Dear Class, In the course of our Constructions of Gender in Literature class, we have engaged in a large number of conversations that can be described as difficult, emotional, funny, awkward, or informative, ranging a larger number of topics; however, there has been one common theme throughout our discussions. There is a common theme ofContinue reading “A Note to the Class: Using Your Shared Life Experience”
Category Archives: Experience
Names are Important
Hank A person’s name is the very first impression they give. One’s name is the foundation of all interactions. A name is deeply important. A name sustains traditions stemming from family ties, cultural history, and personal beliefs all of which tie oneself into the surrounding community providing a level of relatedness. My legally given nameContinue reading “Names are Important”
Why Making Assumptions is Dangerous: An Example From Class
By: Roy Chebaclo Today in class, my classmates and I had a large group discussion where we shared our writing from the weekend. The writing was from an assignment where we had the opportunity to engage with a character from Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, the novel we are currently reading, on a personal/first-person basis. ThisContinue reading “Why Making Assumptions is Dangerous: An Example From Class”
Using gender as a weapon
By Ella Deignan Lysistrata is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It’s a comic account of a woman’s extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War between Greek city-states by denying all the men of the land any sex, which was the only thing they truly and deeplyContinue reading “Using gender as a weapon”
“Family Is Like the Forest”
by Sage Marmet Yaa Gyasi’s epigraph in Homegoing, an Akan proverb, rings so undeniably true about families and each of their respective dynamics. The epigraph reads, “Abusua te sε kwaε: sε wo wↄ akyire a wo hunu sε εbom; sε wo bεn ho a na wo hunu sε nnua no bia sisi ne baabi nko”Continue reading ““Family Is Like the Forest””
The Margins
Dear friend, I interject our story in the space between Smith’s words, emphasizing their lines on where words fall short, those that succeed in capturing my own sentiments. I see you and I in a shared glimpse between them and a girl, a blink where we know what we don’t say. But behind that familiarityContinue reading “The Margins”
The Power of Own Voice Literature
By Ella Deignan Own voice literature, which highlights marginalized voices and experiences, is critical in education and reconstructing this overwhelming narrative of a single story. #OwnVoices, a term coined by young adult author Corinne Duyvis, refers to books about characters from underrepresented/marginalized groups in which the author shares the same identity. (Orange County Library System)Continue reading “The Power of Own Voice Literature”
Read This Out Loud (it’s not a question)
by: Anisa Thompson Have you ever been that person in a silent room, quietly reading out loud to yourself? Most of us probably have. Maybe you were reading a textbook assignment, some notes, or a confusing chapter of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. But the real question here remains; who’s received the responseContinue reading “Read This Out Loud (it’s not a question)”
Winter Rolls Right Around the Corner: How family gender roles are amplified in the winter
by: Kathryn Kaiser With winter coming right around the corner, all the many joys (and chores) of the season are going to be brought back into our lives. Along with the hot cocoa, steaming cider, snowmen, and ice skating comes snowy driveways, decorating, cold drafts, and icy walks, creating more work to be done insideContinue reading “Winter Rolls Right Around the Corner: How family gender roles are amplified in the winter”
Wife Beater Thursday!
I had conversations with students who casually referred to our classmates’ attire as “wife beaters,” but did not support wife beating.
Constructions of Gender in Literature 