Author Archives: ABDULLA AL SUDMAN

The introduction of the film is pretty similar to the introduction of the book because it has to do with the maid being anxious that the new mistress would not like the way that she does things and it’s accurate, because she’s very picky. Although to me the aunt seems much more optimistic or even happy about Hedda in the movie than it seemed in the book. It is a shame though that Hedda didn’t like the Hat because the aunt seemed very excited that she bought it because she was going to see her. Especially when you see it in the movie, you just feel really bad for her. Furthermore, when Hedda first enters in the film you see that she is just looking at everything in the background while the aunt and Tesman talk in the foreground. You really get a sense how picky and observant she is about everything. You don’t get that sense when you’re reading the book. For the most part though the film and the book are very similar. They are both able to capture the concept that the aunt and Tesman are both doing their best to please Hedda.  In both, you get the sense that she’s a person that it’s very hard to please. The filmmaker doesn’t stray that far from the writing, in fact they add much more context to the characters in the introduction. Due to the way that Hedda acts in the book, your disagreement with her behavior grows more and more. On the other hand, in the film you get the sense of who Hedda is very early on. She’s not a very likable person and it is shown through how easily she discounts the effort that people put towards keeping her happy. In addition, in the film right before Mrs. Elvsted enters, you get the sense that Hedda feels like she’s missing something. To me, it seems like the way that she’s acting might have to do with some kind of emptiness that is within her. This may have to do with the fact that she married a man because she thought it was time to get married, instead of marrying one she genuinely cared for. This situation might be worsened by the fact that her current husband cares for her so deeply. This makes her feel like should be happy, but she isn’t.

1. First, read the excerpts from Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl that I have linked to on our “Readings” page. In a brief (250 word) post to our blog, comment on the reading.

The most obvious aspect of this writing that is very enlightening is getting the perspective of a slave woman. As you read about her experiences you see the extra suffering that a woman must endure over a man. Like how Douglass’s aunt is whipped until she bleeds whilst being half naked because the slave holder finds her attractive. Like how Jacobs has to find “clever ways” to not be raped by Dr. Flint. She decided to be in a loveless, passionless relationship to avoid the unwanted interest of the doctor. All of this pain only eludes to the dehumanization that occurred during this time. They considered their masters “good people” because they didn’t beat them as bad. They probably feed them the amount that a human would need. The detachment that you must have with basic human rights must be crazy to characterize slave holders as decent people. Furthermore, Jacobs’ experience is unique in the sense that she was “trapped” in a small, tight attic for seven years to avoid getting her family separated. She would rather feel free while trapped in a small crawl space than to feel powerless in slavery. The choices that were made during that time seemed completely unfathomable to us but that is why it is important in learning about it. Both Douglass and Harriet Jacobs give us a perspective of a crazy, painful time for a specific race in America. They were born into a life of struggle and they had no choice in that matter whatsoever. By giving attention to this deplorable time we will be able to remedy the aftermath that was left by it.

2. Although slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, slavery in various forms continues to be an important Human Rights issue even in our own day. Spend some time exploring the topic of contemporary slavery on the internet, and share on the blog three important things that you learn about this subject.

The most important aspects of modern slavery for me would be mass incarceration and the modern debt system. The incarceration rate for African Americans or black Americans in America is quite deplorable. They disproportionately make up the majority of the incarcerated population whilst being a minority in the population. No race is innately more willing or likely to commit crimes so it is a system that is at fault. We continue to punish people due to the race that were born in, which is something that they have no control over. And in regards to the American debt system, we set an entire race of people on the track to failure and then punish them with high interest rates when they inevitably fail. The debt collection is connected with the bail system making it a crazy and unfair cycle that specifically targets minorities like black Americans. We haven’t moved forward enough when it comes to the suffrage of the people in slavery. All that we have done is put a different face on it but it still isn’t over.

In chapter 10, Frederick Douglass comments on the celebration that is held from Christmas to New Years in which slaves are encouraged to take part. (269) This is when they have “all the fun in the world” and are free to take all their frustrations out. It’s a time in which they drink, sing and dance. This is something that I find really interesting about the American history of slavery because I thought there wasn’t any free time whatsoever for them. But it makes a lot of sense, like Douglass stated, it is a way of keeping people trapped in their position. They get a false notion of freedom and think life without this moment of fun would be difficult. “These holidays serve as conductors, or safety valves, to carry off the rebellious spirits of enslaved humanity.” (269) Other than the most important tool of oppression, which is the lack of education, this is definitely second in the order of significance. The slaveholders practically sell the concept of hope annually. It is surprising they thought so deeply to perform something so evil and vile. Furthermore, Frederick Douglass realizing such a small aspect of a complex system showcases how aware he was of the lies sold to him, even when the people around him didn’t notice a thing. He always felt like an outsider because he was able to see the truth and it seemed like no one else was ever looking for it. They bought or were forced to buy whatever their slaveholders told them. If you believe that this is the life that you are supposed to live then moments like these are what you look forward to. The daily pain and suffering all begin to feel the same because you become numb to all of it. You begin to see this small celebration as the good thing that you wait for after a year of bad.

“Bewitched,” by Ueda Akinari, is an interesting piece of literature for me because it really touches upon something much deeper than a man’s attraction to beauty, instead on how beauty, and as an extension women, are perceived by society. This is a “Great Work” because it illustrates how people thought and may still think today. The foundation of this writing is about a guy who is too weak so he listens to everything a woman says just because she’s beautiful. This is something that’s always showcased in the media as if being beautiful is a bad thing. These people are dangerous and we should be wary of them. This perception of women has existed forever or at least it seems that way. I’m not sure if this is specifically an Asian thing but in the society that I was raised in, I always heard about situations like this. The idea is that men will give up everything when a woman enters their life. Basically, you allow this lady to control everything in your life and you don’t care about anything else. They will soil your family relationships and keep a firm grip on you so she is the only one who is important. I’ve even heard my family members saying things like “he is good now but wait until he gets married and then we’ll see.” And in all honesty, I have witnessed guys that got married and then became a completely different person because of their wives but I don’t think that a women thing, I think that what happens when a weak person gets married with a controlling one. This exact same thing happens visa versa but then it is not looked at as a problem but just men being men. I don’t think this writing is bad for illustrating this perspective but instead, that’s what I think makes it interesting. I am able to connect with it more hence get a better understanding of the text as a whole.

Hi everyone, my name is Abdulla Al Sudman and I am a transfer student from Brooklyn College. I was seven years old when I came here from Bangladesh (BD). That’s a long enough time that when I go back, I feel like a complete foreigner. I get very excited about the exchange rate and having bundles of money in my hands. Furthermore, experiencing the “road manners” is terrifying and sitting in traffic for hours is excruciating. But regardless of all of that I love being there, especially spending time with my family. I want to see more of BD other than the capital but there’s never enough time to do so. In actuality, there are tons of places that I want to see, but for different reasons. Every place tells a different story and all of it is interesting. There’s something unique about traveling that stops me from worrying or overthinking things and allows me to just be in the moment, which is why I really enjoy it. Also I must add that I love eating, like I don’t think I love food but I enjoy eating that food. Like I could have the same thing day in, day out without complaining. I would say I love eating more than I love going to the gym, but it’s a close match. Although, I have a weak stomach so I might love to see the world but my stomach is on a completely different wavelength. Regarding my education, last semester I would have said that I was looking forward to a career in finance in which I would start off as a financial analyst, and climb the ladder towards my investment banking career. At that time, I was looking forward to working hard and making “serious money,” but that wasn’t something that I was really interested in. On the other hand, I have always entertained the idea of having a company in which I own a bunch of properties which I rent, buy, sell, develop, etc. I thought it was something that I would get around to doing when I had enough money but that doesn’t have to be the case. So now I’m looking towards majoring in real estate, but not sure yet on where exactly I’ll go from there. When it comes to English classes though, I have always found that this subject has the best teachers but that’s important because otherwise, I really am not the biggest fan of the subject. I am not the biggest reader (I tend to just read non-fiction books on investing or other self-help books) and I dread writing essays. As a result of this, I tend to like classes which are more opinion based. But regardless of how this class will be, I hope I get to learn about some great pieces of literature and get an A while doing so.