#lit 243

[kay-tay22]

Potential Islamophobia + Phantom of the Opera

The character named the Persian struck me as odd. Out of anyone in the book (so far), he is the only one without an addressed name aside from the Phantom itself. This could be because the Persian supposedly knows the Phantom very well and that maybe their personalities mirror each other (we’ll see).

However, on page 16, it is said that the Persian has “the Evil Eye” as everyone knows. In the notes on the book, it is said that the Evil Eye is the “Islamic notion that certain individuals with malicious intent can gain ascendancy over other people, animals, or things by the sheer power of their gaze” (288). Clearly, this implies the Persian (perhaps the only non-white, non-French person) is evil/monstrous. This is supported through the ballet-girls who make “the gesture of the horned hand” when thinking of the Persian (16); this hand gesture is specifically used to “conjure supernatural power, protecting the person... from the Evil Eye” (288). The characters do not feel comfortable around the Persian and even present him as a being with powers (and not in a positive light).

Is this a marking of the time and the othering (the gate of differences) taking place in Leroux’s society?

[brandnewbree]

Maya Angelou

When I first started writing it was writing through my hatred for the pain I went through. it was dark statements and anger. It was not beautifully put and flowed, instead it was short fragmented statements about a life I thought I was stuck in. 

I then found my favorites poets. Sylvia Plath and Maya Angelou. They both offered a balance in my life. 

Maya taught me that I should channel all my anger and hurt, to rise. To use my words and explain that I have gone through hell and back, but damn it I am back. Reading her essays again gave me goosebumps and really motivated me to finish up this poetry book. In honor of Maya Angelou here is a piece that will give off vibes of her work. 

“Hey beautiful. Remember that your hurt will heal. And I know there is this gravitational pull between your heart and your brain, but I promise it is needed. Just like the sea rises and falls, you will fall, but honey you will always rise.”

[kay-tay22]

Activism + Cabin 10

This book has a weird way that it confronts and explores mental health, patriarchy, and misogyny, especially through the lens of its protagonists. She is very aware and makes commentary on the ways that people perceive her mental illness and the fact that she takes anti-depressants; she’s receptive towards Richard Bullmar because he takes her concerns seriously and doesn’t discredit her because she takes anti-depressants (versus the head of security). While it’s fantastic that she is taking agency of her mental health and the way that people perceive her, I think that the way that she handles misogyny and patriarchy is not as clear cut.

She struggles to comment on her relationship with other women. The way that she regards Tina, noting that she comes from a ruthless age of career women, and chastises her for tearing down other women to success (which is fair). Then Lo is also skeptical of her female captor and is critical that she is holding Lo captive when really she should be upholding her in the name of sisterhood and womanhood (which... I guess). It’s one of those things where I think Lo just misses the mark on her feminism and the way that she approaches womanhood, at least for me.

[kay-tay22]

Lo + alcohol abuse + empathy

The fact that Lo abuses alcohol in the beginning of the novel highly stresses me out as a reader. Especially when stuff like medication is involved and she’s using alcohol as a way to self-medicate, then something is wrong. If you’re not safeguarding yourself and locking your apartment, you’re setting yourself up for failure. And that’s stressful. What if your cat got out? Could you live with yourself if something happened?

While this part of Lo wasn’t something that I gravitated towards (or the way that she particularly interacted with Judah), the nice thing about novels is that with narrative voice, even if they’re really strong in the beginning, they tend to mellow out in the middle. Which was nice moving forward in the section. I felt better about her and even though I know she abused alcohol and used it as a tool for self-medication, that didn’t really detract from how I felt about her moving forward and that I still wanted her to succeed and find her peace of mind.

[kay-tay22]

I. Am. An. Animal.

Elsie, my home girl, is doing such a fantastic job navigating the world. She does a lot of maturing over the course of the novel, which comes from her lived experiences. I think for this small town animal, going abroad was a good move for her. It allowed her to grow and resolve some of her curiosities and allowed her to explore (with as much as depth as she allowed) some of the difficulties of our world (i.e. Palestine v. Israel, classism and population density, career v. dreams, etc.)

In the end, she still comes to wrestle with the how to shape her life as a woman. She debates whether she wants to have a child and have some happy years out at pasture with her or if she wants to continue exploring and being a public figure. I think this is a line that every woman has to cross at some point and a way that makes Elsie’s journey relatable. Because even if women have these rich experiences of traveling or building a career, at the end of the day, family is a constant nag in future planning.

This doesn’t reduce the importance of family or wanting to have a family, but I think there is an unfair weight attached to it (thank you patriarchy) that extends beyond women but tends to fall onto them.

I think as Elsie grows as a cow and as we, as an audience, mature into the next version of ourselves, I think it’s really important to keep in mind that “we are both” A and B (whatever ever those mean to you), but at the end of the day, we’re also just humans and we’re just animals. “No more, no less.”

[kay-tay22]

Sistas

I really enjoyed the relationship between Elsie and Mallory. It was a healthy relationship between two maturing cows and because the relationship (and the book) is so compact, we were able to see them grow together and separately.

They were supportive of each other and didn’t judge one another. When Mallory was getting a little bull crazy, Elsie didn’t understand it, but she didn’t shame her for it. Much like Mallory didn’t shame or ostracize Elsie for wanting to travel and leave the pasture and Elsie didn’t shame Mallory for wanting to stay on the pasture and have a simple life raising her baby girl.

Their relationship was sweet, full of concern, and understanding. I think it was really demonstrative on how positive female friendships can be (especially when compared to Jessica + Bella in Twilight)

[kay-tay22]

Emotional Response to the Text

Normally, as I'm sure everyone has gathered, I tend to isolate a moment in the text and kind of analyze it for broader connections, but this time, I just want to explore more of my emotional reactions to the text, especially since I'm familiar with the musical (particularly the 2004 movie version).

Raoul definitely cries a lot more and since we're in his point of view for a couple chapters, we see more of his jealousy play out. Not to mention, there are a lot of moments where he and Christine are just quarreling. She wants him to connect with her over their shared experiences with her father and their childhood memories. To an extent, he does, but there's a lot of tension where they don't communicate properly. That's frustrating because if I were Raoul and Christine told me to never talk to her again, I'd be upset, but with the arguing and the straight-up demand to never see her again... sis can take a hint. She just seemed so disinterested and then all of a sudden, she was in love with him the whole time??????? I understand there's more lying underneath the issue, but it didn't feel genuine. Maybe that's because I lacked true understanding of her personality and character up until that point because she's been a background character (even though the plot centers more or less around her. The whole point is leading to why/where she disappears).

[brandnewbree]

Phantom of the Opera

I remember watching this play in high school and we got to meet the cast, but I never was able to read the book. 

Now with reading, I freaked out because in the very beginning they talk about putting a horse shoe out of the door and everyone who entered must touch it and before shows that is exactly what my drama club had to do!!! It never made sense until right now. I think that is where my superstitions come from. I noticed there was a lot of “good luck charms” throughout the reading. The touching of rings, keys, the movement of hands to ward off any evil spirits. I find it interesting because I find myself doing the same thing just my own way of “warding off the bad spirits”