Category Archives: Group B

Check in, Final Project Check-Ins, Group B, The Bluest Eye

FInal Project Check-In 2- Group B: Rachel and Erica

The fliers our group will create would incorporate the book, The bluest eye. In it, we would illustrate how black girls are misrepresented by society and how that creates mental health issues through misrepresentation. Such detrimental self image ( with lack of accurate representation) could cause trauma which leads to anxiety, suicides, or mental illnesses that might seem to develop from nowhere with no cause. The fliers would be an informative piece that shows that racial disparities still exist even though it is 2017. In the fliers, there would be statistics along with with object images from the novel and from contemporary times that prove it is still a factor that effects women.

The setting in the book is in the 40s. From then til now, not much has changed in how society still portray black women. The difference is in its subtlety in how the world presents black women disparagingly through the media and what not. This applies to all black females as like in the book where we see the females and their questions and views on appearance and beauty are raised and talked about.  Because it is an informative flier, it would be available and or passed out publicly. They would be pinned in public libraries where children would have access to them with their parents. Other than that, Baruch would be one of the sites where the fliers would be posted and passed out. This would cover grounds on all levels where girls of all age range, young or old, single or married, would be reached. Of course, there would be sites and hotlines printed on the flier so individuals would be able to seek help or look more into mental issues, anxiety, or any stress release.

There are many fliers out there that also serve the purpose of promoting awareness about mental health, anxiety, and suicide. The difference in our flier is that we would present stats with images that show some of the major causes of these issues. What we are doing is placing some of the society’s “deemed” standards and paralleling them to some of the images from the nove in their timel and connecting them to the causation of these mental issues that  are still perpetuated now.

 

Check in, Final Project Check-Ins, Group B, The Bluest Eye

Group B 2nd check in – Rachel and Erica

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What: We decided that we will be creating flyers to inform college students about mental illness. The flyer will include information on mental illness such as Depression, Anxiety, thoughts of suicide or even if there is a stressful event in their lives. There will be symptoms and signs that students should look out for to help them identify if they feel any of these symptoms and whether they should seek the help that they would need. The fliers will also provide access to a suicide hotline number as well as the Baruch psychologist center. We will be handing these flyers out to students around campus as well as putting them up around where students will see them.

Why: The main character from our book, The Bluest Eye, eventually projected that she had developed a mental illness at the end of the book. Pecola has obviously been through very traumatic events throughout her young life. During this time, she had no help in coping with these issues. We want to help those who feel like they have no one to turn to. We want to provide access to those that need to express their feelings. College students like ourselves struggle with school work and are sometimes juggling work and school. This can really take a toll on them which causes extreme stress and can lead to depression. We want to help our peers overcome these problems by enabling them to seek the help that they need. We want to be a part of helping those who are suicidal and, we hope that this effort of ours will help someone in this condition. We urge those who feel stressed to speak their mind and let off some steam. Unfortunately, Pecola did not have anyone to guide her and give her support but we do and we want to make sure that this opportunity is presented.

ALBD, American Born Chinese, announcements, Check in, CR Post #1, CR Post #3, CR Post# 2, Final Project Check-Ins, Frankenstein, Graphic Narrative Assignments, Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E, Monster, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, Monster Readings 1, Monster Readings 2, The Bluest Eye, The Outsiders, Turner Readings, Uncategorized

Group D: Final Project , Shatavia, Jeleah, Kye, Angel

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What:  For our group project we are going to create a scrapbook.  A scrapbook is a book of blank pages for sticking clippings, drawings, or pictures in.  The scrapbook is going to be designed exactly how we think Jefferson, Grant, or a character from the book would create it.  We will be filling up the scrapbook with Jefferson’s important memories, moments, recipes, and his time in jail.  In order to do this, we will be looking for symbols in magazines, things from the internet, clippings in newspapers and physical objects.  Being in jail and confined to one place causes a person to use their imagination.  Similar to Jefferson and Grant they are both trapped in situations that cause them to do a lot of imagining and thinking.  Something our group will be doing in order to create the perfect scrapbook that represents “A Lesson Before Dying”.

 

Why: In the book “A Lesson before Dying” a lot of the book has to do with symbols and teaching.  Jefferson is being taught a lesson by being sentenced to death.  Grants job as a teacher is to teach and he is also asked to teach Jefferson how to become a man.  Since teaching plays a huge role in this book, the scrap book will be created to teach others about our insights, thoughts, and main ideas about the book.  We all thought it would be a good gesture to create a visual.  This way our imagination and how we views things from the book can be brought to life.

Check in, Final Project Check-Ins, Group B, The Bluest Eye, Uncategorized

Group Project Check #1

Erica Chan, Shannon, Rachel Ramphal

The Bluest Eye

Choice of presentation: Flier, Poster or Picture blog

  1. A flier/poster/picture blog on bullying emphasizing on youth and how bullying from the popular youth affects others. This corresponds to the part where Maureen insults Pecola and her friends.
  2. A flier/poster/picture blog on sexual abuse of youths. This is in regards to Cholly sexually abusing his daughter ( Pecola).
  3. A flier/poster/picture blog on mental trauma and raising awareness for those who need help for depression or mental trauma. This emphasizes on Pecola’s condition at the end of the novel.
CR Post #3, Group B, The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye

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Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye depicts a young colored girl, Pecola, who believes that she is not considered beautiful in other’s perspective. In the chapter about Autumn Pecola visits a candy store where she feels “shame” for having sweaty palms. She then leaves and comes across some dandelions that were growing out of the sidewalk cracks. Pecola refers to the dandelions as being “ugly” because they are weeds. Weeds are considered to be valueless and insignificant to the world. They are worthless in the eyes of people. Pecola felt anger as she went on. The “ugliness” of the weeds reminded Pecola of how she felt that she was ugly and worthless.

Pecola was told throughout the book that she was ugly by her mother. Neighbors and even in school she was told that she was ugly. Growing up she paired being ugly to the color of her eyes, skin and hair. She thought that having the bluest eyes  would make her the most beautiful girl  however like the dandelions Pecola was not considered one of a kind. She was not extraordinary nor was she a sight to gaze at. She was the sort of girl that people would view as low class and irrelevant. Just like dandelions were no flowers, Pecola was no flower.

“They are ugly. They are weeds.”(pg. 50)   These were the words Morrison incorporated into the text where Pecola is confronted with the dandelions. Her play on words gives us that sense of meaning without actually having to say what is. With just these two lines, we can feel the pain that Pecola endures about her beauty. In this way she isn’t talking about the dandelions, she is talking about herself and the shame she feels. As we go on in the same text, she feels anger and that anger gives her an idea of self-worth which the dandelions didn’t do for her.

 

CR Post #3, Group B, The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye Close Reading

As readers can tell, there is the significance of the “The Bluest Eye” that Toni Morrison wanted to stress to her readers. It is the symbol of beauty and perfection.  It was  something Pecola Breedlove, who is described to be this “ugly” and “black” girl, desired most of all,  believing it to be the one thing that could alter her life. As for Claudia, her feelings for these blue eyes are opposite. Instead, she despises the “Shirley Temple” images, yellow haired and blue eyes. In contrast, both these characters have their own ideas about these blue eyes. The image of beauty is different for these two girls.

Early on the reading, we learn that Claudia has a hatred for “little white girls”. (p.22) Her disdain is carried onto the dolls she’d been given on holidays like Christmas. “What I felt at that time was unsullied hatred. But before that I had felt a stranger, more frightening thing than hatred for all the Shirley Temples of the world.” (p.19) Claudia never understood why the grown ups believed that a doll was something she would ever want. What she truly wanted was to be surrounded by her family with love. She admits that there is an element of desire the dolls and “Shirley Temples” hold that she didn’t have. It was something missing within her that she can’t seem to acquire but it also was something she couldn’t fully grasp. At the end of it all, her dolls were always mutilated. “Remove the cold and stupid eye ball,…” (p.21)

For Pecola, the one thing that she believes to make her “ugly”, is her eyes. She thinks they are the very thing that makes her unbearable, the reason why people don’t look at her. When her father, Cholly and mother, Mrs. Breedlove would argue and get into a fight, she would pray to God to make her disappear. In her mind, that act of vanishing was never possible because her eyes would never disappear.  Her constant wish to get these blue eyes stems from her belief that they’re set her apart from her family. “It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sights-if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different.” (p.46) If she had them, Pecola thinks her family will love her and she would be beautiful.

The author wants very much for the readers to see what these “blue eyes” signified for each of these characters. What they mean for them are different but the mental affects of it shows how “blue eyes” are  and was deemed more beautiful and how young and black girls had to view their own beauty as secondary.

Frankenstein, Group B

Frankenstein Vs. Monster : Reflections

As the case for human versus monster, there is a distinction between the two when it comes to mental capacities. Victor Frankenstein, who’s human, is able to form cohesive and rational thought processes. When it comes to monsters, the general ideas concerning the mindframe of these “inhuman” beings are that they are unable to hold logic nor the civility to communicate in the appropriate fashion. Mary Shelley not only dispels this prototype but creates a monster of intellect, a being that shares and desires human emotions and relations. Founded in two passages in the book, the repeated mention of “reflection” has significance shedding the parallels and contrast of the two characters.

Through the narrative, readers are invited into the head space of Victor Frankenstein. In one particular passage in chapter three, Frankenstein leaves for Ingolstadt and bids his farewell to his friends and family. As he leaves he is deep in though on his journey, as quoted, “…indulged in the most melancholy reflections.” In consequence of this pensive state, Frankenstein realizes that for once he’ll be alone and away from his “amiable companions”, which he has been surrounded by all his life. In realizing that he’s been secluded in life, he acknowledges that it has brought a cynicism in meeting new people. He expresses his thirst for knowledge yet also feel he needs to participate in the social arena, to be apart of the world. In chapter thirteen, this second passage containing the mention of reflection is derived from the monster. The pain the monster feels stems from his loneliness and deformity. The more he was learning and acquiring knowledge, the more he felt “sorrow”. In observance of the cottagers, they have become a constant reminder of his empty existence, lacking love and affection, friendship and acceptance.

Mary Shelley’s choice in using the word, “indulge” in the chosen first passage implies that Victor Frankenstein’s reflections were thoroughly enjoyed. His recognition in having coming from a loving family and environment let’s him realize that he comes from a stable and solid background. He was a part of something so cherished that he found it hard to welcome and receive newcomers. As for the monster, Mary Shelley’s choice of word in connection to his reflection is “inflicted”.  To be inflicted upon something is to receive unwelcoming. When the monster “reflects” in this instant, he does not experience the same emotions as Victor Frankenstein is in recollection. Instead, it is the monster’s lack of familial ties, experiencing affection and love, that causes him “agony”. It is notable that the only love the monster know of  is from the Delaceys. The cottagers is a reminder of where he had not come from, at place of warmth and acceptance but scorn and abandonment from his creator. The employment of the words “indulge” and “inflict” adds depth to the character’s narrative. It allows readers to fully grasp the feelings of the monster and Frankenstein. The difference in the way the two reflects on their being and thoughts distinguishes their underlying attitudes towards life. In the first chosen passage, Frankenstein states that he was indeed secluded in his own world ( with his family), that his interactions were few and didn’t sought for social interactions. The similarity lies in the seclusion that they both experience but for the monster, he pines for interaction with the world. He seeks companionship an longs for affection. Unlike Frankenstein, the monster seeks for connection to the world, to have friends.

Both Frankenstein and the monster believe they’re “unfit” for companionship. The monster knows his deformity does not allow for his social acceptance. He can visually understand why he would not fit in with other people. Through his reflection, it adds to the pain of sorrow in his loneliness. For Victor Frankenstein, being social was not something he put in high importance. Because of the seclusion he was bought up in, he never felt the need to go beyond the “old familiar faces” of his family and Clerval. Yet another similarity, they both feel “unfit”.

While Victor Frankenstein spoke of his desire in  ” the acquisition of knowledge” in the first passage discussed, it brought about positivity. That cannot be said about the monster and his reflection as mentioned in his passage. “…but sorrow only increased with knowledge.” The amount of knowledge he was intaking made him aware of aspects concerning himself in which he was never exposed to. It is that he does not belong anywhere, that he is different ( and ugly), alone, and friends less. In a way, Mary Shelley could be implying that knowledge is for humans and when bestowed upon monsters, it could only be disastrous. What is a monster to naturally do with knowledge?

In the attention given to the selected passages, the monster and Frankenstein are pitted against each other. Even in their differences, the trope of reflection is evident of the similar themes that are reoccurring.

CR Post #1, Group B

What is a monster?

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What is a monster?  Without much thought, most people’s immediate image of a monster would include creatures with inhuman features,   things that look like our imaginary friends’ evil enemy, or in some instances humans as ‘monsters’. As in the case with our class, it was evident everyone had their own ideas of what makes a monster, an actual monster. When posed with the question, “What makes your monster, a monster?”, it became an inquiry that delved deeper than what we imagined these “things” were suppose to be. Where did our understanding or lack there of, of monsters come from?

With the notions of monsters, it is something that is derived from our history and society. As in the article, “What is a monster?”, by Natalie Lawrence , she highlighted the different definitions of the word monster and how they were used. There are those who saw what was then considered exotic animals as monsters, for the simple fact that they were newly discovered and the world did not know how to identify such creatures with “strange forms”. They say the unknown is most feared.  Naming and considering them as monsters make them marketable, as “lucrative things”.Then there is the case of, “The Dentist” with Cecil the lion. The dentist, Dr. Walter Palmer, became a ‘murderer’ over night. Labeled as a public monster, his reputation  suffered and his life changed forever. Society persecuted Dr. Palmer, condemned him as a monster.

As Natalie Lawrence wrote, “Monsters are not self-evident; they were created to serve these roles”. The key word being “created”, is that suggestive that monsters are literal creations by society? With so much influence from what society claims as a monster, it is easy to instilled such ideas into people’s minds. What is a monster? Is it subjective? Lawrence makes a great case, monsters are not monster before they are given that name. It is society that deems them as so.

1. Why and how is it marketable when something is considered a monster?

2. Was the world severe to call Dr. Palmer, the dentist, a monster for his actions, even if some people believe gaming is a legitimate sport?  Would the world have the same reaction had not the lion been given a human name, Cecil?

CR Post #1, Group B, Group E

What is a Monster?

What is a Monster? In class we all had different and similar views to what a monster is. In this article most of those views were explained. This article defines a monster to have certain qualities whether it is physically, mentally or just by behavior. I say behavior because it explains that a person can be a monster due to their actions that can cause harm. The example of the dentist who shot the lion; he was viewed as a monster because in the public’s eye he did a monstrous thing. The article also stated that monsters have distinctive looks. They don’t look “normal.” During various times, normalities took on different forms. Animals that didn’t have any limbs were considered monsters and even those who contained characteristics or multiple ideas were monsters. Some deformities were viewed as monstrous, even babies that were born deformed. According to this article monsters are considered to be beings that do not apply to the social norm. People who commit murder, animals that seem different, and other ideas that create fear are monstrous.

Many examples were applied to what a monster is however it caught my attention that animals that are part of the norm today were considered to be monsters such as walruses and armadillos. In paragraph six of the article it tells us that armadillos and walruses were brought into Europe as exotic beasts and made into monsters. It makes me think back to the drawings that we did in class. Some of those monsters had horns which look similar to a walrus tusks. Long, pointy objects can be intimidating and frightful so it makes me think that in some ways the Europeans associated those tusks to be somewhat monstrous because it created fear within. As I’ve mentioned some people saw animals as monsters because they had no limbs so this can be a reason as will. A walrus appears to not have any limbs and move around using their entire body. As for the armadillo, their shell makes them seem out of place and seem a bit frightening.

Questions:

  1. Dr. Palmer was considered a public “monster” for shooting Cecil the lion.  According to the text what were these public “monsters” considered to be similar to?
  2. Why do you think that animal without limbs weren’t considered “normal” and were made to be monsters ?
  3. I agree that people who cause harm to others intentionally and brutally  are considered to be monstrous. What’s your take on that ? and why?