Category Archives: Blog 4

Suchi R.

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While reading the book “The Bell Jar” I was starting to grow a bit of love for Esther. She was an interesting character, someone whom I couldn’t quite figure out, she was very mysterious to me. I believe this is one of the main reasons why I was very interested in reading this book. However, in chapter fourteen my feelings toward her takes a turn as she calls a boy with color a “negro.” Now as we all now Esther is smart and she is also a writer, so for her to discriminate with such powerful language makes me rethink her whole personality/characteristic. I now believe she is very close minded and is afraid to have a mind of her own, in other words she likes to fit in and deep down her identity makes her uncomfortable and that is the reason why she is crazy and sits in the psychotic home today.

In this book their lye’s a HUGE issue of race that is not brought to the attention of readers, until the end. The issue is not discussed throughout the book and however the narrator dismisses it with a simple paragraph. Esther do exhibit awareness of her privileged racial status and decides to act upon it by being disrespectful. As intellectual thinkers we are able to know that if this black male is able to work in the hospital their were no longer division between the Whites and the Blacks. People of color was free of hostage. However, I can tell Esther felt somewhat sorry for the boy as she tried to make no eye contact while he stepped into the room because of his skin color, but then later when she realized he was just a “silly” worker and not someone she should feel pity for she kicks him on the calf of his leg and looks directly in his eye stating, “that’s what you get” (Pdf. Pg. 96) She kicks him because she felt he was “testing” her and I believe if this boy was a white boy she wouldn’t have done that and she would have just held her anger in by lying in bed all day. This right here is pure ignorance because as stated in the beginning of the book Esther is very smart and receives scholarships from schools that wish to have her in it. She is from the low class society which doesn’t even make her inferior so why is it that she condoned to this behavior? Because Esther is aware of her white privilege and wants readers to know.

In the article “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” Lorde states, “As members of such an economy, we have all been programmed to respond to the human differences between us with fear and loathing and to handle that difference in one of three ways: ignore it, and if that is not possible, copy it if we think it is dominant, or destroy it if we think it is subordinate…..As a result, those differences have been misnamed and misused in the service of separation and confusion” This basically gives me an understanding of why Esther reacted to the way she did. Her actions were indeed the way society has taught her to be. And the biggest issue that the human race face is that we choose to either ignore it or act upon it by manipulating instead of trying to reason with it or better understand. Her article has made a strong connection with the book “The Bell Jar.”

What is in a Kick

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In “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath, there is virtually no mention of race or at least the major races. Yes, Esther as her character is expressed, is very descriptive, detail oriented and is sometimes apt to mention other immigrants’ origin of birth. But in general it is not until she is committed to an asylum that we actually have Esther’s first-hand account of her interaction with someone not of her race. It is as though they are non-existent, not recognized or just not privy to Esther’s sphere of existence, reality or awareness. One can argue this is a stark example of Esther’s “white privilege.”

We all know Esther is not by any stretch of the imagination rich. She is envious of Doreen and the other females who are so privileged that they have matching pocket books for each outfit. Yet as economically challenged as she is, she is still able to “rub shoulders” with those higher up the economic ladder than her and seemingly avoid or ignore interaction with in particular those of African descent. One must ask themselves can Esther spend time in New York for an extended time in the 1950’s and not encounter or felt the need to mention any interaction or observations of people other than other Caucasian people.

During her brief encounter with seemingly non-white people, in her fast deteriorating mental state, she mentions that she has doubts as to their profession not only because of their age but having “suspicious, fake names (The Bell Jar,p202). To further exacerbate her seemingly only definable interaction with a “black person” and perhaps as a foreshadowing of changing times; she first remarks “ Usually it was shrunken old white men that brought our food, but today it was a Negro” so as to bolster my claim that she was not in regular contact with Negroes. Furthermore she goes on to eventually assault the seemingly innocent, hospital worker who was only doing his job, kicking him for no good reason (p205-206).What is somewhat strange is her comment afterwards, telling him “That’s what you get” (Plath p206). Was she taught that is the way to treat Negroes? In her state of mind it is hard to say one way or the other if she is racist or just plain mad and he just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As Audre Lorde mentioned in her article (Audrey Lorde: Age, Race, Class and Sex )on the complexities of assigning people narrow, confining labels, Esther is at many intersections, female, white, young, poor, educated, mentally unbalanced and God knows what else. So it is not easy to decipher her actions and place them in simplistic, binary categories

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Blog Rubric Eng 2160 F 16

Blog Instructions:

Each week I will post a blog prompt on the course OpenLab site, and each week you will have to complete a blog post that respond to the prompt. This should be an opportunity for you to reflect on the themes and concepts that you found interesting and/or challenging in the week’s reading and to discuss those thoughts with your classmates. Each post must be 250 words, minimum. It should fully and thoughtfully respond to the prompt and provide direct quotes from the assigned reading in order to support and clarify your discussion. Each week, you also must respectfully and thoughtfully comment on at least two other blog posts. Initial posts must be completed on Thursday of each week by class time. Response posts must be completed each week by Friday at 11:59 pm. Do not wait until the last minute to post!

To post your blog:

Make sure you are logged in to OpenLab and have joined our course

Then click on the + at the top center of the page

Use your name as the post title

If you want to include an image or file, use the “add media” button

When you are done writing your post in the box, choose the appropriate category on the right side of the screen (“Blog Post 1,” etc.)

Then click “publish.”

Blog 10 (Due 12/1):

This blog is a chance for some extra credit! I have started a list of “Things We Can Do” in response to the rise in incidents of hate speech and violence since the election. For Blog 10, you may add to this list by creating a profile of a specific organization that addresses a cause you care about. Here is an example of one I posted for the Audre Lorde Project.

You have two choices for this blog: You can post nothing and receive full credit (30 points). OR you can post the following for double credit (60 points).

If you choose to complete Blog 10:

Choose one topic or issue that you think needs to change in our society (this might be in general or in response to the new presidential administration). This might include racism, gender equality, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender rights, domestic violence, sexual assault, beauty standards, immigration, mental health, reproductive health, etc. You might decide that current efforts need your support (through volunteering) or that you would like to join an activist movement to make certain problems more visible.

Once you have decided on a topic/cause you care about, you should find one organization working in that area that you would potentially like to get involved with and create an informational profile for yourself and your classmates. You will post that informational profile on OpenLab, and choose the “Things We Can Do” category so it will appear on the list.

The profile should include the following information:

  • Organization name
  • An image or video to help people understand the organization better
  • Area of focus
  • Location
  • Phone number
  • Website (link)
  • Volunteer or activist opportunities there (be as specific as possible)

Blog 9 (due 11/17):

Throughout Americanah, we see Ifemelu’s blog posts from her popular blog, Raceteenth or Various Observations About American Blacks (Those Formerly Known as Negroes) by a Non-American Black. Usually, her blog posts are inspired by a specific experience or interaction that she reflects on and then then writes about. For Blog 9, you will write a blog post (250 word, minimum) modeled after Ifemelu’s blog. First go back and re-reread some of her blog posts from the book to study their topics, tone, and format. Then, choose one experience or interaction that you have had recently, and write a blog post that reflects on the race, gender, nationality, and/or sexuality implications of that interaction in the style of Ifemelu’s blog.

Your post should:

  • Be modeled after the topics, tone, and format of the blog posts featured in Americanah (including a clever title!)
  • Explain the experience or interaction that inspired the post
  • Provide thoughts/insights about the race, gender, nationality, and/or sexuality implications of that experience
  • Refer to at least one of the essays we have read semester to help you clarify your thoughts/insights

Remember to comment on at least two other posts by Sunday, 11/20 at 11:59 pm!

Blog 8 (due 11/10)

At one point in Americanah, Ifemelu thinks she is pregnant after having sex with Obinze for the first time. Reread this scene and write a blog post (250 words, minimum) that compares and contrasts her first experience with sex to either Esther’s experiences with sex or Celie’s experiences with sex.

Your post should:

  • Analyze Ifemelu’s first sexual experience with Obinze and its aftermath
  • Compare and contrast this sexual experience with Esther’s sexual experiences from The Bell Jar OR Celie’s sexual experiences from The Color Purple. How do they think about their own sexuality? What role do they play in their sexual experiences? What happens after their sexual experiences? How do they think/feel/react to the consequences of sex?
  • Use direct quotes from both of your chosen texts to support your comparison and contrast and provide page numbers using MLA format for any quotations you include.

Remember to comment on at least two other posts by Sunday, 11/13 at 11:59 pm!

Blog 7 (due 11/3):

We have now read several chapters of Americanah. In a blog post of 250 words (minimum) you will analyze the text using the elements of fiction.

Your post should:

  • Focus on one of the following elements of fiction:
    • Settings (place, time, influence on the characters and the plot)
    • Characters (names, appearance, actions, round/flat, dynamic/static)
    • Point of view (first, second, third, omniscient, limited omniscient, objective, the effect of the point of view on the novel)
    • Symbolism (anything that suggests an abstract meaning to the reader in addition to its literal significance)
    • Style/Voice/Tone (the way the author uses language, the effect of that language use, the unstated attitudes of the text)
  • Provide a detailed analysis of your chosen element as it appears in the chapters we have read so far.
  • Use direct quotes from the text to support your claims, and provide page numbers using MLA format for any quotations you include.

Remember to comment on at least two other posts by Sunday, 11/6 at 11:59 pm!

 

Blog 6 (due 10/20):

For Blog 6, you will be writing about The Color Purple. Choose one of the following questions and respond to it with a blog post of 250 words, minimum. Regardless of the question you choose, remember to use direct quotes from the text to support your claims and provide page numbers using MLA format for any quotations you include.

  1. Compare and contrast the characters of Celie and Sofia. How are they similar and how are they different? What factors contribute to their dominant traits?
  2. Choose one character and describe the various aspects of that character’s identity (age, race, class, gender, sexuality, etc.). How do these elements contribute to our understanding of the text’s theme(s)?
  1. One of the themes in The Color Purple focuses on is the link between violence, sexuality, and voice. Discuss the various ways these topics appear in The Color Purple and discuss any connections you find between the way the text treats sexuality, violence, and voice.

Remember to comment on at least two other posts by Sunday, 10/23 at 11:59 pm!

 

Blog 5 (due 9/29):

This week you are working on drafting your essay. For Blog 5, you will post your essay outline. We will be working on developing your thesis, burdens of proof, and evidence in class on Tuesday. You will then create a complete and detailed outline for your essay and post it here on Thursday, 9/29 by 11:59 p.m.

You do not need to comment on any posts this week!

 

 

Blog 4 (due 9/22):

What role does race play in this text, if any? This week we are talking about how second wave feminism made a lot of incorrect assumptions about how the experiences of white, middle class women represented the experiences of all women. Many intersecting factors impact ones experience of womanhood, including race. For this blog, you will examine the treatment of race in The Bell Jar. How does the text address issues of race? Does it ignore race? Does Esther exhibit any awareness of her privileged racial status? Trace the rare appearances of non-white racial references/images. Is there any pattern or meaning that you can associate with these instances?

This post should include:

  • An arguable claim about the text’s treatment of race (whether you think the text avoids race, addresses it in certain ways, or does something else).
  • An analysis of specific textual evidence supporting that claim.
  • A connection to the issues raised by the Combahee River Collective and/or Audre Lorde.
  • Use direct quotes from the text to support your claims, and provide page numbers using MLA format for any quotations you include.

Remember to comment on at least two other posts by Sunday 9/25 at 11:59 pm!

Blog 3 (due 9/15):

Carefully read the passage about fear by Laura Franks in the side bar of page 51 of “Components of Gender.” Laura Franks is someone who has “refused to play gender games.” What do you think that means? What does that have to do with fear? Does Esther experience fear or discomfort when she does not properly perform the gender role that is expected of her by society? Does she ever choose to perform gender roles properly because of fear? For this blog post, you should discuss the issue of fear in relation to gender performance and make a connection between this concept and the experiences Esther describes in The Bell Jar.

This post should include:

  • An interpretation of the passage about fear by Laura Franks in “Components of Gender” that answers the questions above.
  • Choose and analyze a specific scene from chapters 10-15 in which Esther DOESN’T properly perform the gender role that is expected of her. OR choose and analyze a specific scene from chapters 10-15 in which Esther DOES properly perform the gender role that is expected of her.
  • An interpretation of her motivations and reactions and the reactions of others to her behavior.
  • Use direct quotes from the text to support your claims, and provide page numbers using MLA format for any quotations you include.

Remember to comment on at least two other posts by Friday, 9/16 at 11:59 pm!

Blog 2 (due 9/8)

Consider the way The Bell Jar deals with the concept of “proper” femininity and the possibilities for Esther as a female growing up in mid-20th century America. Choose one of the other female characters in the novel (not Esther) and write a post of 250 words (minimum) describing them and analyzing what type of woman they are. What is their primary job? What things do they value? What are they interested in? What is their sexuality like? How does Esther perceive them? Do you think they represent a positive role for a woman, a negative role, or something else?

This post should include:

  • A description of a female character in The Bell Jar (not Esther)
  • An analysis of their characteristics, values, and interests
  • An interpretation of how Esther views them
  • A claim about your view of them as a female role model
  • Use direct quotes from the text to support your claims, and provide page numbers using MLA format for any quotations you include.

Remember to comment on at least two other posts by Friday, 9/9 at 11:59 pm!

Blog Post 1 (due 9/1 by 4:00 p.m.)

  • Create a post with your name as the title
  • In the text box, introduce yourself, give us your preferred pronouns (he/his, she/hers, they/theirs, ze/hirs, zie/zirs, something else), tell us your major/career interests, and one interesting thing about yourself
  • Include a picture of yourself or something that represents you
  • Comment on one other post by Friday 9/2 by 11:59 pm