Orientalism Today

The Orientalist mindset continues to be pervasive in nearly every aspect of Western culture. Orientalism is essentially an over generalization of Middle Eastern culture in order to establish it as regressive and "other" compared to the West. In today's media perhaps the most prominent and harmful application of Orientalism can be seen in the treatment of Islam.

Media in the modern United States often promotes untrue stereotypes of Muslims while erasing the realities of Middle Eastern, especially Islamic, culture. This reduction of culture is especially characteristic of Orientalism. Studies of media have found that most depictions of Muslims portray them in a negative light. Often they associate Islam with terrorism in order to portray Muslims as a threat to Western society. This idea does not take into account the reality that a very small minority of Muslims advocate violence, which itself is against the scripture of Islam. By focusing on issues such as mistreatment of women, for example, without any depiction of the views of a Muslim woman, the media exacerbates the divide between Western constructions of Middle Eastern life and the reality experienced by its inhabitants. This issue cannot be resolved until Muslim people are represented in media and depictions of Islam, both good and bad, are proportional to frequency at which they occur.

This modern Orientalism has real life consequences that should not go unmentioned. Islamophobic rhetoric in media translates into Islamophobic actions in reality. As of 2010, 48% of Americans reported feeling prejudiced towards Muslims while they make up one of the smallest minority groups in the country. Over the last few years physical and verbal violence against Muslims in the United States has increased markedly. The Orientalist ideology that we promote through our portrayals of Middle Eastern Islamic people has consequences that should not be forgotten.

Welcome!

Welcome to the weblog for our AP Literature class  -- the place where we will be continuing conversations from class and starting new ones. We'll be discussing and debating literary conundrums, the meaning of life, and so much more. We might even see a little poetry.

So, what's a blog? And how will we be using it class? For information on blogging and how to join and post to our blog, see "All About Blogging."

We're looking forward to a great year.

Make sure you check your e-mail for your invitation to join the blog. Also – and this is very important – the first step you should take after you accept the invitation is to edit your user profile so that you control how your identity and your communication preferences.  Click on the pull-down menu next to your name in the upper right corner of the browser and click on “Blogger Profile.” Then click on “Edit Profile.”

You can fill out as much of it as you want, but the only requirement is -- under “Identity” -- make sure your “Display name” is your first name and last initial only -- so we provide some anonymity while still allowing your classmates and teacher to be able to identity who you are. For example, change “Bernie Heidkamp” to “Bernie H.”

What it takes to be a True Lady

Jane Austen's famed satire Pride and Prejudice is known for being littered with humor and complex binaries which were common place in 18th and 19th century England, when the novel was written and takes place. One particularly fascinating dichotomy pointed out by the passage below is the binary between a true lady and an ordinary woman.

"A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word [accomplished]; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved." 

"All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading." (39)

The first section of this passage describes the general definition of a true or accomplished woman during the time period. The description demonstrates how the quality of being a true lady has little to do with character and is instead dependent on one's upbringing and familial wealth. The distinction between a true lady and an ordinary woman is just a more specific version of the wealth dichotomy as only a wealthy family could afford the numerous tutor's required for a young girl to master the myriad of skills necessary to become "accomplished". Additionally this binary allows for a differentiation between old and new money, as even in the unlikely case that a woman's family were to get wealthy later in her life or if she were to marry a richer man and master these innumerable qualities, she would still seem like an outsider to a ground of true ladies as she would not possess the specific 'air and manner of walking' required by this elite class of women.

Mr. Darcy makes the classification of "accomplished" even more difficult to acquire by stating that on top of these skills, a true lady must also improve her mind through reading. This final requirement provides numerous challenges to any woman attempting to be a true lady, as reading is a time consuming activity that one must immerse themselves in to completely appreciate. Additionally, if one is trying to improve their mind through reading, the activity becomes even more time consuming and tiring. This penultimate requirement also implies that Victorian men, or at least Mr. Darcy, search for a wife with a captivating mind, an idea which seems to disregard the common notion that upper class men exclusively look for the qualities of beauty, wealth, and ability to look after an estate in a wife. The final layer of complexity in Mr. Darcy's comment is a jab towards Miss Bingley, who is obviously enamored by Mr. Darcy and demonstrates all the qualities of being a true lady, but who has previously demonstrated is incapable of submerging herself in reading. Mr. Darcy's final prerequisite allows Elizabeth to be put above Miss Bingley, where in conventional regards Miss Bingley seems to be a much more favorable wife.

A Contrast as Clear as Black and White

Toni Morrison's book Beloved is a story that, while not exclusively about race, does not back down from racial issues. Morrison has done an amazing job of demonstrating to the reader just how bad of a situation African Americans were in during the period just after the civil war simply by contrasting two characters, Amy, and Sethe.

Amy and Sethe's backgrounds are not too different from each other. They are both running from, to say the least, an abusive situation. Sethe's struggle was of course more dire, but there are similarities. When Amy sees Sethe's back, she comments that the person she's been told is her father beat her as well, but not as badly as Sethe was beaten. They both desire freedom, and they both desire the North.

Here is when things start to diverge a bit more. Amy's goal is to go to Boston to get her hands on some velvet. Sethe wants to be able to live. I think that Amy's lofty aspirations were set in place to do more than just create a whacky sounding character. It also provides contrast from the extreme caution African Americans had to use when on the run. Amy sees no possibility that she won't be able to get to where she's going, despite having no money, and traveling alone. Sethe must constantly worry, and struggle. Her journey is not the peaceful walk Amy seems to be enjoying. She does not have time to think of such things as velvet when she must fear for her life. She has to struggle with her wounded back, her destroyed feet, and pregnancy. Amy seems to be completely free of all of these burdens left to wander at her own whims.

These contrasts work to paint a picture of how different life was from side to side. The exchange between these two characters was relatively short lived, but it served its purpose.

"It was not a story to pass on"... until 2015

I was really surprised by the ending of Beloved. Within the last three chapters of the book I would have never expected Beloved to be gone. Beloved got bigger and ran the house while Sethe got physically smaller and was placed in the "child" role.

The novel starts with a distant voice that narrates the lives of Baby Suggs, Sethe, and Denver, and ends with a distant voice hinting about the larger purpose of the book. The line "It was not a story to pass on," (323) was repeated twice followed by the line, "This is not a story to pass on" (324). For me this was not only a change in wording, but was also a hint that the story actually should be passed on: a fictious, yet realistic and historical story about life post slavery.

The story should be passed on because some of the topics in the book are present in 2015. One potent example is the WHITE/black binary and the role of the community. In Beloved there are many examples of the binary such as slavery in Sweet Home, specifically school teacher. The community at first disowns Baby Suggs and her family because of their lavish dinner, but then come together at the end to see if Beloved is hurting Sethe. Present day there is still the WHITE/black binary and pride has divided some families and communities.

This binary, along with others, should be acknowledged and can start to be dissolved through mutual recognition. However, the ending of the novel also seems to suggest that the past should be left behind to move forward to the present. This suggestion comes through Paul D comforting Sethe after Beloved leaves. I think the only way to really move forward is to remember the past, see how the present compares, and fix what you don't like. It's easier said than done.

Beloved's ending was definitely open for interpretation but I think one thing is for sure: this is a story to pass on.

Pick Your Poison

Paul D and Sethe have very differing ideas of safety. Their ideas are most clearly shown while they are discussing what Sethe did to Beloved. In order to keep beloved out of the clutches of Schoolteacher, Sethe slit Beloved's infantile throat with a handsaw. She was about to do the same to Denver but she was saved by Stamp Paid, who came in and ran away with Denver.

Paul D believes that killing Beloved was the wrong course of action for Sethe to take. He believes that she would've been better off as a slave. Of course Sethe believes the opposite, and thinks that beloved would've been happier dead. Both of these options, are horrifying. There is no clear answer as to which of these alternatives is better. The fact that both of these options are so terrible makes the argument that there is no completely safe route that Sethe can take.

There is no right course of action between letting your daughter into a life of slavery, or not letting her live to see it. Paul D could not live with the reality of this decision, with the reality that there was no good outcome in that scenario. So he left Sethe and Denver.

OAK PARK/austin

I think that we, as Oak Parkers, are pretty proud of our town. We are a relatively affluent, progressive, and active community. As the first suburb west of Chicago, we are also proud of our closeness to one of the country's greatest cities. When I go out of town and someone asks where I am from, I quickly respond with, "Chicago," knowing that whoever I am speaking to is imaging the lakefront and monumental skyscrapers that characterize downtown.

However, when we say "Chicago" I don't believe we include the whole city. Areas like Englewood, Hyde Park, and Austin are forgotten about or dismissed. And yet there is only one street separating Oak Park from Austin. If you are standing in the middle of Austin Ave and you look east down Madison, you see cracked pavements, crooked signs, and peeling paint. Looking west, you see boutiques and cute Italian Restaurants. East of Madison is the Congo River and west of Madison is the Thames.

High schoolers venture into Austin to do volunteer work, to share their knowledge with others who are less fortunate, which is by no means a bad idea. We all want to help others around us to be the best we can be. However, I'm not sure we see Austin as a place that can better us, teach us new things, and allow us make new connections.

Tug of War

As I have progressed through part one of the Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, I have had mixed feelings about Marlow. Right away I got the impression that he is an annoying guy that always wants to tell some obscure story at the wrong time and place. The initial narrator certainly agrees, as he states, "...to hear about one of Marlow's inconclusive experiences" (9). I also got a negative impression of him when he talked about the greatness of British imperialism. Watching the documentary about Congo's brutal history was tough. The explicit images and reenactments made me look down for moments at a time. My ears however, were constantly attuned to the narration of the video. I believe vicious exploitation in the past and the modern day equivalents are worth facing and reflecting upon, no matter how tough or uncomfortable. 

As part one progresses I have noticed a Tug-of War between "Marlow now" and "potential Marlow post transformation or gain in perspective". Conrad, or perhaps Marlow himself, explicitly and implicitly lays out the sides. A major explicit example of the possibility of a "new Marlow" comes from the conversation he had with the doctor. When the doctor measures Marlow's skull before the trip and Marlow asks if he sees people when they come back from trips the doctor says, "Oh I never see them,...and moreover, the changes take place inside, you know" (16). Another example on the side of Marlow's impending transformation in the Tug of War is when he reflects, "...I felt as though, instead of going to the centre of a continent, I were about to set off for the centre of the earth" (18). I think this suggests that his journey is going to be metaphorically bigger than what he planned. 

Nevertheless, Marlow's racist words and attitudes make the side of "Marlow now" in the Tug-of-War seem the shoe-in winner. In general Marlow is a racist who often uses his internal racial hierarchy to make himself feel better. For example, at the beginning of his trip on the boat he felt isolated, out of touch with the truth, and delusional, until a boat paddled by two black men appeared. He said, "They were a great comfort to look at. For a time I would feel I belonged still to a world of straightforward facts" (19). I inferred that he made himself feel better by thinking along the lines of man, this journey kind of sucks right now, but at least I'm still better off than those black men over there, the world makes sense again.

I don't know how Marlow is going to turn out, but I hope it's for the better soon. Even so, I don't believe there will be a  "winner" in the Tug of War I described. Imperialism and the superiority complex that often accompanies it is a complex topic, so the book and the characters enacting the issue is not the end all be all solution. I think one purpose of the text is to get the issue front and center. 

What do you think of Marlow or imperialism in general? Is one character's possible transformation hope?

When in Rome...

Words can hardly describe my love for "Roman Fever" by Edith Wharton. This story, this little slice of fictitious cake, consists of nothing but the purest drama a lover of literature can find. Reading this story is like listening in on the greatest wine mom gossip you've ever listened in on. Reading this story is like drinking the concentrated juice of the juiciest scoop that the guy who's got the dirt on everyone ever dished out. "Roman Fever" is like manifesting the very concept of "guilty pleasures" into a short snippet of great literature. It's the ultimate 411 to end all other 411's. It's enough to make any half-decent scuttlebutt tear up with pure, unadulterated joy. Simply put, "Roman Fever" is the hottest goss to ever grace the canon of short American literature.

From the very start, you can tell that this dirt is gonna be good. The story begins with two women, Slade and Ansley, who see one another "through the wrong end of her little telescope," as the author says. It's clear that each entirely misinterprets the other. By the end of the story, we find out that: a) Slade's husband cheated on her with Ansley, b) Slade wrote the letter that set up Ansley's date with her husband, with the intention of Ansley getting sick from the cold, and c) that by doing so, Slade inadvertently arranged the conception of Barbara, Ansley's daughter that she's so envious of.

Like I said - some super high quality dirt.

When I read the story for a second time, I was amazed by the hints Wharton left for the reader. In the beginning of part II, Slade says, "I always wanted a brilliant daughter... and never quite understood why I got an angel instead," to which Ansley responds, "Babs is an angel too." This is our first hint that Barbara and Jenny (Slade's daughter) shared the same father.

The second big hint to Barbara's parentage is when Slade recounts that "...you were married to Horace Ansley two months afterward [after the affair with Slade's husband] ...As soon as you could get out of bed your mother rushed you off to Florence and married you." This is implying that Ansley's mother was in a hurry for her to get married because she was already pregnant with Barbara.

The beauty of this story is that in the beginning, it seems that Slade has all the information. She has the upper hand when she reveals to Ansley that she wrote the letter Ansley believed to be from Delphin. However, Ansley soon reveals that she in fact is the one with more information. The power dynamic slowly but very decidedly shifts from one woman to another. Because of the hints Wharton worked into her dialogue, the reader guesses what Ansley is withholding from Slade (namely, that Barbara is Delphin's daughter) before Slade ever finds out. This creates an interesting situation where Slade thinks that she is in power when both Ansley and the reader know that the opposite is true.

"Roman Fever" is ripe with irony of all sorts. Wharton creates dramatic irony when she allows the reader to guess at the secret of Barbara's parentage, although the most ironic element is the fact that Slade accidentally enabled the affair that she wanted to end and caused the conception of the girl she's so envious of.

Ansley obviously follows that age old saying: When in Rome, do it in the Colosseum. 

Mrs. Slade, Mrs. Ansley, and the Pursuit of Superiority

I think that the short story "Roman Fever" is built on the concept of binary opposition. Both Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley are essentially fighting over who is the subject and who is the object in the situation. Mrs. Slade makes herself believe that she was the crazy, more vivid of the two. She sees this as a way of establishing herself as the superior individual of the two. Mrs. Ansley, however, admits that Mrs. Slade is "...awfully brilliant; but not as brilliant as she thinks"on page 45, showing that though she believes her friend is a great individual, but also hints at the fact that Mrs. Slade has a bloated ego. Mrs. Ansley also adds that she believes that Mrs. Slade has had a sad life "full of failures and mistakes" on page 46, which demonstrates that Mrs. Ansley still believes she is superior to Mrs. Slade. Through this battle to be the subject, not the object of the relationship causes the affair fiasco to be released in order to help Mrs. Slade feel better about herself. Instead of doing this, however, the whole situation actually shows that Mrs. Ansley was equal to Mrs. Slade as she slept with Delphin, Mrs. Slade's husband. Through all their quarreling they fail to recognize they can both be subjects, as they are very much equals.

Cell One: Locked Up Great Ideas

"Cell One" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a page-turner. Two robberies are introduced within the first paragraph. Readers quickly learn about the relationship the narrator has with her brother, parents, and readers learn about what school life is like. Her brother Nnamabia I believe is the central character in the story, and his persona and actions dictate what we learn about the people around him. For example, his persona as a popular and outgoing person, led me to assume that the narrator is not as popular as he is, or wishes to be. Also, when ends up in jail and his parents visited him everyday with food, I learned that his parents care about him and don't want him to suffer the full consequences of his actions. I was surprised that the parents never asked why he got in jail in the first place. I think that shows they couldn't imagine their son getting into so much trouble.

The text also introduced many binaries, explored by Benjamin, throughout the story. The first one I noticed was one of race: fair skin verses darker skin. The line, "Hey! Madam, why did you waste your fair skin on a boy and leave the girl so dark? What is a boy doing with all this beauty? And my mother would chuckle, as though she took a mischievous and joyful responsibility for Nnamabia's looks" exemplifies that the narrator is held against the standard of fair skin as beautiful and feminine. Another binary I noticed was between university professors and government workers or police. The police think the university faculty members are oblivious to the misbehavior their children are capable of. A third binary I noticed is between the narrator and her brother. After I read the whole story it was clear to me Nnamabia is the favorite child. The narrator clearly shows her opposition to the jail visits when she throws a stone at the car windshield, but at other times it wasn't as clear to me. After Nnamabia is described as having infectious sores across his forehead, and having survived a couple days in jail, the narrator still uses the adjectives, "worldly", "handsome", and "charming" to describe him. When she said her "worldly" brother was breaking down I don't know if she was being sarcastic and mean-spirited, or genuinely upset at the toll jail time had taken on her brother.

Transitioning from Benjamin to Nabakov, according to Nabakov, a good reader is someone who does not try to relate to the characters or the story. As a Nigerian American young woman, I have eaten jollof rice, seen Okadas, and have heard many stories of life at university from both of my parents. It was hard to not picture the last time I was in Nigeria (last summer) and how the story overlaps with my experience. Nevertheless, for the most part I tried to read the text as a true outsider.

Overall, I like how detailed the text is in describing life on campus, interactions with police, and cult culture that develops. It is sad how many of the acts of violence are not uncommon. It is interesting how our country's influence doesn't stop at "rap music and swagger" but extends to cults and guns.

Societal Situations with Mr. Snopes

In "Barn Burning," the father, Abner Snopes, does indeed burn barns because he has problems within himself, but I think there are more pressures coming from the outside world that lead him to decide to commit the arson. A big reason that Abner feels the need to burn the barn is because of his social status. Being in the binary of WEALTHY/poor spurs on his actions.

While his actions are irrational and over the top, the cause of his actions come from society. More evidence of this is seen when the half-grown boys hiss "Barn burner!" at him. This is very similar to poking a wasps nest with a stick, in the way that the social oppression Abner faces contributes to his frustration, which he bottles up.

I think if he had shown more of how he was feeling then he wouldn't have had such destructive tendencies. He is always calm, cool, and collected, even when physically punishing his family, which is usually an emotion filled act. Maybe if he blew off some steam once in a while, and showed his true colors, he wouldn't let all of his anger out in the act of burning barns.

His actions are a vicious cycle, and every time he burns another barn, his reputation is further smeared, and another barn burning becomes even more likely. While someone breaking this cycle from within is unlikely, I think the cycle could have been broken from outside, by someone like the Justice of the Peace's court, or Major de Spain. The Major could have not pressed the rug issue, or at least let him off with a smaller fine, which wouldn't have pushed him over the edge, and left Sarty with a concrete life, without his father and brother's lives up in the air.

Life Is Full of Binaries, Isn't it?

In the short story "Barn Burning" there are a variety of examples that embody the characteristics of the model that Benjamin discusses. For example, the relationship between Mr. Adner Snopes and his wife is completely of the Freudian model as the father is the Subject and the mother is the object. However, the relationship between Young Colonel Sartoris Snopes and his father is the one complicated because in the very beginning Sartoris does as Freud says and agrees to submit to his father but as the story progresses he realizes the difference between right and wrong and changes the dynamic. This story also makes several judgements regarding the relationship between rich people and poor people. It seems as though Adner has become a serial arsonist is due to the inferiority that he feels especially when he is belittled by his "employers". "Barn Burning" makes many statements regarding class and personal relationships that are also directly discussed in Benjamin's article.

Escape From Spiderhead and Remains of the Day

Escape from Spiderhead presents a lot of ethical issues and questions of free will. It seems, throughout the story, Jeff is unable to freely make decisions as he is constantly drugged. Jeff is forced to spend time at Spiderhead, as a test subject, as an alternative to serving time in jail. A power dynamic exists between Jeff, as a test subject, and Abnesti who is managing Spiderhead and running the tests. This story relates in some ways to my summer reading book, The Remains of the Day, in which the main character Stevens is a butler under the control of Lord Darlington. Unlike Jeff, Stevens entirely accepts and even embraces his role as a butler. Stevens spends his entire life serving Lord Darlington and never considers his alternatives or tries to escape. As a result, Stevens loses much of his humanity and his individualism. In contrast, at the end of Escape from Spiderhead, Jeff attempts to regain his humanity by making an escape by committing suicide. Although Jeff does not survive, Jeff acts out of free will and is able to regain his humanity as he attempts to break from the binary.

What Edward "Said"

Edward Said described  the situation when the West encountered the cultures of the East and developed their first impressions on the people and their civilizations.  The western developments viewed the east strange and exotic therefore the term Orientalism developed as the study of these different cultures.  Said used the binaries "Occident" civilized and "Orient" uncivilized.  The Europeans thought of themselves as superior to the Orientals and whatever the Europeans were then the orients were not.  These beliefs created a boundary between the cultures and a prejudice against the orient people.  This boundary was reinforced with propaganda and teachings and is still present in today's society.  Today one of the main groups that suffer from Orientalism in our society are the Arabian people who obtain prejudices from our society that associate them with terrorist groups. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a first person shooter video game, revolves around terrorist attacks and takes place in the Middle East. Although the game takes place in the Middle East it is only told through the western viewpoint.  The two protagonists are Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish of the SAS (Special Air Services) of the United Kingdom Special Forces, and the secondary character is Sergeant Paul Jackson of the United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance.  Both characters are from the west and the game is seen through their perspective.  The antagonists in the game are either ultra nationalist Russians or a separatist group of the Middle East that are shown wearing turbans and act dangerous running around with AK-47s.  The game shows a the Middle East as a frantic, violent, and unorganized place whereas in real life they observe a culture different from the West.  Some places in the Middle East are unstable, however this game doesn't project that the minority of the places are unstable it displays all of the Middle East as unable to succeed without the assistance of the West.  

Can Zombies Free Women From The Mothering Role?

In Nancy Chodorow's The Reproduction of Mothering, Chodorow seeks to describe how the social construction of "mothering" and the patriarchial society we live in came to be, as well as how people need to move toward less rigid gender roles.

Chodorow first seeks to give backround to how "mothering" came to be. She acknowledges that throughout history women have been confined to the home because of their biological connection to the children. As time has progressed and science has started to dispute the validity of women being the sole nurturer because of biological predispositions our patriarchal society has moved to keep women in the home by creating the idea that women must be nurturing and caring, while men seek to stay in the public sphere.

Chodorow says the to combat this social construction of gender roles people must move towards coparenting as well as attempting to escape the endless cycle of mymicing the same gender parent.

I think that presently, although not  anywhere near perfect, our society has taken steps towards gender equality. The media in America controls many people's perception of gender, and how men and women are supposed to act. Many of the mainstream TV shows advertise women as the mother and men as the provider. The Walking Dead has slowly but surely started to challenge these norms.

In the beginning of the show there were still plenty of mothers mothering, but as people started to fall victim to zombie attacks the mothering role started to erode. In the current season there are no mothers. Women are not confined to caring for the camp or the children, but have equal say in what goes. They are on the frontlines killing zombies side by side with men.

There is a baby on the show named Judith. Judith's birth mother died, and in almost every scene she is being held by a man. The man in most cases is the very strong and masculine Tyrese. Tyrese takes pride in caring for Judith and mothers her as well as any mother could during a zombie apocolypse.

These subtle changes to what most people believe to be normal are actually quite brilliant. The Walking Dead shows that women are equally as capable as men when it comes to killing and protecting themselves, and men can make great mothers.

It pains me that women can only escape the mothering role when confronted with a zombie apocolypse, but hey progress is progress.

Add Gender to the Melting Pot

In short, there are two main concepts to grasp if we are to understand why women still mother. First, babies admire and emulate their same-sex parent. So females emulate their nurturing mothers, and males emulate their distant fathers. In this way, females grow up to value and seek out nurturing, and males grow up to value and seek out impersonal affairs. This explains the dichotomy, but not the hierarchy.
Another concept is necessary to explain why men are commonly thought of as superior. As we have learned, women often psychologically value nurturing roles in society. These roles are commonly found in the private sphere of life, confined to the home. Men often psychologically value impersonal roles in society. These roles are commonly found in the public sphere of life, outside the home. In societal structures around the world, most notably Western capitalism, the public sphere dominates domestic, thus men dominate women.

With an understanding of the psychological models that promote the social perpetuation of gender roles, and an understanding of the political and societal structures that qualify the binary, it is simple to see why gender discrepancies exist today.

I believe that, while these concepts hold true in American society, the system is flawed. By this I mean that an extreme differentiation of gender roles is unhealthy for individuals for society. Women need immersion in the public sphere, and men need deep personal connection. Society needs a nurturing perspective in public policy, business affairs, war. Children need a fatherly figure and the home needs refurbishing.

So men, consider taking a sabbatical and spending time with your kids. Those workhorses staying late in the office next door may be missing out on the most important facet to their lives-- their families.

Women, consider applying for that position. Those savvy policy-writers may be overlooking the need to nurturing those in need when they next re-allocate government funds.

1930s or 2014?

I think it is incredibly fascinating, as well as massively off-putting, that as we read Faulker's Light In August, the world around us is experiencing the same racial binary that Faulkner emphasizes in a story written in the 1930s. The Ferguson story, as well as the death of Eric Garner in New York, have taken over media channels. News channels cover the story on repeat, and it has become the most prominent feed in some of my favorite shows, political satires like The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, in the last couple of months. Although I do acknowledge the fact that these stories deserve national attention, I feel as if the media has exacerbated the stories and brought upon an even greater level of frustration, especially in the case of Ferguson.

The riots that have destroyed the city of Ferguson, and have ignited protests all around the United States have been indicative of one belief-- that the racial binary continues to exist. The racial binary has expanded from just the typical WHITE/black binary to the LAW ENFORCEMENT/black individuals binary that has even received personalized attention in Soledad O'Brien's CNN documentary "Black and Blue", which covers the increasing sense of mistrust on behalf of black individuals towards law enforcement. Regardless of whether or not you believe the verdicts have been just or not, I think that most people can agree that it is disturbing that there exists a sensation that there continues to be such a widespread belief in the racial binary that Faulker illustrated in an early twentieth century novel.

Ultimately, the events of the past couple months have been unsettling because not only has the nation's racial dilemna been uprooted, but because there exists a strong connection between an early twentieth century novel and America today.

Battle of the Binaries

When I was young, in the same way that I wondered why twins couldn't be given the same name, I wondered why stories always had to have conflicts.  Now, of course, I understand that the conflict is what makes the story, what gives it substance and meaning in actual life.  Through conflicts and varying degrees of resolution, a story can make a point about life as we know it.  The most meaningful stories, if not all stories, have conflict based around a binary.  What often differentiates one book from another is its approach to a certain binary.

The difficulty comes in the most masterful stories - those that address numerous binaries.  People naturally wish to categorize and simplify everything, and that includes binaries.  Binaries involving binaries.  This conundrum could be described (at the unfortunate loss of being cliched) as binary-ception.  Which binaries are at the forefront of our attention, somehow garnering more attention and perceived value than other less dominant binaries?  When you think of Light in August do you immediately jump to the huge role of racial conflict and sometimes skip over the ginormous role of, for example, gender or family?  (Perhaps here we can demonstrate these binaries with a new level of punctuation: bold typeface).  I think that for me personally, I sometimes fall into the WHITE/black//MALE/female binary.  And in between those, I easily forget about the FATHER/son binary.  What's more, I'm almost positive that there are other binaries that I don't even remember well enough to realize that I'm forgetting them!

So how am I, a very simple human still given to many of my natural, faulty predispositions, supposed to choose which binary to talk about when Faulkner so beautifully addresses multiple?  Just as in the case of individual binaries themselves, awareness of our own failings and striving to overcome is the first (and at times only available) step.  The injustice of certain binaries resonates with each of us differently, and that's okay.  We just have to remember that there are always other binaries to recognize and discuss, and sometimes it's a good idea to step back from our usual focus and look at those too. 

Us vs. Them: The North/South Cultural Divide

Upon reading the first couple of chapters of Light in August, I felt like I had just read a book with dialogue in another language - just as how The Awakening contained some French quotations from it's characters. It was difficult to think of the characters' odd dialect as being the same language I speak every day. Yes, the book was written around ninety years ago, but there's something more- something more telling- about this distance I feel. The characters are from a small, rural town in Mississippi, and I am from a northern town that is about as urban as a suburb could ever be.

When Mr. Heidkamp discussed our inevitable separation of ourselves from the narrative due to the strong geographical divide, it really opened my eyes to the cultural boundaries I, and all other students, set up in our minds. I began to wonder - would a teacher that assigned this book to high school students in a southern town need to have such a talk with them as Mr. Heidkamp did? Would the students even feel any sort of discomfort reading this novel, complete with language such as "I reckon" and characters with extremely narrow minds? Obviously, I can't answer these questions with full certainty, but I have thought of some explanations.

Many students in Oak Park have read The Great Gatsby, written around the same time as Light in August but set in the North. Many enjoyed it - the colorful language, the extravagant parties, the seductive plot, and the secret-ridden characters. Before we dove into the novel, did our English teachers feel the need to have a talk with us about the shock we might feel regarding these such aspects of the narrative? No. Would teachers in southern schools? No. But for Light in August, a book that looks innocent next to the controversial Gatsby, a binary makes its way into the demographics of the readers. People have viewed Gatsby as a representation of America as a whole - the rebellious attitude, the underground partying, and the motif of dark secrets are underlying aspects of American society. There's no discussion needed with Fitzgerald's work. But Light in August works the same way. It addresses prevalent issues such as racism, gossip, and violence. The thing is, though, as northerners, we inevitably think of ourselves as the dominant side of the NORTH/south binary, so we feel the need to address our thoughts when something feels "wrong," like when we read a book about a small, southern town. Southerners, though, would not have to think in such a way about their own society - it's what is "normal" to them. Thus, I highly doubt a teacher in the South would feel the need to have a similar discussion with his or her students.

While I may not be able to call myself a "Nabakovian" reader after bringing my judgements and values into the reading of Light in August, I believe that such bias is important for making my own meaning and interpretations out of the story. I'll never be able to let myself go and ignore the odd dialect and uncomfortable diction to fully obtain the "magic" of the story, but, hey, it's impossible for us to enjoy every story in the exact manner that Nabokov wanted us to.