Bechdel Blog 2

            Today I chose to consider why Bechdel opted to use a graphic novel as opposed to a traditional novel, and how it influenced and effected the message that she was trying to relay through this piece of work.

            Like I said in my previous blog, I found this piece to be a nice change of pace because of how it was formatted even though the content lost my interest at times. However even when my interest was lost with because of the content, I found myself to be drawn back in because of the pictures. I think this is one of the reasons that Bechdel chose to format this piece in the context of a graphic novel. She looked at what the nuclear family in the reality in which the exist instead of what the traditional nuclear family is believed to be. If it were a typical novel presenting what the true nuclear family is, I think there would have been a higher probability of people losing interest in the story and the message would have been missed or lost. Presenting what the nuclear family is in reality and all of the flaws that they actually contain in what many would consider an atypical novel format sparks interest and makes the topic more enticing. I believe that in general, the format helped to keep the readers enticed and interested what was going on, and that a typical novel would have lost the reader’s interest.

            With that being said, I think that this format helped to effectively convey Bechdel’s theme and underlying message. In my opinion, the underlying message is that even the most traditional family, the nuclear unit, is not by any means traditional, even during one of the most traditional time periods. Every person and every family has their dirty little secrets that they do not want anyone to know about. The pictures helped to convey this message to readers and understand the struggles that Bechdel went through and the struggles her family members went through. Although a graphic traditional is somewhat untraditional compared to the types of literature I have been exposed to, I think that it was the most effective way for Bechdel to successfully get her message across to the audience.

            This is the first graphic novel that I have ever read. To be honest, I never even really knew about them before this. I was extremely skeptical about how effective this literary tactic could be, because I thought it was going to be one big, pointless comic book with no substance. I was pleasantly surprised, and think that everyone can relate to it in someway, because everyone has their own struggles that they must overcome, whether the struggle relates to sexual identity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or just figuring out who you are as a person and as an individual. People can relate. I think the fact that there were visuals exposed a little bit more of Bechdel and her reality as opposed to just the text. Even though it was cartoon like, she allowed readers to see how she perceived reality, or what the reality of the situation was from her perspective. I think that this is brave and bold thing to do, and wish that I was able to open up like that.

            In conclusion, I think that any other literary tactic would not have been as effective and that Bechdel made a good decision when deciding to use a graphic novel. The only negative I see is that it took away a little bit of my freedom as a reader. I am a very visual person and tend to imagine how something would appear in my head as I read. I get very irritated when authors do not successful set the stage for something. I thought I was going to be turned off because the picture was painted for me. After having read the novel, I can respect how much opening up and trust that took on Bechdel’s behalf. 

Bechdel 1

            I have never read anything like Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, and I enjoyed it. I was a little hesitant when I first found out what type of work it was, because I though of comic books when it was being described. When I was younger, I never really got into comic books and found them very boring. Fun Home was a pleasant surprise. The graphics really played into what you were reading and provided a nice time out from the text. At the same time, I am very imaginative when I read, and pictured scenes in my head to be one way when the picture was something else. That took a little bit away from me at points. That was definitely something that I had to adapt to as I read the novel. I think that one of the reasons that I enjoyed it was because it was a break from the type of reading I have to do at this point. I also really liked that Bechdel put herself in the novel. It gave it more of a personable feel, because it seems like she put more of herself into it. The topics and themes discussed in the book in addition to Bechdel putting herself in the novel make it more relatable. These ideas of sexual orientation and gender identity are things that many people struggle with at some point through their adolescents, whether or not they are willing to admit it. Reading it actually made me think of my cousin. She is full of questions and not scared to ask them. About two years ago when I was at the beach with her, she just came out and said “I know I like boys, but how come I like boys? Why do some boys like boys and some girls like girls?” The novel did lose my interest at some points, because I felt like it was going in a little bit of a circle with the story line. Overall, I enjoyed that this provided a nice change of pace in the type of reading I have had to do. 

Alvarez Blog 5

To be completely honest, I think that the tale of the how the Mirabal sisters died is a sick and twisted one. The novel ended rather abruptly with Minerva talking about how her and her sisters felt like children again as they were walking up the mountain, and then just ended. We know from the beginning of the novel, that three of the sisters and one man are all murdered on one day, so readers can presume that the sisters died on the side of the mountain.

When I did some research on the Internet about how they died, the stories were disturbing and disgusting. What I read reconfirmed the type of person Alvarez had the sisters describe Trujillo as during through out the novel. Although there is no accurate account of how they died, I think it is safe to presume that they were tortured. No fake car accident could cover that up.

I think that Trujillo had the sisters killed for a few reasons even though they were not directly involved in the revolution. I think Trujillo knew he was losing power and losing it quickly. People knew the Mirabal sisters and knew what they thought of Trujillo as a leader. The sisters had built quite a name for themselves throughout the country. I think that one of the reasons that Trujillo had them killed was to prove a point to other people that were involved in the revolution. He wanted to take down what he considered to be one of the most threats to his dictatorship. They may have no been directly involved anymore, but everyone in the Dominican Republic knew how they felt about him.

This seems like it was one of his last bold moves while he had power from what I read. After people found out he had defenseless women killed, he lost all of his power and authority and his dictatorship ended. I think this tied into the fact he knew he was slowly losing power. If you are going to go out, you may as go out with a band and make a statement.

I also think he did it for some sort of revenge. Trujillo and the Mirabal sisters had a rough history, especially him and Minerva. Because of this, I believe that revenge was part of the reason he had them killed. Not that I agree with what he did or believe in murder or anything like that, I think the fact he had them killed is cowardly. It was an easy way to get rid of them. I believe in confronting your problems head on, and he did just the opposite.

I had a little bit of trouble deciding what I thought the four sisters were when it comes to martyr, hero, victim, etc. I define Dede as the protector. Even though she may have not been able to protect her sisters from death, she knew something bad was going to happen and she tried to stop them from going to visit their husbands. She was also the one that had to step up when Minerva and Mate went to jail. She helped to take care of them and all of their children. After they died, she took care of their children and protected their legacy, both of which were very costly for her.

I would not classify Mate, Patria, and Minerva as martyrs, because I do not think that they were willing to die for the cause at this point. They were still passionate about it, but in a different way. They realized that there are some more important things in life, and I think that prison helped them to realize this. I am not sure I would classify them as heroes either, because even though they did a lot, I do not know if I would classify any of it as heroic. I think I would classify them as fighters, because of the qualities I think a fighter has: strength, dedication, determination, motivation, drive, initiative, influence, charisma, etc. I think that all of the sisters had these characteristics and how they developed these characteristics is not important. Minerva, Patria, and Mate, they were fighters. 

Alvarez Blog 4

            Although Alvarez chose to end the novel rather abruptly, I think any other ending would have taken away from the story of all four of the sisters. After doing some research online and reading the epilogue, it is clear that no one has a clear understanding of what happened on the mountain.  Although this is a piece of historical fiction, a combination of true events with Alvarez’s own interpretation and ideas, it would have been completely wrong and immoral to try to fictionalize their death.  Ending the novel with the known facts makes Alvarez more credible and the story more realistic. Actually, thinking back and looking back, Alvarez did not even bring the novel to the girls being asked to get out of the car. It talked about how Minerva believed they felt like little girls again I was they were heading to the jeep, and that was how they felt going up the mountain. Although I believe the first half of the statement, I do not know if I believe the second half, and believe that may have been a fictional portion of the story. Minerva knew that something bad was going to happen a good portion of the day, and they all must have figure out what was going to happen as they walked up the mountain. I do not think there is anyway you could feel like a child as you are walking up a mountain to your death.

            I find it ironic that this is the day that Dede had a bit of a melt down before they left. It kind of plays on the maternal instinct I suggested Dede had before. Dede had not been much of a character the last portion of the story, but her actions and words really stuck out to me as the three sisters prepared to leave. She knew something was going to happen, and what her responsibilities would become when it did.

            Think about the story as a whole, one can really see how these girls evolved into women and how these women evolved through experiences they each had. Even though they made mistakes and each had their flaws, they are role models girls and women should look up to today. They knew what they believed and they stuck by it, to a fault at times. I see why this book is dedicated to Dede with that being said. She is the unsung hero in this story. Three of the sister died for what they believed, but Dede lived for what they loved and lived for, the children. Dede deserves the same attention and appreciation as the other sisters.

Dede's Timeline

·      Minerva born

·      Mate born

·      Fortune telling with Papa – 5 or 6

·      Private school – 13

·      Met Lio

·      Engaged to Jaimito and Lio went into hiding

·      Married Jaimito

·      Went to the ball with father, sisters, and husbands

·      Father was arrested to help Minerva

·      Father dies in 1953

·      Has three kids

·      Files bankruptcy twice and moves home with mother – husband has bad business sense and does not listen to her

·      Patria wanted to hide guns in field and Jaimito said no

·      Sisters approached her to join movement but Jaimito said no

·      Went to the priest for guidance

·      Goes home to find husband and boys gone – goes to her mother-in-law’s with sisters; reconciles with Jaimito

·      People start getting arrested (Minerva and Mate and their husbands and Patria’s husband)

·      Dede and Jaimito go to the capital to bail them out

·      Realizes she was never not involved in the revolution, because of her sisters’ involvement

·      Would bring things to family while in jail

·      Nelson gets out of jail

·      Sisters get out of jail and are on house arrest

·      Start small sewing business

·      Two of the husbands get moved

·      Has a bad feeling when Mate, Minerva, and Patria go to visit Mate and Minerva’s husband one day in the new location (have been at the new location for four weeks; Mate and Minerva had told her they wanted to move closer to where their husbands were now jailed)

Alvarez Blog 2

One of the aspects of this piece I have been thinking about while reading is why the author chose to have Dede talk in third person while all of the other narrators talk in first person. When I first started reading the book, it threw me off. I knew that the chapter titles related to which sister’s perspective the story was coming from. At first, I thought maybe someone was telling it from Dede’s perspective, but that did not make sense. I then realized that it was Dede’s voice, but that she opted to refer to herself in third person.

I think that Alvarez chose to do this for a few reasons. I feel that the most dominant reason is that Dede has had trouble relating to herself and exactly who she is since her sisters have died. Dede tells readers that reliving her sisters death the way she does every year is painful for her and difficult to do. “Now after thirty-four years, the commemorations and interviews and presentations of posthumous honors have almost stopped, so that for months at a time Dde is able to take up her own life again. But she’s long resigned herself to Novembers. Every years as the 25^th rolls around, the television crews drive up. There’s the obligatory interview. Then, the big celebration over at the museum, the delegations from as far away as Peru and Paraguay, an ordeal really, making the many little party sandwiches and the nephews and nieces not always showing up in time to help.” Readers are introduced to the fact that this an obligation remembrance rather than a choice of remembrance. Dede has been ready for a long while to move on from the tragedy that struck her family, but her society is holding her back from doing so. This seems to have caused some disconnect between who Dede wants to be, who Dede is, and who Dede is supposed to be. Perhaps this is one of the reasons Alvarez chose to use third person when speaking from Dede’s perspective.

Another reason I feel Alvarez decided to use this third person technique when writing from Dede’s perspective is because part of Dede died when all of her sisters died. Writing from third person and having Dede refer to herself as Dede is Alvarez’s method for telling us that. Having lost some significant people in my life, I know what it feels like to have part of you go with them. Everyone says you have the memories, but sometimes that just is not good enough. All you want is the person, especially when you feel they have been taken away from you to soon. I think that this is something that Dede definitely struggles with. After thirty-four years, Dede is still trying to figure out who she is after this huge ordeal. She is still trying to put the pieces back together, but cannot because she is constantly forced to publically deal with the loss of her sisters.

Dede’s sister died an awful death well before they were supposed to leave this world. They died fighting for what they believed in and that makes them heroes in my book. With that being said, I can understand Dede’s situation and why she lost part of herself when her sisters were killed. That incident probably changed her whole perspective on life, living, government, family, etc. She is still trying to put the pieces back together and figure out who she is in the shadow of their death. 

Julia Alvarez - Blog 1

            There were few things that I noticed while reading the first four chapters of In the Time of the Butterflies. The first was the imagery. Alvarez has a clear picture of what she wants the reader to envision as the read the book. At first, I was a little bit confused about what there was so much imagery and why she was providing such a concise picture. After discussing the first few chapters in class, I feel more comfortable making the connection between the imagery and the symbolic meaning they have within the book, as well as how it represents the contradictions throughout the book. For example, the novel opens with the line “She is plucking her bird of paradise of its dead branches, leaning around the plant every time she hears a car.” Birds of paradise are beautiful plants, but she is removing something dead and ugly from it. This relates to what she is trying to do in life. Her sisters died many years ago, and she is trying to move on and lead a beautiful life, but is dragged back to this ugly aspect of her life on a regular basis. I feel like this opening can relate to all of the sisters on some level. Minerva feels like she is a trapped animal and likes to go against the norm. She feels as if the law is keeping her from having a beautiful life, and that the government needs to be removed for her and her sisters to do so. Maria Teresa believes she is living a beautiful life and has a superficial aspect on life because she is young and the baby of the family. She only wants to see the beauty in life. Patria believes she is leading the beautiful life, because of the connection she feels with God and religion. She feels like the ugly things can be plucked out of life with religion and the proper guidance and support.

            This quote also shows the reader that there are going to be many contradictions in the book, which there are, especially among the sisters. It amazes me that all of the sisters have such a different opinion on things. They all seem to have a common characteristic though: they are all strong, opinionated, and independent. For example, Minerva and Patria seem to be opposites on almost everything. Minerva is a religious skeptical, rebel. Patria is very religious and faith based. Patria is the caregiver where as Maria Teresa needs to be cared for.

            I can tell this book is going to be challenging to read, because there is so much to focus as you read. I do not think that I ever realized how much could be contained in a few words on a piece of paper. I surprised myself with how much I picked up on after rereading and discussing the opening line of the book. This novel seems intense and packed with symbolism and meaning. 

I am an Emotional Creature Blog 2

            Feminism, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equity of the sexes; the organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.” Thinking about the technical definition of feminism and the message that I am an Emotional Creature gave to me, I feel as if this novel is advocating for feminism even though the word is never actually stated in the text.

            The novel advocates for girls around the world to feel comfortable in their own skin, with who they are, and to go against the social norm. I feel as if the first two sections are very subtle in advocating for feminism, and that the third section is the most upfront about it, especially the story “Five Cows and a Calf.” This is a story of a girl who goes through the whole process of realizing something is wrong, taking the imitative to change it, improving yourself, and forgiving those who have hurt you. This story left me chocked and my jaw actually dropped. We hear about how girls over come extreme hardships in other countries, but it is difficult to relate, because we do not hear the voice behind the story. Having a voice for this story made it real and heart wrenching. It made me want to do something to help these girls fight that battle.

            I also feel this story cumulates the whole book, because of how it progresses. I feel like it has parts from all aspects of the novel and the journey that a girl must go on to overcome all of the adversities she must face to become a successful woman.  This girl went from being oppressed, something many girls feel, to deciding that she deserved better, and taking the initiative to give herself the opportunity to do something better with her life.

            The idea of feminism closes the novel with the last monologue “I am an Emotional Creature” and the epilogue “Manifesta to Young Women and Girls.” The monologue “I am an emotional creature” encourages girls to ignore what everyone says about being a teenage girl and embrace what it is and being you. The manifesta does something similar. It tells girls and young women what society and industrialized culture the stereotypes of being a girl that you should conform to, but Ensler tells them to ignore all of this and go against the odds. This has feminism written all over it, without explicitly saying it. 

            The ideas of feminism have a bit of a negative connotation in our generation. Most people think of burning bras. They do not think of overcoming the social norms that restrict what girls and women are able to do today, but this is what Ensler does. If she has used the word feminism, I think that this novel would not have been as effective in sending this very strong message, because of the connotation that it has collected over time.

            When I was reading this, I kept thinking how I want the girls at my internship to read it. A lot of these young ladies have many things working against them in making their goals and dreams come true. These girls come from a low socioeconomic status in an area where the educational system is not the strongest, violence rates are high, and the teen pregnancy rate is high. They need to know that girls like themselves have over come hardships and that they are just as capable and can overcome the hardships they face. 

I am an Emotional Creature Blog 1

            One aspect of Ensler’s project that I am glad that she carried over into I am an Emotional Creature are the facts distributed throughout the book. I think that this is key to Ensler’s project and the structure of both The Vagina Monologues and I am an Emotional Creature and serve multiple purposes for Ensler’s project. One of the obvious purposes of having the facts distributed in both of the books is to inform people. I found the facts in both of the books to be very interesting and eye opening. A majority of the facts were something that I did not know or something that I never really thought about, or thought about in that sense. I feel as if some of the facts are topics that are known but never really thought about or discussed, just like vaginas and the emotional state of teenage girls. They are known, but dismissed. Because they are dismissed, they are never really discussed. The one that really stuck out to me was the one about the genocide. Even just sitting here thinking about it disturbs me. Which brings me to another one of the purposes: to get an emotional response. One of the purposes of both of these books is to get an emotional response out of the readers (or the viewers). The facts distributed throughout both of the books help Ensler to accomplish this goal by providing readers (and viewers) with eye opening information. My personal emotional response to some of the facts that I read in both of the books created just as much if not more of an emotional reaction than some of the monologues. One fact that I felt in my gut when I read it in I am an Emotional Creature was “A new report says of the estimated 300,000 child soldiers around the world, about 40 percent of them are girls. The girls are often front-line fighters or used as porters or cooks. Many are sexually abused.” Everyone knows that there are child soldiers all over the world, but many people do not realize how horrifying this fact is, because it is not something that our culture and society deal with in our everyday reality. However, I was shocked to find out nearly half of the child slaves were girls. I do not know why, but I did not think that girls were as at risk to becoming child slaves. I pictured them being raped and left and that they take the boys to fight, because that is what our society is conditioned to believe. This enraged me. I decided to major in Public Health to help fight the social disparities that exist in our country to create a healthier generation and society for children and adolescents. I see first hand the toll the war on the streets takes on the members of the Boys and Girls Club where I do my internship. As awful as all of this is, in reality, this is probably minute compared to what some other children are dealing with around the world. In my opinion, the facts that Ensler has distributed throughout both of the books make her project stronger and contribute to the trail of success it is leaving. People are being provided with stories and facts they never thought about or considered or even knew existed. The facts make the stories real and intensify the emotional that the reader or viewer may already be feeling.