deanna phillips – Introduction to Multicultural Literature

April 24, 2023

The reality of the world we live in

In this class so far we continue to dissect the importance of being aware of the world around us and the relationship we create with self and the world. As human beings we are meant to accept, love and honor the life that was given to us, not question why we are put on this earth. With talking about rape and how this disturbing act can be possible for a human, Its important to question why our creator put on on this earth to experience such terrible things. In Myriam Gurba’s memoir, “Mean,” she recounts her experience of being sexually assaulted by a man she did not know. While this particular incident does not directly involve the idea of rape with God, it highlights a larger societal issue of sexual violence against women. In some mythologies and religious traditions, the gods are depicted as having sexual relationships with humans or other divine beings. In some cases, religious texts have been used to justify or excuse sexual violence, particularly against women. For example The story of Dinah is a account of sexual violence against a woman in the book of Genesis. The story has been used to justify or excuse sexual violence against women. Our world was created on ideas that things like sexual assault and violence are not morally wrong. I believe that’s why our world now is so disconnected to what we deem is right and wrong.

The section “Hella Ukiyo-e” in Myriam Gurba’s memoir “Mean” is a powerful way of expressing themes such as sexual violence, humor, art and justice that run throughout the book. The term “ukiyo-e” refers to a genre of Japanese woodblock prints that were popular during the Edo period (1603-1868). “Hella” is a colloquial term that is commonly used in Northern California, where Gurba grew up, and it means “a lot” or “very.” Many ukiyo-e artists were considered to be outsiders, and their work often depicted marginalized groups such as women and lower-class individuals. These prints often depicted scenes of everyday life, such as landscapes and portraits. By combining these two meanings, I interpreted it as Gurba Creating a juxtaposition between what we are unable to see and what we don’t see in our society.

Omnipresence is defined to be a person that is present in all places at one time. In the section “Omnipresent” the reality of the world we live in is scary and unpredictable. Going to school she was watched by her teacher while being sexually assaulted, after her experiences anytime she walks out the door it’s like walking out onto a battlefield. Do you think Gurba woke up and chose to be sexually assaulted? The real pain comes after your trauma. The scene where Gurba is in the grocery store with her mother shows that people never fully get over their trauma after it happens. She is scared because she convinced herself she saw her rapist and describes it as “I came back to my body almost immediately as I left it when I realized the shopper was not him” (Gurba 125) The way I see it, it’s a feeling that shadows over you like a dark cloud. When you go through something that strips you of who you are and makes you question everything. You constantly live in a world surrounded by fear. I chose to focus on the chapter “Omnipresent” because it captures the reality of sexual assault. It starts off with comparing god to someone who is always present in our lives, he shadows over us and watches over us. God is seen as an all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving creator who is the source of all life and existence. So it’s hard for us to absorb when bad things happen because we were created from love and acceptance. But the point Gurba is trying to make is being aware that just because we were created from a good place doesn’t mean that the world is necessarily safe. “God is like rape. Rape is everywhere too. Rape is in the air. Rape is in the sky. Rape is in the bible” (Gurba 110) This felt almost uncomfortable to read because i would never associate the two words “rape” and “god” together. But Gurba does this to show her readers you never realize true pain until it happens to you. “A stranger chose me to rape” ( Gurba 110) The quote reflects the sense of violation and powerlessness that Gurba felt in the face of the stranger’s actions. By using the word “chose,” Gurba is highlighting the fact that the rapist made a deliberate decision to target her, emphasizing the intentional nature of the harm that was done to her. Gurba struggles with absorbing why she was chosen as a victim of rape. She’s in a constant state of “why me?”. Even the creator of our earth can’t protect us from the evil that comes with it.

Discussion questions

Have you ever experienced something that was so traumatic it felt like an out of body experience? If so, what was it and how did you cope with it? How did you feel reading the way Gurba is coping with her trama?
Do you think Gurbas purpose for comparing god to rape is something that is far fetched or do you think it clears up the reality that bad things in our world happen no matter who or what created us?

Citations

Gurba, Myriam. Mean, Coffee House Press, La Vergne, TN, 2017, pp. 110–126.

“Who Is the Victim in the Dinah Story?” TheTorah.com, https://www.thetorah.com/article/who-is-the-victim-in-the-dinah-story.

April 11, 2023

Just A Memory

For this project, i chose the song “Remember” by Becky Hill and David Guetta. The words in the song could be twisted to give it a deeper meaning, meaning shorter sentences but more essence to the lines. The songs meaning is centered around the artist Becky Hill who ended things with somebody she loved, and she has nothing but memories. The only time that she remembers that person is when she’s lying in bed on her own. She is relived that her relationship with this person is over because she is able to live her life without him. I chose this poem because I remember the countless times I would scream this song in the car and be so mad at my ex-boyfriend. This poem reminded me of that because as you read you will realize the words slowly begin to separate more and more. The strong use of the words such as “delete” and “memories” helped convey the message that in my remix, although the memories are still there, she still pushes to get over this person because she knows she has to for herself. The difference between Becky’s song and my poem is that breakups are hard. We always have that one string of hope trying to reach at the other person when they won’t reach back for you. It’s a world of “what ifs” until that person becomes a memory.

I did a lot of things when it came to the positioning of my words because I really wanted to emphasize the separation between two people want to break up happens. I wanted to start off separating the words “remember” and “when” straight off the bat in a way of showing that this person is reminiscing the loss of someone. The less important words I group them together are almost like fillers. Keep in mind they are still important. By adding question marks throughout was to show going through a break up is confusing and brings up so many questions you didn’t know you had. You had wished the other person can answer those questions but they’re far from your reach. The next line “I’m missing you” is my favorite line because it stands by itself with so much blank space next to it as well as the word “alone” on the next line. Even though you might be living your life, you still feel alone. That is why the word alone is separated from “living my life”. The eighth line “delete your phone” is scattered crooked next to each other. This was to show the first steps of getting over a break up which is eliminating them from your life. This was the first instance of her doing some thing for herself regarding the break up and even she doesn’t understand why this is all happening. That is why these words are put in a confusing manner. Moving down to the 10th line was the moment her mind veered to more about moving on despite everything she’s feeling. The line “I’m moving on too” was thrown in there and separated the way that it is because although she doesn’t want to it’s the reality and it’s hard for her to admit that. This goes the same four line 13 with the word “okay” . In reality she’s not okay, but still perseveres. And just at the end we circle back and she reminds us that every now and then her mind wanders and remembers what she had with this special person.

After doing this project I realize that the way you look at words and the way you interpret the way that they are presented can open up a whole new feeling of emotion. Making those stops between the words makes me want to figure out what’s to come next. this helps me better understand why we read the book “Zong” and why the author made the decisions she did. Like for example to listing of all the people that died. They all got their own seperate line, along with the black spaces next to it, to express feelings of grief and sadness. It felt like a never ending list it puts more emphasis on the aloneness and separation of people in our world and how much loss we have taken because of it.

February 6, 2023

Hey Charlotte! First off i loved how you introduced all of the characters and gave context to them before explaining the situation. For example when you talked about Beneatha and her dream to be a doctor. The connection you made between a woman working in the medical field and the struggle she faces of being a black feminist woman. It makes for a good discussion to know about your characters personally. I think that Beneatha has a lot of things she doesn’t talk about with her family. She is very unhappy within the life she lives. She even states “there’s only one way to get rid of them mama, it’s to set fire to this building” It’s clear that anytime she talks about her home life, in this case she is talking about the roaches, the case is negative.

Your second question also got me thinking. Beneatha is so unhappy with her life. So is Walter, but he knows he wants to use the money. She doesn’t agree with the life Walter wants but also doesn’t know what type of life is her “American dream”.Your analysis really dug deep into what is to come for the characters. The connections you made can make a lot more sense as we read the book, especially character development.

January 26, 2023

Hey, Im Deanna

My name is Deanna Phillips but my friends call me Dee. I am a second-semester freshman at Cortland and is majoring in English. I am from Long Island Ny Nassau County. I played Volleyball in Highschool and softball for fun. I am thinking about joining the women’s Volleyball team here at Cortland hopefully! I like to take naps and go to the gym on my free time. Im looking forward to getting to know everyone. I am exited to see what I can take away from this class.