When I visited the MoMA, Lee Bontecou’s steel-and-canvas sculptures which was created in 1961 attracted me the most. Even though this work of art was untitled, I would like to call it — black hole. At first, I thought this piece looks like tornado. The frames rotating around the black hole. While, when I stared at the black hole, I imaged it’s a black hole in the space. I felt the extension of space, and at the end of the space, there were fears, uncertainty and darkness. However, after a second, I see hopes, safety, and future. It made me want to enter the black hole; it made me feel the black hole was a place can protect me; it made me believe that I can pass the black hole and enter another world. The black hole could be a path to heaven, or a shelter, or another unknown planet. It motivated my limitless imagination. As Bontecou remarks: “I like space that never stops. Black is like that. Holes and Boxes mean secrets and shelter.” This work of art perfectly shows Bontecou’s idea.

“Wide Sargasso Sea” tells a tragedy about Antoinette. “Two Native Voices in Wide Sargasso Sea” by Benita Parry helps me to understand “feminist individualism during the age of imperialism”. As Benita Parry states, “the native female, who was positioned on the boundary between human and animal as the object of imperialism’s social mission or soul-making.” Antoinette is in this position. Her life is tough and unfortunate. In “Jane Eyre” by Bronte, we do not see a lot descriptions about Antoinette, but Jean Rhys uses her point of view to tell a story of Antoinette and recover the imperialism.  Same as Jane Eyre, Antoinette resists all the time. When Rochester threatens Antoinette, she states, “This is free country and I am free woman.” Both Jane and Antoinette have spirit of resistance and pursue freedom and feminist. Benita Parry also mentions that “the nexus of intimacy and hatred between white settler and black servant is written into the text in the mirror imagery of Antoinette and Tia.” Rhys emphasizes the contradictions and barriers between people under different social backgrounds. Indeed, different cultures obstruct communication between people, destroy the real status of love and trust, racial background, and cultural oppression. The endings of Jane and Antoinette are different. Jane finally live a happy life with Rochester, but Antoinette sets herself in the sea of fire and is burned. I think Antoinette’s death is the highlight of the text, and it emphasizes Antoinette’s spirit of resistance. It also gives readers more space for imagination.

In the morning, Ying Lin was wakened by the busy noise from the kitchen. Her mother was preparing breakfast. Sweet potato congee, fried eggs and sausages smelled good.  However, Ying did not have time to eat breakfast, because she had to rush to take a bus. She left her apartment, and took elevator from seven floor to first floor. She went directly to Kissena Boulevard and Holly Avenue bus station, then she got in to 27 bus.  She got off bus at Flushing Main Street. It was raining. Some people were waiting for bus in the rain; some were running to subway station; some were standing under shop’s corridors to take shelter from rain. Life was busy and tough, but every individual was striving for life, dreams, and families. Ying stopped thinking and run to subway station. The rain wetted her hair and clothes. Luckily, she got on 7 express train. The train passed Willets Point Station, 74St-Broadway, Queensboro Plaza, Court Square Station, Hunters Point Av, and Jackson Av, and Ying got off at 42 St Grand Central. Beautiful and touching music echoed through the station. Ying stopped to enjoy the music. William was playing Canon by violin. His wife was sick, and he needed financial support. William looked at Ying and think whether Ying liked the music, and he doubted whether this music had any melody for all these passengers. Ying donated one dollar and transferred to 6 train. 6 train passed 33 Street, 28 Street, and Ying got off at 23 Street.  Finally, Ying passed two traffic light and run into Lawrence & Eris Field Building.

“To Walk Invisible” tells a story about how three Bronte sisters using male pseudonyms to publish their written poems and novel to secure their family in nineteen centuries. Their brother Branwell is addicted to alcohol and drugs, and he is violent and self-destructive. However, three sisters are creative and passionate, and they are born to writing. They realize that authoresses will be treated with prejudice, so they publish their writing by using male pseudonyms—Charlotte as Currer Bell, Emily as Ellis Bell and Anne as Acton Bell. Charlotte’s Jane Eyre is published and popular in Europe. The contrast of three sisters and their brother highlight feminist. The most impressive thing of all is when Mr. Smith can’t believe that Charlotte is Currer Bell, Charlotte asks: “What makes you doubt it Mr. Smith? My accent? My gender? My size?” I strongly feel Charlotte’s self-confidence and great ambitions against genderism and racism. This can also relate to Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre’s resistance exactly reflect Charlotte’s resistance in real life. I believe Charlotte’s life has significant impact on her writing. For example, Charlotte is governess, her mother and sister’s death, and her brother falls in love with a married woman (Rochester is married). Finally, I enjoyed this movie very much. It helps me understand Jane Eyre, and it makes me excited.

I agree with Freud when he states a small child’s goal is to be like his father or her mother (base on children’s sex) because a small child spend the most of time with their parents. When I was young, I believed my mom was the most wonderful woman in the world, and I want to be a woman exactly like my mom. In addition, I strongly agree with Freud that as children grow up, and intellectual increase, children start to doubt the authority of their parents and begin to criticize their parents. Especially during adolescence, children inclined to act hostile to attract their parents’ attention when they feel they have been slighted or they do not feel strong love from their parents. For example, my brother is fifteen years old. When my parents praise me, and point out my brother’s mistakes, he always gets mad and acts even more wrongful to prove he is right or to show his “existence value”. I believe my brother feels he has been slighted, and he feels he does not receive love from my parents or he should share parents with me.  Moreover, my brother believes he can be independent and want to overcome my parents’ authority.

However, I do not agree with Freud when he explain about day-dreams. Not everybody day-dreams about their further; not everybody day-dreams to be in higher social standing; not everybody day-dreams to replace their parents. I do believe that comparison raise the child’s envy, so children might complain about their birth, but phantasy do not change anything in their lives. I complained about my parents because of their low income and low education, so I have to work much harder than rich children. However, I also understand  if I want to improve my life, I have to get higher education and work harder. we can never change our birth. We can never replace our parents.

“Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman is to chant the praises of equality, freedom and democracy. In the first part of the poem, Whitman writes, “My tongue, every atom of my blood, formed from this soil, this air. Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same.” Indeed, he states that the world creates human beings equally. In other words, every individual born with equality. Then Whitman expresses “you shall no longer take things at second or third hand…nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the specters in books, you shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, you shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself.” In fact, he means that every individual has their own perspective, thought and understanding, therefore, everyone can learn and understand the world differently without look though the world by other person’s point of view. That’s why when a child asked what is the grass? Whitman did not have an answer, because the grass could be anything in different perspective. Moreover, Whitman believes that every individual should have the right to express their own and love themselves.

In addition, Whitman described individual as “untranslatable”. As we can see, every individual is same; each body flows blood; everyone breath the air. However, every individual is so different because of different perspectives and ideas. No one can totally understand the other one. I believe that even though I do not understand myself totally. When I express my feeling, I do not think others can fully understand my feeling because they are not me. Every individual’s feeling, experience, thought, soul, inherent are not translatable. I believe that is why Whitman described individual as “untranslatable”.

In the poem “Hope is a Thing with Feathers”, Emily Dickinson compares hope to a bird. She states that hope exist in our soul and never stops. Moreover, she compares hardship to storm. However, “And sweetest-in the gale-is heard-And sore must be the storm”, bird’s singing is sweetest in the storm, in other words, storm can never destroy hope. This directly connect to Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre went through so many hardship such as parents’ death, John Reed and Mrs.Reeds’ abuse, Mr.Brocklehurst’s unfair treatment, and best friend Helen’s death. Even though every tragedy happened in Jane Eyre’s life like storm, they can never destroy Jane Eyre’s hope of being accepted, being loved, and being treated fairly. In chapter 23, Jane Eyre said to Mr.Rochester: “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I have as much as you, and full as much heart!” Due to the difference of Jane Eyre and Mr.Rochesters’ class position, Jane Eyre felt shamed when she fell in love with Mr.Rochester, but indeed, Jane Eyre is still holding hope of being loved by Mr.Rochester. Finally, even if there are too many obstacles in Jane Eyre’s life, hope still exists in her soul and never stops.

Audre Lorde’s “The Transformation of Silence into Action” and “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” state that Audre Lorde as a Black lesbian feminist is oppressed by people who are racism, sexism and homophobia. In the other hand, Audre Lorde transforms silence into action and language, and she advocates that people with difference or people are oppressed should break silence and fight for their own rights.

In addition, Jane Eyre is oppressed by Mrs. Reed families, and she is treated even below the servants. In the first chapter of Jane Eyre, Bronte writes “Accustomed to John Reed’s abuse, I never had an idea of replaying to it; my care was how to endure the blow which would certainly follow the insult.” As we can see, in the beginning, Jane keeps silence. However, when John hurls the book to Jane, Jane screams to john: “Wicked and cruel boy! You are like a murderer—you are like a slave-driver—you are like the Roman emperors!” Even though Jane ending with being locked in the red room by Mrs. Reed, Jane tried to transform silence into action and language.

Audre Lorde and Jane Eyre both experience oppression, and they are straight, recalcitrant, and autonomous. As Audre Lorde states that silence will not protect yourself, you should define yourself, name yourself, and speak for yourself. Moreover, Jane Eyre knows this idea as well, so she spoke up she wanted to go to school and get education. Jane Eyre’s resistance is to be herself, and get what she wants. Therefore, though compare Audre Lorde and Jane Eyre, we can find a lot connections between each other.

For me, the sublime is an art contains culture, heritage, and inspire human’s imagination. The above is a picture of a landscape ink wash painting. Ink wash painting is traditional Chinese painting. It is to use hand-held brush to apply only water and ink to the paper.  The goal of ink wash painting is not simply to reproduce the appearance of the subject, but to capture its spirit. Even though ink wash painting only contains black and white, a fine brushwork creates near realism, distant abstraction, and rich mood. Ink wash painting is the “performance” art. It is not just the dot on the rich paper sketches, but also the performance of “state”, “spirit”, is a system of integrated thinking of the ultimate performance. The blank space of the painting makes people think and imagine.  As a Chinese, I proud of my culture and arts.

In the article “The Enlightenment in Europe and the Americas”, the author mentioned the Enlightenment of society, civil right, individualism, feminism, humanity and nature, convention and authority and so on.  I would like to discuss feminism. Due to the awakening of feminine self-consciousness during the age of Enlightenment, women started fighting for their rights which contributed to the development of feminism. In the article, the author stated “If God had given all human beings reason, then women were just as entitled to develop and exercise their minds as their male counterparts.” In other words, women should be treated equality as men. The society should provide women the opportunities to education, to participate in government, to create arts and literature. In Enlightenment society, even though not all women understand that they need to fight for their rights, some individual women set a good example. In the article, the author mentioned that SorJuana lnes de la Cruz is an example who advocated the right of women to think and read. In addition, the women of upper classes also made significant contribution to the right of women. They created arts and literatures. Therefore, the Enlightenment had sprouted the feminism. Today, the feminism has developed. Women read, think and present their own idea in public; women receive same education with men in school; women also work for business field and political field. However, under some circumstances, women still are treated unfair. Therefore, women still need to strive for their rights.