The Voice of Rebels

Good evening, everyone! Today I am going to be discussing a short, yet powerful poem written by a female poet who is new to me: Gwendolyn Brooks! Being of African American heritage myself, I am always excited to discover African American writers, both male and female, who have made a great impact on the world of literature. For example, one of my favorite authors happens to be Alice Walker, author of one of my favorite books, (which inspired the subsequent movie which I also love) The Color Purple. I found it very intriguing that Walker has actually cited Gwendolyn Brooks as an influence. To me, that meant that Brooks must have surely been an astounding talent!

My focus of this post will be Brooks' poem, "We Real Cool."

THE POOL PLAYERS. 

SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.

We real cool. We

Left school. We

Lurk late. We

Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We


Jazz June. We

Die soon.

Something that I immediately admired about this poem is its rhythm and its succinct quality. However, at the same time, it is so effective. My initial thought on the poem was that although these pool players will die soon, they seem to be accepting of this. Upon listening to a recording in which Brooks herself discusses the inspiration for the poem, I learned that this is not the focus of the poem. I have included the short video below.

The main point that stood out to me during Brooks' speech preceding the poem is that these young men see themselves as "contemptuous of the establishment." This is the focus of the poem. This view of themselves might also be a product of stereotypes of the time about black people. 

Reading and reflecting upon this poem has inspired me to write my own version of it. My version takes a look at this same sort of mentality of young black men, yet it takes place during the late 80's, and early 90's. When I heard the phrase "contemptuous of the establishment," my first thought was the now disbanded, California hip-hop group, N.W.A. The point of view of this original poem is of the members of N.W.A., specifically following the release of their album, "Straight Outta Compton" and the rage that accompanied the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Having viewed the 2015 biographical film titled Straight Outta Compton just last month, I feel I have a greater understanding of the perspective held by these performers and the community of which they spoke on behalf. 

We Real Bad






We real bad. We

Get mad. We



Break rules. We

Ain’t fools. We



Preach facts. We

Pile stacks. We



Live the song. We

Die strong.



In writing my poem, I have altered the vernacular in order to the fit the speech of rappers of the time. To offer a brief synopsis, when the speakers say that they are "bad," they mean that they are "cool." When they "get mad," they are becoming angered that they are being subjected to unprovoked discrimination and violence merely for their skin color. The facts that they preach are the stories that they tell through their songs which detail this oppression. When they say that they "pile stacks," they are merely commenting on the money that they make from the records that they sell. The money is not their only concern, however. The rappers "live the song," meaning that they have experienced the very same injustice that they rap about. They want to make a change. Finally, the line "we die strong" is in reference to the death of former N.W.A. member, Eazy-E. Although his life may have ended early, he held firm in his beliefs and helped leave a legacy of not only music, but of important social commentary.







My question for you today is simply, what do you believe to be the meaning of Brooks' "We Real Cool"?

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Marriage or Prison?

Hello again! Today I will be discussing and comparing two short stories: "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin and "A New England Nun" by Mary Wilkins Freeman. I will give a short overview of each story, provide my own personal thoughts on the concept of marriage, and then finally attempt to approach the endings of each story from a different angle. Let's begin!

In a nutshell, both of these stories contain a female main character. In "The Story of an Hour," it is Louise Mallard, an older woman who has been married for years and who is desperate for an escape. This escape seems to finally be granted to her when she hears of the news of her husband's death. On the other end of the spectrum, the main character in "A New England Nun" is Louisa Ellis, a younger woman who has lived fifteen years of her life alone in wait of her returning fiance. As she waits, she becomes increasingly content with a solitary lifestyle and dreads that her marriage to this man, Joe Dagget, will disrupt her quiet routine. It is a funny coincidence how these two characters also share very similar names- Louise and Louisa!

I personally find it very interesting that neither of these women enjoy marriage/the idea of it. For many years, Louise Mallard has lived as a subordinate to her husband, the bread-maker, and dreams of experiencing a life of her own, and making her own choices. To her, marriage is a prison. I can see why a woman would not want to live a life like this. For Louisa Ellis, the problem is that she has become so accustomed to being by herself that she has, in a sense, fallen out of love with the idea of marriage. To her, the impending marriage is a nightmare. Basically, when these two women think of marriage, this is what they see:

Not very pretty. I, however, think of marriage in a different way. I think that a part of this might be the fact that we live in the 21st century, where men and women experience equality. Although I have never been married, the thought of marriage is a wonderful dream to me. I see it as a chance for two people in love to share memories, to start a family, and to be equals. I could never see myself living alone like Louisa Ellis. I have a wonderful boyfriend who not only treats me as an equal, but whom I see quite often. These are the things that both Mrs. Mallard and Louisa lack. When a marriage is based on the ideas of equality and love, it can be a very beautiful thing.

http://www.brides.com/blogs/aisle-say/2013/10/happy-marriage-gene-scientific-study-results.html

Now that I have shared my personal thoughts on the subject matter, let's take a moment to imagine what it would be like if these stories had ended in an opposite way. 

In "The Story of an Hour," Mrs. Mallard becomes elated with the thought of living as an unmarried woman, only to find that her husband has not actually died. The shock of this causes her to die. However, what if she had not died? What if Mr. Mallard was in fact dead? I imagine her denying Richards' advances, maybe even moving away from her old home, and experiencing life for the first time. She might find herself spending time with friends, gardening, going on walks, buying herself gifts, and maybe even starting a career. I envision her living several happy years alone and dying naturally, instead of from "heart troubles." The possibilities are endless! 

The conclusion of "A New England Nun" is a little bit different. Louisa, finding out that her fiance had fallen in love with another woman, decides not to confront him about it, and ends the marriage on the grounds that she was so accustomed to her current way of living. Louisa is relived that Joe is not entirely heartbroken about this. But what if the affair between Joe and Lily had never existed? What if Joe and Louisa had married, as planned? It is clear to see that Louisa would initially be very disappointed. She would have to leave her tidy home, she would be expected to care for both Joe and his elderly mother, and Caesar the dog would be set free and would go on a rampage. 

But maybe that would not be the case. I would like to think that Louisa would learn to make compromises with Joe and that she would soon learn to love her life with a partner. After all, aren't healthy compromises another important part of a strong marriage?

My question for you is what is your perception of marriage? Is it a prison, or is it paradise? Do you think that society as a whole has moved away from marriages like the Mallard's, or could they still exist today? Finally, what are the components of a healthy marriage?

A photo of my boyfriend and I holding hands on one of our first dates

Thank you, and have a lovely weekend!

A Child's Inclination to Nature

Hello and welcome to my blog! The focus of this blog will be, as the title indicates, women of literature. I will discuss not only female authors, but female characters. I was inspired to do so because the pieces within the second pod were some of my favorites so far. I hope to provoke some thoughts concerning these pieces and their authors and to even engage in some discussion regarding them. So, without further ado, I give you my first topic: Sarah Orne Jewett and "The White Heron."

According to the Norton Anthology of American Literature, Sarah Orne Jewett was born in Maine in 1849 in a rural landscape that was being vastly changed by technological and economic advances. Experiencing a happy childhood, Jewett experienced the rural lifestyle up-close and had a strong bond with her father. 

It is possible that Jewett's upbringing influenced a large part of the plot and characters in "A White Heron." Sylvia, a pre-adolescent girl, has been taken from a bustling manufacturing town to live with her grandmother in the countryside. The home from which Sylvia came could be a reflection of the Jewett's hometown, which became increasingly industrious with the arrival of textile mills and cannery. Sylvia spends all of her days in the lush countryside, listening to the forest animals and playing hide-and-seek with her favorite cow, often lingering into the evening. It is possible that Jewett was the exact same way as a child. While reading this story, I had begun to believe that Sylvia could be the female version of Huckleberry Finn, as she is so accustomed to the wilderness. Jewett clearly has a supreme grasp of nature's wonder in order to write about it so vividly. Below is my favorite passage in the short story:

"Sylvia's face was like a pale star, if one had seen it from the ground, when the last thorny bough was past, and she stood trembling and tired but wholly triumphant, high in the tree-top. Yes, there was the sea with the dawning sun making a golden dazzle over it, and toward that glorious east flew two hawks with slow-moving pinions. How low they looked in the air from that height when one had only seen them before far up, and dark against the blue sky. Their gray feather were as soft as moths; they seemed only a little way from the tree, and Sylvia felt as if she too could go flying away among the clouds. Westward, the woodlands and farms reached miles and miles into the distance; here and there were church steeples, and white villages; truly it was a vast and awesome world!"

There is so much imagery in this passage! From the glistening sea, to the gliding hawks, to the tree-top view of the world around her, to the powerful urge to fly, this passage transports me to Sylvia's world. It also makes me think of my own childhood. Although I did not grow up on a farm, I was very enthusiastic about nature as a child even from within my backyard in the city. I could spend entire evenings outside as well. I too, like author Sarah Orne Jewett, have always had a close bond with my father, who enjoyed the outdoors as well. It is interesting that when I grew older, I sort of lost that part of me. Like Sylvia, I became occupied with other things, like boys, growing technology (such as cell phones, computers, and social media), and good old teenage angst. Now that I have passed the adolescent stage, my love for nature has returned to me. In the past three years, I have devoted some time to taking pictures of nature and posting them to Facebook- but even this is only for a fleeting moment or from my bedroom window.

After reading "A White Heron," I am inspired to make more of an effort to physically be one with nature during this summer. I am inspired to retain some of that childlike wonder, such as the wonder that Sylvia experienced when at the top of the old pine tree. After reading this story, I am even more convinced that I would love to live in the countryside one day when I am older and have started a family. 

My question for you is this: What is it about childhood that makes children so inclined to love being outside? Why, in some cases, does this love fade? I am proud to say that although my appreciation for the outdoors had subsided for some time, it never entirely vanished and I see it growing stronger. Feel free to share stories of your interactions with nature- either recent or in the past!