"Race"?

"Race"? Is this an improper use of quations? Does this mean that the concept of race does not exist? Yes indeed, that is exactly what it means.

We have grown up in a society were there is a present differentiation and categorization of races, and sometimes, segregation towards some of them. As humans evolved, some physical differences between them became more evident, which resulted in the creation of "races". But these "races" are scientifically proved to be useless and incorrect subgroups of humans. SInce species take millions of years and complete isolation in order to develop as a transformation of the original specie, it is ilogical to assume humans went through the same process to develop into separate races. We have not been on earth long enough, nor being completely isolated from one another. The creation and enforcing of the race concept is a human-made idea that served as a way of justifying power abuse and a sense of superiority.

The most common conlfict between "races" seen in history is the black and white's relationship. But what defines an individual to be black or white? As this website shows us, the categorization of races is very hard to do on only physical terms, exemplifying how unfair and senseless it is to assing a person to a specific race category. But even though race does not exist, racism does. How is this possible? Well, even if the concept of race is not valid nor accurate, the sentiment that it produces on people is real. I would't classify racism as hate towards other "races", because in reality, almost no one truly hates a person for the color of their skin. It is more a generalized attitude of ignoring people that have been classified into other "races". But even though true hate is not involved, racism has systematically affected millions of persons for unfair reasons, and in different levels. For example: slavery and nazism, extreme cases of racism that resulted in the death of million of individuals, or daily cases of racism like stereotypes, that affect a person's self esteem. Just as these stereotypes are fool and do not depict a race at all, the classification of people due to their skin color, religion, gender or social status is unfair and improper.

The Grass Is Green

Right after the narrator leaves Mr.Norton's room, who was being treated by Dr.Bledsoe, he runs into a young student who asks him to deliver a message for her boyfriend. The message, which was delivered in a secret code, was "the grass is green". The character felt insulted by her request, since it seemed foolish and obvious, while he was going through major trouble. Emerson exemplifies the narrator's cynical attitude towards the girl through the following:

The grass was green and they'd meet and she'd be sent home pregnant, but even so, in less disgrace than I..." (pg 105)

The replacement of commas for the word "and" in his reflection depict that it is his stream of counciousness, which represents that he is in a rush, anguished and lamenting his fate. By comparing the hypothetical situation of the girl being pregnant to his own condition, Emerson shows the reader how the problem with Mr.Norton has kept his mind restless, and made him feel pity for himself.

But then, I wondered what the message could possibly mean. The first thing I noticed about it, is that Emerson uses a color. Green. Ah... colors. Emerson constantly uses colors in the novel as symbols, like black, white, golden and, in this case, green. The color green is paradoxical in the narrator's case since it is usually linked to nature and money. These two are opposites in the character's world because the nature represents the rural arrangement of the south, were black people lived and were oppressed, against the money, which was his main inspiration and goal, and which was possessed exclusively by whites.

The redundant nature of the sentence "the grass is green" is also key for the narrator's situation. It is a known fact that the grass is green, because of a green chemical called chlorophyll. The same happens with the main character who, due to a "biochemical accident to my (his) epidermis" is black (pg 3).  By having a character highlighting  the obvious color of grass, and by showing the narrator's negative reaction towards it, Emerson shows the readers how the narrator knows he is black, but he tries to ignore this obvious fact to prevent it from determining his future. Unfortunately, just as the girl mentions and notices the color of grass, white people are constantly aware of the narrator's race, and treat him as an inferior for it.

Identity?

Here within this quiet greenness i possessed the only identity I had ever known, and I was losing it." (pg 99)

Emerson uses these words to mark a pivot point in the character's attitude towards Mr.Norton's incident in Golden Day. Before, the main character had mantained distance with Mr.Norton and made an effort to continue being polite and reserved. Now, as he imagined the consequence to his actions, he wanted to beg his pardon, cry, and show him how awfully sorry he was. he wanted to victimize himself, just as Trueblood did in chapter 2. After visiting Trueblood, the narrator finds how useful it is to become a victim to the white perspective, in order to win their pity and mercy and get financial reward. 

The narrator wanted to do so in order to conserve his identity, but this identity was one that is manipulated and fabricated by the white society, who he praised and respected. On page 99, Emerson show how the character's mentality towards his own race has being affected by the constant interaction with the whites: "I hated them (the black people in the golden day)". This sense of disgustment and hatred shows how the narrator has victimized the entire black community and feels sorry for them. He feels outside of the "black" status and decides to mimic the white's mentality of superior race that abuses and commiserates the others. As the character faces the fact that he is not either black nor white, but invisible, he realizes that he's not superior or inferior to others, just indifferent.

Poem for a Sing-A-Long

Here's the song I made for the poem It Is A Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free by William Wordsworth

Mutual Blindness

At the end of chapter three, the main character is called "invisible" for the first time. This happens at the Golden Day bar, after Mr.Norton is finally awake and is talking with a retired physician who was now a patient due to ulcers. The doctor is cynical about Mr.Norton's belief of destiny and the connection between the black race destiny and his own. He is also dissapointed at the main character's attitude, since he resembles a "walking personification of the negative" or a mechanical man, which is a white-made artifact. He calls the main character invisible because, even though he has the ability and capacity to listen and take information, he is restraining himself from understanding and analyzing it, merely to fit the white men's expectations. Finally, he stated that black people only meant numbers for Mr.Norton's great list of successes. The doctor's opinion deeply offended Mr.Norton, who rushed out the bar.

Ellison uses the doctor's character to portray the unconfortable effect the truth has on people. As the black,  physician dares to criticize and qualify both Mr.Norton and the main character as blind stumblers that have lost the sense of reality, tension is created. The perspective that white men have towards black men of being objects contradicts the black's perspective on white, since they see them as gods. The doctor's words have a tremendous impact on both characters, who feel deeply disturbed by the truth, and leave the bar.

The Curse

On page 16, the character remembers his grandfather's last words, which became a burden for the rest of his life:

"Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy's country ever since I give up my gun back in the Reconstruction. Live with your head in the lion's mouth. I want you to overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction, let 'em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open. . . . Learn it to the younguns." (pg 16)

Through these words, Ellison offers a cause and a solution, in the grabdfather's perspective, to the inferior condition of black men. The first half of the excerpt has a couple of war metaphors, which represent the violent history of oppression that black people have suffered in the United States. The second half present the solution, which follows the principle of "If you can't beat them, join them". The grandfather lived his life being a spy for the white men and following his orders. He did so to survive, and he wanted his family to follow his example. By comparing the white men to the "lion", the king of the jungle, Ellison highlights the fear and sense of inferiority the black had towards the white.

The grandfather's riddle became a curse in the main character's life since he spend his first years behaving in such way that would please the white. By doing so, he won a scholarship to attend school, but he also silenced his thoughts and opinion.  

The Price of Visibility

"Social..."
"What?" They yelled.
"...equality--" (Pg 31)

This is a fragment of the speech delivered by he speaker in chapter 1, while he was being surrounded by white men in the battle royal. The word "equality" caused commotion among the audience, who had spend the first part of the speech laughing, talking and ignoring the orator. The change of attitude of the listeners reflect a transition from invisibility to visibility, which is feared by the main character. Even though his objective was to shine and appear brilliant among the white men, he still keeps his invisibility coat by writing a speech that would please their race. As soon as he accidentally says his true opinion (race equality), he feels the weight of his words and regrets it. The only time he gets to be actually visible in front of others, he feels afraid and returns to his inferior position.

Through this scene, Ellison exhibits the complex situation of the character and his people in that era. Even though they want to rebel against their opressors, fear dominates them, for which they decide to shut themselves away and remain invisible.

The First Invisible Pages

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man starts off with a strong sentence which gives the reader an insight to the character's mind and self perspective: "I am an invisible man" (3). As a reader I understood that phrase as a metaphor, as the narrator confirms in the following lines. The reason of his invisibility is ironic in the sense that it is based on the color of his skin, which is a merely physical, superficial and visible characteristic.

His complex personality is revealed in the following pages as his emotions and thoughts enter a conflict as he attacks the white man in the street. The man, who had been fooled by the character's invisibility ignored him and bumped him during the night, without apologizing. The main character, feeling deeply offended, demanded his apologies. It results ironic how even if the character was trying to get respect and acknowledgement as a human being, despite his color, he took an erroneous path to try to do so. By surrending to his physical and violent impulses, his intentions were reduced to one of a mugger. Through this case, Ellison exemplifies the importance of choosing the correct how to achieve and transmit our what. 

Invisible Man

In the first chapter of Invisible man, the author shocks the reader with the scene of fighting and abuse even before the main character delivers his speech. The narrator’s description of the scene with the beautiful woman disgusts both the reader and character. 

“As the dancer flung herself about with a detached expression on her face, the men began reaching out to touch her. I could see their beefy fingers sink into the soft flesh” creates the picture of these actions in the reader’s mind to show just how grotesque these men are (20). 

The character feels uncomfortable with these men to begin with because of their power and the color of their skin. Their behavior and aggressive activity don’t help him relax.

The main character empathizes with the naked blonde woman as “the terror and disgust in her eyes” mirrors his own. He is repulsed by these men who are so respected an important in his community, and is suspicious of what they will make him do in the battle royal.

"Good-by--Because I Love You."

The last page of The Awakening very important to the novel because it ties symbols seen previously in the novel with Edna's decision of being finally free.

As Edna enters the cold water naked, she feels like some "new-born creature", therefore, images of her childhood keep coming back to her head as she swims further and further into the ocean. As a child, Edna felt completely free from any type of restrictions and limits, which is exactly what she wanted now. By reviving these scenes, Edna is able to overcome the fear of being unable to return to shore, in other words, of dying.

But as Mrs.Pontellier pictures herself as a child to move on, she is also thinking of her own children. She remembers the conversation she had with Madame Ratignolle in which she says she's willing to die for them, but not to sacrifice herself. In Edna's situation, she is dying in order to save them from the destiny of a bad reputation due to her mother. She is willing to die in order to assure their happiness, bbut she is not willing to sacrife herself. Sacrificing herself would mean coming back to Mr.Pontellier and reuniting the family. By doing so, Edna would be loosing a part of herself, and falling back to the dream of which she has finally woken up from.

As physical exhaustion reaches her, she remembers Robert and the note he left her the previous night. As Edna stayed the entire night pondering of their encounter she realized that just as she got over Mr.Pontellier and Arobin, the love she feels for Robert might as well extinguish. Edna says "He did not know; he did not understand", refering to the fact that Robert never understood that her goal as a woken woman was to be entirely free from other's control. As Robert tried to step back from Mrs.Pontellier because she was Leoncé's wife, she understood that Robert saw her as a possesion too- someone else's posession.

Finally, as the terror is coming back, Edna returns to her memories as a young girl to calm her fears and feel that indeed, she is being born again in death.

The Voice of The Sea

Nack and I wrote this song for the book The Awakening by Kate Chopin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_ibgx8tQf8&feature=youtu.be

Here are the lyrics:

Voice of the sea

Chorus:

The voice of the sea is seductive

But never as much as destructive

The mockingbird sings

The parrot repeats

The awakening will soon begin

Verse 1:

The tale of a woman

No love for her man

Who dislikes the life

Of the typical wife

Verse 2:

But then she meets Robert

The man of her dreams

The parrot breaks free

But still tries to swim

Chorus:

The voice of the sea is seductive

But never as much as destructive

The mockingbird sings

The parrot repeats

“The woman is crazy” they think

Verse 3:

Deep in the ocean

Struggles to breathe

No mockingbird dreams

A pigeon it is

Final Chorus:

The voice of the sea is seductive

But never as much as destructive

The mockingbird sings

The parrot repeats

But the pigeon soon goes back to sleep

Video Blog #1

Here's the youtube link for the video blog!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrWxlEI1RD4&feature=youtu.be

The Widow and The Couple

While reading the novel I found two characters that, in despite of their lack of speech and direct action, are recurrent and symbolic. These are the lady in black and the two lovers found in chapters XII and XV.

In chapter twelve, Robert and Edna run into the lady in black and the two lovers as they head over to the Cheniere to attend mass. The lovers seem distracted and alien to the external world, while the lady in black followes them in silence and mournful attitude:

The lovers, who had laid their plans the night before, where already strolling towards the wharf. The lady in black, with her Sunday book, velvet and gold-clasped, and her Sunday silver beads, was following them at no great distance" (pgs. 68 - 69)

Further into the novel, in chapter fifteen, the characters appear in the dinner where Robert's departure was announced.  During the dinner, Chopin portrays the lovers as two beings who are too focused on their own conversation and relationship and ignore the dinner's vivid conversation. Chopin mentions the lady in black to make a connection between Mexico and the lady's religious devotion: "The lady in black had once received a pair of prayer beads of curious workmanship from Mexico..." (pg. 85)

As both of the characters appear in situations that are significant for Robert and Edna's relationship, it can be concluded that they both symbolize the different stages or outcomes possible in a relationship. The lady in black represents mourning, suffering and attachment to her husband, since she's always walking silent and holding religious ornament. This attitute symbolizes Edna's possible future if she continues married to Mr.Pontellier. As Edna foreshadows this destiny, she refuses to accept it and falls in love with Robert. The two lovers symbolize their sparkling relationship, which gives Edna a new meaning in life. The fact that the lady is always following the couple is a juxtaposition of Edna's two worlds.

Comparing the Foils

While reading some of my classmates' blogs I came across one that called my attention since the author has a different perspective than that in terms of Mrs. Pontellier and Madame Ratignolle's Experience. In her post "Rebel at Heart, Mother at Heat", Alejandra compares the women's relationship to one of a mother and daughter since Madame Ratignolle protects her from Robert. I agree with Alejandra in that Adele and Edna are foils and represent completely opposite types of women, but I disagree in that their relationship is one of a mother.daughter relationship.

In chapter eight, Ratignolle has a conversation with Robert in which she tells him that Mrs. Pontellier is not like one of them, therefore she doesn't understand the tricks and dangers in falling for Robert. She then reminds him that she's married and getting involved with her will bring him trouble:

If your attentions to any married women here were ever offered with any intention of being convincing, you would not be the gentleman we all know you to be, and you would be unfit to associate with the wives and daughters of the people who trust you" (pg 46)

According to the previous line, Chopin portrays Ratignolle as a character that is more interested in protecting Robert, since she inf fond of him, and actually feels jealous of the attentions and importance he's placing on Edna.

Further into the novel we find another example that portrays a behavior between Edna and Adele different from a typical mother-daughter one. In chapter XVIII, Edna visits Adele's home in New Orleans, where she has dinner with her and her husband. The two of them exhibit an enviable relationship which, instead of making Edna jealous and sad by comparing her relationship with Leonce with theirs, gives Edna a sense of pity over Adele. Edna feels that Madame Ratignolle's life is vividless and colourness since she lacks the emotion or delirium in life.

Swim!

She wanted to swim far out, where no other woman had swum before" (pg. 60)

The summer at the Gulf changed many things in Edna's life. One of this changes is seen directly on chapter ten when she finally overcomes her fears and is able to swim by herself. The accompanying crowd cheers Edna as she struggles to swim out. She feels powerful, accomplished and reckless. As she enjoys her new skill, she turns around to the shore and suddenly feels scared, tired and numb. She fears she might not be strong enough to make it back.

The ocean is vast, deep, dark and cold. It bears many unknowns and dangers. In The Awakening, the ocean symbolizes knowledge and wisdom in Edna's life. Being able to swim represents how she is able to submerge into this ocean of ideas and feelings and control it. The summer changed her life, not only in teaching her how to swim, but giving her a new perspective and motive in life. Just as Robert taught her how to swim, he taught her how to love and feel differently.

Mr. Pontellier's reaction to his wife's accomplishment portray their relationship perfectly. He sat and watched from afar, and whe his wife told him about his near-to-death experience, he simply responded that he was watching there. Robert, on the other side, approached Mrs.Pontellier when she was walking home and showed interest in how she felt.

As soon as Edna got home she doesn´t want to enter the house and fell asleep in the hammock outside accompanied by Robert.  As soon as Leoncé arrived and demanded her to enter she refuses and tells him that he should not speak to her in that tone. Her change in attitude represent how after discovering her real power, strenght and value, she is not willing to return to her old life and self. She discovered a new woman within herself.

"Let Mrs.Pontellier Alone"!!

The conversation held bewteen Madame Ratignolle and Robert in chapter 8 is a key element Chopin uses to depict the hypocrisy and corrupt values in the Creole society. Right before this conversation took place, Madame Ratignolle and Mrs.Pontellier were having a deep, heart-to-heart conversation in which Madame Ratignolle hend her hand to demonstrate support and understanding. But as soon as Edna left, Madame Ratignolle orders Robert to stay away from her:

She is not one of us; she is not like us. She might make the unfortunate blunder of taking you seriously" (pg 46)

Even though Madame Ratignolle's intentions might seem those of a concerned friend who is trying to keep harm away from Edna, in reality she is somehow jealous from the attention Edna receives from Robert. This is clear when Ratignolle bursts and tells Robert that he should end the fantasy before he is looked down by society and kept away from daughters and wives.

Robert is clearly persistant about his intentions with Edna, therefore he becomes annoyed by Ratignolle's reproach: "You Creoles.! I have no patience with you!" (pg 46). Soon after this, Robert realizes that it was not smart for him to explode in such way and asks Madame Ratignolle for forgiveness, hoping to continue in her liking.

The way Robert and  Madame Ratignolle speak of Mrs.Pontellier, by granting themselves the authority and liberty to basically decide what is best for her, give the reader that impression that these characters consider her as as some sort of inferior being who has no right of opinion or decision.

Pretended Perfection vs Demanded Equality

 
The seeming vs. being dilemma present in The Awakening involves a couple of characters who feel forced to see, something they're not in order to prevent rejection and cirticism from society.

The sardonic relationship between Robert and Mrs. Ratignolle is a clear demonstration of how Robert is, or was, actually in love of Adele, but his constant declarations and claims for love trascend the boundary of reality and exaggeration. The violation of this limit is perceived by Edna as the following:

She never knew precisely what to make of it; at that moment it was imposible for her to guess how much of it was jest and what proportion was earnest..." (pg. 31)

A deeper example of seeming vs. being is Edna's relationship with Mr. Pontellier and her status as a mother-woman. Even though society expects her to be devoted entirely to her children and husband, Edna is aware that her sole purpose in that is different from that, hence she feels frustrated and impotent when restrained to it. In this aspect, Adele Ratignolle serves as a foil de Edna Pontellier since she fits perfectly the profile of a mother-woman, as established on page 21.

The effects of Edna's struggles for covering her identity are evident on the following page when she leaves the house and bursts down into tears in the middle of the night. This is not the first time it occurs, and Chopin uses this constant explotion of feeling to show the risks and dangers of oppressing oneself.

Waking Up From A Dream of Assumptions

In the initial pages of The Awakening by Kate Chopin prove through several examples how stereotypes and generalizations are often misleading and innacurate. The first stereotype is broken by the introduction and description of the main character: Edna. Chopin meticulously describes Mr. Pontellier's elegant appereance and delicate manners, but on the other hand, she uses masculine adjectives such as "strong" and "handsome" to describe Edna. The juxtaposition of these descriptions is a metaphor of their relationship: Edna is a strong woman who is capable of independance, while Mr. Pontellier considers himself a family man. This differences make Edna unsatisfied with their relationship, bringing her down to tears. Edna's discontent is a key element in Chopin's novella since through it she shows the reader that women have always had, and always will, their own thoughts and opinion, which are oppressed by men.

Another generalization defied is the one of high society's rules and limitations. In despite of Edna's marriage with mr. Pontellier, she is still a foreign to the Creole society. That summer she discovered a different face of the Creole society, one that she was ignorant of, and one that reminds her that elite people are people too:

A characteristic which distinguished them and which impressed Mrs.Pontellier most forcibly was their entire absence of prudery. Their freedom of expression was at first incomprehensible to her..." (pg.28)

 This is a clear indication of how creole women think of themselves as so chaste and unmistakable, that they are allowed to speak of plebeyan matters with a nonchalant attitude. Even though the ego portrayed by the Creoles in this novel fits Edna's preception of them, the fact that bahind closed doors they behave openly and freely, shocks both Edna and the reader.