Saturday, October 30, 2010
better than a man?
I wonder if we were to change Rye to being a man and obsidian to a woman how would we view the relationship then? I think the thought of a woman being the user is still hard for people to think. I think this story takes a look at those beliefs. I think taking a deeper look it makes us question the equal treatment of woman today. Why can't they be just as much of a user as a man? Thomas Moss (post 13)
Scared of Judgement
When Audre Lorde states "I think, we fear the very visiblity without which we also cannot truly live." It made me think about how a person is more afraid of being judged then actually saying what they wanted to say. Instead of speaking out and making a difference in there own life they stayed silent. This also hurts the people around them to make them know how you feel about a certain subject and could possibly also effect a bigger impact on life with out saying what you think or feel and worrying about being judged things could possibly be way different in the whole world right now.
Kevin Ostempowski Post 2
Loneliness
Rye finally convinces him to go with her to her house. When they get into the car to go back to her house she wants to make sure he is her's by pinning on her pendante onto his LAPD badge. When Obsidian is killed she throws up because she is sick from all the death and loneliness she has had to deal with in her life. The reason Butler kills Obsidian so fast in my opinion is because she doesn't want Rye to have the feeling of love or not being alone. She shows that Rye must go on alone in her life because she loved once and shouldn't love again.
Kevin Ostempowski Post 1
Silence is Golden, or is it?
In my personal opinion, speaking, especially the truth is what builds community. To remain silent is to hide from one's fears and feel as if you are protected. However, I don't feel that you are safe in silence. The illusion of feeling safe appears to me that it could be dangerous to the person themselves, almost like a self-destruction. Everyone should speak to tell yourself that your beliefs and ideas are real and should be able to become reality, not just stay hidden within you. I think this is the moral that Lorde wants us to believe, not the old rule that silence is a virtue or golden. (Shawn Parkhurst, 16)
Reading and Writing or Speech
If I had to choose I would have to pick the ability to speak, over reading and writing. A persons voice is unique, distinct and helps define personality. Also, the ability to speak would be much easier to communicate with others because you can keep expanding on what your trying to describe, while if you only knew how to read and write you run out of ways to try to explain things with body language. For example, people may know how to read and write; understand another language, but when they are trying to describe what they need to the person they can't understand because that person does not have the ability to speak it. My voice defines me and I use it everyday, I do not need to read and write to get a point across. (Shawn Parkhurst, 15)
Speak
For Granted?
Friday, October 29, 2010
Breaking the Barrier
Silence is a cage, a barrier, a wall in which we must break through. Lorde had explained that death is the ultimate silence when no more life is present. Death can prevent us from saying what it truly important to us, and we should thereby say what is on our minds before it is too late. That is to say that we shouldn't go around saying every last detail on our minds, but rather what is important and to have a voice for society to recognize you by. One's voice is a powerful tool in that it can allow one to connect to their surroundings. We should speak the truth and free ourselves from silence, because silence could evidently be the death of you.
(David Roberts, Post 16)
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Although Rye is able to make a positive connection with Obsidian, he is soon killed off. Obsidian had tried to stop a man from stabbing a fleeing woman and he even shot him. However, the man was not dead and grabbed a gun and shot Obsidian through his temple thereby killing him. It is an unfortunate event, but it could have been fate. After this incident takes place, Rye discovers two children who are believed to be the woman's children. What is so significant about these kids is that they can speak! Rye has discovered someone else who can finally demonstrate the ability to speak, which could mean that the virus hasn't affected them yet, or that they could possibly be immune to the virus. If they are immune this could mean that a cure could be developed, which coould prevent the further spread of the virus. The kids are almost thrown into Rye's life after Obsidian had been killed. Rye had wanted to feel the compassion of another human being, one who had not been completely rendered senseless from the effects of the virus. Obsidian was the perfect person for Rye, but all good things must come to an end, and soon he is killed off. The two kids had sort of replaced Obsidian in the fact they Rye was no longer alone. She would now be able to communicate with another person and one that would actually speak back.
(David Roberts, Post 15)
The Breaking of Silence
The Tragedy of being Misunderstood
Breaking the Silence
This shows the awareness brought to you when something drastic happens. This work makes me think of this girl that I learned about while living in Chicago. Her name is Erin Merryn. She wasn't told about having cancer or anything like that but she was sexually abused when she was younger. She was raped at the age of 3 by an uncle of a friend but then molested from ages 11-13 by an older cousin. This took away her innocence as a child. Soon after she learned that he was doing the same thing to her sister. This made Erin realize she needed to speak up. In 1996, she started speaking out in schools and other organizations to gain awareness for this epidemic. She gained from this terrible tragedy a voice. Her voice is very important for our society. She used her voice to write books and even go to lawmakers.
There are so many examples of silence that need to be broken but when something drastic happens we need to break the silence just like Audre is saying here and how Erin did. This is a very important message that we all need to accept. We need to spread the message to break the silence regarding any issue in society. Voice is the most important thing that we have and can share.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
No More Silence
I loved “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Actions”. I thought it had an amazing message for all of us to think about. While certain silences can have their benefits, I think that Lorde is mainly speaking about the silence that each and every person uses when they don’t want to express what they are thinking about, whether because they are afraid or anything else. This is the kind of silence that we think offers some sort of protection, when in fact it just keeps you in the dark and isolated from others that might be experiencing the same things you are.
I also understand her viewpoint about her experience with cancer, and how that brought about her revelations about silence. I hear stories about how cancer has made things clearer to people because it is an experience that really forces you examine your life. People really come to grips about where their lives are and what they have or haven’t done in their lifetimes. I hear stories like this all the time through my work with the American Cancer Society, but what I like about Lorde’s evaluation of silence is that it is a message so simple that we should all know and embrace already, but we don’t. We use silence as a protection all the time. I know I have done it too many times to count. But we never get anywhere by staying silent. It just keeps us at the same point in our lives. It is when we finally discover why we use silence, and finally learn to speak up that we start moving forward again.
I also thought that her daughter’s point about not being a whole person when you remain silent was quite enlightening as well. I like the idea that you are finally whole when you speak your mind because what you are speaking are your own thoughts. No matter what anyone else says, you have a right to think and speak your own mind, and no one has the right to tell you that your thoughts and ideas are stupid or dumb. It was fear of those people who say things like that that made me stay silent. And after reading this speech, I hope I will never give anyone that power over me ever again.
(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 16)
The book of Rye
I'm including a trailer clip I found just a warning it is a little violent, but I think it shows a picture of what the world may look like in Speech Sounds. My question is where do you think we'd be today if we didn't have the ability to read? Would there be religion? Would we have a history? What about other cultures would we know about them? I mean how many people have actually been out of the country and how many people have learned about them from books? Anyway here is the clip I think you may see some visual that correspond directly with the story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlneJ7W7lAc. Thomas Moss (post 12)
Would You?
I really enjoyed the story “Speech Sounds,” but I was totally not expecting the point it left me with. It might not have anything to do with the actual story, but I really felt like Butler was asking us a question with the character of Obsidian, who is so determined to do the right thing in a very dangerous society. I think she is asking us whether, given this kind of desperate situation, would we do the right thing, even though doing so could very possibly cost us our lives? Or do we sit idly by and protect ourselves?
It is a very interesting question to me. This kind of situation has been asked of me in a high school Holocaust class, which required me to be a prisoner in a Nazi camp (not that I am equating this society with a Nazi prison camp. It is just a very similar, but real life application of this question). Would I protect a member of my family if a Nazi was beating them, even though it could very possibly mean my death? I don’t think it is possible to give a definitely true answer until we are faced with that situation in real life.
But I also think that it is an interesting question to pose to the characters in this particular story. Obsidian has already proven that he would not protect his own life, but would try to save the victim. But what would Rye do? I think at the beginning of this story she very possibly would protect her own life. She took herself completely out of the situation on the bus, which could have resulted in a huge brawl, and she didn’t join the situation with the woman until Obsidian told her to see if the woman could be saved. Even then, she didn’t become involved really until the man had shot Obsidian and was about to turn the gun on her.
However, I think that Rye’s opinion on the question changes as soon as she finds out that the children can speak. She had been on the verge of leaving them behind to fend for themselves, but then the little girl cries out to keep Rye from taking the woman. Rye recognizes what these children could mean for both her and the society they live in. They could possibly be an indication that the epidemic that has burdened them for so many years is finally on the way out, and they prove that it is possible to teach the young children in the society language. These children give Rye a real purpose in her life. She now has someone to teach again, and I think that Rye would have protected them and that hope they gave her with her life if need be.
(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 15)
Africaqn American Rights
Reading about Kwanza seems like it has a major impact on African Americans. Each day represents something special to them. Unity is important because it forms a bond between them that cannot be broken. Self determination is important because it helps them through life and succeed their goals that they strive for and givers them the power to break away and become free within oneself. The last elemnt that was talked about was work and responsibility. This is important because it gives and African American an identity that represents who they are and what they stand for. It is important for them because they want to be treated like a normal person and this is one of the ways that they can show that by hard work and taking responsibility for thir actions. (Mason Roessler Post 14)
Mum's the Word
Gestures can be useful in some situations too. In playing baseball, the batter and runners look for signs and signals by their coaches as a code to either bunt or steal depending on their strategies. Same thing with the pitcher and cather giving out signs instead of talking so the other team does not know what you are going to do next. Crossing guards use hand motions to direct traffic so people can see if they can continue to drive on and know when to stop. In ways gestures can be helpful and easier than words, but they do go hand in hand with each other so you really do need both to function and not one without the other. (Mason Roessler Post 13)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Deeper Desires
There is something missing in his life that none of these woman can fulfill. He keeps trying to find this secret desire. Eventually all this searching is going to catch up to him and he will feel the emptiness that he really has inside. I guess this story fits in well with the book because it is definitely odd. Bender does a good job of keeping us interested by her crazy twists in her stories.
(Kelcey Summers, Extra Credit)
Would you rather...?
I chose to give away the ability to speak in order to keep the ability to read and write because I believe reading and writing gives you more knowledge than speaking does. Books can give you so much knowledge and you can learn about different topics in the world. In class you read books in order to broaden your knowledge of certain topics. Reading is food for the brain according to some authors. I believe you can communicate your thoughts through writing just as well as you can through talking. Personally, I avoid confrontation so some times when I need to confront someone about something I do it through writing a note or a message because it is easier for me to convey my thoughts on paper rather than verbally. Writing is very important to me and I would rather have that ability any day rather than the ability to speak.
(Kelcey Summers 15)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
House of Desire
Nothing about this story seemed at all odd when compared to stories like "Ironhead" or "The Leading Man." It actually reminded me of the movie "Wedding Crashers" because is was pretty similar in its events. It is evident that the motherfucker is not fulfilling his life and he is doing this because he can, there really isn't any purpose. It isn't until the end that he is viewed as being unhappy, while the starlet is better off now. He seemed like he was in control of his life for the majority of the story, but at the end he just seems lost, like he has been doing so much but nothing has progressed in his life at all.
(David Roberts, Extra Credit)
Loving Blood Child or Slave
If people were able to realize that these social injustices still exist in our society today and understand what our ancestors did to others we may be more willing to change our behavior and our beliefs. This is literary piece is very similar to almost all of the other stories we have read thus far. It discusses instances of social injustices and outcasts although in this piece the humans are the ones that who are being exploited. (Shawn Parkhurst, 14)
The Keys of Life
On a different note, the white light that the father always complains about seems more important then its made out to be. I'm not 100 percent sure what it represents, but because he was away at war it reminds me of something like shell shock. Also it reminds of the brother in "The Red Convertible" and how war changes a person. We are unaware of the relationship between the father and son before the father goes to war, but assume that they were very close, and then the father goes off to war and comes back very different. The war makes him unable to be aware of his sons accomplishments of becoming a hero and appears that he doesn't fully understand the special talent that his son has. (Shawn Parkhurst, 13)