by Lily Liu While reading “My Son the Fanatic”, I found myself beginning to search for parts of the text that felt relatable to my own experiences. There are plenty of differences between the story of Ali and Parvez and mine: setting, family dynamics, and the origins of such conflicts, but the larger themes resonatedContinue reading “Lessons From Parvez and Ali”
Category Archives: Experience
Dear Others, Stop Telling Me What to Wear: “My Little Black Dress Doesn’t Mean Yes.”
by: Catherine Zhang Dear Mom, When you pulled me aside yesterday as I left for school and told me that my V-neck sweater was too low, you spoke to me that my identity only existed in the sphere of how much I displayed my body. You, who told me everyday of my life how perfectContinue reading “Dear Others, Stop Telling Me What to Wear: “My Little Black Dress Doesn’t Mean Yes.””
The Art of Growing Up a Girl: A Culture of Female Submission
The male gaze pictured above. By Catherine Zhang Roxane Gay’s anthology, Not That Bad, details short essays recounting stories of how she was violated in her youth in the experience of growing up a girl. Hauntingly enough, a theme of appreciation is specifically woven throughout her essay, “The Ways We Are Taught to Be aContinue reading “The Art of Growing Up a Girl: A Culture of Female Submission”
Gender?
by Hank Bernhardt Talking about gender is hard to begin with, made even harder when one party doesn’t know the terminology. When I discuss gender and sexuality I try to stick with the terms I know, but when I sit and really think about terms I find myself with more questions than answers. I knowContinue reading “Gender?”
#MMIW: Student Reflections Collected on Canvas in 2020
Movement to Address Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (& Girls) I know that before colonizers came to the New World, women and men were seen as equal in their society. However, after the arrival of the Europeans, the rights and dignity of these women diminished; is this a factor in present day injustice? How doesContinue reading “#MMIW: Student Reflections Collected on Canvas in 2020”
Construction: Building a foundation–for what? for whom?
The idea of constructing a building serves as a metaphor for the notion of building a social construct. Basically, people have accepted “understandings of the world that form the basis for shared assumptions about reality” (Wikipedia). In other words, unlike the lovely new white tile building going up in my neighborhood, social constructs aren’t madeContinue reading “Construction: Building a foundation–for what? for whom?”
Nine Parts of Desire: Nine Portrayals of War and Violence by Women
Nine Parts of Desire highlights the lives of nine women as they fight back against traditional expectations set in a rapidly changing political climate. The play is set during the US-Iraqi war, so the background of the stories of these women is suffering, death, prayer, uncertainty, violence, and political turmoil. Layal was a famous painterContinue reading “Nine Parts of Desire: Nine Portrayals of War and Violence by Women”
Reflecting: Interconnected Issues of the Indigenous Community
This semester has given us insight into various issues in the indigenous community, and how will we use that going forward?
No, My favorite color is not pink
By Zoe Feldshon Do you ever wonder who you would be if you weren’t raised with the constant connotation that you are a boy or girl and nothing in between? I remember when I was younger and my room having pink walls, pink bedding, and a pink dresser. I grew up in a family ofContinue reading “No, My favorite color is not pink”
Intersectionality In Giovanni’s Room
By Hannah Sweet While James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room is a story that follows a white queer man, race is a dominant force that is as central to Baldwin’s narrative as sexuality. In Giovanni’s Room homosexuality becomes connected to blackness in a way that heterosexuality is connected to whiteness. Both are identities that lay outside ofContinue reading “Intersectionality In Giovanni’s Room”
Constructions of Gender in Literature 