Week 7- Rough Draft

Week 7- Rough Draft

Today, women have stronger image in almost every culture. Women have fought really hard to prove how strong, intelligent and capable they are in order for their image to be put beside men to show the equality if not higher, of power, strength and intellect. By reading the wonderful stories written by powerful women, for instance, Sojourner Truth “Aren’t I A Woman? ” Paula Gunn Allen “Where I Come From Is Like This” and Jamaica Kincaid “Girl”, it brought up my realization that the woman I am today has been shaped by looking up to and following the steps of my mother and grandmothers.

As Paula Allen writes, “I remember my mother moving furniture all over the house when she wanted. It changed…” (76). Allen states, “My mother told me stories all the time, though I …” (74). At the end of the same passage, Allen clarifies, “And in all of those stories she told me who I was…” (74). I also recall the same stories from my mother and grandmothers. In the old times, life was harder since they had to do everything from scratch. Their patience and endurance always amazed me.

In the short story “Girl”, Jamaica Kincaid exemplifies, “Always eat your food in such a way…” (Website1). Kincaid writes, “This is how you iron your father’s khaki shirt…” (Website1). When I read this story, I pictured my mother talking to me and teaching me all the rules how to be a nice, polite, and creative girl.

In the speech “Aren’t I A Woman?” Sojourner Truth states “Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed…” (Website2). Truth mentions, “…he says women can’t have as much right as men, because Christ wasn’t a woman!” (Website2). My grandmother had a farm and handled it all by herself, and said she used to eat as much as my grandfather because she didn’t have all machines to do the work for her; she would get really exhausted and hungry.

Therefore, the person I am today is a combination of my mother and grandmothers in 21st century. Even if I get suppressed by men in my life, I have mastered my endurance and patient to wait for the right time and take advantage of the situation. Migrating from country to country had also a huge impact on my identity since I have been exposed to new cultures, met new people and learned new language. I try to make the best of what is available to me; it doesn’t bother me if I have less or not of anything. Knowing Christ was made from God and a woman, gives me the greatest pride of being a woman. It is my weapon against men that women are the ones who borne children not men. One of the greatest characteristic I learned was to be passionate with others, for instance, to act like a child when I play with a child and so on. So I have been able to connect with others easier and learn from them and also make friends faster.

I have certain duty as a daughter, wife, and mother and need to act accordingly. I learned form them that I have a strong role in my family regardless of a social and political image. From their experiences, I learned to be in control of my own action and mind. Also, I should always be strong and positive despite of men.

Week 7- Difficulty paper

In reading the story of “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua, I had some complexity to comprehend some words, sections and even the cultural differences.Since I am bilingual as well, I can relate to the main intention of the story. However, I don’t speak Spanish and not very familiar with their culture. Therefore, it makes it hard to follow the passage that are discussing about how their language has been changing to a new version. For instance, Anzaldua writes, “I want to speak English. Pa’….” (103). Since the rest of the sentence is written in Spanish, I found it hard to grasp what the mother was saying. It is very obvious that how challenging was for the students who had accents and being mistreated because of it. Anzaldua writes, “If you want to be American, speak American …” (103). In one section, Anzaldua explains, “Chicanos, after 250 years of Spanish/ Anglo colonization …” (106). Anzaldua also exemplifies, “Chicanos and other Spanish speakers also shift ll to y and z to s” (107). It was tricky for me to follow through this section because it was mostly talked about how the pronunciation of words changed and how some syllables were omitted or added over the 250 years. In another section of the story, Anzaldua writes, “Chicanas feel uncomfortable talking in Spanish to Latinas, afraid of their censure” (108). I got confused between Chicana and Latina whom I believed they were the same. The confusion of distinguishing Chicana and Latina, threw me off the track and left me wondered about the differences.

With the respect of the confusion of the vocabulary, I could still relate to the process of adopting a new language and culture. I read the story for few times to ensure understanding the message of the author. I also consider the big picture to bond to the core of the narrative.  Therefore, by picturing the story, I can overcome the difficulty of not understanding of the section. I also analyze if not understanding the vocabulary or the passage would impact the whole message or not. These strategies have been helpful for me to be able to keep on reading and stay interested in finishing it.

Earlier, I mentioned how Anzaldua writes, “We leave out initial syllable, saying tar for estar …” (107). How I was able to analyze the passage and make it easier to follow was, I tried to connect it to my own language and the changes have been made into it. I totally relate to the suffrage, confusion and mortified situations Chicano experienced since English is my second language.

Week 6

WEEK 6

I grew up in the Middle East where gender plays a big role, and that gender is MEN. Men always decide for women and have the right to ask and do anything. Women always stay at home to be a homemaker, only.

I have an eldest brother and older sister. My brother as an oldest child had a huge role in my life, more than my father. Since he was a boy and the first child of the family, my parents gave him lots of freedom and power to do what he desired and act how he wanted at home with us. He was very restricting on me. I was petrified when he was around that either I had to hide or pretend I was studying. When he left the country to go abroad, I felt some kind of relief. While he wasn’t living with us, my parents always consulted him for every move they were going to make. After graduating from high school, I told my parents that I wish to go to Europe to continue my education, but they gave me only one choice to go where my brother was. Relatively, I moved to Canada and he dictated for me what to do, but he was not as bad as before. Until I met my husband and moved to US, I looked at it as a way to get out, but I was trapped again. He is very controlling about the money and spending it. He expects from me to go to work, bring in money, take care of home and never complain. I can go on and on about the men controlling women in our culture.   

At the same time, I would like to explain how all these affected and shaped me. Growing up in the environment where myself and my opinion were not counted and I had to be follower all the time made me a person who has very low self esteem, scared of everything, sensitive, lost, confused and incapable of doing anything right. It is really hard for me to make a decision or choose when I have to. I believe my thoughts, idea and opinion aren’t valuable so when I need to work in a group, I keep quiet. It takes a lot of energy out of me if I need to start a new task. However, it didn’t last like that forever until I broke my silence and made a big revolution in my marriage life last year which shocked everybody. I put my foot down to be respected as a woman and wife, also to recognize and value my needs, ideas and decisions. It was successful so far. It feels very strange to me to be and act different and it requires time to heal the wounds.

Revision – An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce writes about the last minutes of the life of the major Confederate supporter of the south Peyton Farquhar. As he was standing on the bridge and waiting for his execution because of his activity of demolishing the Owl Creek Bridge, many thoughts were storming through his mind such his wife, his children, escape and freedom. Bierce writes about how Peyton Farquhar notices every details of the nature at his last time to see and hear them. Bierce says, “ He looked at the forest on the bank of the stream, saw the individual trees, the leaves and the veining of each leaf- saw the very insects upon them: the locusts, the brilliant-bodied flies, the gray spiders stretching their webs from twig to twig” (p36).

Bierce writes about the moment Peyton was hanged, the robe broke and Peyton fell into the water. Bierce says, [Farquhar dived- dived as deeply as he could. The water roared in his ears like the voice of Niagara …] (p37). Bierce also says, [… he was now swimming vigorously with the current] (p37). Bierce states, “Suddenly he felt himself whirled round and round-spinning like a top” (p38). When Peyton came to shore, Bierce says, “He dug his fingers into the sand, threw it over himself in handfuls and audibly blessed it. It looked like diamonds, rubies, emeralds; he could think of nothing beautiful which it did not resemble” (p38).

I believe Bierce makes a beautiful comparison of the escape scene to the existing issue, the Civil War. Bierce interprets the diving into the stream and water roar like the voice of the fall as the voice of the southerners crying for their freedom. Moreover, he explains Farquhar swimming vigorously as the brave fighting of the southerners in the war and whirling in the water as to change the political aspect of the southerners in the union. Lastly Bierce compares Peyton digging into the sand and throwing it over himself and seeing it like diamonds as the desired outcome of winning the war and being home with his wife and children which were the treasure of his life.

I believe the main purpose of the author in this scene was to express the desire of freedom Peyton was longing for and even in the last seconds of his life, he portrayed his wish.

The author related the death of Peyton to the defeat of the southerners in the Civil War.).

Reflection- week five

I really enjoyed the first unit of history and learned a lot about part of the American history. Learning about the reconstruction and civil war explains the journey of the country and the citizens until they got to this point which makes the United States a great nation in the world.

The civil war started in 1861-1865 due to the secession of the southern states from the union. The war was the deadliest war in American history. After the south lost the battle, the government started the reconstruction of the south and passed the law to abolish the slavery, protect the citizen’s rights and right to vote. It wasn’t as easy because there were many conflicts between the executive branch and legislative one. For example, when President Lincoln proposed the ten percent plan, the congress didn’t vote for it. Therefore, the Wade-Davis plan came up with the fifty percent and the President vetoed it. After Lincoln’s assassination, President Johnson was insensitive towards the south and the congress had to take over the decisions of the reconstruction. These conflicts created more restrict laws on the blacks like the black codes, Plessey- Ferguson (separate but equal), Jim Crow laws and so on. By ruling the restriction, not only the constitution was not practiced, but also it made it more painful for the blacks and the south.

Learning what the African- American endured all these years makes me sad and at the same time, I appreciate their endurance and scarifies. After years of recognizing the blacks and changing the point of view of the nation about the skin color, the doors became open for other immigrants to come here and experience the freedom. This also gives me a chance to be part of this great nation and not be treated differently and can practice my rights. I never take my freedom for granted since it was paid such a high price for it.

Week four- point of view African- American

I don’t know where to start to talk about the pain we, as African-American, endured all these years of the slavery. I was born in the slave family and it is hard for me to imagine being free and be recognized as a human because of my skin color. When I think about it, my soul wants to escape from my body and fly to experience of being free. 

My grand parents and parents lived during the civil war and I heard so many painful and bitter stories of what they went through in those days. Since they were slaves, they had no recognition in the society. Their masters always decided for them what to do, what to eat and how to live. During the bloody civil war, many of our relatives, friends, neighbors, brothers and sisters were killed and we got nothing out of it by losing in the war. Then the government passed the laws to abolish the slavery and starting the reconstruction of the south, the oppositions set more restrictions on the blacks and started the reconstruction in their own benefit. After the war, the blacks were promised to receive a small piece of land to be theirs and build their lives, but it turned out the opposite way. Not only the blacks got no land, but also they continued to be the slave. They became the sharecroppers. The wealthy people got the land and supplies, the blacks had to crop and pay the landlord for the supplies at the harvest time. The landlord gave very small part of the land for growing their need. The price of the cotton at the harvest time would not cover the expenses and it put the black in debt that they couldn’t get out of it. Therefore, it was even harder to be the black. Also by raising the KKK organization, so many of our women and girls were raped, men were killed and homes were lost. We were devastated and didn’t know how long it would take for things to get better.

When I think about what my family went through and my own hardship, I’d want to scream and tell the whole world stop abusing us, stop raping our girls and women and stop killing our men. I long to stop the time and tell everybody what is in my heart and how cruel they are.

Whatever I say, it wouldn’t change anything at this time. I don’t know how long we need to wait to be recognized and practice our rights. I know, God created us equally and I am proud of my skin color.