Drown by Junot Diaz

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Wow! What a shocking short story! It does make me question so much about the narrator.

Right on the first paragraph the narrator give us a hint that his best friend Beto is a homosexual. It was there that I started questioning myself, is this a story about prejudice against homosexual? I guess my answer was yes until the end of the story when we’ve learnt that the narrator had a sexual encounter with Beto.

The entire story the narrator makes us curious to understand why he is avoiding his friend Beto. My first guess was that he was mad and ashamed of his friend when he figured out he was gay. However, it turned out that the narrator himself was confused about his sexuality. He turned his fear into angriness against Beto, who cause this confusion in his mind. By avoiding his friend he would also be avoiding this new world he wasn’t prepared to face and was absolutely ashamed of. A good example about this fear is when they were having their second intercourse and they heard a noise. He said, “He was laughing, but I was saying, Fuck this, and getting my clothes on” (1248). His reaction on that moment tell us that he was scared that anyone would know what they have done, he didn’t wanted to get caught. He didn’t wanted anyone to know. Not only the fear of his community to know about it, but also the fear of his father knowing. In The narrator explains throughout the story that he doesn’t have a good relationship with his father and he is even afraid to get hit by him, as we notice on page 1245 when he says, “I don’t know about you, but my pops hits like a motherfucker”.

After reading the entire story, I started to wonder why the narrator chose this title, since nobody literally drowned from the swimming pool.  I believe that the title is related to the narrator situation, like he was drowning in fear. Or maybe it is related to their social and economic situation. We learned in the story that he was a drug dealer and was helping his mom financially. His dad was living in Florida and eventually showed up or called asking for money. Therefore,  drowning here, is more like a feeling of not have an option to change his life. The narrator doesn’t see a different future for himself, as we see exemplified on page 1242 when he says, “I wasn’t like him. I had one year to go in high school, no promises elsewhere”. The narrator doesn’t have any ambitions, being completely different from Beto.

Another important thing to question about this narration, is why he didn’t want to read the book his friend gave to him. Why did he throw away the gift without reading it? I would say that he was trying to get over this situation and forget about everything that happened between them. To read the book would be like he was opening a door that would never be closed again.

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Please excuse all inappropriate/if im not politically correct

The story “Drown” by Junot Diaz is about Dominican Republic high school boy that lives in a poor neighborhood in New Jersey. At the beginning of the story the reader is introduced to another character named “Beto”. This Beto seems to have different rolls in the story. He is first introduced when the narrator indicates “he’s a pato (homosexual) now but two years ago we were friends” (page 1241). The term “pato” seems to have here a negative association. The reader can infer that the reason they are not friends anymore is because Beto is now gay. That same sentence continues that Beto had “a voice that crackled and made you think of uncles or grandfather.” This indicates to the reader that Beto was some kind of friend that the narrator looked up too or was an adult roll model to him. The two use to hangout day and night; “we stole, broke windows… pissed on people’s steps and then challenged them to come out and stop us” (page 1242) at this point they just seem to be good friends that did everything together and were just rebellious boys in a poor neighborhood. The narrator goes on telling the reader some more about his own personal life, which through out Beto is embedded in his stories. Much of the time he seems to write about Beto as though he misses what they had together. Right before the end of the story the reader is exposed to a sexual relationship they had. After that he writes; “my mother sensed that something was wrong” (page 1247) everything changes and their friendship starts to break. Though he still hung out with Beto a little, it is clear their friendship has changed. “Mostly I would stay in the basement, terrified that I would end up abnormal, a fucking pato, but he was my best friend and back then that mattered to me more than anything” (page 1248). The narrator is torn between being stigmatized in his community and being with his best friend he looked up too. Even though the sexual act happened only twice its still happened. It happened in a community where being gay is only to be a curse you shout out at the cops or in fact just to anyone you hate. Right before Beto leaves to college, Beto gives him a book and says “you cant be anywhere forever” (page 1249). This sentence he thinks to himself while watching his mother sleep and dream about his father who left her to another women. He thinks about his mother who has been always waiting for his father to come back even though he does not deserve her. “You cant be anywhere forever” he thinks. You cant always stuck behind in a reality that does not exist anymore. His mother must move on and forget his father, and he must confront his feeling to Beto and realize he has the right to be with him even though he will be called a “pato” in his community. He must stick to his own truth even if in his community being gay is frowned upon.

Junot Diaz’s short story “Drown”

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In Junot Diaz’s short story “Drown,” we meet Yunior, a high school drug dealer who lives in poverty with his mother in a Housing Authority Apartment. The title of the story shows how life’s circumstances keep pushing him down. He is involved in illegal activities, the people around him are not a good influence, and his best friend has left him behind for college. Junior doesn’t think he is able to go any further, saying “I had another year to go in high school, no promises elsewhere” (1242). He doesn’t have many ambitions for the future, and accepts his current situation.

He sells drugs to people. The author states that on Saturdays Yunior makes a fortune out of his selling (1244). Here, he refers “selling” as his drugs because at the park that he goes most of the kids buys from him. Yet, his father left and he supports his mom, feeling a sense of owning her for what she has done. She pays rent and basic expenses and he only pays for the phone bill. On his way to the mall, he is worried that his mother will find out about his illegal activities, he says “I recognize like half the kids on the bus. I keep my head buried in my cap, praying that nobody tries to score” (1244). He is feeling afraid of any of his customers will go to him to buy him drugs in front of his mother. Even though he does it in a regular basics, he does not want his mother to know that his son is doing as a job. At the mall, he gives her some of his drug money. He recalls “hating the image of her, picking through sales bins, wrinkling everything” (1244). Although he does not like her mother to buy from the sale section, he continues the routine on going to the same mall every Saturday. However, one morning, a recruiter stopped Yunior to offer him a real career. Yunior denied his offer saying that he “ain’t Army material” (1246). This way of rejecting the offer shows that he does not want to get involved in a job where he has to be under someone else orders. It also demonstrates that he has little ambitious for the future and refer to stay in his current way of living.

His friend, Beto, who went to college, revealed he was a homosexual, by which Junior feels almost betrayed. They have a sexual encounter, but Junior is “terrified I would end up abnormal, a fucking pato…” (1248). Beto really wanted to leave, he hated the neighborhood, he says “…the breaking apart buildings, the little strips of grass, the piles of garbage around the cans, and the dump, especially the dump.” Does Yunior think of himself the same way Beto describes the neighborhood, because he cannot get out?

The conditions Yunior is experiencing demonstrate the level of poverty he is in, and the environment he has grown up make him feel helpless. He does not have many goals for a different life.

“In Camera” by Nawal el Saadawi

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Nawal El Saadawi’s “In Camera” is all about Leila Al-Fargani’s courtroom trial. As a female in a male dominated world she is constantly describing her experience to that of an animal. For example, Leila states “for a long time she’d been a small animal inside a dark and remote cave and when they addressed her, they only used animal names” (1108). This not only demonstrates the low value society places upon women but it also shows how little Leila feels of herself. She is on trial for “acting out” against the president by referring to him as stupid. However, it was Leila who was abused, raped, and mentally destroyed. Yet, society sees her as the criminal and not the victim. This story written by an Egyptian author and this story encompasses the nature of the political system in Egypt. It captures the essence of what the Egyptian government prioritized and valued, males. What’s upsetting about the situation is that Leila is not even acting out. She is simply stating her point of view, a freedom of expression, that should be a God given right for everyone in the world.

As an Egyptian female I can personally relate to what is being discussed in the novel as it still happens on a daily basis in Egypt. Many females are taught to be obedient to men as a form of respect. The ideology that women are suppose to do what men say is something that is thoroughly believed to this day so when a woman acts out strong repercussions occur. As a country that is trying to develop the fact that women get abused constantly by their spouse is unacceptable. This narrative tries to bring awareness to the issue as the descriptive language allows the reader to visualize the graphic scene Leila had to go through. This tale is meant to spark discussion and bring light to topics like rape and physical abuse since they are seen as controversial and usually happen under closed doors. It’s time to make women understand that there is no shame for they are the victim in the situation. There is no need for Leila and other abused victims to feel like animals. Women have a mind of their own and can do what is best for them unlike animals that are controlled by human beings. “In Camera” attempts to break barriers, tell women that they are worth more than their reproductive organs, and that they should not take abuse from anyone. It is the men who do this that are stupid, not the women who face this heinous act.

“In Camera”

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Nawal el Saadawi’s “In Camera” is a short story about how a young woman named Leila Al-Fargani is put on trial for something ridiculous: referring to the President as ‘stupid’. Saadawi writes about many issues, including the roles of women and the dehumanization of the female sex.

Throughout this time period, especially in Egypt, women were considered inferior to men and were told not to speak most of the time. This is exactly what Leila Al-Fargani does, as she speaks her mind and calls the President ‘stupid.’ The President is portrayed in a somewhat godly fashion, as the judge states: “This student, who is not yet twenty years old, refers to Him, whom God protect to lead this noble nation all his life, as ‘stupid.'” However, his high status wasn’t what got her trouble, but the destruction of societal boundaries is what got her in trouble. Clearly, Leila is put on trial for disobeying the societal norms. This claim is furthered when her mother asks: “What’s politics got to do with you? You’re not a man. Girls of your age think only about marriage” (1109). Women were not allowed to do the things that men were able to do, especially politics, since she was living in a fairly patriarchal society. Women weren’t meant to live for themselves, but for men. Saadawi sees fault in this, since women had their own lives to live and their own opinions, so they should be able to state what they feel, without being punished by other males, which is in this case, the judge and the President.

Another evident theme in this short story, is the issue of violence against women. Throughout the story, Leila has flashbacks of a series of terrible events. She constantly remembers the incident where a group of men raped her, until “her tongue, her eyes, her mouth, her nose, all part of her body, were constrained” (1106). While she is being raped, one of the men say: “This is the way we torture you women – by depriving you of the most valuable thing you possess” (1113). This clearly illustrates what men felt towards women, as they felt that the only thing valuable about a woman is what is in between their legs. However, Leila responds with “You fool! And the most valuable thing I possess is not between my legs. You’re all stupid. And the most stupid among you is the one who leads you” (1113). Her response furthers the idea the Leila, unlike other women, was able to speak her thoughts, without the fear of punishment from men.

El Saadawi’s writing is one of the many stories that questions the roles of women, like Wollstonecraft, Sor Juana, etc. It is very interesting how in all different parts of the world, women were considering inferior to men, and how these group of women authors went against what was expected of them, and wrote powerful stories that strove to make a change.

 

Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich

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In the poem “Diving into the Wreck”, Adrienne Rich describes a dive into the ocean, from the boat, then to a ship wreck. During the beginning of the poem, she mentions that she is not diving into the wreck with a team of people, but she is doing it alone. Then she mentions the ladder, which is a literal passage way from the boat, into the ocean. She explains that “The ladder is always there/hanging innocently/close to the side of the schooner./We know what it is for,/we who have used it” (13-18). The ladder on the boat is a metaphor for a passage way into the wreck, it is what she needs to start her journey. She repeats “we” to show that yes she is alone, but not really alone, because people have taken this dive before. People have attempted to record the dive into the wreck, and they’ve all done it alone. This is why she must take the journey alone, without a team.

Diving into the wreck is a symbol of going into the past. Rich is attempting to change the future of women, but in order to do that, she must first “see the damage that was done” (55). The wreck itself is the history of women during male dominated times. This history, where the damage occurred, is the key to the answer of why the myths of gender roles exist today. Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” is also in a sense a dive into the wreck. She was one of the people to journey into the wreck, and is why Rich is not completely alone. Similarly to how Rich was journeying into the past to discover why certain myths exist today, Woolf was also going into the past, attempting to deconstruct why there still existed this gender consciousness, which inhibited both men and women to write to the best of their ability.

The voice of Rich shifts between “I”, which was prevalent in the beginning and middle of the text, to “we”, being used toward the end. When Rich makes it to the wreck she states: “I am here, the mermaid whose dark hair/streams black, the merman in his armored body./We circle silently” (61-64). Rich did not meet another male, nor is she both male and female. With switching to “we” instead of “I”, she is conveying that she is not thinking like women nor a man, but she is thinking like both, mixed together. This notion of being both male and female, or thinking objectively, can be traced back to the ideas and desires of Woolf for men and women in literature to come together in unity. Because in the wreckage, or within history, you can find man’s attempt to exert their superiority, and women’s sense of inferiority. The inhibitions in both sexes is the book of myths. It is what hinders society progression in both writing, and in general life.

Adrienne Rich’s “Diving into the Wreck” is more than you may think

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Adrienne Rich uses a style of writing which seems direct, but packs a much more significant punch when looked at deeply. In her work “Diving into the Wreck”, she uses the theme of exploration to discuss the act of diving to a ship wreck. Several hints can be seen in the poem that suggests that it is about more than just diving to look at a ship which has sunk. Rich says, “The words are purposes. The words are maps” implying that her writing may be a map to something more significant than a shipwreck, as well as packing a purpose behind each line which is more than just a story. Most divers dive to see a shipwreck in order to analyze the myths associated with it, as well as to see why it may have happened. Instead, Rich says “The wreck and not the story of the wreck, the thing itself and not the myth” which is unusual for a diver to say since most people dive for the story itself. To me as a reader, this was significant because it seemed to imply yet again that this “exploration of a shipwreck” so to say, is actually more than that, and may actually be an exploration of human contact with nature. The reason I came up with that is because the thing itself, or the act of diving itself, may be more important here than the shipwreck. The shipwreck seems like a backdrop to a main scene in a play.

As Rich discusses details like “The oxygen immerses me” and “I go down. My flippers cripple me”, one comes to realize that humans are at the control of nature. The detailed description of the power that nature has over humans can be seen as she dives under water and is very limited with her abilities. She also says that “the (power of) the sea is another story” implying that it is so immense; it requires a separate story to tell it.

As readers of this “deep poem” we are immersed into nature, and everything to us seems different than we are used to. Nature takes over this poem like a coral reef takes over a shipwreck and we are literally surrounded by it. The contact humans have with nature during a dive is the most intense that is possible. Rich explains the details that are visible during this dive and the significance of the literal explanation is overpowering. One feels powerless to the effects and powers of nature, which in this case is the sea. Overall, her work is amazing and makes the reader excited to read more.

Chike’s School Days Analysis

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In Chinua Achebe’s literature, Chike’s School Days, there is a strong emphasis on the cultural difference between two different civilizations. In the context, two civilizations are Baptism and white’s Christianity civilization.

First, the author introduced Chike’s names, John, Chike and Obiajulu showing that people who believe in Baptism have three names consisting of English and African names. The reason why people would give a kid three name might be for different representation. John is simply an English name but, in the text, English seems to be very powerful that it changed many aspects of Chike’s family. Or an English name simply will give one higher level of power like when Chike refused neighbor’s yam arrogantly. It is clear that “being white” will give one some sort of superiority.” And for the name, Obiajulu, meaning “the mind at last is at rest, is a very symbolic name for a kid that represents the kid. It is very interesting on that one could know something about another by simply reading his/her name. But meanwhile, this juxtaposition of English and African names contrast the fact that English name is often meaningless beside it is being an English name. It is really sad when comparing to African’s name whereas each name is designed specifically to that person’s fact while English name was simply an English name. In the beginning of the story, name plays a big role on differentiating English and African cultures.

As previously mentioned, the title of “English” or “being English” or “living like English” seems to give a person a superiority over others even though the one may not is as noble as real English. This idea could be evidenced by the example when Chike refused neighbor’s yam with rude languages. Because Chike is brought up under “white education,” the way he acts, in the story, embodies whites’ behaviors. Despite the fact that Chike’s mother is lowest class person, Chike did not feel inferior to it but instead he felt proud or he was taught to be proud of being educated in “white way.” However, it is a very ironic that people in white education dress nice uniforms of white shirt and brown khaki shorts, but they are totally not as polite and civilized as those who did not wear or study in “white” education. Achebe shows that the often “white” of everything is always the best but it is not true. “White” is just a very superficial way to describe someone but “white” does not really give any advantage to anything. This shows that how people in Africa have view white as in their country.

Clearly, Achebe has demonstrated different values from two different cultures despite the fact that this text is very short. It is always very surprising that people label one culture superior than the other due to the race instead of the true values the culture possesses.

“Two Sisters” by Ama Ata Aidoo

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In the reading of “Two Sister”, the author Ama Ata Aidoo uses the insight of two sisters to identify the conflict between the past and the present society’s appearances. According to the reading, we noticed that there were differences and changes during the gap of ages between the two sisters. To be introduced, Connie is the elder sister who has traditional values with her identity as a woman who takes well care of a family and as a wife whom obedient to her husband named James. She is basically a standard wife that all people were expected to be in the past. Mercy is the younger sister whose values was followed the changes of society that willing to take advantages from the powerful men. In order words, Mercy prefers to have someone to contents her with materials instead of real love. For instance, “the new pair of black shoes”(p.995), “the handbag”(p.999), and “the estate house”(p.1002) that Mercy received from the governor Mensar-Arthur are the supporting evidences that indicates Mercy is a selfish and materialistic girl who only cares about her desire of luxury lifestyle. Her ignorance of her sister Connie’s preoccupation according to the traditional values shows the conflict between the point of view from Connie and the point of view from herself. Therefore, this conflict is not only the problem of the two sisters, but also the issue of the society value from the past and the present.

The situations and objects in Mercy’s daily life affected Mercy’s thought. In the beginning, when the bus passed through Mercy, she felt painful to wait for the next bus and wished for someone who has cars to pick her up everyday from work. At this time, her willingness of being admired implants in her mind. The appearance of “the new pair of black shoes” is the symbol of something happening to her. Because of wearing “the pair of shoes”, she experiences the joy that materials bring her and makes her feel valuable from men. In addition, when Mensar-Arthur came to pick her up with a nice car and appeased her with her satisfaction, she strongly feels herself deserve to have this kind life. Therefore, she has more confidence to admit this is what she dreams of. After she confirmed materials provide her fulfillment in her life, she never feel regret about what she have done. To show Mercy’s enjoyment, having relationship with another powerful man “Captain Ashey” is a proof to show her belief of women can have “happiness” without having a high paying job and high educational achievement. She also experience superiority over men because she is able to demand what she wants from a man.

A girl being materialistic is not only the responsibility of herself. It is also the responsibility of the society. In the article, only Mercy’s sister Connie is concern and criticize the performance of Mercy. The husband of Connie, James, plays the supportive role of Mercy’s actions. Also, the phenomenon of the society encourages Mercy to continue with the ways she gets fulfillment from. So that, Mercy does not realize her mistake that she had made.