Make Up Blog: blog #7

Letters from Storyville is about how Ophelia has finally arrived to New Orleans and must work for Countess P in order to survive. She then becomes a Storyville prostitute and begins sitting in the parlor to entice men but unfortunately she is not attracting any men. Countess P sympathetically introduces Ophelia to a longtime client but he soon is bored with Ophelia and moves on the the next girl. Later on, Ophelia is being sold as the newcomer and when the auction begins Countess P makes her recite poetry and walk around the room and remain in difficult poses for long periods of time. This is where is given the name Violent by Countess P but it soon changes to African Violent because of her African-American heritage that she tries to hide. Ophelia begins the tableau vivant, in which she must stay in uncomfortable poses for a long period of time. By the end of the night, Ophelia receives a bidder, but her unfortunately does not know her name.

Extra credit - Make up blog - Free write

This might be a very controversial post, and I know I might be in the minority, but I think that it is important to look at both sides of the argument. Recently, it was announced that Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the 20 dollar bill.
I think that Andrew Jackson was one of the greatest leaders in our countries history. If it wasn't for him we probably not be living in New Orleans right now. Not only did he meet the British in New Orleans, he engaged and destroyed the enemies of the United States of America in close combat, training a militia, man of which never had fired a gun before. He defeated the strongest Army and Navy the world had ever seen at the time with nothing more than a few farmers.
When elected president he was able to balance the national budget, but not only balance it but ensure that it was not just balanced on paper. He was able to run the country 2 terms and was the last president to refrain from creating any debt for the country. He was considered an enforcer and was overwhelmingly supported by both sides of the aisle for both of his terms.
Many believe that his controversial support for the Indian removal act of 1830, which is now known as the trail of tears, means he should be erased from the history books. If he and Tennessee congressman Davy Crockett did not have the intestinal fortitude too make sure this act passed by congress was not enforced, our country would have never expanded past the Mississippi river. Some argue his actions of enforcement were not fair towards the Native Americans already here, but his enforcement was no different than president before him and after him. We would not have the great country we live in now if it wasn't for Jackson. Our founding fathers would be turning in their graves if they knew we were trying to erase such a great leader from our history books.
Harriett Tubman was a great leader in our history and deserves her place of remembrance, but erasing  certain parts of history because of political feelings of the time and trying to make place for someone else sets a very dangerous precedent.
Obviously there are many more points which could be brought up on the debate but cannot be fit in an online blog.

Dream Boy 4-22

I believe that the silence of the mother in Dream boy is very disturbing. It is obvious that she loves her son. She would not have these silent interactions with her son, making sure that he is ok if she did not love him. When I think about the love of a mother, I believe it must cross all boundaries. It is hard for me to believe that if a mother knows her child is being abused and hurt time and time again that she would not try to save him. The book takes place and is written in 1995, this is the height of criminal prosecution, advocacy and rights victims. There is no excuse for her to fear leaving or reporting her husband. If she did, there was no way he would ever get out of prison. She, in my eyes, is just as much of a criminal as her husband is.

Many spouses who are subjected to domestic violence and abuse stay in their position because they are dependent on their abusers for money, shelter and even "love." The mother might feel as if she has no where to go, almost trapped. She might feel like no one else will love her the way her husband does. There are even mental disorders where those being abused even become attached to their abusers. Even in the face of this, it is hard for me to believe that she still doest value value the life of her child over these monetary items that can be replaced. I know that If i was being sexually abuse by my father, my mother would have me removed from the position, by all means possible. This is what the mother in dream by should be doing for her child as well.

Shadows in Summerland

Attending Adrian Young's book launch for Shadows in Summerland was a lot more fun than I anticipated. Not only were there free drinks, but there was food and cookies as well. Outside of that, I was surprised how many people were drawn to such a book launch. I think the book seemed very interesting but it also seemed like a tough read. I was interested by the topic, for a few reasons. I do believe that there are "spirits," not in the sense that there are ghosts, but that there is a struggle between angels and demons. Asking demons to enter someones life through a saiance could be a very dangerous but real activity. I also wonder if living in New Orleans would have persuaded Adrian to write his book taking place in New Orleans. New Orleans seems very in tuned with spirits, voodoo and the 1850-1873 time period. I think it would have made a just as good, if not better seeing for his book. Overall, I had a great time at the book launch.

Dream Boy

Once I hit page 80 I just could not put the book down. See the book is interesting because from the beginning there is this unspoken case within Nathan's family. This is what originally drove me into reading the book as quickly as I did. Eventually however the book goes for a turn in the sense that Nathan comes of age in his own way. Throughout the novel Nathan and Roy are constantly having unspoken conversations based on their emotional status as well as their surrounding. Growing up in the 70's when the novel takes place, there was an apparent status of homophobia. Nathan and Roy endured  social rules throughout the novel. While Nathan is unspoken confidence with his sexuality, Roy on the other hand has to "plan" his actions in order act upon his desires. When compared to the movie, the actors who portray Roy and Nathan really do narrow down their role by the unspoken actions seen upon the two. While Roy and Nathan have and apparent connection, social rules force the two to not act upon their emotions unless alone. Take into consideration that both men are growing up in a rural area which fully embraces religion and devotion to "God". Surrounding plays the significance of the novel because where at first Nathan feels at home, it turns into a place to evade. This is apparent with all locations throughout the novel.

Dream Boy - A mother's silence

Through Dream Boy, Nathan's mother is rarely seen and even more rarely heard. She is confined to the shadows of her life, which in her defense is not easy. The time period that this book is set in did not over women, especially in rural areas, many choices. Nathan's mother is presumably very economically dependent on her husband who is abusive and an alcoholic. She is also physically dependent on him to go out and work for them. This is not to say that it is impossible for her to give by on her own and provide safety for Nathan because it isn't. But she is living in a culture that silences and devalues her.

In the novel, there are many instances where the mother is described as being "invisible" which is not only reflective of her position, but also shows how vulnerable Nathan is to his father. Because she is constantly trying to distance herself from her reality, she leaves Nathan wide open to his abusive father. Nathan is suffering immensely, as we can in the text, but I think that his mother is also suffering to an extent because she is so complicit in his abuse.

Her silence and "disinterest" is a coping mechanism; it is her means of survival. Mother's are supposed to protect and nurture their children, but she has been stripped of this purpose. She has no agency to support herself or Nathan. This alienation, I argue, precipitates her subsequent distance from her family life. She is only going through the motions because the pain she is experiencing not being able to protect her son. This does not fully justify her inaction, because if there's a will, there's a way. But I do believe that in order to understand her part in Nathan's abuse, we must understand why she such a silent, passive character.

Dream Boy Second Blog

        It was brought up in class today that Nathan's mom may not be held accountable for being passive in the situation. She obviously knows that Nathan is being sexually abused. I can understand why his mom wouldn't speak out against it. Personally I don't believe I entirely blame for the way she handled the situation. If her and Nathan were to leave, it is unclear as to where they could go. It is also mentioned by Roy's mother says she "can't do numbers. I don't think women have the minds for some things."
       I think it bought up an interesting topic for the final comparison paper. The discussion led me to think about Stella's passiveness in A Streetcar Named Desire. Both women were in a society where the husbands were the patriarchs and ruled the household. While I have not completed the book, Nathan's mom has refused to acknowledge his sexual abuse or act on it. Stella also refused to acknowledge her own physical abuse with Stanley or Blanches' rape. They are both in denial yet know everything is really true. However, both women have limited options if they decide to do the right thing. I'm not sure what affects will be similar as I still have to finish reading Dream Boy.