#marinapappas

[uwengl591]

Response to Writing as Self-Achievement and the Protest Novel by Marina

Sara,

This was an interesting take on Wright's struggle with his character Bigger and how to evoke a compelling novel in this time period. The one aspect that I argue that Wright actually does compellingly is the phrase you mentioned, "I swore to myself that if I ever wrote another book, no one would weep over it; that it would be so hard and deep that they would have to face it without the consolation of tears” (Wright, 454). From our class discussions and my personal close reading, I believe that Wright accomplished this statement because as readers, we were moved, yet struggled with Bigger's decisions and those who were affecting Bigger as well within the novel such as Mary Dalton and Jan. I personally was conflicted with my feelings towards Bigger, whether through sympathy or empathy, and to this moment I couldn't say which I feel more towards him. Which goes to show that by my internal struggle of identifying with Bigger, I didn't even think of feeling sad for him, or causation for me to "weep." Instead I was more focused on the societal implications that were surrounding Bigger and his family.

 Wright resonates with Bigger for the obvious reasons as we discussed in class last week and on Tuesday. However, this identification and sense of agency brings to mind the struggle Clare felt in Passing. I know this isn't a novel about Bigger struggling with race identification, but I cant help to think of Clare's oppression due to white culture (her husband calling her "nig" as a pet name) and Clare's struggle just to be seen as an individual. Another classmate touched on the idea of dehumanization being a reenacting theme in the novels we have read over the course of the semester, and arguably Wright lays out a very descriptive and emotional text that forces readers to struggle through whether on an emotional level or coming to terms with the fact that our "post-racial society" is in fact very much still racist, but on a subconscious level.

[uwengl591]

Response to Well Intentioned Mothers by Marina

Meghan, This is a great layout for your paper with your strong examples and the highlighting the aspect of dehumanization which we have seen throughout this semester. If it helps your argument in any way, I suggest looking at Billie Holiday's "My Man." Her lyrics really examine the idea of female agency that we have seen through the books we have read this semester.

Here they are: It cost me a lot But there's one thing that I've got It's my man It's my man Cold or wet Tired, you bet All of this I'll soon forget With my man He's not much on looks He's no hero out of books But I love him Yes, I love him Two or three girls Has he That he likes as well as me But I love him I don't know why I should He isn't true He beats me, too What can I do? Oh, my man, I love him so He'll never know All my life is just a spare But I don't care When he takes me in his arms The world is bright All right What's the difference if I say I'll go away When I know I'll come back On my knees someday For whatever my man is I'm his forevermore

I know we had only looked at her song, "Strange Fruit," but I feel this may be of use to you!

Also, on a broader platform, I wonder why (from the authors that we have read) they have focused so heavily on female agency (or the lack thereof) and the outcomes of dehumanization on individuals such as Bigger Thomas. Looking back at all of our readings, I actually appreciate the fact that we read Native Son last. At first I was annoyed that Wright fed us so obviously by his writing and implying stereotypes that could already be deduced by readers. However, writing the book in the 1940s and reading it today generates two different readerships. Where the author's weren't straightforward and explicit, thus forcing readers to make their own claims on the text, Wright made it simple in order to lay out the atrocities that were happening to all African Americans and how they had to live in order to survive. Hence, Wright's character Bigger and the realization Bigger has at the end of the novel by accepting the fact that he killed the women and claiming power over himself. Wright's ability to then take the reader through "How Bigger was Born" solidifies his argument to his 20th century readers instead of thinking about a "post-racial society." I say post racial facetiously.

[uwengl591]

Response to "Why I'll Never Aologize for My White Privilege" by Marina

Joshua,

As other classmate's have said, thank you for sharing your story, and thank you for writing on this piece in particular. I too read the article and I was conflicted with how to approach the situation. On one hand, I understand the reasoning behind his argument and the obstacles his family faced with the Holocaust. I cannot nor will ever understand the feeling he relates too because of the atrocities his family as well as yours had to endure. However, I am Croatian and the war that broke out between the Croats and Serbs became very violent and to this day there is animosity between the two nationalities. I have family members who had to leave their home and sense of life in Croatia to make a new life elsewhere in a different country. Where I'm coming from with this is that I don't feel like I am "entitled" to say that I can attribute my life to their struggles for how I was raised and the environment from which I came. I can acknowledge the struggles and hardship they endured, but I will never know what they faced.

I think that you did a great job juxtaposing your viewpoints on both sides of the argument and for a class setting, it definitely can be addressed. For living in a predominantly male-lead society, he may feel that he shouldn't have to apologize for being a white male, which he is right, he shouldn't, however by alluding to the fact that people have asked him to "check his privilege" tells me that he is embodying the stereotype which he is trying to say he isn't. Examining racial social constructions and how people are still mistreated in the work place (gender and race wise) would be my best advice to this young man.  

[uwengl591]

Response to Nancy Grace Effect by Marina

Matt,

First off, I loved that you called this the "Nancy Grace Effect" because that should be a term that is applied to overly exaggerated and nuanced individuals who perpetuate more problems than there are in truth. But aside from that, I agree with the premise of your argument and the role media plays in high profile cases. I made a similar comment on another classmate's post in regards to the way our media, no matter through what medium, shapes and affects our mindset when we hear or read about different events. It's interesting that you used The Crisis as a comparison point for examining headlines. When I was reading through different issues of The Crisis, I noticed that the headlines about killings of African Americans were not attention grabbing and more simplistic. What's more, the articles that talked about death were placed right next to sales ads or daily items that were being posted, and not a stand alone article. I brought up in a former post of mine why this seems to be the case and if the articles talking about deaths of black people were done so because it was an acceptance of the reality of white power and oppression over black individuals.

In regards to looking at how Bigger was represented in newspaper headlines throughout his escape and subsequent capture, Wright's portrayal of Bigger by the media heightens the "hype" surrounding the case and in turn caused mass protests outside of the courtroom, as you pointed out, the "Nancy Grace effect." I believe that Wright's usage of this idea brings to light the danger of our society using stereotypes to describe people in certain situations and how detrimental racism is. Not to say that Bigger's killing of the women should be lessened by any means, but to make him appear more dangerous and wild than what he really is plays into the idea Wright was so willing to present to his readers of young, black male stereotypes.

[uwengl591]

Response to Animalization of the Black Male by Marina

Jason,

I know we discussed this in class, but I enjoyed reading your take on the animalistic dehumanization that surrounds Bigger. I, too, was surprised at first when Max used the stereotype that encompassed African American males of being less than human. However, on one hand it embodies and reinforces Wright's take that no matter how much of an advocate someone can be for equality, there are underlying subconscious racist tendencies that still are present. On the other hand though, Max could be playing on the stereotype that Bigger is inhuman to showcase to Wright's readership what African American individuals had to endure and the commonplaces they felt due to an overwhelming white supremacy. I'm still undecided if Bigger truly acquires agency at the end of the novel when he takes ownership of the killings, and "smiles" because of the acceptance he admits too. I personally believe that Wright is arguing the opposite by portraying Bigger in this light. Where one can argue that Bigger finally is able to take ownership of something, in this case his actions of killing, Wright is using this scene to show readers that due to the inflictions and societal pressures felt by African Americans due to white restriction, Bigger will not nor ever have a sense of power. I understand that his killing is showcasing his power over others, but I still don't feel as if this is truly an act of agency for Bigger.

Another aspect I found interesting in the court trial was the showcasing of Bessie to the court and jury. In my opinion, this is another example of animalization. From my own perspective and reading, this seems as if Bessie is being put on display as if you were showing off an animal that you went on a hunt for, and being put on display for all to see. Where this dehumanizes Bigger, you could make an argument that this is an animalistic act by Buckley and the prosecution due to the lack of sympathy they show towards Bessie, and not to mention that Bigger is on trial for Mary and not Bessie's death.

[uwengl591]

Response to Mackenzie's Panel Discussion by Marina

Mackenzie,

The role of journalism in high profile cases presents an interesting perspective on current events and the actual outcome of trials (in this setting) that took place in the early 20th century, and which continue today. Being a former journalism major, there were many classes that I took which touched on the significance the media plays, especially through different mediums, on the role of media and bias perspective. I think it's interesting that you juxtaposed Bigger's trial with that of the Freedom Summer killings. We discussed in length in class a few weeks back about the roles that our culture places on entertainment value and how we as consumers view news outlets. Naturally, when news breaks that Mary Dalton, a white woman who was to inherit a large sum of money, was killed by a black man, the media would sensationalize the news by drawing on stereotypes and commonplaces of African-American males in our society. Yet when the white individuals were killed from the Freedom Summer movement, it sparked outrage and caused a shift in attention towards the movement, as you had addressed when you differentiated the positive reaction to the negative reaction from the news.

As unfortunate as the situation is, the print news media was biased in their beliefs when it came to Bigger's story. Yet, when the white men were killed this sparked an instant desire to help and to show the importance of an individual's life. I find it almost comical that at the time Freedom Summer's story in the newspapers about their group murders was drawn on emotional characteristics, we as a nation were still disenfranchising blacks and devalued and dehumanized their life. As your post articulates, due to race and nationality, media placed more positive characteristics on the Freedom Summer movement. However, I feel as if race will always be a central factor in sensationalizing news sources and will continue to do so until we as a country can move forward from racism and racist tendencies.

[uwengl591]

Response to The Many Bigger Thomases by Marina Pappas

Megan,

I like your approach to comparing both Tracy and Bigger in conjunction to their rape scenes. In our class discussion from today about "How Bigger Was Born," we brought up a rather interesting view on Bigger's rape of Bessie. Where Bigger was conflicted with the "rape" and killing of Mary, he had completely forgotten about the rape and death of Bessie until Mary's trial, and what's more,  Bessie was closer with Bigger rather than Mary Dalton. So this raises a rather interesting perspective. Where Tracy felt conflicted towards the rape and liking to Nonnie, aka a white man towards a black girl, Bigger completely disregarded someone of his own race and was battling an inner struggle of his feelings toward the killing of a white girl.

I also appreciated the fact that you brought up location. Many writers of the early 20th century have a proclivity towards writing in the deep south even though there were numerous examples (as Wright portrays) of race conflictions throughout the north. For myself personally, I only ever learned the issues of deep racism coming from the south and not really addressing the issues of containment and solidarity. 

Thus after looking and addressing these issues and the interconnectedness that both authors can potentially represent, it is interesting to examine the actions both men partake in, and how this can either be a form of agency for the character, or a representation for larger social constructions that are taking place in our culture during this time period.

[uwengl591]

Response to, The Touch and Holiday in The Crisis, Kiernan by Marina

Kiernan,

What an interesting take on both pieces! It's hard to analyze further without physically looking at them both, but you do a great job describing what is going on in the pieces. Within Countee Cullen's poem, I can picture the change in scenery with almost an "awakening" aspect of Spring and how that can relate to an individual. Most poets like to equate Spring in the form of "rebirth," especially following the "dead" of Winter. I found it interesting how you broke down the stanzas and looked specifically at the transitions that flow through the poem from beginning to end. What's more, evaluating the process that Spring can mean (in the perspective of Cullen of course) and how certain linguistic styles can lead the reader to ascertain what the poet wishes to convey.

While reading the play, Passing came to mind and how the struggles of Clare, while more so internally, came to be similar to that of Marot. It's interesting to see how much someone can struggle with while trying to fit in or be seen as something than what others or themselves claim to be. While this play in particular looked at the physicality of nature and those of Margot's surroundings, Clare arguably was surrounded by a different form of nature with her downtown life and those she encountered on an everyday basis.

It definitely is unique to see how nature can affect individuals in the sense of how they develop and/or how they are represented to readers. Where the poem by Cullen shows a possible transition of the season and how that affects living in that present time, the play more so examines nature's will power and force and the representation of individuality.