In Light in August, Faulkner creates characters with very complex backgrounds. He shows us the character Christmas, an alleged murderer who identifies with neither his black nor white heritage, and then explains his background. After walking through freedman town, Faulkner leaves Christmas holding a razor, saying something is going to happen. The next chapter delves into his unfortunate and turbulent childhood. What is Faulkner trying to say with this transition?
After seeing Christmas holding the razor, and knowing that Miss Burden was violently murdered with a sharp object, it is easy for the reader to suppose that of course Christmas did it, he is a violent person, But I think that Faulkner wants to show us more to the story. He explains Christmas' background in an orphanage, where he was ridiculed because of his ambiguous heritage. His childhood shows how Christmas used to view the world through innocent and unassuming eyes, yet turned violent as more violence was done unto him. Christmas accepted abuse as part of the necessary FATHER/son binary, regularly snuck out of his house, and fell in love with a prostitute. He entered his adolescence innocent and hopeful for love and happiness in his relationships, but left a murderer with no father, and no prostitute-wife. He no longer trusted the world.
But why does Faulkner tell us this? Is he trying to excuse Christmas' alleged murder of Miss Burden? Perhaps, but I think more likely is that he may just be recognizing that there are a complex set of problems that cause characters to act. His explanation of Christmas' background helps the readers sympathize with him, and perhaps understand a little more reasoning for his aptitude for violence.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Who is Colonel Sartoris?
In William Faulkner's Light in August, Joanna Burden names Colonel Sartoris as the killer of her grandfather and brother. This isn't the first time our class has encountered Sartoris. Colonel Sartoris Snopes, the protagonist of "Barn Burning," also by Faulkner, is named for this character.
The extent of the original Sartoris' role in "Barn Burning" is limited to the justice's remark in the beginning of the story: "I reckon anybody named for Colonel Sartoris in this country can't help but tell the truth, can they?" In Faulkner's other works, notably the novel Sartoris, however, Colonel Sartoris plays a larger role.
I did a little research on Colonel John Sartoris and found out that Faulkner based this character on his grandfather, a Civil War colonel in the Confederate Army. Sartoris is a distinguished, respected Southern man, a reputation that is evident in the justice's words in "Barn Burning." Furthermore, his allegiance with the Confederate South is consistent with his killing of Miss Burden's ancestors, who are implied to be Northerners who moved South during Reconstruction.
Faulkner's works share a common setting and characters, as Mr. Heidkamp mentioned. Colonel Sartoris is an example of one of these connections in the two works of Faulkner that our class has read this year. Faulkner uses these shared characters and events to incorporate antebellum Southern society and his own Southern roots into his writing.
Who is Christmas?
Joe Christmas, a character from William Faulkner's "Light in August", has never really belonged. Throughout the novel, Christmas has struggled to find his identity. Because Christmas is bi-racial, he never seems to fit in with either the white or black community. In chapter 5, Christmas is running through a white neighborhood, "He stopped here, panting, glaring, his heart thudding as if it could not or would not yet believe that the air now was the cold hard air of white people" (115).
Christmas feels left out not only in the white community but in black communities as well. "He was walking directly towards them, walking fast. They had seen him and they gave to one side of the road, the voices ceasing.... In a single movement and as though at a spoken command the women faded back and were going around him, giving him a wide berth" (117). Christmas struggles to regain his identity. Since the beginning of Joe Christmas's life, he has always seemed to be an outcast searching for who he is.
Christmas feels left out not only in the white community but in black communities as well. "He was walking directly towards them, walking fast. They had seen him and they gave to one side of the road, the voices ceasing.... In a single movement and as though at a spoken command the women faded back and were going around him, giving him a wide berth" (117). Christmas struggles to regain his identity. Since the beginning of Joe Christmas's life, he has always seemed to be an outcast searching for who he is.
Why Interracial Crime Is Different from Intraracial Crime
In an earlier bog post, Eric F. contended that the only real difference between black on black crime and white on black crime is the attention given to it by the media. While I agree with his assertion that black on black crime is ignored too often, I disagree with his main argument. White on black crime is often different from black on white crime in its nature. It is often the result of the racial prejudices that pervade our society. From 2008 to 2012, the rate of violent hate crimes against blacks was sixteen times greater than that against whites.
If we ignore the racial implications of these crimes, we fail to recognize there importance. They illustrate that we do not live in a society of equals. Hate crimes are most often used to perpetuate the systematic oppression of a minority group and, thus, further the inequality. At one point, the KKK used lynchings to assert its authority over blacks. Hate crimes are remnants of those lynchings.
If we ignore the racial implications of these crimes, we fail to recognize there importance. They illustrate that we do not live in a society of equals. Hate crimes are most often used to perpetuate the systematic oppression of a minority group and, thus, further the inequality. At one point, the KKK used lynchings to assert its authority over blacks. Hate crimes are remnants of those lynchings.
How to tackle your own narrative: Hightower, Christmas, or Swift
Going off of what Mr. Heidkamp said in class, everyone has their own narrative. This narrative can be good or bad, and it is up to you how you choose to live with that narrative. In Light in August alone, we see several examples of characters addressing their narratives very differently. There is Reverend Hightower, who refused to be ashamed of his narrative despite society's attempts to drive him out of town. Rather than stand up to his narrative or leave town and escape it, Hightower does nothing, accepts it, and tries to go on with his life ignoring the stigma attached to his name. Then we see Joe Christmas and after recieving his backstory, we realize has quite the narrative, but doesn't even know himself what it is yet.
When such a powerful narrative is written about you, there are several things you can do in response to it. Maybe you are like Joe and don't know what your narrative is yet. Maybe you choose to take Reverend Hightower's path and keep it looming in the past. But maybe, you embody it, alter it however you choose, and, like Taylor Swift, look awesome doing it.
From the moment we heard her music would no longer be categorized as country, we knew to expect something new from Taylor Swift's new album, 1989. This is exactly what she was going for. She creativity changed directions as an artist and in doing so, sends valid messages relevant to many of the topics we have recently discussed in class, such as changing one's own narrative and reversing Benjamin's MALE/female binary, as she does in her music video for "Blank Space."
As Mr. Hiedkamp was saying in class, Taylor Swift is actively trying to change the well known stigma, or narrative, that comes along with her music and character in the media world. She's the girl obsessed with guys, leaving them left and right, and compiling these dramatically deep emotions into heartfelt songs that serve to personally attack the poor past lover who was stupid enough to fall into her trap. From one guy to the next, Taylor Swift is known for lashing out at small things and over reacting to every situation. While addressing her own narrative, Swift remarks that male artists in the industry do this all the time, but that somehow because she is a girl, this lashing out of heartbreak is not okay.
While simultaneously destroying her own narrative, Taylor Swift also challenges the binary of the typical MALE/female relationship. In her newest music video, we constantly see the guy chasing her around and sitting patiently long enough for her to paint his entire portrait. While discussing her video, an interview lead into a discussion of feminism, where Swift spoke of how she wishes she was taught the real definition of feminism earlier as a child- that feminism is a fight for equality, not a bashing of men. She says that in general and on many different scales, people can get uncomfortable with women doing things that men are "supposed to do." This sort of binary can be seen in Light in August in the relationship between Joe Christmas and Miss Burden. Joe is uncomfortable with the fact that Miss Burden is successful, and when she offers to share this success with him, he doesn't accept it.
In the video for "Blank Space," rather than taking a Reverend Hightower approach and pretending that the stigma doesn't exist, she embodies her narrative. The video serves as a satire of herself, and mainly of the story associated with her character. Rather than defending herself, she embodies it, makes fun of herself, and owns it. When she runs around like a maniac, she is not only smashing the car, the painting, and the house, but smashing the narrative itself.
When such a powerful narrative is written about you, there are several things you can do in response to it. Maybe you are like Joe and don't know what your narrative is yet. Maybe you choose to take Reverend Hightower's path and keep it looming in the past. But maybe, you embody it, alter it however you choose, and, like Taylor Swift, look awesome doing it.
From the moment we heard her music would no longer be categorized as country, we knew to expect something new from Taylor Swift's new album, 1989. This is exactly what she was going for. She creativity changed directions as an artist and in doing so, sends valid messages relevant to many of the topics we have recently discussed in class, such as changing one's own narrative and reversing Benjamin's MALE/female binary, as she does in her music video for "Blank Space."
As Mr. Hiedkamp was saying in class, Taylor Swift is actively trying to change the well known stigma, or narrative, that comes along with her music and character in the media world. She's the girl obsessed with guys, leaving them left and right, and compiling these dramatically deep emotions into heartfelt songs that serve to personally attack the poor past lover who was stupid enough to fall into her trap. From one guy to the next, Taylor Swift is known for lashing out at small things and over reacting to every situation. While addressing her own narrative, Swift remarks that male artists in the industry do this all the time, but that somehow because she is a girl, this lashing out of heartbreak is not okay.
While simultaneously destroying her own narrative, Taylor Swift also challenges the binary of the typical MALE/female relationship. In her newest music video, we constantly see the guy chasing her around and sitting patiently long enough for her to paint his entire portrait. While discussing her video, an interview lead into a discussion of feminism, where Swift spoke of how she wishes she was taught the real definition of feminism earlier as a child- that feminism is a fight for equality, not a bashing of men. She says that in general and on many different scales, people can get uncomfortable with women doing things that men are "supposed to do." This sort of binary can be seen in Light in August in the relationship between Joe Christmas and Miss Burden. Joe is uncomfortable with the fact that Miss Burden is successful, and when she offers to share this success with him, he doesn't accept it.
In the video for "Blank Space," rather than taking a Reverend Hightower approach and pretending that the stigma doesn't exist, she embodies her narrative. The video serves as a satire of herself, and mainly of the story associated with her character. Rather than defending herself, she embodies it, makes fun of herself, and owns it. When she runs around like a maniac, she is not only smashing the car, the painting, and the house, but smashing the narrative itself.
What We've Learned About Fractions In Math Is Wrong.
In math class you are taught that a/b = b/a. Jessica Benjamin has taught us that that is actually false. Benjamin's math is more like a/b could never equal b/a, because switching the two would change life as we know it. Benjamin writes about how binaries dominate our society (BINARIES/society). So if we were to take a binary and flip it then life as we know it would be drastically different.
Faulkner has taken binaries to another level. Whether it is MASTER/slave, WHITE/black, PARENT/child, they are everywhere throughout Light in August. One binary I thought was pretty cool was MALE/female. I thought that it was cool because Faulkner flips this very important binary.
It is evident that most of the relationships in the novel adhere to the MALE/female binary (such as McEathern and his wife). Faulkner decides that it is not very interesting to conform to social constructions so he takes Joe Christmas, and Mrs. Burden's relationship and flips the binary.
When Joe describes his relationship with Mrs. Burden he explicitly states that he feels as if Mrs. Burden has more control or dominance then he does. Joe's lack of power in a typically male dominated binary may contribute to the his killing of Mrs. Burden. If it does play a major role then we see first hand how flipping a binary drastically changes the reality of the situation.
Faulkner's Light in August is truly layered and confusing work, but it is a work of art and must be interpreted as such. His discreet and not so discreet violations of social code at the time are magnificent. I think Jessica Benjamin and William Faulkner would have gotten along well.
Faulkner has taken binaries to another level. Whether it is MASTER/slave, WHITE/black, PARENT/child, they are everywhere throughout Light in August. One binary I thought was pretty cool was MALE/female. I thought that it was cool because Faulkner flips this very important binary.
It is evident that most of the relationships in the novel adhere to the MALE/female binary (such as McEathern and his wife). Faulkner decides that it is not very interesting to conform to social constructions so he takes Joe Christmas, and Mrs. Burden's relationship and flips the binary.
When Joe describes his relationship with Mrs. Burden he explicitly states that he feels as if Mrs. Burden has more control or dominance then he does. Joe's lack of power in a typically male dominated binary may contribute to the his killing of Mrs. Burden. If it does play a major role then we see first hand how flipping a binary drastically changes the reality of the situation.
Faulkner's Light in August is truly layered and confusing work, but it is a work of art and must be interpreted as such. His discreet and not so discreet violations of social code at the time are magnificent. I think Jessica Benjamin and William Faulkner would have gotten along well.
Unwarranted Nicknames: How Rory "Ice Cream Queen" Gilmore and Joe "Homicidal Negro" Christmas Got Screwed Over By Their Community
William Faulkner's novel Light in August takes place in Yoknapatawpha county, Mississippi in the 1920's. Amy Sherman Palladino's TV series Gilmore Girls takes place in Stars Hollow, Connecticut in the 2000's. Against all odds, these two literary masterpieces have a lot in common. The narratives and binaries involved with a closely-knit community of people have been the same for decades, apparently.
In chapter 4 of Light In August, the reader hears Byron's account of recent happenings in relation to Miss Burden's murder. Joe Brown, in pursuit of a reward, has told the Sheriff that Joe Christmas is responsible for Miss Burden's death. As a reader, we can pretty much make the assumption, having read to chapter 12, that Christmas is, in fact, Burden's killer. However, when the sheriff hears Brown's story, the only real facts he knows is that Brown was in the burning house, pleading that no one goes upstairs, where Burden's body was found with her head barely connected to her body. He really has no reason to suspect anybody else but Brown committed the crime, and he remembers that, that is until Joe Brown mentions some essential proof. Joe Christmas, previously innocent man, is biracial. This changes everything for the Sheriff and others listening. "I believe you are telling the truth at last"(99) he says. Immediately an entire narrative of Joe Christmas is created. He's a murderer, a liar, and a dangerous man. Nothing has been witnessed to really prove that by the town, but they know for a fact he has those characteristics based on Brown's story. Regardless of his probably nonexistent innocence, he shouldn't be convicted solely based on his race.
In season 4 of Gilmore Girls, episode 1, Rory struggles with the narrative her town has created for her as well. Taylor, owner of the local grocery store and old fashioned soda shoppe, has named Rory the official "Ice Cream Queen" for the opening of the shoppe, without asking her first. Almost exactly like how the sheriff named Christmas the murderer without evidence, only with slightly different consequences. Rory, unlike Christmas, is able to confront her maker and change the narrative created for her. Taylor defends himself, saying "I assumed you would be thrilled, based on your past participation record" Taylor had no evidence for his assumption other than Rory's previous attendance and participation in town affairs. He created a persona for her without her permission. Rory later speaks at the grand opening in a small mental breakdown, saying:"I love this town, I will be back in that ridiculous pilgrim outfit next Thanksgiving, so everybody just get off my back!" Clearly, she's in a much different position in relation to her community than Christmas is.
It's clear that in these small towns, it's almost impossible to create your own persona and have all the residents accept that and treat you based on your actions and not the words of others. However, especially in groups, people will create an identity for you without solid proof. While it's more obvious when it's the possibility of prison over the possibility of a mascot for a cheesy event, this is harmful. It takes away an individuals agency to create their identity.
P.S.- I'm #TeamJess
FATHER/son Binary
In William Faulkner's Light in August, he portrays an interesting relationship between Joe Christmas and his adopted father, McEachern. Jessica Benjamin labeled binaries as a type of relationship in which one person is dominant over the other. This binary is present between the two. McEachern is a cold, disconnected, violent character who relentlessly attempts to place religious strict religious values upon his son. While he appears to be passionate about his religious beliefs, in reality, he is one of the more detached characters in the book.
What I find interesting in the relationship is that his character rubbed off Christmas. He spends the days working hard to pass the time and becomes extremely hateful. He begins escaping from his house to go into town, partly in an attempt to see the woman he is interested in and also to escape from his harsh home environment. Eventually, his repression at home overcomes when he kills his father following escaping from his home. Multiple times, he yells, "I said I would kill him some day!", swinging a chair back and forth. Almost resembling sociopathic behavior, he laughs at his father's death, mocking to McEacher's wife that, "He's at a dance." Furthermore, when he returns to the restaurant in a flurried attempt to marry the woman he'd briefly been seeing, he lunges at the men who try to remove him from the restaurant, "with something of the exaltation of his adopted father..."
As can be shown, the dominance McEachern tried to display upon Christmas resulted in his destruction as a character.
I think this chapter in the book has strong implications for Jessica Benjamin's binaries. The chapter develops the theme that isolation is a consequence of dominance, as both McEachern and Christmas end up alone. In both of their attempts to display authoritative behavior, they have drastic downfalls in their character.
What I find interesting in the relationship is that his character rubbed off Christmas. He spends the days working hard to pass the time and becomes extremely hateful. He begins escaping from his house to go into town, partly in an attempt to see the woman he is interested in and also to escape from his harsh home environment. Eventually, his repression at home overcomes when he kills his father following escaping from his home. Multiple times, he yells, "I said I would kill him some day!", swinging a chair back and forth. Almost resembling sociopathic behavior, he laughs at his father's death, mocking to McEacher's wife that, "He's at a dance." Furthermore, when he returns to the restaurant in a flurried attempt to marry the woman he'd briefly been seeing, he lunges at the men who try to remove him from the restaurant, "with something of the exaltation of his adopted father..."
As can be shown, the dominance McEachern tried to display upon Christmas resulted in his destruction as a character.
I think this chapter in the book has strong implications for Jessica Benjamin's binaries. The chapter develops the theme that isolation is a consequence of dominance, as both McEachern and Christmas end up alone. In both of their attempts to display authoritative behavior, they have drastic downfalls in their character.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
*Insert Controversial Eye-Catching Disputed Murder Title Here"
As I read William Faulkner's great masterpiece Light in August, I reach the dramatic moment where Joe Brown is looking to get a 1,000 dollar check for "turning in" Joe Christmas. It looks as if Brown is losing his persuasion, until he brings up the fact that Christmas is part negro, to which the officers respond by completely agreeing with Brown that he is guilty. Now I'm sure plenty of people responded by saying "THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!! HOW CAN THEY DO THIS!!" and act like this stuff never happens around them, which is correct. But because people are vehemently against any sense of racism, issues that could possibly relate to conflict take precedence over other crimes.
For example, the Michael Brown case in Ferguson Missouri shows how people can get caught up in these ideals. People see that a black teenager is shot by a white cop, and people immediately riot against "the man" and attack the police force without actually seeing any evidence. It has been shown that a police report called for a armed robber in a white shirt in the area when Brown was found by the officer. It is suggested that there was a struggle between the two, and that the gunshot was done in self defense. Yet reporters don't feed this information to the viewers, it gets pushed aside for activists and news of rioting to capture the eyes and wallets of companies and people.
But lets go back to good old Chicago, where a similarly aged African American male is killed with 16 bullets as he drives with three friends down the street. Where is Jesse Jackson? Where are the news trucks? The massive riots? Nowhere. The news just reports it as a gang related incident and no killer is suspect for the crime. These murders happen every single day in the US or even out big city, but nobody knows or cares about them as much as a government vs. citizen conflict.
So the real question is why. Why do these stories capture our attention while others go by in the wind? The answer can be found in Faulkner's tale and how easy it would be for the officers to accuse Christmas of the crime. If a local white man is convict of such a horrible atrocity, then the news reporters will come and bring infamy to the area. But if a part negro male is brought to "justice," then people in the story are comfortable with this and it will just be another murder.
So what can people do to avoid this bias? Nothing. It is going to happen whether or not you want it to. If someone with money and power reacts, then others will follow suit. When a radio station plays new music, the band with blow up, while other artists will go along. Tales are stones by a sea, where one is hand picked to skip while thousands wait for recognition that will never come.
These tales of "racist attacks" will always happen. Whatever gathers the advertisement money.
For example, the Michael Brown case in Ferguson Missouri shows how people can get caught up in these ideals. People see that a black teenager is shot by a white cop, and people immediately riot against "the man" and attack the police force without actually seeing any evidence. It has been shown that a police report called for a armed robber in a white shirt in the area when Brown was found by the officer. It is suggested that there was a struggle between the two, and that the gunshot was done in self defense. Yet reporters don't feed this information to the viewers, it gets pushed aside for activists and news of rioting to capture the eyes and wallets of companies and people.
But lets go back to good old Chicago, where a similarly aged African American male is killed with 16 bullets as he drives with three friends down the street. Where is Jesse Jackson? Where are the news trucks? The massive riots? Nowhere. The news just reports it as a gang related incident and no killer is suspect for the crime. These murders happen every single day in the US or even out big city, but nobody knows or cares about them as much as a government vs. citizen conflict.
So the real question is why. Why do these stories capture our attention while others go by in the wind? The answer can be found in Faulkner's tale and how easy it would be for the officers to accuse Christmas of the crime. If a local white man is convict of such a horrible atrocity, then the news reporters will come and bring infamy to the area. But if a part negro male is brought to "justice," then people in the story are comfortable with this and it will just be another murder.
So what can people do to avoid this bias? Nothing. It is going to happen whether or not you want it to. If someone with money and power reacts, then others will follow suit. When a radio station plays new music, the band with blow up, while other artists will go along. Tales are stones by a sea, where one is hand picked to skip while thousands wait for recognition that will never come.
These tales of "racist attacks" will always happen. Whatever gathers the advertisement money.
Is it really 'Just a Dress'?
Faulkner presents an intricate understanding of how race "works" in his widely-acclaimed novel, Light in August. Recently, we've seen the way he manipulates the characters in the story to elicit a greater meaning and/or truth about the world after Brown reports Christmas as a "half nigger" to support his claim that Christmas was the murderer rather than himself. The sheriff's response brings up the argument of "How could that happen? Why might something as insignificant as race matter more than something as gruesome as murder?" The answer lies in the power of social binaries, Benjamin would agree.
In the same way that race functions as a defining characteristic for many in the world today, gender often dictates an individual's actions as well as the expectations for that individual. In fact, gender dictates that in six months, I must walk through an arbor in a white dress with a bouquet of roses in my hand. What's that you ask? Who's the lucky man? Well, don't get your hopes up because...
Plot Twist: That'll be when I graduate from Oak Park and River Forest High School.
In our school, the graduating seniors uniformly sport white, floor-length dresses for women, while men dress in black suits with a red tie to match the women's bouquet of roses. For the past 101 years, this tradition has prevailed as a tribute to the school's history and as many have told me, "just looks so good in pictures." To both, I agree. However, my desire to honor tradition is clouded by my understanding of the origin of OPRFHS graduation attire.
Again, I remind you of the image of an 18-year old woman in a white dress holding a bouquet of roses walking under an arbor. Following her is a line of 18-year old men dressed in black suits with a red tie. As I sat and watched my siblings' graduation ceremonies at OPRF, I couldn't help but think that it looked as if they were all getting married. As a unit. Imagine that. Definitely would save a lot of money. But besides the point, it is 2014. Women and men today are, generally, not focused on marriage at eighteen years old anymore. Times have changed. Oak Park has changed.
I understand that some may read this in annoyance because to them, the idea that a white dress symbolizes purity, virginity, or marriage is outdated. To them, graduation would be nothing without the traditional OPRF graduation attire. After all, it's 'just a dress'. I also want to make clear that the point of this is not to shame others for wanting to wear white dresses because each student should wear whatever they choose. That's exactly my point. I am angry I am forced to wear white on a day completely unrelated to my wedding. I am angry that I cannot appreciate the tradition as others do. But I'm mostly angry because I am forced to wear an outfit based on my gender. The varying attire splits the sea of graduates in a completely unnecessary way. We are no longer "graduates", but rather "male graduates" and "female graduates": an arbitrary divide within the class. The issue now becomes, is it really 'just a dress'?
In the same way that race functions as a defining characteristic for many in the world today, gender often dictates an individual's actions as well as the expectations for that individual. In fact, gender dictates that in six months, I must walk through an arbor in a white dress with a bouquet of roses in my hand. What's that you ask? Who's the lucky man? Well, don't get your hopes up because...
Plot Twist: That'll be when I graduate from Oak Park and River Forest High School.
In our school, the graduating seniors uniformly sport white, floor-length dresses for women, while men dress in black suits with a red tie to match the women's bouquet of roses. For the past 101 years, this tradition has prevailed as a tribute to the school's history and as many have told me, "just looks so good in pictures." To both, I agree. However, my desire to honor tradition is clouded by my understanding of the origin of OPRFHS graduation attire.
Again, I remind you of the image of an 18-year old woman in a white dress holding a bouquet of roses walking under an arbor. Following her is a line of 18-year old men dressed in black suits with a red tie. As I sat and watched my siblings' graduation ceremonies at OPRF, I couldn't help but think that it looked as if they were all getting married. As a unit. Imagine that. Definitely would save a lot of money. But besides the point, it is 2014. Women and men today are, generally, not focused on marriage at eighteen years old anymore. Times have changed. Oak Park has changed.
I understand that some may read this in annoyance because to them, the idea that a white dress symbolizes purity, virginity, or marriage is outdated. To them, graduation would be nothing without the traditional OPRF graduation attire. After all, it's 'just a dress'. I also want to make clear that the point of this is not to shame others for wanting to wear white dresses because each student should wear whatever they choose. That's exactly my point. I am angry I am forced to wear white on a day completely unrelated to my wedding. I am angry that I cannot appreciate the tradition as others do. But I'm mostly angry because I am forced to wear an outfit based on my gender. The varying attire splits the sea of graduates in a completely unnecessary way. We are no longer "graduates", but rather "male graduates" and "female graduates": an arbitrary divide within the class. The issue now becomes, is it really 'just a dress'?
Binaries as Categories
A pretty big theme in William Faulkner’s Light In August is identity, especially in the case of Joe Christmas. Throughout the novel, he seems to struggle a lot with whether he should consider himself black or white: on page 254, Christmas tells Ms. Burden that he identifies himself as black, and says, “If I’m not, damned if I haven’t wasted a lot of time”. This quote gives us the impression that there is a sort of demand for Joe to know what he is, which brings us to the concept of binaries.
Jessica Benjamin explains binaries as a type of set up where one person or idea is more dominant over the other: MALE/female, FATHER/son, POWER/weakness are all good examples. However, binaries also serve as categories that define people based on specific attributes or differences. I am male, therefore I am not female; I am powerful, therefore I am not weak, etc.
This is why Joe Christmas has a difficult time deciding which race to identify with. Even though he is part black and part white, the WHITE/black binary only allows him to fall under one category.
Jessica Benjamin explains binaries as a type of set up where one person or idea is more dominant over the other: MALE/female, FATHER/son, POWER/weakness are all good examples. However, binaries also serve as categories that define people based on specific attributes or differences. I am male, therefore I am not female; I am powerful, therefore I am not weak, etc.
This is why Joe Christmas has a difficult time deciding which race to identify with. Even though he is part black and part white, the WHITE/black binary only allows him to fall under one category.
BROWN/christmas
During that time period media portrayed African Americans as “Brutes.” Whenever they were featured in movies they were antagonists who often caused violence or the death of an innocent and pure protagonist. For example in the film clip we saw the black man chased the white virgin woman to her death. This portrayal of Black people in media influences how society views them in novels and in everyday functioning.
A seemingly recurring theme in the novel Light in August is the use of Racism in the southern town. When a murder is committed in town all of the evidence suggests that a white man named Brown is the most likely suspect, however, when the questioning of his roommate, Christmas, race is involved fingers are suddenly pointed in a different direction (toward the black suspect). In the novel the sheriff is questioning Brown about the murder and the situation at hand. Brown’s story remains unclear and his facts never seem to add up causing continuous suspicion on the sheriffs point of view. On page 98 in the novel it says, “‘You better be careful what you are saying, if it is a white man you are talking about,’ the marshal says. ‘I dont care if he is a murderer or not.’” This quotation to me points out that a white man killing someone is a completely different concept than the idea of a black man killing someone. This point of view is the reflection of racism. According to dictionary.com racism is “a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among thevarious human races determine cultural or individualachievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race issuperior and has the right to rule others.” In this southern town it is obvious to me that the white community feels as though they have superiority over the black community. After the sheriff finds out that Christmas is part black he then says, "'Well,' the sheriff says, 'I believe you are telling the truth at last. You go on with Buck, now, and get a good sleep. I'll attend to Christmas.'" (pg. 99). The sheriff lacks evidence that is against Christmas, but believes Brown because of the skin tone presented on his body.
Earlier in the year we read an article by Jessica Benjamin who explained that there are psychological set ups in relationships of dominance rather than mutual recognition. She also brings to light the creation of social binaries. For example MEN/women or POWER/weakness. I think that her idea binaries connects to Light in August. I think that most obviously the binary WHITE/black can be applied but I also think that CIVILIZATION/savage, TRUSTWORTHY/deceiving, and JUST/unjust are great
examples
of lack of mutual recognition in the southern community. In the case of the novel the white community believes that they are civilized, trustworthy, and just as opposed to the savage, deceiving, and unjust black community. Benjamin also points out that enable for whites to consider themselves the upper binary they must have an inferior binary to compare themselves to and that is the black community. These binaries and comparisons of these two societies (white and black) support the theme or racism that is offered as a continuously appearing conflict throughout the novel. With the support of the media, conversations between characters, and articles from outside sources, such as Benjamin, racism in the novel is criticized and made more apparent.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
A Chauvinistic Christmas
In Faulkner's 'Light in August', Joe Christmas struggles with his identity. Although appearances may be deceiving, Christmas knows himself to be a negro. Given that this story takes place in post- Civil War south, being black entails a sense of inferiority, as if a curse. Christmas grows up aware that his race places him on the subordinate side of the power struggle, or binary, that existed between people at the time. This sense of submissiveness in relation to the dominant white man has engraved a belief of shortcoming causes Christmas to find an outlet in which he can expend these feelings and obtain power, even if only for a moment.
For the most part, Christmas finds this through sex. Throughout the novel, Christmas pays prostitutes for sex, and often times, these relations with women end in violence. When Christmas has an affair with Ms. Burden, this inferiority complex is indirectly explained via the times he assaults her with relentless blows. Because Christmas is unable to assert his dominance and control over his white male peers, he uses the opportunity to control women through sex. This opportunity arises from Christmas's desire to flip the binary and, for once, be in total control of his counterpart. This is why any display of love and affection from a women, which is especially clear in Christmas's relationship with Ms. Burden and Mrs. McEachern, pushes Christmas away and usually causes Christmas to use violence and disrespect in the relationship. Any display of affection and love is seen as a threat to his dominance. At one point, Christmas hopes that Ms. Burden will have left him a note that says that there affair is over and is to be forgotten, yet Christmas finds himself the subject of Ms. Burden's desire to hand over her wealth and power. Faulker writes that Joe Christmas always wanted to have something kept a secret from the women in his life, whether it is with the rope and Ms. McEeachern or the whiskey and Ms. Burden. This shows that Christmas desires to be in greater control than the women not only in sex, but in knowledge. Because of this desire to flip the binary that he is a part of, Joe Christmas portrays himself as a very male chauvinistic individual that will fight to assert dominance over any female counterpart.
For the most part, Christmas finds this through sex. Throughout the novel, Christmas pays prostitutes for sex, and often times, these relations with women end in violence. When Christmas has an affair with Ms. Burden, this inferiority complex is indirectly explained via the times he assaults her with relentless blows. Because Christmas is unable to assert his dominance and control over his white male peers, he uses the opportunity to control women through sex. This opportunity arises from Christmas's desire to flip the binary and, for once, be in total control of his counterpart. This is why any display of love and affection from a women, which is especially clear in Christmas's relationship with Ms. Burden and Mrs. McEachern, pushes Christmas away and usually causes Christmas to use violence and disrespect in the relationship. Any display of affection and love is seen as a threat to his dominance. At one point, Christmas hopes that Ms. Burden will have left him a note that says that there affair is over and is to be forgotten, yet Christmas finds himself the subject of Ms. Burden's desire to hand over her wealth and power. Faulker writes that Joe Christmas always wanted to have something kept a secret from the women in his life, whether it is with the rope and Ms. McEeachern or the whiskey and Ms. Burden. This shows that Christmas desires to be in greater control than the women not only in sex, but in knowledge. Because of this desire to flip the binary that he is a part of, Joe Christmas portrays himself as a very male chauvinistic individual that will fight to assert dominance over any female counterpart.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Veblen and Chopin
Thorstein Veblen's writing about the "Leisure Class" has a direct connection to Chopin's writing in the awakening. Veblen states, "According to the ideal scheme of life in force at that time it is the office of the men to consume what the women produce. Such consumption as falls to women is merely incidental to their work; It is a means to their continued labor, and not a consumption directed to their own comfort and fullness of life". Veblen makes a great point about the consumption by men. The men are at the receiving end of the women/housewife's work and dedication. This is the "ideal scheme of life" that is very much present and challenged in the Awakening. Edna is an outsider to the Creole traditions of New Orleans, these traditions are similar to and more concrete than Veblen's point. Edna feels like she should not have to devote all of her time and her self-being to the family. Unlike some of the other women in the book, who's lives are consumed by their families, whether voluntary or forced, Edna expresses individuality. There are several moments in the book where we see her "rebel" against the traditions, or where we see she is clearly not accepting her role in life. Like when she says she would give up everything for her children including her life, but not herself; Or when she is standing outside Lebrun's house that seemed like a prison and she was on the outside waiting to get in, which is a connection between her being on the outside of traditional societal values. Veblen points out a great truth in our societal values and Chopin, through the character Edna, shows how clear these values are in life and what it takes and how people react to someone rebelling against them. I think it is very easy to look past all of the subtle details in the book, and it is essential to pay close attention to the language Chopin uses. It is also interesting to see reactions to a female character being the existentialist or true individual.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Women and Consumption
Veblen preaches wonders about the world of materialism. He talks about the value of possession and the value of consumption of possessions and the extra value earned from consuming extra value items and basically says the more expensive you are, the more you'll be respected. More interestingly he talks about a woman's intimate connection to this materialism, that it is her duty to consume and earn respect in the same way a man's duty is to be the breadwinner (and pay for all the lovely things the wife gets to use). And while gender equality has leaped forward drastically since Veblen's time, this connection of women to items to popularity definitely still exists today.
In all the magazines, commercials, billboards, and other media forms, it seems more often than not women are the main mannequins for promoting content. They're sporting the sexy new dresses, all dolled up for all the perfume adds, and are endlessly exploited to be used for advertisement purposes, dressed most glamorously when promoting the most glamorous items. And while all these advertisements obviously also use men as well, it's interesting to compare the gender roles men and women seem to play in the media to the stereotypical roles they play in society, both modern and old-fashioned.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Faster and Faster with Nowhere to Go
I find Veblen's take on Theory of the Leisure Class especially interesting at a time when American society is so driven by efficiency in everything we do. What we define as success has been shrunken down to whatever is the most efficient way to get things done. We give enormous support to fast-food companies to make our food faster, pay thousands of dollars to make our computers faster, and we can't even fathom the idea of not having a car to get ourselves places the fastest way possible. Family I visited in Europe over the summer was shocked to hear that we have coffee to-go, something that other countries consider a way to sit down, relax, and chat while we are just so focused on go go go.
With a society so fixed on efficiency, the fact that we regard evidence of "extravagant expenditures" of time, money, and resources as beautiful solely because they are wasteful seems almost paradoxical. The fastest cars, the fastest phones, the fastest computers, the fastest kitchen appliances are all still the most expensive and yet things such as edged lawns, elaborate decorating styles, and high standards of cleanness area all things that use this precious time that we are endlessly trying to eliminate from our daily lifestyles. No matter how fast and glorious the iPhone 6 is, millions of people will undoubtedly rush to buy the new iPhone7 as soon as it reaches store, not because their iPhone 6 is not fast enough for them, but because it is no longer fast enough for the ever changing society that convinces us that our iPhone 6 is not good enough. It seems that we are so structured on Veblen's idea of "conspicuous waste" with a false sense of "conspicuous leisure."
With a society so fixed on efficiency, the fact that we regard evidence of "extravagant expenditures" of time, money, and resources as beautiful solely because they are wasteful seems almost paradoxical. The fastest cars, the fastest phones, the fastest computers, the fastest kitchen appliances are all still the most expensive and yet things such as edged lawns, elaborate decorating styles, and high standards of cleanness area all things that use this precious time that we are endlessly trying to eliminate from our daily lifestyles. No matter how fast and glorious the iPhone 6 is, millions of people will undoubtedly rush to buy the new iPhone7 as soon as it reaches store, not because their iPhone 6 is not fast enough for them, but because it is no longer fast enough for the ever changing society that convinces us that our iPhone 6 is not good enough. It seems that we are so structured on Veblen's idea of "conspicuous waste" with a false sense of "conspicuous leisure."
Complete Opposites
When it comes to the role of Women in society the character of Edna and Thorsteins Veblen's theory of the Leisure Class are completely different. Edna is a character that was pretty much created to show how women can defy social constructs. Whether it be within relationships, being a mother, and more. While, Veblen's theory puts women down and mainly talks about women doing duties in the house as their role. Kinnan states that Veblen argues that " The wife, then, becomes a servant who is required to preform these functions, not to establish anything about her own economic strength but to assert the economic power of man." Veblen's theory constantly refers to women as having roles like this which is opposite of the role of women that Edna portrays.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Edna Rejecting Veblen
After analyzing Veblen's thoughts about the leisure class and what women "should" be doing, I immediately thought that Edna defies nearly everything he says. Unlike Veblen's theory, Edna feels little to no attachment to her children or her husband. She takes her time to do meaningful things that benefit her self growth. She feels no obligation to make sure other people are comfortable, as Veblen said many women do. Although some people in class initially rejected Edna, I admire her. It takes a special person to actively live life for herself and only for herself. Edna is the epitome of "only worry about yourself."
Although Edna took her growth and awakening extremely seriously I think people can learn from both her and Veblen. From Edna, people can learn that gender roles and stereotypes can be defied and proven wrong in magnificent ways. From Veblen, people can learn that things we may think are true today will probably end up changing in the future.
On a separate note, I found a music video that I think accurately summarizes some of Edna's feelings at the end of her awakening. Although the lyrics don't really connect, I think the way it was filmed (especially the beach scenes and the flashbacks) show a modern and extreme approach to what Edna was feeling back in Victorian times.
Although Edna took her growth and awakening extremely seriously I think people can learn from both her and Veblen. From Edna, people can learn that gender roles and stereotypes can be defied and proven wrong in magnificent ways. From Veblen, people can learn that things we may think are true today will probably end up changing in the future.
On a separate note, I found a music video that I think accurately summarizes some of Edna's feelings at the end of her awakening. Although the lyrics don't really connect, I think the way it was filmed (especially the beach scenes and the flashbacks) show a modern and extreme approach to what Edna was feeling back in Victorian times.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Male Ignorance
Reading Virginia Woolf's essay on Shakespeare's sister makes me appreciate who I was born as: a white male. Specifically, it also reminded me of this Louis CK bit on being white: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg48ZZ2wYfM
As Louis says, being a white male is pretty much living life on easy mode. While men aren't completely free of gender roles, most of the expectations for us involve being successful and creative, so it's not restricting so much as aggressively/unhealthily motivating. While I know women are no longer forced to marry at age 16, they are still held back in many ways by societal norms, and this is something that, as a white male, I've only recently become aware of.
Honestly, I think it should be required of all men to read something like what Ms. Woolf wrote -- otherwise, we will continue walking around in ignorance. Until we got to the feminist unit in AP American Literature last year, I was completely unaware of how poorly represented females are in American culture. And once it was called to my attention, I finally understood why feminism is necessary. Women have had it tough in life, and they continue to live with more constraints than there should be, and I like to think most men would agree that that's not okay. They just might not realize the true reality of their situation.
As Louis says, being a white male is pretty much living life on easy mode. While men aren't completely free of gender roles, most of the expectations for us involve being successful and creative, so it's not restricting so much as aggressively/unhealthily motivating. While I know women are no longer forced to marry at age 16, they are still held back in many ways by societal norms, and this is something that, as a white male, I've only recently become aware of.
Honestly, I think it should be required of all men to read something like what Ms. Woolf wrote -- otherwise, we will continue walking around in ignorance. Until we got to the feminist unit in AP American Literature last year, I was completely unaware of how poorly represented females are in American culture. And once it was called to my attention, I finally understood why feminism is necessary. Women have had it tough in life, and they continue to live with more constraints than there should be, and I like to think most men would agree that that's not okay. They just might not realize the true reality of their situation.
The Perfect Woman is
I'm not very well versed in Elizabethan history. But from "Shakespeare's sister" by Virginia Woolf, I can get a semi accurate, although hypothetical, glimpse into what life would be like for a woman with Shakespeare's genius but without his opportunities as a man. She is oppressed by her parents, runs away, is oppressed by society, and ends up committing suicide.
In class, we talked about Edna's life and death and if she was a hero or not. A point that was discussed was that she might not have been a hero as she did not attempt to create political change or bring attention to her struggles and many other women's struggles with oppression. The same could be said for "Judith"- because she didn't do anything for the greater good of women everywhere, she lived and died without having done anything of value. However, these women can still be heroes without having caused any political change. As Mr. Heidcamp said, it's a double standard. There have probably been hundreds of male characters we've read about struggling with society who have done nothing to change it, but we can still easily call them heroes. Judith died without having reached any of her probable goals. But this is not by a fault of her own character. We know as readers that she is an incredibly smart individual with the capacity to write great works of fiction as her brother did. What's truly to blame is the world she lived in; treating her like property and literally not allowing her to read or write. What could we have expected them to do? She defied her parents by running away. Edna moves into her own house. But in the end there is no way for them to escape the systems they were oppressed by enough to develop the skills or live their lives they wanted to. Not everyone was born to potentially sacrifice themselves for a small chance something would change. By holding them up to that standard we are still judging them for not being the perfect woman, even a different definition of the phrase.
In class, we talked about Edna's life and death and if she was a hero or not. A point that was discussed was that she might not have been a hero as she did not attempt to create political change or bring attention to her struggles and many other women's struggles with oppression. The same could be said for "Judith"- because she didn't do anything for the greater good of women everywhere, she lived and died without having done anything of value. However, these women can still be heroes without having caused any political change. As Mr. Heidcamp said, it's a double standard. There have probably been hundreds of male characters we've read about struggling with society who have done nothing to change it, but we can still easily call them heroes. Judith died without having reached any of her probable goals. But this is not by a fault of her own character. We know as readers that she is an incredibly smart individual with the capacity to write great works of fiction as her brother did. What's truly to blame is the world she lived in; treating her like property and literally not allowing her to read or write. What could we have expected them to do? She defied her parents by running away. Edna moves into her own house. But in the end there is no way for them to escape the systems they were oppressed by enough to develop the skills or live their lives they wanted to. Not everyone was born to potentially sacrifice themselves for a small chance something would change. By holding them up to that standard we are still judging them for not being the perfect woman, even a different definition of the phrase.
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