Blog Post #3 - "No Name Woman"

"If you don't speak up, how is the world supposed to know you exist?"

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In this essay, author Maxine Hong Kingston writes about her family’s long-kept secrets, one of which being her father’s lie of not having a sister. The other was that her ‘newly-found’ aunt had committed suicide upon being ostracized for sexual relations outside of her marriage. When younger, Kingston accepted this story as truth and shied away from boys for fear of humiliation and death, like what befell her aunt. But as her identity as an American woman developed, she realized that her mother’s words may not have held the entire truth. Although it was definite that her aunt was illegitimately pregnant, Kingston questions whether it truly was an act of adultery. She finds it plenty feasible that “some man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil”(386). Unfortunately, because her aunt was born into a society in which women were conditioned to obey men, there was no way for her to speak up and prove her innocence; all she could do was be silent. This silence carried on into her family who bestowed her the mark of an outcast. Kingston, too, partook in this silent punishment until the guilt became too great of a burden to carry. This is why, after all these years, she finally exposes the unfair discrimination in both traditional Chinese society as well as in her family. Through her sharp critique of this double standard, she is able to alleviate her aunt’s punishment and release her ghost to freedom. Her purpose in making such a revelation is to persuade first generation immigrants, like her parents, to stop gender discrimination as well as inspire the younger generation to find a culture where they can be true to themselves. Seeking for her readers to take this course of action, Kingston chose to apply her American values and did the unspeakable thing of asserting her independence. Ironically, despite her mother’s first demand to “not tell anyone”(383), the entire essay does the exact opposite. Kingston proves the impossible of going against customary Chinese behavior, by acknowledging her aunt when no one else dared say her name, even if it was just a simple identification as ‘No Name Woman’.

Blog Post #2 - "The Way to Rainy Mountain"

"Forget what hurt you, but never forget what it taught you"
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This essay begins with author N. Scott Momaday returning to his hometown in Oklahoma; The purpose was to give a proper farewell to his grandmother, who belonged to the last tribe of the Kiowas. As he travels around, the many landmarks unique to his Kiowas descendants trigger stories he was told as a kid. The legacy of their finest horsemen who ruled the “whole of the southern Plains” is one everlasting in his heart, as well as the unfortunate ending when they had to surrender to the unrelenting advances of the U.S. Cavalry (314). Fortunately, Momaday’s grandmother was not yet born and was spared the “humiliation of [the] high gray walls”(314). Long after, during a summer of reunion with the “old council of warlords”(317), life was brought back to the century-old traditions of the Kiowas. But like all things joyous, this moment of the Kiowas was once again brought to an end. After his grandmother’s passing, Momaday was left with the peculiar memory of her “looking down into the folds of her hands...ramblings prayers out of suffering and hope”(316). Although he had never learned the language, the “inherent sad of the sound”(317) was undeniable. Growing up in such a reminiscent environment, the emotional tales he shares have great credence to them. Witness to the the pain of the Kiowas, the author desires to pass down these legends and keep the story of the Kiowas alive within his readers. The successful delivery of this message is in part due to the usage of rhetoric. Although readers likely have not faced such an event, Momaday’s didactic writing style and use of pathos in describing scenarios- like the “affliction of defeat”(314) after surrendering to soldiers- allows the readers to understand the extent of the Kiowas sorrow. By writing this essay, Momaday has been successful in returning life to the true spirit of the Kiowas tribe.  

Blog Post #1 - "How It Feels to Be Colored Me"

"After all, the wool of a black sheep is just as warm" - Ernest Lehman
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In this essay, author Zara Neale Hurston writes on what constitutes her racial identity. Growing up in the little town of Eatonville, Florida, Hurston lived fearlessly amongst the whites, unafraid and colorblind to her surroundings; Making distinctions between skin color was something beyond her, a concept she had yet to grasp. Unfortunately, with time came the inevitable change of circumstances. Relocated to Jacksonville, she soon fell upon the realization that she was no longer “everyone’s Zora”, but just “a little colored girl”(115). This sudden exposure to the cruelties of the time transforms the once naive little girl into a strong but vulnerable black woman of the 1900s. In spite of the constant reminders that she is “the granddaughter of slaves,” Hurston’s take on race is quite profound. Through her experience as a colored woman, she is able to realize that every person, regardless of race, is up against the same wall. Looking inside each person would reveal the “jumble of small things priceless and worthless”(117). Her determination to enlighten her readers with this idea is the ultimate purpose of this essay. She writes to change her readers’ worlds and prove that a hierarchy of races is unjust. In helping to achieve this, she uses a vast array of rhetorical devices that enhance the clarity of her message. She connects an experience of when she felt the most colored to a dark rock overswept “among(st) the thousand white persons. But through it all remain(ing) [her]self”(116). The ambiguity of this statement allows for many interpretations; whether she felt drowned by the current, or fought strongly against it remains unknown. The strength of this ‘white sea’, however, is undeniable. The scatterings of figurative language on top of this help to create a lasting picture of the bravado of Hurston. The sufferings along with the joys is what allowed Hurston to brave the reality and help show her readers that white and black are no more different than they are similar. The fact that she is able to face her peers with such strong conviction of this is proof of the great credence of her words.