An American Brat-Bapsi Sidhwa

When Feroza decides to send a letter home informing her family that she wants to marry a non-Parsee, David Press, the reaction of her family is anything but happy. Although I expected a bad reaction from a family, I did not expect it to the extreme that it ended up to be. Zareen practically fell into depression and Feroza's grandmother Khutlibai fainted after hearing the news. During the meeting where the whole family discussed the situation, all of the mothers, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, but some of the youngsters did not think that Feroza's potential marriage was that big of a deal because they realize that times are changing and going to "The New World" creates an even bigger change in someone. One of Zareens's cousins was immediately scoulded during the meeting after speaking up about Zareen. She said, "For God's sake! You're carrying on as if FEroza's dead! She's only getting married, for God's sake! (268). AFter this outburst, it was explained to her that by marrying a non-Parsee, a woman would no longer be able to worship with her community and would not be allowed to attend her grandmothers or parents funeral. The cousin then apologized to her grandmother, saying that she would never break her heart like that.

When Zareen goes to America with the intent of convincing her daughter not to marry David, in her head she constantly remembers all of the advice that her mother and family were giving her. She was told not to be too pushy with Feroza, otherwise she would rebel and marry David anyways. Although Zareen knows what she came to America to do, she gets caught up in the splendor and freedoms of the country, and begins to think that maybe her daughter's marriage to a non-Parsee isn't so bad after all. On pg. 287, it says that "Zareen found herself seriously questioning the ban on interfaith marriages for the first time." She even began to like David. But in the end, this pull towards acceptance is not strong enough to overcome the ties with Zareen's family and the importance of remaining a community. Zareen decides to break up David and Feroza by talking to David and going on and on about the rituals involved in wedding ceremonies in their religion. This definifetly scares David away, and eventually ends up breaking DAvid and FEroza apart. When Zareen flies home, I think she is struggling with her decision to allow her daughter to lose someone she loves. She feels bad for hurting Feroza, but she knows in her heart that it was the best thing for her to do for Feroza and the community. But, Zareen also states that she needs to be with her family ro assure her that she did the right thing (308). Ultimately, Zareen knew her daughter very well and knew she was courageous and resilient, qualities she did not really have, and that her daugher would bounce back and be happy again one day.

Breath, Eyes, Memory-Edwidge Danticat

"Breath, Eyes, Memory," by Edwidge Danticat says a lot about a child's relationship with their mother, and what is expected of children when they grow up and the mother grows old. I saw a connection between "Breath, Eyes, Memory," and "The Joys of Motherhood" regarding the ideal of it is a child's duty to make sure their mother is taken care of and has a good life when she grows old. In "The Joys of Motherhood" Nnu Ego grew up in a culture where this is expected but later learned that times were changing and she could not depend on her children to take care of her. In "Breath, Eyes, Memory," Atie's mother does not expect to be taken care of, but Atie feels some obligation to do so. Atie's mother talks about how times have changed saying, "Those are the old ways. These days, they go so far, the children. People like me, we look after ourselves" (119). She also says that Atie feels she must live with her, not out of love, but out of duty (168). I am not sure whether Atie lives with her mother because she wants to or because she feels as if she has to. Towards the end of the novel, Atie's sadness and depression is brought up a lot, but it is not clear why she feels the way she does. I think that Atie does love her mother and wants to be with her, but there is still a little part of her that wishes she could be like her sister and go to America. I also think part of her sadness comes from the void that was created when Sophie left her. Her friend Louise seemed to fill that void a little bit, but when she too left her, she felt very betrayed and empty. Also, with no daughter of her own, there was always something missing in her life.

ThE jOyS oF mOtHeRhOoD

The Joys of Motherhood, by Buchi Emecheta was a very intriguing novel filled with contradictions and ironies. I was especially interested in the way friendship was presented throughout the novel and how a lack of it can really leave someone feeling lonely. Nnu Ego, while living in Ibuza as a young girl, was constantly surrounded by family and friends and was happy and content, even though she knew or atleast thought her ultimate happiness would come from motherhood and starting a family. When Nnu Ego moves to Lagos to be with her husband Nnaife, she soon learns that in this new town she was not going to be constantly surrounded by friends and family. Eventually Nnu Ego starts to have children and the novel portrays the hardships she had to go through just to be able to feed her children. She has a few friends in Lagos, such as Cordelia and Mama Abby, but it seemed as if she only went to them when she was in need and did not really have time for them otherwise. When Nnu Ego goes back to Ibuza to visit her father before he dies, she experiences a more care-free life and is in the company of her relatives and a close community. On pg. 156, it says that,"Nnu Ego knew that when the time came for her to leave Ibuza she was going to be very sorry." Nnu Ego knows that when she goes back to Ibuza she will not have that close-knit community; it would just be her and her kids. After Nnaife is convicted of attempted murder, Nnu Ego reflects on motherhood. She wonders where it is she had gone wrong with her children and that she had been taught to believe that children made a woman, but she is not so sure about that anymore. On pg. 219, Nnu Ego tells herself that maybe she would have been better off if she had tried to foster more friendships, but she just did not have time, and she always thought her family would take the place of friends. At this point in the novel, Nnu Ego realizes that she might have had the wrong idea, placing all of her eggs in one basket, only focusing on her family and neglecting friendships. But, then again, she did not really have a choice considering her situation. Finally, at the end of the novel when Nnu Ego was dying, she was completely lonely, having no one to talk to her or hold her hand through death. It is a very depressing ending, but it made me really think about how important it is to not just have strong family ties, but deep friendships that help you through hard times.

AnNiE jOhN by Jamaica Kincaid

I found this novel very easy to read for a couple of reasons. First, because the language used was very common and the print was fairly big. But, the main reason Annie John was such an easy read is because I felt as if I had traveled back through time to when I was 10-17. This novel is so easy to relate to, especially for females, and it's very comforting knowing that someone else went through the same changes and awkwardness that I once did. Annie's John's relationship with her mother reflected my relationship with my mother when i was that age. At the beggining of the novel when Annie was about 10, she absolutely adored her mother and looked up to her. Annie stated "how important she felt to be with her mother" (15). She also said, "When my eyes rested on my mother, she was beautiful" (19). It was clear to the reader that Annie thought her mother was God's gift to the world, an infallible, gorgeous woman. When I was around 10, I also thought my mom was someone without flaws, who I could just admire and look up to. When Annie hit the age of 12, puberty started to kick in and she began to feel bitterness towards the whole world. She said, "I was never able to wear my own dress or see my mother in hers without feeling bitterness and hatred, directed not so much toward my mother as toward, I suppose, life in general"(26). At this point in her life, she was no longer at her mother's side all of the time, instead she was taught all about manners, how to play the piano, etc. Annie started to develop an attitude with her mother and talk back to her, which is something she never would have thought of doing before. I went through this same ordeal with my mother and it seemed as if everything she said I wanted to challenge and contradict. AFter Annie started her period, she almost felt empowered because she was one of the first girls to get it, and it helped her excel in sports. Along with getting her period and growing older, she felt as if she no longer loved her mother, as she stated on pg. 53. She wanted to do everything that her mother did not want her to do. By developing friendships with Gwen and the Red girl and also playing marbles, Annie was acting out against her mother because she did not want to become the person that her mother wanted her to. Annie felt as if her mother was keeping her away from the outside world. It was because of her strong feelings that she needed to escape her mother and her home that she made the decision to go to England and potentially stay there for good. As Annie was in her room for the last time she said, "As I was lying there my heart could have burst open with joy at the thought of never having to see any of it again"(132). I feel that she needed to leave in order to really appreciate her mother and father and her home. I know that Annie John kind of put up a tough front and said that she would not miss her home, in particular her mother, but I would like to believe that after Annie was away for awhile, she realized how important home and family really is, even though the people and the place are not idealistic as they used to be when she was young.

The House on Mango Street

I thought one of the most interesting chapters in The House on Mango Street was the chapter where Esperanza explained her name and where it came from. She was named after her great-grandmother, who was supposedly a free spirit,"a wild horse of a woman," but was forced to marry and be tied down by her great-grandfather. Esperanza says that her great-grandmother never forgave her husband. She said that, "She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women site their sadness on an elbow"(12). Espereranza then goes on to explain that although she has inherited her great-grandmother's name, she does not want to inherit her place by the window. Esperanza recognizes at such a young age what women go through not just in her culture, but everywhere. She sees that women often suppress their own identities in order to conform to what society thinks a woman should be like...submissive to men, meak, and most importantly a good mother and housewife. Esperanza does not want to end up like her great-grandmother and so many other women in the world. The whole book is describing Esperanza's identity-buliding and how she wants to break away from Mango Street and have her own house. She feels that if she gets away from Mango Street, she will not be sucked into the life that her great-grandmother once had. As Esperanza and her friends grow up, Esperanza witnesses first-hand what it is like to be tied down by a man. Sally gets married at such a young age and she is afraid to even go outside without her husband's permission. Seeing this even more in her Mango STreet society, Esperanza pushes harder and harder towards getting away from it.

The GiRl In tHE tAnGeRiNe ScArF

"The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf," by Mohja Kahf brings up a lot of issues about how immigrants view Americans and how they see themselves outside of "American life." At the beginning of the novel, there were many instances showing how Khadra's family looked down upon Americans and would never think of labeling themselves as Americans because after all, they were dirty and immoral. Khandra' mother ran the laundry twice in the laundry room because she said, "You never know with Americans. Americans don't care about impurities"(4). Another instance when Khandra and her brother Eyad were eventually found by their parents after an adventure by the creek, caused Khandra's mother to become furious and exclaim, "We are not Americans, We are not Americans!"(67). She was implying that that they do no leave their children wandering in the streets, like American do. Because Khandra was raised in this type of environment, where she was never identified with being American, she hated when she actually had to become a citizen. As Khandra grew as a person and broke away from her "old self," she began to realize that she was American, but still not the same type of American as the typical "Indiana Hoosier." She looked at her American identity through an Us vs. Them lense, which clouded the way she viewed herself and others even more. Finally at the end of the novel, she began to look at the world around her without a lense and embrace who she truly was. While at the race track, she observed the "Midwestern Hoosiers" around her, who were set in all of their ways, who valued God, and who were afraid of change. It was at that moment that she realized that "they" were just like her and her family. The Us and Them coincided, atleast for that moment.

KiNdReD

I thought that these were a couple of the best lines of the novel:
"She means it doesn't come off, Dana. The black. She means the devil with people who say you're anything but what you are."
I first viewed this quote in a positive way, considering the context of the black slaves accusing Dana of being "too white," and almost betraying them. But, after reading it a few times, I get the feeling that maybe Butler used this line to say that black people couldn't escape the oppressions that came along with having black skin, no matter how educated they were, or what century they came from. Butler applies the same idea in 1976 when Kevin's sister absolutely rejected Dana and wanted nothing to do with her. She uses this scenario to explain to the reader that although the racism and oppression is not nearly as horrifying or degrading as it used to be, it still was present in 1976 and even today.
When I was reading the novel, I was wondering if there was any deeper meaning to Dana always wearing pants and dressing as a "man" because it was brought up constantly. Did people respect her more just by simply being dressed like a man? She had several opportunities to change the way she dressed, but she always opted not to. Maybe I am reading into this too much, but I was just wondering what other people thought about it.
Also, I was very VERY confused as to what exactly happened at the end of the novel with Dana's arm and the wall. Why did that happen? If someone could please explain that to me I woud be very much appreciative.

The Bluest-Eye(continued)

The question of whether someone's upbringing can alter someone's character and who they truly are brings about mixed feelings for me. The belief that if someone has grown up in poverty and has little to no family life makes that person more likely to live an unsuccessful life is pretty much a common belief in American society today. We are always trying to help the kids living in the "ghetto" so that they have hope for the future and can make something of themselves. But, who can say what exactly causes a person to rape someone or verbally abuse someone else? Are these offenses an effect of how someone was brought up or are they just a character flaw, a reflection of the type of person that they truly are? In Cholly's case, I believe that his upbringing definitely had some sort of effect on the way he lived his life and treated others, but on the other hand I sometimes think that that excuse is a cop-out. Why couldn't Cholly choose to treat people with respect and why couldn't he be faithful to his wife and truly love his children? So I guess what I am ultimately saying is that I believe a person can choose what kind of person they really want to be, despite all of the horrible things that may have happened to them in the past.

The Bluest Eye

Do you believe Cholly Breedlove's character would have changed if he had been brought up differently? Can a person's true character be altered by their upbringing?

NeW bLoG sItE

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