the main point is that “only marriage can bring the two worlds” of a woman’s and man’s emotions together. Based off of this I would assume that Mrs. Greenwood hasn’t been intimate since her husband passed away since she hasn’t been remarried. Mrs. Greenwood seems to be very interested in Esther’s life. She seems proud of the fact that her daughter is getting an education and is doing well at that. At times she does seem concerned that it isn’t enough however. Esther seems to only tolerate her mother. She seems to be very annoyed with little things her mother does like the fact that her mother wants her to learn short hand or even how she breathes while she is sleeping. She even states that she tries not to live under the same roof as her mother for more than a week. I think that she portrays a positive female role in the fact that she wants the best for her kids and works hard to support them. I don’t however think she would be a positive role for women with her beliefs in the differences between sexuality for men and women. I don’t think it is a healthy way to look at the topic and wouldn’t want others to be influenced by the way she feels about the topic.