Research Plan Blog

          My plan for my research paper is to take a close look at the Indian culture and the Hindu religion and look at how it affects the women in the culture, specifically looking at Jasmine and how she changes what she feels and believes after she was taken out of her culture. The primary text I will consult with be Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee. The main questions that are guiding my research are “How does a woman’s culture affect her? Her life? Her ideas of family, social life, work?” and also, “How do these cultural expectations depict the way she thinks and handles herself? And if she were to leave her cultural society, would that identity change? Why or why not?” While these are a lot of questions I believe that as I do more research my topic will narrow significantly. In order to answer these questions I will need to research the Hindu culture/religion and be able to knowledgably discuss the Hindu culture in my paper. I also want to be able to define terms that are necessary to understand the angle from which women see, observe, and life their life. I will also be looking for articles that discuss these topics about women’s cultural identities and become more aware with what arguments are being made about this topic.
            Some secondary sources I plan to work with are patheos.com, which has an article entitled “Hinduism Gender and Sexuality” and explains the woman’s role in the Hindu community. It also explains certain terms such as “dharma” which is a belief that some outside force controls actions and destinies and takes a look at the role that goddesses play in the Hindu culture. I also want to look at the article that Ashford presented in class in order to look at ways that women adapt or react to situations they are not familiar with, such as violence to themselves and others.

            The layout of my argument will be most likely to look at specific Hindu beliefs/practices that Hinduism teaches and then apply these ideas to the novel, Jasmine, and then look specifically at how she changes or adapts to the differences between her culture and American culture. There is still a lot of work and reseach that needs to be done.

Carter-Sanborn, Kristin. “We Murder Who We Were: Jasmine and the Violence of Identity.”                  American Literature, Vol. 66. Num. 3. Sept. 1994. Duke University Press. 573-592. Print.

"Dharma." The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Web. 27 Mar. 2012

"Hinduism Gender and Sexuality." Balanced Views of Religion and Spirituality with Faith. Web. 27 Mar. 2012

Mukherjee, Bharati. Jasmine. New York: Grove, 1989. Print.

Blog 7: Dharma

         According to thefreedictionary.com, “dharma” represents, “the principle or law that orders the universe” and “the essential function or nature of a thing” (AHD). Dharma is what governs the Hindu religion. Hindus in India rely on this belief for their social structure, political agendas, and relationships. It is dharma that determines the way in which women in a Hindu society are allowed to conduct themselves. Hindu women are seen as “hierarchically inferior to men” and “entirely subservient to men” (patheos 1). This cultural view of women translates into what women are allowed to do, wear, and act within society. While this may be true of mortal women in the Hindu community, the same does not apply for Hindu goddesses. Hindu goddesses are viewed as powerful, and “cannot be controlled by any male god” (patheos 1). These goddesses are important for the Hindu culture in that they restore order, defeat evil nemeses, and are more powerful that any other god. While the two roles of women as goddesses and mortals are not parallel, the belief that women are complex and do have important roles in society does exist. The main role for mortal women in a Hindu society is based on love, wealth, righteousness, and salvation but only within the limits of dharma (patheos 1).

            As a Hindu, Jasmine is expected by her society to marry young, bare children, support her husband’s endeavors, be modest, keep house, have a servant mentality, and be true to her Hindu religion. All of which she does to the best of her ability while she is in India. But after her world is turned upside down by her husband’s death, Jasmine decides to travel to America in order to honor her husband’s death. In America, everything she has been taught to practice in her Hindu culture is challenged and slowly her own ideals about a woman’s place in society change. She is introduced to immodesty in New York when she sees naked girls with men in their rooms through the tall windows of Taylor’s apartment and states, “truly there was no concept of shame in this society” (Mukherjee 171). The longer she is in America her ideas of being subservient begin to change as well. It is in America that she first begins to make decisions for herself. Such as her move to Iowa in order to escape the danger she feels in New York, she says, “In my life, I have never dithered. God’s plans have always seemed clearly laid out. I said to him, ‘I’m going to Iowa’” ( Mukherjee 189).  This decision was made for her benefit alone, not to please a deceased husband or to comply with the social norms India had expected of her. She also changes her view of individuality. In her Indian village a man once predicted her future, telling Jasmine that she would live a life of unhappiness. As she is in American, she realizes that she can shape her own future. She does this several times with her move to Iowa and again when she decides to leave Bud. She states, “I am caught between the promise of America and old-world dutifulness” (240). While she struggles with her cultural upbringing, wanting to do the right thing, she is conflicted with the American ideals of individualism and self-fulfillment. She chooses to leave.

            The way in which America shapes Jasmine is undeniable. She respects her cultural upbringing but chooses to discard it in hopes for a better future. The book ends with Jasmine believing in hope for her future. She has done far better than the man in India predicted she would, and she aims at living a full and happy life.  She looks at dharma in a new light. It may still guide her, but it does not control her.

 "Dharma." The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.

Mukherjee, Bharati. Jasmine. New York: Grove, 1989. Print.

"Hinduism Gender and Sexuality." Balanced Views of Religion and Spirituality with Faith. Web. 27            Mar. 2012

Blog 6: The House on Mango Street

          For my presentation tomorrow, I will be focusing on the stories, “And Some More,” “Bums in the Attic,” and “Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes.” The article I will be presenting is:

Petty, Leslie. “The ‘Dual’-Ing Images Of La Malinche And La Virgen de Guadelupe in Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street.” Melus 25.2 (2000): 119-132. MLA International Bibliography.Web. 12 Mar.             2012.

This article focuses on the Mexican culture and the stereotypes in projects onto Mexican women. As you re-read the stories above, think about what type of stereotypes Sandra Cisneros could be claiming are projected onto women.

            Also, do a little research and Google La Vergin de Guadalupe and La Malinche. These two women represent the two choices that Mexican women have to follow. These women play a major part in the feminine culture in the Mexican community and are used to classify certain women. The article shows that these stereotypes are used to show a positive/negative, good/bad, clean/dirty type of stereotype for women. Sandra Cisneros tries to overcome this stereotype of women and give a third option; the artist. This third option is seen through the narrator, Esperanza, while La Vergin de Guadalupe is seen through Aunt Lupe and La Malinche is depicted through Marin’s characters.

           

            There are other characters that represent these stereotypes as well. See if you can come up with other examples besides Aunt Lupe and Marin. At the beginning of “And Some More” we see an argument between Esperanza, Lucy, and Rachel concerning snowflakes. Esperanza makes the observation that Eskimos “got thirty different names for snow”. Lucy argues, “there ain’t thirty different kinds of snow” and goes on to say, “There are two kinds. The clean kind and the dirty kind, clean and dirty. Only two.” According to the article by Leslie Petty, this argument between the two girls, “highlights a conflict that is at the heart of Cisneros’ work.” (119) What do you consider that conflict to be?

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage, 2009. Print.

Free Blog 2: Our Contrary Talents Bred In Our Bones

               Joyce Carol Oates’ story, Three Girls, tells the story of two young girls who are in a used bookstore that they frequent regularly when one of them happens to spy Marilyn Monroe tucked away in the back of the store reading and sifting through books. Both of the girls are mesmerized by their discovery of her in the quaint, small, unglamorous bookstore and the story centers around their observations of Marilyn Monroe as they follow her and watch her, from a distance, as Marilyn peruses through the books. Throughout the story the narrator mentions many different books that can be found in this bookstore, all by male authors. The narrator comments on how her and her friend are enamored with the books, picking favorites and commenting on books that are not so dear to their hearts. At one point in the story the narrator is talking about her friend and comments on the differences between the two of them stating, “our contrary talents bred in our bones.” While the narrator is referring to herself and her friend, I believe this statement can be taken to mean contrary talents between the girls and Marilyn Monroe as well as contrary talents between male and female poets.
            Marilyn Monroe is known for her risqué roles, modeling, acting career, and undeniable beauty. Her talents were much different than those of the girls in the bookstore. The narrator and her friend were college students, “girl-poets”. The girls do not know how to react about Marilyn Monroe, a world famous movie star, being in a local bookstore and the friend states, “She thinks she’s like us!”  These girls were so different from what Marilyn Monroe represented and had achieved, however, there they were, all three of them in a bookstore enjoying the same passion. While they bred different talents, there was still something that connected them in that bookstore, a love of books.
            Lastly, I believe the contrary talents statements can also be a reference to the male versus female author ratio present in the bookstore. The two young girls mention Yeats, Eliot, Darwin, Pound, and Kierkegaard with a sense of reverence and respect, stating, “we were girl-poets passionately enamored” with these poets. What seems to be a striking contrast and blatant reference to contrary yet equal talents, is the choice of book in which Marilyn Monroe chooses to give to the two girls upon her departure, a book of poems by Marianne Moore. Marilyn chooses a female author to share. A stark contrast from what the young girls have admired. It shows that the female poet has as much to share in the way of talent as a man does. And this other girl, this actress, who has talents much different from the two young girls, has chosen this different and unique way of expressing to the two young girls thank you.

Oates, Joyce Carol. “Three Girls”. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 8^th ed., Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston. 2008. 

Free Blog 1: The Exceptional Heroic Body

In her poem, The Language of the Brag, Sharon Olds expresses her desire to be as strong, as heroic, and as courageous as a man. Her idea of strength is based on what she believes Americans say that strength is: masculinity, the hero, and a male figure who embraces the John Wayne type figure. Strength is a man who lets nothing stand in his way. She states, “I have wanted some epic use for my excellent body, /some heroism, some American achievement” in order to prove to herself and to men that she is also strong.

            Sharon Olds realizes, however, that she can never embrace what Americans believe to be American strength because the American ideals of strength are based on masculinity. She admires that strength that men have to offer and while she calls them “boys” she has still, “stood by the sandlot and watched the boys play.” She knows that they have attributes to be admired but what she goes on to say is how she found the strength that she has to offer the world.

            In the last stanza of the poem, Sharon shares that for a woman, “giving birth” is what makes us strong. She has a personal message to those men she believes proclaimed of bragged of their American strength, telling Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg, “I have done this thing, /I and the other women the exceptional act with the exceptional heroic body.” Sharon, as a woman, not only has found her strength in being a woman, she has also discovered a strength that no other man can have. She has the ability, the courage, the pride, in giving birth. She can produce life. It is something that no man could ever do. And she proclaims to the world, “I am putting my proud American boast / right here with the others.” Not only is she a strong woman, but she tells Whitman and Ginsberg that she is a strong AMERICAN woman.

This poem embodies the idea of beating down the American made ideal of what it means to be strong. In the past, strength was for men. Sharon is now saying that as a woman, not only are we strong, but we have a strength that a man can never relate to or reproduce. I feel like this idea of Olds is completely different from the texts we have been reading in the sense that most of the women we have read about have not been able to find that feminine strength. Instead Clare, Violet, and others have had to rely on outside strengths to survive. These women have nothing to brag about. Sharon has found her bragging rights. 

Olds, Sharon. "Language of the Brag". Satan Says. 1980.