Jennifer Sherman
Fantasy
Response to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The only book that I have ever opened and failed to finish was Harry Potter. It was many years ago, before the movies and the immense popularity. Over the years, as I have heard about how amazing these book are, I have often thought that I should return to that book. I have hoped that I have grown as a reader and that I could invest myself into this new creative land and I could connect to the honor and the adventure of Harry Potter. After reading the Graveyard Book, I’m beginning to think that I might just not have it in me.
When I started this book, I was intrigued. I liked the mystery that was set up with the man Jack. I instantly wondered why is he called “the man”? Why is he killing this family? When the boy moved into the graveyard, I suspended my disbelief. I was able to adopt this new world and I was able to visualize this setting. I could see the ghosts deliberating about whether or not to keep the child. I could buy into the fact that the Owens were able to take care of him and give him the Freedom of the Graveyard. I even was intrigued about Silas. I believed that he was able to live with the dead and the alive, and thus he was able to negotiate between the needs of Bod and the needs of the ghosts. I was also intrigued about who he was and what he was. For the first 100 pages, I entered inside this world. However, as soon as I had invested myself into the fantasy, I found myself slipping away.
I simply could not get into this book. I don’t think that it was the fantastical setting, as I was interested in how this world was created. I enjoyed reading about the creation of the setting, how the ghosts functioned and lived, how it differed from the world that I know, and how these people went about their everyday. I loved looking at life through a different lens. I think that creating this fantastical world allowed for a more investment in the book because if forced me as a reader to completely invest myself into the narrative. In order to buy into a fantasy book, you have to let the world consume you. I feel like other books allow for more wiggle room and detachment. I think that I can read a realistic fiction book and I can look for themes and character development. I can analyze the entire book and yet not have fully entered that book. Yet, with a fantasy book, I think that in order to really gain anything from the story, you have to let the world take over your mind and you have to leave the real world in order to enter the new one. You have to experience reading in its most purest and magical form.
With that being said, I suppose I was not fully able to enter. I found myself bored as we followed Bod into his miscellaneous adventures around the graveyard. I could not connect to all of the mini stories that were imbedded in the larger narrative about the ghouls, the witch, or the adventures inside the hill with the Sleer. I knew that Bod was not going to die, as these events were occurring in the middle of the book. Furthermore, I had a difficult time connecting with any of these characters. I kept missing the point of the narrative. With the scenes like the one with Liza the witch, I thought that it was an interesting moralistic tale about not judging a book by its cover or reinforcing stereotypes. However, beyond that I did not know how it added to the plot. It was really the same thing with the ghouls and the hill. While they were reintroduced at the end of the novel when Bod used them to get rid of the Jacks, I did not understand why so much time was dedicated to their discussion. What was the point of the Ivory man? Why could Scarlett see him? I felt like I was missing something as I was reading this and this just left me discontent and uninterested.
Despite my moments of disinterest, I did see ways in which this book utilized the literary techniques of suspense and mystery in order to push the plot forward and to attract the readers. I thought that the book did nicely by immediately engaging the readers. Immediately, we are taken to a scene with the man Jack who is killing these people that we do not know. Shortly thereafter, Bod enters the world of the dead. However, there is not a discussion of these murders until much later in the book. While I found the conclusion rather disappointing and I would have liked to have the mystery of Jack elaborated on throughout the book, I still hung onto each page wanting to know why Jack wanted to murder this family. I wanted to know if Jack was ever going to find Bod and what was going to happen. It was worth turning each page in between because I had that fuel of that mystery pushing me forward.
The ability to build up this suspense was demonstrated magnificently in the chapter entitled, “Every Man Jack.” In that chapter, Scarlett met a mysterious man in the grave who called himself Mr. Frost. Now immediately, as a reader we are to think that this is Jack. The title of the chapter set it up this way, let alone the fact that there is all of a sudden a man who is dusting off grave stones and taking and driving young girls home. However, then as the chapter went on, I began to doubt this assumption. When Scarlett asked him about the murder, I was screaming at the book to have her keep her mouth shut. Yet, then when Mr. Frost began to tell her truthful and detailed information about the murder, I thought that perhaps he was just a historian. Still, when Scarlett brought Bod to the house, I was again screaming at Bod, telling him that the man was going to kill him. However, then once again I saw the man actually taking out the board on the ground and I wondered if maybe he did want to show Bod something. But why did he keep asking if Bod was the baby? I am constantly going back and forth, screaming at the book and then reading forward to see if my screaming was misapplied. The chapter was crafted skillfully in slowly building on the suspense and positioning the reader in a state of disorientation.
Fantasy books are often used as a key outlet for discussing larger social issues. Because they take place in a world that could never actually exist, they become a safe ground for discussions of things that do actually exist that may be controversial if looked at more explicitly. I think that this book did utilize this approach in the sense that it imbedded larger and interesting themes into its development and plotline. It was very interesting to see the juxtaposition of the living and the dead. Throughout the book, they make the comment that the living and the dead are to remain separate. They cannot interact. On the night of the dance when they all came together, they could not even talk about it afterwards. When Bod pesters the ghosts about why they will not admit that they danced with the living the previous night, they say, “Because there are mysteries. Because there are things that people are forbidden to speak about. Because there are things they do not remember” (164).
This separation between the living and the dead brought about interesting ideas about multicultural lines and segregation. The two sets of people are too different to coexist. Yet, still they came together in that one dance and it was magical. Why can’t they coexist? Surely it is possible as Bod is able to interact with them and they are able to dance together on that one night. Is it physically impossible for them to be together or it is a mental distancing? Bod’s ability to live with the ghosts exemplifies an ability to enter into another world and to live with those that are different. Yet, at the end of the novel, even Scarlett proclaims to Bod, “You aren’t a person. People don’t behave like you. You’re as bad as them. You are a monster” (286). Scarlett sees something different in Bod. Yet, as readers we understand that he was protecting himself against the evil. Again, is Bod unhuman? Is he not able to live with both groups at the same time? Did living with the dead change him? Is Bod a monster? Or is Scarlett simply unable to accept the differences and to accept Bod for being who he is? The book raises these interesting questions. While it does not interject firm answers to them, I think that the main point is that it provides a point of access for these questions to be risen. The greatest form of critical thinking lies in the formation of questions.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Reponse to Skellig by David Almond
Jennifer Sherman
Fantasy
Response to Skellig by David Almond
I’m not sure I could describe the events that happened in Skellig. Honestly, it seems like nothing happened at all. A baby is sick and then the baby lives. The brother struggles with the baby’s illness and deals with how it affects his parents and himself. Essentially, that is what happens. And there aren’t even very many climatic moments where the baby’s life is in jeopardy or we question if she will survive or what is wrong with her. The story just simply continues. It is steady and persistent. It is absolutely wonderful.
When I finished this book, it seemed like I had just started it. The hours in between when I opened the first page and when I hesitantly closed the last, are lost to me. The story was so rhythmic. Because the events were so steady and “uneventful” the story just seemed to continue. I felt like the short chapters added to its unity, as they were so small that they were unable to signify any kind of separation. After three or four pages, another chapter would begin, and thus there was never really anywhere to stop. You could always read another chapter or two.
In stories that fail to have that clear rising action and moment of climax, there is usually a great deal of character development. These are the stories that talk about internal struggle or individual development. We seem to become the characters as we enter inside their brains and get to know them on an intensely personal level. However, with the characters in this book that was not the case. We really knew nothing about these characters that made them unique or dynamic. All we knew about the parents is that they were worried about their dying baby and they loved their children. We knew that the dad liked to make jokes and eat Chinese food. There was nothing about him that made him stand out from any other father or character. Even the unknown creature Skellig was not described in any way that made him unique. There was no description that made him easily visible to the reader’s eye. All we knew about him was that he had wings, he was skinny, and he liked to eat insects and Chinese food as well. We were never given a clear description of what he even looked like.
Through a few clues in the book, such as when they ask Michael who the prime minister is or the use of the word “bloody” we are told that it takes place in Britain. However, other than that we are not given a clear description of the setting. The story is even told in the first person and we do not know much about the main character. How old is he? What does he look like? There is nothing in this story that creates a concrete connection with the characters. There is no real character development.
Yet, I felt connected. I loved the description of the family. I loved the inside jokes about the father getting fat or how the parents teased Michael when he wanted to name the baby Persephone or how he presumably memorized the take out menu from the Chinese menu. I could feel the love that this family shared. The fight between the father and son was truly touching. The father screamed at him and told him that he wanted him to just go away. And then he came back and told him that he loved him. The moment was raw. It was special. Even though it seemed a bit normal or classic, it felt right. It felt real.
We may not know much about the characters, but I think that we know their hearts. We know as much as we need to know. Through Michael‘s narration we are given little character nuggets that teach us something about him. His simple descriptions like, “It was strange being at school again. Loads had happened to me, but school just stayed the same” (13) allow us to gauge his age and understand his complexity. Using basic words like “loads” that do not carry much descriptive certainty tells us that he is rather young. We are able to learn about his character though action instead of description. Even the way that the characters speak to him allows us to pinpoint his age. The way that the doctor tells him about how to heal arthritis by “cutting bits out and putting bits in” (67) tells us how others view his mental complexity.
The back of this book says that it is about Michael learning about the healing power of love, and I think that is what I got out of this book as well. When we meet Michael he resents the baby, because he had to move because of her and his parents are consumed by her, leaving him out in the dust. When he asks his mother about shoulder blades her first reaction is to simply walk away because she is concerned about the baby. While she eventually comes back and tells him about the angels and how shoulder blades are thought to be where are wings were, this shows how his relationship with his parents has shifted because of the new member of the family. Yet, through this shift, Michael still loves the baby. He can feel her heart beat in his own. He constantly prays for her and he asks Skellig to pray for her as well. The baby becomes part of him. She lives up to her name and brings joy to the family. At the end of the book when Michaels asks, “Can love help a person get better?” (161) I believe that he is synopsizing what this book is about. He is illustrating how faith and love can change a life.
When Michael met Skellig, he was fragile and weak. However, as he took care of him, Skellig grew strong and powerful. He was able to fly to the sister and perhaps guide her back to life, depending on what you view Skellig to be. No matter, he was able to stand on his own and dance with the children as they grew their own wings. It could be argued that it was the children’s love that gave him this strength. For years he was living with the old man, eating leftover Chinese boxes, barely clinging to life. Love brought him back.
This story does not really give any answers. At the end, we do not know who or what Skellig is. We do not know where he is going. We do not know if the children ever had wings. We do not know much more than we did in the very beginning. Yet, when I left this book, I did not feel like I needed to know anything. I did not feel like anything was left answered. This book instead showed me that I do not need answers. I do not need to know the exact description of Skellig or how old Michael is. I just need to be believe.
I felt like I gained so much from reading this book. In the very beginning of the book, Mina states, “Truth and dreams are always getting muddled” (52). This book exemplifies that quote. The lines between reality and fantasy are unclear. It is never certain if Skellig really exists or if everything is just a dream. Yet, in the end it does not really matter. It does not matter whether or not Michael was ever given wings or whether or not Skellig was an angel that came to help Michael and his sister. At the end of the day, Skellig helped Michael. Skellig taught Michael about love and acceptance. He helped him through this rough time in his life. I don’t care if he was real or not. What matters is the effect that he had. What matters is how he changed a life. What matters is that Michael believed.
Fantasy
Response to Skellig by David Almond
I’m not sure I could describe the events that happened in Skellig. Honestly, it seems like nothing happened at all. A baby is sick and then the baby lives. The brother struggles with the baby’s illness and deals with how it affects his parents and himself. Essentially, that is what happens. And there aren’t even very many climatic moments where the baby’s life is in jeopardy or we question if she will survive or what is wrong with her. The story just simply continues. It is steady and persistent. It is absolutely wonderful.
When I finished this book, it seemed like I had just started it. The hours in between when I opened the first page and when I hesitantly closed the last, are lost to me. The story was so rhythmic. Because the events were so steady and “uneventful” the story just seemed to continue. I felt like the short chapters added to its unity, as they were so small that they were unable to signify any kind of separation. After three or four pages, another chapter would begin, and thus there was never really anywhere to stop. You could always read another chapter or two.
In stories that fail to have that clear rising action and moment of climax, there is usually a great deal of character development. These are the stories that talk about internal struggle or individual development. We seem to become the characters as we enter inside their brains and get to know them on an intensely personal level. However, with the characters in this book that was not the case. We really knew nothing about these characters that made them unique or dynamic. All we knew about the parents is that they were worried about their dying baby and they loved their children. We knew that the dad liked to make jokes and eat Chinese food. There was nothing about him that made him stand out from any other father or character. Even the unknown creature Skellig was not described in any way that made him unique. There was no description that made him easily visible to the reader’s eye. All we knew about him was that he had wings, he was skinny, and he liked to eat insects and Chinese food as well. We were never given a clear description of what he even looked like.
Through a few clues in the book, such as when they ask Michael who the prime minister is or the use of the word “bloody” we are told that it takes place in Britain. However, other than that we are not given a clear description of the setting. The story is even told in the first person and we do not know much about the main character. How old is he? What does he look like? There is nothing in this story that creates a concrete connection with the characters. There is no real character development.
Yet, I felt connected. I loved the description of the family. I loved the inside jokes about the father getting fat or how the parents teased Michael when he wanted to name the baby Persephone or how he presumably memorized the take out menu from the Chinese menu. I could feel the love that this family shared. The fight between the father and son was truly touching. The father screamed at him and told him that he wanted him to just go away. And then he came back and told him that he loved him. The moment was raw. It was special. Even though it seemed a bit normal or classic, it felt right. It felt real.
We may not know much about the characters, but I think that we know their hearts. We know as much as we need to know. Through Michael‘s narration we are given little character nuggets that teach us something about him. His simple descriptions like, “It was strange being at school again. Loads had happened to me, but school just stayed the same” (13) allow us to gauge his age and understand his complexity. Using basic words like “loads” that do not carry much descriptive certainty tells us that he is rather young. We are able to learn about his character though action instead of description. Even the way that the characters speak to him allows us to pinpoint his age. The way that the doctor tells him about how to heal arthritis by “cutting bits out and putting bits in” (67) tells us how others view his mental complexity.
The back of this book says that it is about Michael learning about the healing power of love, and I think that is what I got out of this book as well. When we meet Michael he resents the baby, because he had to move because of her and his parents are consumed by her, leaving him out in the dust. When he asks his mother about shoulder blades her first reaction is to simply walk away because she is concerned about the baby. While she eventually comes back and tells him about the angels and how shoulder blades are thought to be where are wings were, this shows how his relationship with his parents has shifted because of the new member of the family. Yet, through this shift, Michael still loves the baby. He can feel her heart beat in his own. He constantly prays for her and he asks Skellig to pray for her as well. The baby becomes part of him. She lives up to her name and brings joy to the family. At the end of the book when Michaels asks, “Can love help a person get better?” (161) I believe that he is synopsizing what this book is about. He is illustrating how faith and love can change a life.
When Michael met Skellig, he was fragile and weak. However, as he took care of him, Skellig grew strong and powerful. He was able to fly to the sister and perhaps guide her back to life, depending on what you view Skellig to be. No matter, he was able to stand on his own and dance with the children as they grew their own wings. It could be argued that it was the children’s love that gave him this strength. For years he was living with the old man, eating leftover Chinese boxes, barely clinging to life. Love brought him back.
This story does not really give any answers. At the end, we do not know who or what Skellig is. We do not know where he is going. We do not know if the children ever had wings. We do not know much more than we did in the very beginning. Yet, when I left this book, I did not feel like I needed to know anything. I did not feel like anything was left answered. This book instead showed me that I do not need answers. I do not need to know the exact description of Skellig or how old Michael is. I just need to be believe.
I felt like I gained so much from reading this book. In the very beginning of the book, Mina states, “Truth and dreams are always getting muddled” (52). This book exemplifies that quote. The lines between reality and fantasy are unclear. It is never certain if Skellig really exists or if everything is just a dream. Yet, in the end it does not really matter. It does not matter whether or not Michael was ever given wings or whether or not Skellig was an angel that came to help Michael and his sister. At the end of the day, Skellig helped Michael. Skellig taught Michael about love and acceptance. He helped him through this rough time in his life. I don’t care if he was real or not. What matters is the effect that he had. What matters is how he changed a life. What matters is that Michael believed.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Response to Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Jennifer Sherman
Multicultural Literature
Response to Luna by Julie Anne Peters
As I was reading Luna, I found myself looking forward to the scenes that were between Regan and Chris. While I was interested in Regan’s relationship with Liam and Luna and the family dynamics between them all, I have to admit that I kept turning the pages and lowering my eyes further down the pages in order to see when Chris was going to appear. However, as I connected to these sentimental scenes, I could not help but feel as though I shouldn’t. The book had a way of making me feel ashamed for looking forward to these scenes. At the same time that my heart melted when Chris was waiting for Regan at her locker, I also felt ridiculous for conforming to the stereotypical gender constructions that have been placed upon me. I felt like I was being the typical girl, getting excited over a cute teenage romance.
I felt as though I was being reduced to my prescribed femininity. According to societal norms, a girl likes reading about relationships. A girl likes to live in the clouds and dream about her Prince Charming. Of course she doesn’t have the sense to think about social issues and expectations and how she is shaped and formed by the ideals that are placed on her. I felt shallow for not being more interested in the unbearable struggles of Liam. I felt shallow for being more concerned about a high school crush than I was about the fact that my identity and sense of self may not be my own, as they are manipulated by the norms and expectations of society.
I think this reflection clearly shows that the book did open my eyes to my own thinking and ways of processing. It’s discussion of gender roles and how we adapt ourselves to the constructions that are made for us, made me much more aware, or perhaps less aware, of if my actions are independently my own or whether they are in a response to what I have been taught to do. The line between who I am and what I think I should be suddenly became very cloudy. I found myself questioning whether or not the fact that I wanted to find those relationship scenes between Regan and Chris was because that was something that I enjoyed or if it has been so ingrained in me that that is something that I should want to do and thus I think that I should do it. It is frightening to realize that you may not even have the ability to know what thoughts are truly your own and what thoughts have been manipulated and created by outside forces and expectations.
I thought that the book did a great job of outlining gender expectations from all different angles. The most transparent viewpoint was that of Liam and Luna. Here, Luna is trapped in a male body but yet she does not feel as though she should be. She does not want to conform to the gender stereotypes that are set out for being a boy. She wants to do what we have deemed girl activities and thus she must be a girl. What makes this interesting is the fact that Luna has to enter a girl’s body in order to engage in the behavior that she wishes to engage in. It is deemed unacceptable for Liam, a boy, to dance and paint his toenails. His father cannot accept the fact that he does not want to play baseball. The Materas are absolutely appalled that they find him singing and wearing nightgowns. They immediately assume that he must be insane and they ban Regan from babysitting there even though she has been there for years.
This brings into question if boys and girls really do have fundamental differences between them or if many of us are just too afraid or simply unable to fight against the expectations that are placed on us. It is assumed that because Liam is a boy that he should want to do boy things. Anything else is simply insane. Because he is a boy, he must “play to their [society’s] expectations. Dress the part. Act the role” (51). Being a boy is simply a role. Our gender comes with demands and expectations. Maybe I don’t want to paint my toenails or read about romantic scenes. However, society has told me since I was born that that is something that I should do, so maybe that is why I do it. Or then again, perhaps I just happen to enjoy something that is stereotypically female. Maybe there is a reason that most females enjoy doing certain things that is inherently biological. The lines of gender and identity are clearly more blurred than many people realize.
Aside from Liam’s struggles, however, the book also presented many different viewpoints and angles about gender and expectations in a more broader sense. A great example of this was Regan’s mother. For most of their marriage, Regan’s mother was a stay at home mother. Her job was to make bologna rollups. As she said, “I’m always in here at the same time every day making lunches. That’s all I ever do. Cook for you, clean for you, take care of the kids” (135). Eventually, when their father loses his job, she gets a job of her own and she throws herself into her work. Her job becomes her number one priority as she is constantly on the phone at breakfast and she pays little attention to her family anymore. At the end of the book, Regan has to beg her mom to even get off of the phone when Liam turns himself into Luna in front of their father.
This new identity of the mother disturbs the father and the children. Regan wants her mother to make her bologna sandwiches. She longs to have a family like the Materas. She questions her mother’s love for her. The question remains whether or not her mother should want to stay home and be with the kids. She is portrayed as almost being inadequate, as she is taking estrogen and other pills and throwing herself into her work. It is almost as if she is incapable of being a mother, and thus she is incapable of coping as a woman. The expectations put on her have become too much, so she shuns them completely. She is unable to grapple with the fact that she cannot fulfill her gender expectations. In a way, she is struggling though the same problems as her son. However, she is unable to acknowledge them like his is.
The story of Regan is also a very interesting one. I think that it is especially insightful because we are able to hear the narration of the story from her point of view. Rather than hearing it from Luna’s point of view, we are able to see this transformation from an outside perspective. It almost allows the reader to have somebody to relate to. It makes the story more applicable and understandable. In a way, we are almost placed in the same position as Regan. We are an observer.
Regan, however, has more expectations placed on here than we do as readers. First off, she has the responsibility of being the one person her brother can confide in. I found it very interesting that the novel ended by Regan saying, “Hello, Regan.” For the first time, as Luna leaves, Regan is finally able to live her own life. Before that, her entire life was dictated by guilt and responsibility. She felt obligated to be there for her brother and she could not let herself escape it.
Regan also opens the door to acknowledging the gender demands that are placed on us and fighting back. I like the fact that she pronounces that unlike her mother she is failing home economics and she cannot make that pound cake. I like how she and Chris make fun of the roles that they should fulfill. They make fun of their Chemistry teacher who pronounces that the safety goggles must be worn at all times as, “It’s a state law girls. Chemistry is not a beauty contest” (29). At the same time that Regan sees her brother’s transformation, watches her mom struggle to find a balance in her life, and long for a family like the Materas, she seems to be weaving her way through her own life and gender expectations as well.
Regan is a character who understands the demands that are placed on her. She seems to see how the world is manipulated by stereotypes, yet she also seems to struggle to get past them. She wants to play with that Barbie Doll as a little girl and be the mommy just as much as Liam does. She also seems to conform well into the dependent, beings suited by a suitor role with Chris as well. The question is really of awareness and understanding what desires are ours and what we want to be versus what we are expected to be. Luna gives its readers an insight into their own minds and it allows them to open their eyes to the society and environment around them.
Multicultural Literature
Response to Luna by Julie Anne Peters
As I was reading Luna, I found myself looking forward to the scenes that were between Regan and Chris. While I was interested in Regan’s relationship with Liam and Luna and the family dynamics between them all, I have to admit that I kept turning the pages and lowering my eyes further down the pages in order to see when Chris was going to appear. However, as I connected to these sentimental scenes, I could not help but feel as though I shouldn’t. The book had a way of making me feel ashamed for looking forward to these scenes. At the same time that my heart melted when Chris was waiting for Regan at her locker, I also felt ridiculous for conforming to the stereotypical gender constructions that have been placed upon me. I felt like I was being the typical girl, getting excited over a cute teenage romance.
I felt as though I was being reduced to my prescribed femininity. According to societal norms, a girl likes reading about relationships. A girl likes to live in the clouds and dream about her Prince Charming. Of course she doesn’t have the sense to think about social issues and expectations and how she is shaped and formed by the ideals that are placed on her. I felt shallow for not being more interested in the unbearable struggles of Liam. I felt shallow for being more concerned about a high school crush than I was about the fact that my identity and sense of self may not be my own, as they are manipulated by the norms and expectations of society.
I think this reflection clearly shows that the book did open my eyes to my own thinking and ways of processing. It’s discussion of gender roles and how we adapt ourselves to the constructions that are made for us, made me much more aware, or perhaps less aware, of if my actions are independently my own or whether they are in a response to what I have been taught to do. The line between who I am and what I think I should be suddenly became very cloudy. I found myself questioning whether or not the fact that I wanted to find those relationship scenes between Regan and Chris was because that was something that I enjoyed or if it has been so ingrained in me that that is something that I should want to do and thus I think that I should do it. It is frightening to realize that you may not even have the ability to know what thoughts are truly your own and what thoughts have been manipulated and created by outside forces and expectations.
I thought that the book did a great job of outlining gender expectations from all different angles. The most transparent viewpoint was that of Liam and Luna. Here, Luna is trapped in a male body but yet she does not feel as though she should be. She does not want to conform to the gender stereotypes that are set out for being a boy. She wants to do what we have deemed girl activities and thus she must be a girl. What makes this interesting is the fact that Luna has to enter a girl’s body in order to engage in the behavior that she wishes to engage in. It is deemed unacceptable for Liam, a boy, to dance and paint his toenails. His father cannot accept the fact that he does not want to play baseball. The Materas are absolutely appalled that they find him singing and wearing nightgowns. They immediately assume that he must be insane and they ban Regan from babysitting there even though she has been there for years.
This brings into question if boys and girls really do have fundamental differences between them or if many of us are just too afraid or simply unable to fight against the expectations that are placed on us. It is assumed that because Liam is a boy that he should want to do boy things. Anything else is simply insane. Because he is a boy, he must “play to their [society’s] expectations. Dress the part. Act the role” (51). Being a boy is simply a role. Our gender comes with demands and expectations. Maybe I don’t want to paint my toenails or read about romantic scenes. However, society has told me since I was born that that is something that I should do, so maybe that is why I do it. Or then again, perhaps I just happen to enjoy something that is stereotypically female. Maybe there is a reason that most females enjoy doing certain things that is inherently biological. The lines of gender and identity are clearly more blurred than many people realize.
Aside from Liam’s struggles, however, the book also presented many different viewpoints and angles about gender and expectations in a more broader sense. A great example of this was Regan’s mother. For most of their marriage, Regan’s mother was a stay at home mother. Her job was to make bologna rollups. As she said, “I’m always in here at the same time every day making lunches. That’s all I ever do. Cook for you, clean for you, take care of the kids” (135). Eventually, when their father loses his job, she gets a job of her own and she throws herself into her work. Her job becomes her number one priority as she is constantly on the phone at breakfast and she pays little attention to her family anymore. At the end of the book, Regan has to beg her mom to even get off of the phone when Liam turns himself into Luna in front of their father.
This new identity of the mother disturbs the father and the children. Regan wants her mother to make her bologna sandwiches. She longs to have a family like the Materas. She questions her mother’s love for her. The question remains whether or not her mother should want to stay home and be with the kids. She is portrayed as almost being inadequate, as she is taking estrogen and other pills and throwing herself into her work. It is almost as if she is incapable of being a mother, and thus she is incapable of coping as a woman. The expectations put on her have become too much, so she shuns them completely. She is unable to grapple with the fact that she cannot fulfill her gender expectations. In a way, she is struggling though the same problems as her son. However, she is unable to acknowledge them like his is.
The story of Regan is also a very interesting one. I think that it is especially insightful because we are able to hear the narration of the story from her point of view. Rather than hearing it from Luna’s point of view, we are able to see this transformation from an outside perspective. It almost allows the reader to have somebody to relate to. It makes the story more applicable and understandable. In a way, we are almost placed in the same position as Regan. We are an observer.
Regan, however, has more expectations placed on here than we do as readers. First off, she has the responsibility of being the one person her brother can confide in. I found it very interesting that the novel ended by Regan saying, “Hello, Regan.” For the first time, as Luna leaves, Regan is finally able to live her own life. Before that, her entire life was dictated by guilt and responsibility. She felt obligated to be there for her brother and she could not let herself escape it.
Regan also opens the door to acknowledging the gender demands that are placed on us and fighting back. I like the fact that she pronounces that unlike her mother she is failing home economics and she cannot make that pound cake. I like how she and Chris make fun of the roles that they should fulfill. They make fun of their Chemistry teacher who pronounces that the safety goggles must be worn at all times as, “It’s a state law girls. Chemistry is not a beauty contest” (29). At the same time that Regan sees her brother’s transformation, watches her mom struggle to find a balance in her life, and long for a family like the Materas, she seems to be weaving her way through her own life and gender expectations as well.
Regan is a character who understands the demands that are placed on her. She seems to see how the world is manipulated by stereotypes, yet she also seems to struggle to get past them. She wants to play with that Barbie Doll as a little girl and be the mommy just as much as Liam does. She also seems to conform well into the dependent, beings suited by a suitor role with Chris as well. The question is really of awareness and understanding what desires are ours and what we want to be versus what we are expected to be. Luna gives its readers an insight into their own minds and it allows them to open their eyes to the society and environment around them.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Response to The People Could Fly told by Virginia Hamilton
Response to The People Could Fly
Folk tales are interesting because of the history that is connected to them. I enjoy reading them in order to learn about their origins and in order to decipher and decode what meaning and experiences they bring to light. Unlike other pieces of literature, folk tales were created to be spoken. This was made quite evident throughout the tales with the use of the original vernacular of the slaves of the period and also several of the beginning lines of the tales such as, “Let’s tal about one time,” (107) “Heard tell about the Doctor Rabbit and Brother Fox,” (13) and
“Don’t know much about animal tells. Her um but forget um. Do know about Bruh Lizar bested Bruh Rabbit?” (31) These lines exemplify the fact that these tales were created in order to share with each other on a daily basis. They exemplify the raw authenticity and powerfulness of the tales as a whole, as they remind the readers of the naturalness of their expression.
Folk tales were created in order to teach about good moral values to live by or in order to place a memory or a dream into a narrative and give it eternal life. They have adapted over the years to fit the needs and demands of society; however, I believe that by analyzing the adaptations and the root of each folk tale, a magnificent cultural artifact can be created. The People Could Fly is a wonderful example of this phenomenon, because it highlights a significant time in our nation’s history when African Americans were slaves. It uncovers the lives, hopes, and dreams of the slaves and it gives us a look into the true emotional lives of the people in that period in history.
I loved these tales because of their ability to speak. I thought that each tale brought me to that time and uncovered a fact or emotion of African Americas. Unlike a history book, these folk tales were able to capture the pure emotion of these people. They were able to capture the authentic voice of the slaves themselves and thus they were filled with authenticity and sentimentality. It is impossible for me to place myself into the shoes of these slaves. I cannot begin to imagine what that must have felt like. Yet, I believe that these tale afforded me a glimpse into the everyday of this period. They didn’t just teach me about slavery or the road to freedom. They taught me about what was important to the slaves. They taught me about how they got through each and every day. They showed me how they coped through the turmoil. They showed me how they came together and found unity with one another. They showed me how it is possible to survive through such pain.
I think what made the folk tales especially interesting were the pieces of narrative attached to the beginning of the book and at the end of each tale. I found the author’s explanations and interpretations of the tales to be very helpful and enlightening. They gave me a map that helped me guide my way though them as they placed each tale into a context that I could grapple with. I felt that they allowed me to look back into the text and pull out the significant pieces that gave me the most insight into what these tales meant and why they were worth repeating. Without these bits of narratives, I think that I would have lacked the anchor and background knowledge to truly understand the significance of many of the tales.
The narratives were especially helpful with the beginning tales that were about animals. With the help of the author’s intrusion, I was able to pull out elements of the pieces that carried significance. Many of these tales had great metaphors and concepts imbedded within them. For example, in “He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit,” we saw the animal’s fear of man. We were able to see how the animals viewed the men from afar as they first saw the boy and then the older man. We were able to see human through the eyes of another and understand the fear that was attached to this viewpoint. I found this shift in perspective to be interesting as I think that it could be interpreted to describe how the slaves felt toward the white man. Being stripped of freedom like that must have felt like being stripped of humanity itself. This story brought to mind the idea of separation. The way that the slaves were treated, like animals, shaped them into being seen as almost less than human or inferior. While I think that these tales showed that the slaves were human and that they did not want to view themselves as anything less, stories like this one also show how difficult this was. The slaves’ connection to the animals could be their own act of separation from the white man. Perhaps it was a separation of choice as they refused to be connected to being human if being human meant was attached to such hatred and cruelty. Almost all of these folk tales involved the help or interaction with the animals and this showed a powerful relationship between the slave and nature and animals.
Many of the folktales in history focus on establishing gender roles. Women are often seen as young girls who are need of being rescued. In addition, men are seen as brutes who need to find a woman in order to settle down and become a prince/man. In these tales, however, the prize was a bit different. Rather than being focused on winning the girl, I felt that the stories with princesses were more concerned with winning out in the end. They were more concerned with finding freedom and money. In “The Beautiful Girl and the Moon Tower” the protagonist Anton ends up killing the princesses’ father, with the help of his animal friends. He then marries the princess and becomes the prince. While this could be seen as him being tamed and complete as he has now found his woman, I think that the larger issue is with destroying that which restrains him, the king/master, and finding his freedom. This same theme was seen throughout the extravagant and fanciful tales as the protagonists all ended up tricking, conniving, or working their way into monetary gains. In “Manuel had a Riddle“, Manuel wins his fortune and shares it with his mother. In “The Two Johns,” the little John wins out in the end after tricking the big John into destroying his own life. All of these tales look to bring down the one in power, which could be connected to bringing down the slave-owner and finding emotional, physical, and spiritual freedom.
The final tales were very specific and historically based. Rather than being about extravagant fairy tales or talking, personified animals, they were about real events of the period where slaves found their freedom or helped other find theirs. I thought that these were the easiest to understand and relate to. The tales of courage, such as “Carry the Running-Aways” where the slave brought all of the others to freedom, were very touching and heart-wrenching. These tales really brought to life the faith and vigor of these people. It exemplified the heroic nature of these people in plain, yet powerful terms. These stories illustrated the ability for folk tales to transcend events into the eternal as they bring life to stories and carry them to generation to generation. They gave different insight into history while still attaching that raw emotion to each narrative as well. I think that these tales were the closest to what we read in history books. Yet, they added a emotional element to them that allowed the reader to truly gain the values, courage, and fears of the slaves who were telling the stories and their family members that passed them down.
Folk tales are interesting because of the history that is connected to them. I enjoy reading them in order to learn about their origins and in order to decipher and decode what meaning and experiences they bring to light. Unlike other pieces of literature, folk tales were created to be spoken. This was made quite evident throughout the tales with the use of the original vernacular of the slaves of the period and also several of the beginning lines of the tales such as, “Let’s tal about one time,” (107) “Heard tell about the Doctor Rabbit and Brother Fox,” (13) and
“Don’t know much about animal tells. Her um but forget um. Do know about Bruh Lizar bested Bruh Rabbit?” (31) These lines exemplify the fact that these tales were created in order to share with each other on a daily basis. They exemplify the raw authenticity and powerfulness of the tales as a whole, as they remind the readers of the naturalness of their expression.
Folk tales were created in order to teach about good moral values to live by or in order to place a memory or a dream into a narrative and give it eternal life. They have adapted over the years to fit the needs and demands of society; however, I believe that by analyzing the adaptations and the root of each folk tale, a magnificent cultural artifact can be created. The People Could Fly is a wonderful example of this phenomenon, because it highlights a significant time in our nation’s history when African Americans were slaves. It uncovers the lives, hopes, and dreams of the slaves and it gives us a look into the true emotional lives of the people in that period in history.
I loved these tales because of their ability to speak. I thought that each tale brought me to that time and uncovered a fact or emotion of African Americas. Unlike a history book, these folk tales were able to capture the pure emotion of these people. They were able to capture the authentic voice of the slaves themselves and thus they were filled with authenticity and sentimentality. It is impossible for me to place myself into the shoes of these slaves. I cannot begin to imagine what that must have felt like. Yet, I believe that these tale afforded me a glimpse into the everyday of this period. They didn’t just teach me about slavery or the road to freedom. They taught me about what was important to the slaves. They taught me about how they got through each and every day. They showed me how they coped through the turmoil. They showed me how they came together and found unity with one another. They showed me how it is possible to survive through such pain.
I think what made the folk tales especially interesting were the pieces of narrative attached to the beginning of the book and at the end of each tale. I found the author’s explanations and interpretations of the tales to be very helpful and enlightening. They gave me a map that helped me guide my way though them as they placed each tale into a context that I could grapple with. I felt that they allowed me to look back into the text and pull out the significant pieces that gave me the most insight into what these tales meant and why they were worth repeating. Without these bits of narratives, I think that I would have lacked the anchor and background knowledge to truly understand the significance of many of the tales.
The narratives were especially helpful with the beginning tales that were about animals. With the help of the author’s intrusion, I was able to pull out elements of the pieces that carried significance. Many of these tales had great metaphors and concepts imbedded within them. For example, in “He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit,” we saw the animal’s fear of man. We were able to see how the animals viewed the men from afar as they first saw the boy and then the older man. We were able to see human through the eyes of another and understand the fear that was attached to this viewpoint. I found this shift in perspective to be interesting as I think that it could be interpreted to describe how the slaves felt toward the white man. Being stripped of freedom like that must have felt like being stripped of humanity itself. This story brought to mind the idea of separation. The way that the slaves were treated, like animals, shaped them into being seen as almost less than human or inferior. While I think that these tales showed that the slaves were human and that they did not want to view themselves as anything less, stories like this one also show how difficult this was. The slaves’ connection to the animals could be their own act of separation from the white man. Perhaps it was a separation of choice as they refused to be connected to being human if being human meant was attached to such hatred and cruelty. Almost all of these folk tales involved the help or interaction with the animals and this showed a powerful relationship between the slave and nature and animals.
Many of the folktales in history focus on establishing gender roles. Women are often seen as young girls who are need of being rescued. In addition, men are seen as brutes who need to find a woman in order to settle down and become a prince/man. In these tales, however, the prize was a bit different. Rather than being focused on winning the girl, I felt that the stories with princesses were more concerned with winning out in the end. They were more concerned with finding freedom and money. In “The Beautiful Girl and the Moon Tower” the protagonist Anton ends up killing the princesses’ father, with the help of his animal friends. He then marries the princess and becomes the prince. While this could be seen as him being tamed and complete as he has now found his woman, I think that the larger issue is with destroying that which restrains him, the king/master, and finding his freedom. This same theme was seen throughout the extravagant and fanciful tales as the protagonists all ended up tricking, conniving, or working their way into monetary gains. In “Manuel had a Riddle“, Manuel wins his fortune and shares it with his mother. In “The Two Johns,” the little John wins out in the end after tricking the big John into destroying his own life. All of these tales look to bring down the one in power, which could be connected to bringing down the slave-owner and finding emotional, physical, and spiritual freedom.
The final tales were very specific and historically based. Rather than being about extravagant fairy tales or talking, personified animals, they were about real events of the period where slaves found their freedom or helped other find theirs. I thought that these were the easiest to understand and relate to. The tales of courage, such as “Carry the Running-Aways” where the slave brought all of the others to freedom, were very touching and heart-wrenching. These tales really brought to life the faith and vigor of these people. It exemplified the heroic nature of these people in plain, yet powerful terms. These stories illustrated the ability for folk tales to transcend events into the eternal as they bring life to stories and carry them to generation to generation. They gave different insight into history while still attaching that raw emotion to each narrative as well. I think that these tales were the closest to what we read in history books. Yet, they added a emotional element to them that allowed the reader to truly gain the values, courage, and fears of the slaves who were telling the stories and their family members that passed them down.
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