Never a dull moment. Just a moment that is mine. I can see myself living somewhere on heard of and being content with a life of solitude. I swear am not going to miss anybody. My life has always been filled with doing this and doing that. I hate it! Sometimes I just want to let everything float away, so I can breathe. I know it sounds selfish, but honestly I don't care.
You need some alone time. Some time to feel like you're lost and nothing in the world matters aside from your own happiness I believe.
{Wish this DAMN bus would hurry get here} whatever life is never the way you would like it to be. What would be the point I suppose if it were?
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
I Will Love You
Once again am sitting on the train & across from me there are two people in love. Only difference from my first couple is they are much older. What pleases me about them are the sparks of love still alive in their relationship. I feel the need to wedge myself between them to ask a few curious questions. Such as, how long have you two been together? How did you meet? To the man, how did you know she was the one? To them both, how have you managed to keep each other happy.
Looking up at them they both have smiles plastered on their faces, and now they're rubbing the tips of their noses together. Their love as filled me up. I have hope now that love is truly out there. I just need to have patience.
Looking up at them they both have smiles plastered on their faces, and now they're rubbing the tips of their noses together. Their love as filled me up. I have hope now that love is truly out there. I just need to have patience.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Women and The Role of The Lesser Sex
[Paper I wrote, I know it's hard coming up with ideas....so am posting mines maybe it will help someone out there get a paper together. Please don't steal my paper.]
In an attempt to bolster competitive potential in the global arena, nations are making efforts to capitalize on the full potential of their human resources. As a result, emphasis is being placed on creating equal opportunities for women in terms of economic participation, economic opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment, and health and well-being, since inequalities in these areas are corking the gender gap. Although nations are making strides to eliminate the gap, studies show it remains widely open. What seems to be holding us back is the age-old perception, of man as beast, and woman as the timid creature, and our continued artificial portrayal of women in the media. Voltaire’s Candide and Harriet Jacobs Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl are two classic literary works that emphasize the role of women as the lesser sex and as objects of sexual gratification. Though Voltaire writes from the perspective of a white European male, Jacobs perspective is an actual recount of her experiences not only as a woman, but as a black slave, which makes her narrative all the more genuine. However, both works relate implacably to the treatment of women in society today.
Though Harriet Jacobs’ piece is set some time between 1820 and 1840, in many underdeveloped parts of the world today, women from minority groups struggle to bridge the gender gap. These women have so little power, hence, why they are easily victimized, as we see in Jacobs’ narrative. We have only to look at the news to see evidence of this, in many third world countries today rape is often used as a tool of war. The Rwandan Holocaust of 1994 is a prime example of how sexual crimes against women find its way into a strategy for war.
Voltaire emphasizes the vulnerability of women to become sexual preys through his characters The Old Lady, Paquette and Cunegonde. As we see individuals at war in the story rape them repeatedly. We are constantly reminded of the unique suffering of women by the exaggerated accounts of the female characters sexual afflictions. The most unbelievable report of sexual abuse in Candide is the Old Lady’s story. The Old Lady’s turmoil begins when her ship is captured by pirates, who abiding by “international law” (537) proceed to stick “their fingers in a place where we women usually admit only a syringe” (537), she tells us, in search of hidden diamonds. From the Old Lady’s description we learn that this procedure was never overlooked, in fact it was treated quite ceremoniously. In addition, no one seemed to question the validity of it either. The fact that such a violation had imbedded itself into the law, without being questioned is analogous to the power men had at the time to control the order of society, and the lack of power women had to object to their role in society.
When the Old Lady is rescued by a court musician, she is thankfully spared being raped because he suffered “the loss of what nobody could give him back” (539). The court musician does not give any thought to the fact that the Old Lady, like any other human being, has a right to consent to sex. To him the only obstacle is his lack of testicles. Though the Old Lady points out to him that there are worst fates than his own he is unable to surmise this because he sees her solely as an object for his sexual gratification.
Harriet Jacobs draws similar references in her narrative. According to southern law a slave was considered property, which is a reference Jacobs constantly reflects on in her narrative. Jacobs points out that though her “soul revolted against the mean tyranny” (26) of Dr. Flint she had no where to turn to for protection. The reader fully understands the extent of female slaves’ vulnerability when Jacobs says, “no matter whether the slave girl be as black as ebony or as fair as her mistress. In either case, there is no shadow of law to protect her from insult, violence, or even from death; all these are inflicted by fiends who bear the shape of men” (26). In light of Jacob’s experience, the slave masters assumed a double privilege over their female slaves because they were also black.
Jacqueline Jones in Race, Sex and Self Evident Truths: The Status of Slave Women During The Era of The American Revolution points out that though black women “shared certain domestic responsibilities with white women at the same time they lived in bondage together with black men” (16). Jones further isolates the suffering of black women by pointing out that they shouldered burdens unique to them. As we see in Jacobs’ story, she had to put up with the tyrant behavior of Dr. Flint who persisted in making sexual advances on her even though she went out of her way to avoid him. At one point, he says to her “you are mine; and you shall be mine for life” (82). Contrary to the belief that black men were sexual savages (Voltaire makes reference to this in Candide) slave women were considered temptresses, a speculation that Jordan D. Winthrop draws reference to in The White Man’s Burden.
Jordan stresses that this notion presented a logical explanation for the white man’s infidelity, hence, why the wives of slave-owners “who ought to protect the helpless victim, has no feelings towards her but those of jealousy and rage” (26). In her narrative Jacobs recounts how upon entering her sixteenth year that “it became more apparent that [her] presence was intolerable to Mrs. Flint” (31). Nothing Jacobs did ever seemed satisfactory enough for Mrs. Flint and “no terms were too vile for her to bestow upon” (31) her either. This sort of reciprocal behavior was common among the wives in southern society. Though it cannot be justified, to some extent it can be understood considering they had little power to stop their husbands from sexually abusing their female slaves given that slaves were considered by law property.
Similarly, Paquette undergoes the same fate in Voltaire’s Candide when a doctor takes her as his mistress, his wife “jealous to the point of frenzy, [beats her] mercilessly everyday” (569). Paquette we see is forced to prostitute herself a profession she considers an “abominable trade which…men find so pleasant and which for [her] is nothing but a bottomless pit of misery” (570). Candide is amazed by Paquette’s trials because her composure does not disclose any evidence of her suffering, which is an age old perception that hints to the psychological strength women seem to command over men. The Old Lady’s story also gives account to this, despite her hardships she confesses that though “a hundred times [she] wanted to kill [herself, she] always…loved life more” (540).
On the other hand, Cunegonde’s story of her trials and tribulations clearly hints at women’s fate as the sexual toys of men. Without her consent the inquisitor and Don Issachar “struck a bargain by which the house and [Cunegonde] would belong to both of them as joint tenants; the Jew would get Mondays, Wednesdays and the Sabbath, the inquisitor would get the other days of the week” (533). Like the laws governing southern slave society Cunegonde is treated like property that can we transferred at any moments notice.
In Candide the rapist characters are no different from the slave master’s of Jacobs’s era or the sex traffickers of today. Though much of the story is told to point out the insensibility of optimism the treatment of The Old Lady, Paquette and Cunegonde makes rape and sexual exploitation an obvious theme of the satire. The men they come into contact with have kidnapped them, bought them or sold them as merchandise, which is no different from sex trafficking today. The female characters lack of power to choose their own lovers’ draws reference to the common acceptance of “child brides” in eastern cultures.
The New York Times not too long ago published an article titled “The Bride Price,” which stated that “about 1 in 7 girls in the developing world (except China) get married before her 15th birthday.” In the west, marriage is defined as a union of two people who are madly in love with each other. However, in cultures that advocate “child brides” the union has little or nothing at all to do with love. Jacob makes it a point in her narrative that if she had it her way she would enjoy the freedom of choosing her own lover rather than her present situation. Similarly Cunegonde has no say and we see she ends up being shared between the Jesuit and the Grand Inquisitor for their sexual gratification.
Since the dawn of time and the birth of civilization, society has made a distinct separation between the role and responsibilities of man and woman. Man’s physical strength made him the provider and woman’s timid nature burdened her with the role of care taker. Because man is visibly the strongest, it must also mean he is the wiser of the two. This ideology since it was first given thought to and voiced has been in scripted into the psychic of women and men everywhere. Also, we seem to determine our capabilities based on it as well. Sounds far fetched, but the media alone is reference enough. It continually preys on the timid nature of women and portrays them as sex obsessed maniacs.
During the summer Calvin Klein did not fall short of once again infuriating the public with another of the company’s raunchy ads. This time is wasn’t a naked woman rolling around in a bed, or a woman mauling the behind of her lover; rather it was a poster of a girl and three guys entangled in what appeared to be the prelude to an orgy. Of course, sparking this sort of outrage is exactly what Calvin Klein wants to market its merchandise, but the sublime message hidden underneath the pixels of the ads makes a statement devoid of dollars and cents. It is impossible to live in our world and not be influenced in some way or another by the media, it is everywhere telling us who we are, and defining who we oath to be. To a large extent the biasness of the media is and will continue to be a major cork in the gender gap.
The battle of the sexes continues to be a heavily debated topic; however despite society’s short comings in favor of women, they seem to be throwing good punches. Voltaire’s Candide and Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl are classic text that show not much has changed since the passage of time. However, Hilary Clinton’s campaign for presidency in the 2008 election was a big step for women everywhere. Though she did not win the fact that she made it so far shows that we are making steps in the right direction. The suffering of women though shows the journey has only just begun.
Works Cited.
Bearak, Barry. "The Bride Price." New York Times 9 Jan. 2006. New York Company. 4
Oct. 2009.
Bienstock, Ric Esther. "Sex Slaves." Frontline/ PBS, 7 Feb. 2006. Web. 4 Oct. 2009.
Brent, Linda. Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1973.
Candide, or Optimism. Expanded Edition ed. Vol. 2. NY: W.W. Norton & Company,
Inc., 1995. 521-85. Print.
Carlson, Jen. "Is the Calvin Klein Billboard Offensive?" Web log post. Is the Calvin
Klein Billboard Offensive? 15 June 2009. 4 Oct. 2009
.
Jones, Jacqueline. “Evident Truths: The Status of Slave Women During The Era of The
American Revolution.” Diss. Wellesley College, 1986. Wellesley: Wellesley
College. Center for Research on Women, 1986. Print.
Lopez-Claros, Augusto, and Saadia Zahidi. "Women’s Empowerment: Measuring the
Global Gender Gap." Women’s Empowerment: Measuring the Global Gender
Gap. 2005. World Economic Forum. 4 Oct. 2009
Taken. Prod. Luc Besson. Dir. Pierre Morel. Perf. Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace. Film.
EuropaCorp/ 20th century fox, 2008
Voltaire. Candide. New York: Penguin Group, 1947.
Winthrop, Jordan D. The White Man’s Burden. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1974.
In an attempt to bolster competitive potential in the global arena, nations are making efforts to capitalize on the full potential of their human resources. As a result, emphasis is being placed on creating equal opportunities for women in terms of economic participation, economic opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment, and health and well-being, since inequalities in these areas are corking the gender gap. Although nations are making strides to eliminate the gap, studies show it remains widely open. What seems to be holding us back is the age-old perception, of man as beast, and woman as the timid creature, and our continued artificial portrayal of women in the media. Voltaire’s Candide and Harriet Jacobs Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl are two classic literary works that emphasize the role of women as the lesser sex and as objects of sexual gratification. Though Voltaire writes from the perspective of a white European male, Jacobs perspective is an actual recount of her experiences not only as a woman, but as a black slave, which makes her narrative all the more genuine. However, both works relate implacably to the treatment of women in society today.
Though Harriet Jacobs’ piece is set some time between 1820 and 1840, in many underdeveloped parts of the world today, women from minority groups struggle to bridge the gender gap. These women have so little power, hence, why they are easily victimized, as we see in Jacobs’ narrative. We have only to look at the news to see evidence of this, in many third world countries today rape is often used as a tool of war. The Rwandan Holocaust of 1994 is a prime example of how sexual crimes against women find its way into a strategy for war.
Voltaire emphasizes the vulnerability of women to become sexual preys through his characters The Old Lady, Paquette and Cunegonde. As we see individuals at war in the story rape them repeatedly. We are constantly reminded of the unique suffering of women by the exaggerated accounts of the female characters sexual afflictions. The most unbelievable report of sexual abuse in Candide is the Old Lady’s story. The Old Lady’s turmoil begins when her ship is captured by pirates, who abiding by “international law” (537) proceed to stick “their fingers in a place where we women usually admit only a syringe” (537), she tells us, in search of hidden diamonds. From the Old Lady’s description we learn that this procedure was never overlooked, in fact it was treated quite ceremoniously. In addition, no one seemed to question the validity of it either. The fact that such a violation had imbedded itself into the law, without being questioned is analogous to the power men had at the time to control the order of society, and the lack of power women had to object to their role in society.
When the Old Lady is rescued by a court musician, she is thankfully spared being raped because he suffered “the loss of what nobody could give him back” (539). The court musician does not give any thought to the fact that the Old Lady, like any other human being, has a right to consent to sex. To him the only obstacle is his lack of testicles. Though the Old Lady points out to him that there are worst fates than his own he is unable to surmise this because he sees her solely as an object for his sexual gratification.
Harriet Jacobs draws similar references in her narrative. According to southern law a slave was considered property, which is a reference Jacobs constantly reflects on in her narrative. Jacobs points out that though her “soul revolted against the mean tyranny” (26) of Dr. Flint she had no where to turn to for protection. The reader fully understands the extent of female slaves’ vulnerability when Jacobs says, “no matter whether the slave girl be as black as ebony or as fair as her mistress. In either case, there is no shadow of law to protect her from insult, violence, or even from death; all these are inflicted by fiends who bear the shape of men” (26). In light of Jacob’s experience, the slave masters assumed a double privilege over their female slaves because they were also black.
Jacqueline Jones in Race, Sex and Self Evident Truths: The Status of Slave Women During The Era of The American Revolution points out that though black women “shared certain domestic responsibilities with white women at the same time they lived in bondage together with black men” (16). Jones further isolates the suffering of black women by pointing out that they shouldered burdens unique to them. As we see in Jacobs’ story, she had to put up with the tyrant behavior of Dr. Flint who persisted in making sexual advances on her even though she went out of her way to avoid him. At one point, he says to her “you are mine; and you shall be mine for life” (82). Contrary to the belief that black men were sexual savages (Voltaire makes reference to this in Candide) slave women were considered temptresses, a speculation that Jordan D. Winthrop draws reference to in The White Man’s Burden.
Jordan stresses that this notion presented a logical explanation for the white man’s infidelity, hence, why the wives of slave-owners “who ought to protect the helpless victim, has no feelings towards her but those of jealousy and rage” (26). In her narrative Jacobs recounts how upon entering her sixteenth year that “it became more apparent that [her] presence was intolerable to Mrs. Flint” (31). Nothing Jacobs did ever seemed satisfactory enough for Mrs. Flint and “no terms were too vile for her to bestow upon” (31) her either. This sort of reciprocal behavior was common among the wives in southern society. Though it cannot be justified, to some extent it can be understood considering they had little power to stop their husbands from sexually abusing their female slaves given that slaves were considered by law property.
Similarly, Paquette undergoes the same fate in Voltaire’s Candide when a doctor takes her as his mistress, his wife “jealous to the point of frenzy, [beats her] mercilessly everyday” (569). Paquette we see is forced to prostitute herself a profession she considers an “abominable trade which…men find so pleasant and which for [her] is nothing but a bottomless pit of misery” (570). Candide is amazed by Paquette’s trials because her composure does not disclose any evidence of her suffering, which is an age old perception that hints to the psychological strength women seem to command over men. The Old Lady’s story also gives account to this, despite her hardships she confesses that though “a hundred times [she] wanted to kill [herself, she] always…loved life more” (540).
On the other hand, Cunegonde’s story of her trials and tribulations clearly hints at women’s fate as the sexual toys of men. Without her consent the inquisitor and Don Issachar “struck a bargain by which the house and [Cunegonde] would belong to both of them as joint tenants; the Jew would get Mondays, Wednesdays and the Sabbath, the inquisitor would get the other days of the week” (533). Like the laws governing southern slave society Cunegonde is treated like property that can we transferred at any moments notice.
In Candide the rapist characters are no different from the slave master’s of Jacobs’s era or the sex traffickers of today. Though much of the story is told to point out the insensibility of optimism the treatment of The Old Lady, Paquette and Cunegonde makes rape and sexual exploitation an obvious theme of the satire. The men they come into contact with have kidnapped them, bought them or sold them as merchandise, which is no different from sex trafficking today. The female characters lack of power to choose their own lovers’ draws reference to the common acceptance of “child brides” in eastern cultures.
The New York Times not too long ago published an article titled “The Bride Price,” which stated that “about 1 in 7 girls in the developing world (except China) get married before her 15th birthday.” In the west, marriage is defined as a union of two people who are madly in love with each other. However, in cultures that advocate “child brides” the union has little or nothing at all to do with love. Jacob makes it a point in her narrative that if she had it her way she would enjoy the freedom of choosing her own lover rather than her present situation. Similarly Cunegonde has no say and we see she ends up being shared between the Jesuit and the Grand Inquisitor for their sexual gratification.
Since the dawn of time and the birth of civilization, society has made a distinct separation between the role and responsibilities of man and woman. Man’s physical strength made him the provider and woman’s timid nature burdened her with the role of care taker. Because man is visibly the strongest, it must also mean he is the wiser of the two. This ideology since it was first given thought to and voiced has been in scripted into the psychic of women and men everywhere. Also, we seem to determine our capabilities based on it as well. Sounds far fetched, but the media alone is reference enough. It continually preys on the timid nature of women and portrays them as sex obsessed maniacs.
During the summer Calvin Klein did not fall short of once again infuriating the public with another of the company’s raunchy ads. This time is wasn’t a naked woman rolling around in a bed, or a woman mauling the behind of her lover; rather it was a poster of a girl and three guys entangled in what appeared to be the prelude to an orgy. Of course, sparking this sort of outrage is exactly what Calvin Klein wants to market its merchandise, but the sublime message hidden underneath the pixels of the ads makes a statement devoid of dollars and cents. It is impossible to live in our world and not be influenced in some way or another by the media, it is everywhere telling us who we are, and defining who we oath to be. To a large extent the biasness of the media is and will continue to be a major cork in the gender gap.
The battle of the sexes continues to be a heavily debated topic; however despite society’s short comings in favor of women, they seem to be throwing good punches. Voltaire’s Candide and Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl are classic text that show not much has changed since the passage of time. However, Hilary Clinton’s campaign for presidency in the 2008 election was a big step for women everywhere. Though she did not win the fact that she made it so far shows that we are making steps in the right direction. The suffering of women though shows the journey has only just begun.
Works Cited.
Bearak, Barry. "The Bride Price." New York Times 9 Jan. 2006. New York Company. 4
Oct. 2009
Bienstock, Ric Esther. "Sex Slaves." Frontline/ PBS, 7 Feb. 2006. Web. 4 Oct. 2009.
Brent, Linda. Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1973.
Candide, or Optimism. Expanded Edition ed. Vol. 2. NY: W.W. Norton & Company,
Inc., 1995. 521-85. Print.
Carlson, Jen. "Is the Calvin Klein Billboard Offensive?" Web log post. Is the Calvin
Klein Billboard Offensive? 15 June 2009. 4 Oct. 2009
Jones, Jacqueline. “Evident Truths: The Status of Slave Women During The Era of The
American Revolution.” Diss. Wellesley College, 1986. Wellesley: Wellesley
College. Center for Research on Women, 1986. Print.
Lopez-Claros, Augusto, and Saadia Zahidi. "Women’s Empowerment: Measuring the
Global Gender Gap." Women’s Empowerment: Measuring the Global Gender
Gap. 2005. World Economic Forum. 4 Oct. 2009
Taken. Prod. Luc Besson. Dir. Pierre Morel. Perf. Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace. Film.
EuropaCorp/ 20th century fox, 2008
Voltaire. Candide. New York: Penguin Group, 1947.
Winthrop, Jordan D. The White Man’s Burden. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1974.
Monday, November 9, 2009
POL2001
I scored a A- in my POL2001 midterm. I was sooo pleased. Lost 2 points for naming NGO's as groups that use social issues to advance their extremist (not the exact word used, but I cannot recollect it) ideologies, which the answer should have been non-state actores egs. Al Qaeda, Terrorist, Extremist.
Lost 5point on my essay because I didn't support some of the arguments I made. Promise myself I'll go over the essay and post it up :-). Professor told me all in all my essay was not bad. Really the sort of encouragement I needed.
Lost 5point on my essay because I didn't support some of the arguments I made. Promise myself I'll go over the essay and post it up :-). Professor told me all in all my essay was not bad. Really the sort of encouragement I needed.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
It's Been Forever, I know
School is tough. Can't seem to be anything but a B student. Guess am not trying hard enough. Four weeks left in the semester, so I guess my time is running out. My ENG3025 professor is great. Think he's the best I've ever had, but my essays don't seem to please him very much. He criticizes every point I seem to make as invalid. Am trying my best to take it as constructive criticism, but my pressure is running low.
My POL3201 class, professor says I need to participate more actively in class. Didn't appreciate the way she called me out in class about it. That jus made me shy-er about the whole sharing philosophical opinion thing.
My POL2001 class, I actually feel like am learning something. Am hoping the professor returns our midterms tomorrow its been almost 3wks. My hoping I aced it, but from the looks of things am guessing it will be another B grade :-(
My ENG2850 class I love. Seems like everything am failing to do in all the other classes am doing quiet well in this one. Think its the professor. Got to admit I have a girl crush on her. She's cute and she makes the class fun with her stories. I mean at 7:25am what more could I ask for.
My POL3201 class, professor says I need to participate more actively in class. Didn't appreciate the way she called me out in class about it. That jus made me shy-er about the whole sharing philosophical opinion thing.
My POL2001 class, I actually feel like am learning something. Am hoping the professor returns our midterms tomorrow its been almost 3wks. My hoping I aced it, but from the looks of things am guessing it will be another B grade :-(
My ENG2850 class I love. Seems like everything am failing to do in all the other classes am doing quiet well in this one. Think its the professor. Got to admit I have a girl crush on her. She's cute and she makes the class fun with her stories. I mean at 7:25am what more could I ask for.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
I'm Alive
It's been forever. I know. Don't even bother to scold me, I've already whipped myself.
That's just how busy I've been.
Midterms are over and Halloween in Saturday. I have no idea if I'll join in on the festivities this year.
School is tough, as much as I anticipated. Bobby and I are fortunately still together. We're officially 6 months :-D.
I have so much to say, and I promise to give details.
But for now know that at this moment in time am doing okie dokie. Still have my moments when I crumble. Trying my best to not stifle under the pressures of my academic life, my relationship, family & work.
Muah!
That's just how busy I've been.
Midterms are over and Halloween in Saturday. I have no idea if I'll join in on the festivities this year.
School is tough, as much as I anticipated. Bobby and I are fortunately still together. We're officially 6 months :-D.
I have so much to say, and I promise to give details.
But for now know that at this moment in time am doing okie dokie. Still have my moments when I crumble. Trying my best to not stifle under the pressures of my academic life, my relationship, family & work.
Muah!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Boo
Looking out the window I see everything is grey. Pretty soon the clouds are going to burst, funny how my eyes did just a moment ago. Now am feeling lost, scared and confused.
The pressure I image will be unbearable. Every moment of strength is cut down to cowardice, by the time my mind has finished analysing my lack of intellect.
The pressure I image will be unbearable. Every moment of strength is cut down to cowardice, by the time my mind has finished analysing my lack of intellect.
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