TVM Analysis

This book was totally different than I expected. While I expected something really funny and random, what I got were realizations not only about women and the "hushed about" topic of the vagina, but I also learned more about myself, as well.
I never realized how how much violence was going on in the world; some is absolutely astounding. For example, on page 66, according to The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, it is said that "In the United States, the last recorded clitoridectomy for curing masturbation was performed in 1948- on a five year old girl." I think anyone, women particularly, regardless of time frame, would be mortified and completely appalled reading that fact. It really made me wonder about how much society has evolved over time. For example, while during that time period it was accepted for men to be sexual and be open about it, but it was expected of women to be completely shut up and never mention the topic. Back then, women were expected to be pure and remain innocent until possibly marriage. The ironic fact about it is that women are the ones that help to pro-create this world...
What I liked about TVM was that I got to learn through reading other monologues about women's experiences finding their own vagina and being at one with it, which I think is essentially important. If a woman is not in touch with her body, how will she know what is good and bad, and how to prevent against situations, such as being, raped, mutilated, or abused? There is one influential example of a woman who wants the best for her vagina. One page 73, Ensler writes, "It wants sex. It loves sex. It wants kindness. It wants change. It wants silence and freedom and gentle kisses and warm liquids and deep touch. My vagina. Well... it wants everything." I feel this quote is so powerful and beautiful. Here is a prime example of women we need in today's society; we need women who are in touch with themselves, their personal experiences, no matter how traumatic or endearing, who can face what she wants and handle it. She knows how to protect, worship, and love her body the way every woman should. I think the problem with our society today is that we never know which way to turn. Women were brought up to not talk about vaginas, sex, and the other horrific things that can come along with it, like rape, abuse, etc. The fact that she did was eye-opening.
While it doesn't seem the woman is talking about her vagina as a way to fight against women's violence, it is. She is embracing her body, her vagina, for what it is, what it needs, so on and so forth. This is what Ensler was trying to say in her book, which I think is a truly positive message.

Analysis of TVM

   I really enjoyed reading TVM by Eve Ensler. It was unlike anything I've ever read in my entire life. I never knew there was so much violence in the world, especially towards women. I never looked at us "girls" in such a powerhouse like way. I never really paid attention to the fact that without women and their gift for expanding the world's population, no one would be here! From this book, I also started to appreciate the unspoken, grotesque word and meaning of "vagina." Something that helped me relate to the book and the topic of vaginas was her own personal story.
  The last monologue in TVM is one based on Ensler's up, close and personal experience with vaginas entitled "I Was There In The Room," dedicated to her daughter-in-law, Shiva. The experience touched upon the birth of Shiva's daughter, Colette, and her vagina itself. The monologue touched upon different aspects and feelings women may have about the vagina. On page 122, Ensler writes, " I was there when her vagina changed from a shy sexual hole to an archaeological tunnel, a sacred vessel, a Venetian canal, a deep well with a tiny child stuck inside, waiting to be rescued." I never looked at the birth of a baby as a rescuing mission. Ensler strongly morphs the vagina from being a "shy sexual hole," representing something women were brought up to keep innocent and never discuss, into "an archaeological tunnel," something so big and important that only through this "tunnel" something so beautiful can come out of it, i.e. a baby. It is for the vagina and women that they have this ability, this "superpower" that no one other than the woman could understand that they can create lives, and "rescue" those leaving the body, like Shiva giving birth to her daughter. Ensler makes the experience very empowering for the woman, something I never looked at as being more than extremely painful and gross! On page 124, Ensler compares the vagina to a heart. When I first read this, I was in complete confusion and shock, thinking to myself how crazy it was a woman was comparing a heart to a VAGINA! But then I got what Ensler was trying to say. One page 124, she writes:
  "The heart is capable of sacrifice. So is the vagina. It can change its shape to let us in. It can expand to let us out. So can the vagina. It can ache for us and stretch for us, die for us and bleed and bleed us into this diffuclt, wondrous world. So can the vagina. I was there in the room. I remember."
  What this beautiful and deep quote is saying is that like the heart, the vagina can go through many sacrifices and risk pain, also, such as giving birth, or being raped, genitally mutilated, so on and so forth. Like the heart, the vagina can "let us in and let us out." The vagina can allow and reserves the right as to what enters it, and what is let out (like a baby.) We, as women, have that right. Like the heart, the vagina can "bleed us into this world", meaning we possess the power to expand the population. From reading this book, and this monologue, it only furthered my belief that women keep the world going around, and our bodies truly are temples. Without us, life as we know it would not exist, so respect is crucial. Thank you, Eve Ensler, for helping me realize this. 

Vaginas- The Meaning Behind the Performance

1)The genre of this piece of literature is drama, meaning that Ensler wrote these monologues to be performed. Why do you think she wants vaginas to be publicly performed? Why does she want vaginas to be physically embodied? What effect does this have on the way we see and think of vaginas?
 Who would ever in their right mind want to perform a monologue on the most intimate part of a woman's body: the vagina? At first, I was skeptical about it, in wondrance as to who could ever embody a character and talk about such an intimate, pleasing, and embarassing topic? I do think there is a true reason as to why she wants "vaginas" to be publicly performed.
 In the introduction, author Gloria Steinem writes that "when you rape, beat, maim, mutilate, burn, bury, and terrorize women, you destroy the essential life energy on the planet. You force what is meant to be open, trusting, nurturing, creative, and alive to be bent, infertile, and broken." I have never looked at women as being so powerful before, maybe because I always assumed certain duties and thought of myself as less powerful (physically) as opposed to my male counterparts. What I realize now is that women are the sole creators of life, and with utilzing their body parts, the vagina, it expands the population and helps the world grow into a more culture universe. By beating, raping, or physically abusing a women, it can only lessen that significant and kindly power God has bestowed upon them. If women become "infertile" and "broken," how else will the world expand? I think by publicly performing TVM is to help others, men AND women, about the awareness as to what is going on in the world today and how we can help women in less fortunate countries. Steinem also mentions in the intro that "all the productions raise money and consciousness for local groups that work to stop violence toward women," which I believe is Ensler's real goal.
 Physical embodiment is also something heavily braced in TVM. I feel Ensler wants women to brace their "hoo-has" and physically embody them because it is a form of being, it's something so personal that co-exists inside of us, and can be quite powerful. For example,  on page 48, one woman explains the terrifying experience of finding her clitoris at a vagina workshop. She says, " This clitoris finding....real, too real. I could feel the panic coming. The simultaneous terror and realization that I had avoided finding my clitoris...I was, in fact, terrified I did not have a clitoris." For me to read this, I was baffled. How could a women whom I'm sure has had so much more experience and years on me not know she possesses the one part of a woman's body that serves no purpose but to serve as pleasure? Does she not understand the capabilities her body has? Does she not want to be in touch with her body, or feel the power for herself and let someone else "take care" of it? Later on, she mentions her teacher helping her. On page 49, Ensler writes, "She told me my clitoris was not something I could lose. It was me, the essence of me. I didn't have to find it. I had to be it. Be my clitoris." Reading that, I was confused thinking, how in the WORLD can a person be a body part?! For how passionate I am, I don't think I could ever BE my clitoris. The way I interpreted it, the woman finally became one with herself and comfortable enough to experiment, something I think all girls should do, so they know how to take care, please, and stay away from what they don't like. It's important to be in touch with oneself to the fullest! On page 50, the woman says, " Then the quivering  became a quake, an eruption... broke open into an ancient horizon of light and silence... I felt connection, calling connection as I lay there thrashing about on my little blue mat." The woman finally physically embodied herself and became one with her body, which allowed her to possess power and the right to cause herself a world of pleasure and her very first self-inducing orgasm. I definitely think that this affects the way we see the vagina wholeheartedly. By reading these other women's points of views and hearing the positive feedback they have received and the way they can view their vaginas is a beautiful thing. It definitely makes me view the vagina differently; it is a part of our being and something we should not be afraid of. It is the "essence" of us, the only intimate private part of women that we embody. It possesses power, we can pro-create and do not need someone to give us pleasure. The vagina is a powerful and beautiful thing... one that we all should embrace.

The Crucial name of "Down There"- The Vagina

2)For Ensler, language is important? Why? What does it matter what we call body parts? What is the importance of language in defining sexuality, bodies, etc.? Why do you think she asks those questions about what vaginas would wear, etc? What is she trying to do with that?

 While I have just started reading The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, I am completely hooked. In order to begin, I have to say the book isn't what I thought it would be. While I envisioned "girl power" and funny stories, I did not picture it to be a move of femininism towards stopping violence against women (rape, sexual harrassment, abuse, etc.)
  While I personally always felt violated in a verbal way having my body parts being called crass words (like cunt, for example,) but it made me think differently because of Ensler. I think the reason that language is so important to Ensler is because in some ways, it defines who we are. One perfect example of a woman who was not familiar with language was Gloria Steinem, who wrote the introduction to TVM. On the 1st page, she writes, "I come from the "down there" generation." When I first read this, I thought to myself, what is a "down there?!" As she continues, she explains that women in her family never used these words, and on the 2nd page, Steinem mentions that she "never once heard the word clitoris." She also goes on to say one page 3 that this left her "unprotected against the shaming words and dirty jokes of the school yard... men... knew more about women's bodies than women did."
  I think during that time in society, it was unheard of for women to use words like that. The art of sex and words to describe such intimate and personal body parts were something appalling, because women were expected to be wholesome and innocent. Men, on the other hand, were supposed to have knowledge of matters of sex and body parts. It was considered non-masculine if one didn't. That's what Steinem means when she says men know more about women's body parts than women themselves.
 Alas, this got me thinking. Is this why men are known for abusing women? Is this why women get raped? Is this the reason why women ALLOW themselves to be put in this situation? In some twisted way, it got me thinking that maybe because men have always been "one step ahead" in terms of the details of the anatomy and sex? Maybe they feel they have a power over us... and because women were never comfortable or in knowledge of the terms themselves they don't exactly know how to handle the situation, much less know what they are doing. I think this is why Ensler stresses how important language is in terms of the vagina; it is an identification of oneself, and their body parts, in my opinion the most sacred and personal part of the body. How else can we defend ourselves if we are not in touch with ourselves?
 Ensler also stresses the importance of expression of sexuality concerning language. As part of the intro, Steinem discusses vaginal occurrences. For example, Steinem writes, "Glenn Close gets 2,500 people to stand and chant the word cunt." Steinem also mentions how there si a Cunt Workshop at Wesleyan University. Now when I first read this, it was mind-boggling to me. What is so important about a word I grew up feeling was degrading? I realized the word has more than just one meaning. The word Close chose to chant represents empowerment, feminisim, and also being in touch with your body. Now women may ask, how does this help prevent violence? To begin, it signifies a unity of women, men, and whomever else involved the empowerment of the female genitalia, and how it is a powerful thing. Steinem makes an interesting point. Women are what keeps the world continuing. They are the ones that produce children to then grow and produce more. By beating, raping, and abusing them does not help the matter, but lowers the degree of possible reproduction. Steinem writes, "In order for the human race to continue, women must be safe and empowered." This is very true. By embracing the language of the vagina and for what it is, one is also embracing the power and identity it has. Wtihout vaginas, the world would not exist so highly as it does today.
 On a comical level, I think Ensler pushes the use of language because it is funny. On page 5, she writes, " Vagina. Doesn't matter how many times you say it, it never sounds like a word you wanna say." I thought about that, and it's very true. I even feel uncomfortable using the word in everyday conversation! I think by using interesting words (like "pussycat" in Great Neck where Ensler researched) and other words like "pajama" or "split knish," it creats something fun, allows the women to be creative and intimate with her body as well as truly OWN her body. By doing this, she creates an identity and a power to herself. Same goes for why Ensler questions what vaginas would wear. She is essentially helping women to create an identity and realize how sacred their bodies are, therefore keeping them strong and preventing them from being in violent situations.

Krik? Krak!'s Epilogue Analysis

 While I was reading the end of Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat, I got confused. But as I was reading the epilogue, I really started to understand. The stories given in Krik? Krak! come full circle, which I think is one reason I loved the book so much.
 The epilogue is entitled "Women Like Us." This immediately intrigued me because I am a woman, and wanted to read what Danticat wrote about the gender and mystery of women.
 Danticat touches upon the fact in her Haitian culture, it is not seen for women to be writers. Women that are known to cook and write are called "kitchen poets." Danticat writes on page 220 that "when you write, it's like braiding your hair.  Taking a handful of coarse unruly strands and attempting to bring them unity. Like the diverse women in your family. Those whose fables and metaphors, whose similes, and soliloquies, whose diction and je ne sais quoi daily slip into your survival soup, by way of their fingers." I love the way Danticat relates bringing peices of hair together in a sense of unity and compares them to bringing all of the women's stories together, good or bad, magical or insane, romantic or cold, together in one. That was something I found truly beautiful to me because it reminded me of my own family.
 My family is filled with beautiful, strong, and interesting women who have all gone down different paths in life but have remained rooted to my family and have lived to share their tales as means of communication and advice towards others, like myself. That quote really connected to my life, the women I look up the most to (my mom, my cousin, and my aunt) and how their words of wisdom have guided me into my future.
 Danticat also relates writing in the present day as a way of telling someone else, regardless of who it is, your story and the stories of other inspirational figures that have guided you. On page 222, Danticat writes, "These women, they asked for your voice so that they could tell your mother in your place that yes, women like you do speak, even if they speak in a tongue that is hard to understand." I found this so effective because it's true. Even though it was once seen as immoral and not write for a woman to voice her opinions, thoughts, and dreams on something as informal as white lined paper, it is a means of living to tell others, regardless of gender, your path in life and your story as well as your women ancestors that came before you. When she says, "these women asked for your voice," what she means is that women were never allowed to write in the olden days. Now, women can voice their opinions and openly tell others their secrets. The women from the past are asking for a way to get their visions and stories out in order to inspire others. By a present relative or friend doing so, she lives to tell all. The present day woman can relate to people today in a way that others could not back then. This is something truly beautiful. She also says on page 222 that "the women in your family have never lost touch with one another." Regardless of who passes or not, signals of women ancestors are always around, guiding you towards your future, especially by their past stories. I definitely feel that was the main theme Danticat wanted to get across here. As Danticat puts it on page 224, "This was your testament to the way that these women lived and died and lived again." Through writing like Danticat did, she was able to unify all different stories from perhaps women from her past and present Haiti together in one to create a truly powerful and beautiful story.

A Touching Thought- Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat

 In order to begin, let me start by saying that I am deeply touched by reading Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat. I never realized how easy and how priviledged my life was here in America until I got a better glimpse of life in Haiti. The part I'm going to blog about that REALLY touched me emotionally is from chapter 2 entitled Nineteen Thirty Seven.
 Throughout this chapter, the narrator (a young woman, I'm assuming now) visits her mother, a woman whom she was incredibly close to growing up, in prison. Her mother, named Manman, was arrested because she was accused of killing a neighbor's child she helped look after. Throughout the course of the chapter, the narrator re-tells her story of the remaining time she spent with her mother.
  On page 46, Danticat introduces a strange woman who appeared at the narrator's door one night. Jacqueline, her name is, further on explains to the narrator that she knows her through the river, a blessed place where a united group of women go and mourn/rejoice the lives of their late mothers. Danticat writes, " Sister, I do not want to tell you this, but your mother is dead. Her blood calls to me from the ground. Let us go see her." The way Jacqueline says that, so matter-of-factly as if it's nothing, is something that strikes me as funny. How can a person tell their friend that their mother is dead? It made me contemplate about how different our clutures are here... if this were in America, it would take time for the friend to even utter the words to the one losing her mother.
  On the contrary, it is ironic to how deep her friend, Jacqueline, can get. She says to her, "her blood calls to me from the ground." Now let's Americanize that a little. The reader can wonder, what does this even mean?! This can come off as being very religious, like an Upper Power is telling her this. What I took this statement as is this: "My intuition is telling me bad fortune is to come. We must go and seek the truth."
 The part that REALLY got to me was on page 48. They are finally at the prison cell, awaiting the burning ceremony of the narrator's mother. Danticat writes, "She then gave me the pillow, my mother's pillow. I hugged the pillow against my chest, feeling some of the hair rising in clouds of dark dust into my nostrils." To me, that is so personal and vulnerable. I see this as the narrator's inner feelings coming out. She clutches the pillow like a little girl, afraid of the dark at night, and to me, she is holding on to the last peice she has of her mother. The way Danticat describes the hair in the pillow is both disturbing and touching. While it's disturbing to think of something like her mother's hair that she was forced to shave off fall out of a pillow like told secrets, it's touching, as well .It describes the remnants of her mom, the last remaining tangible parts.
 It really made me re-evaluate my own relationship with my mom. There are days when I just WISH I was on my own, and days our fights are tumultuous and out of control. We say things we don't mean, and are downright cruel to one another. But at least I have that option. Reading these specific parts of the chapter really made my chest feel heavy and made me extremely worried about my mom. What would I do if I lost her? I give the narrator a lot of credit, because she really held it together and remained strong through it all. If that were me, I'd be hysterical in tears, not knowing where to put myself. I think because our cultures are so different, the narrator was taught to be strong and that's why she did not show emotion. She held it in the inside.
 This section REALLY affected me, and anyone who is close to their mother can understand why. In this moment, it made me think... how would I handle this, which I think Danticat wanted to make her readers ponder.

Literary Analysis- Different Ways to Pray-Naomi Shihab Nye

    A poem that really struck home for me was "Different Ways to Pray" by Naomi Shihab Nye.  What I liked about this poem was that it touched upon all different people, and how praying for people mean different things based upon the genders and age groups she touched upon. 
    On page 3, Nye writes, "There was the method of kneeling...Women dreamed wistfully of hidden corners where knee fit rock." I understood what Nye was describing; I could picture myself kneeling by my bed at night as a little girl praying for whatever it was my small mind was concerned or worried about.  What I realized from this poem is that women are very personal in the way that they pray, and are very vulnerable. In my opinion, for women, praying can be a private way to ask God for help, or looking for a companion to talk to that my being a woman I can strongly identify with.
     Nye also discusses the way men pray.  Also on page 3, Nye writes, " There were men who had been shepherds so long... Under the olive tress, they raised their arms- Hear us! We have pain on earth! We have so much pain there is no place to store it!" Based on this reading, I thought to myself that praying really can be done in different ways for different people. It came across to me that men pray when they feel that they need help. The men that she discusses try to solve and ease their "pain" on their own. It came across to me that when there was nothing left, the shepherds would then turn (to God to ask for help when there were no other options. It made me realize there are different levels that people can go through until they feel it is time to turn to the Higher Power.
      What was something I thought was funny (being a devout Catholic) was how Nye brought children into the poem. On page 5, Nye writes, "There were those who didn't care about praying. They told the old ones, you are wasting your time." I can relate to that because in today's society, I often find children and teens questioning a higher power. Is there really a higher power? How can anyone tell? In today's generation, with all of the technology and books and information on different types of religion, and High Powers, how can anyone tell what is believable and what isn't? Nye then goes on to write, "The old ones prayed for Allah to mend their brains." What Nye is doing is uniting different generations: old and new.  The older generation lived in the time period where religion was a big aspect of life, especially in Nye's culture. The old generation hopes that the younger ones will start to believe in a Higher Power and put their faith in God when older. 
       The title of this poem is very self-explanatory. Throughout analyzing the poem, I realized men, women, and children have different beliefs and different ways to pray. 
      

Naomi Shihab Nye- The Woman Behind the Writing

   I have never quite read poetry the way that Naomi Shihab Nye writes.Even though it is just the beginning of my journey in reading Nye's poetry, I feel that I have really gotten a lot of information out of her words. It shocked me that someone so different from me (through culture, age, religion, and race) could relate to me on a level so well.
   What I have learned about Nye is that she is a Palestinian-American, a melting pot of both cultures, exotic and unknown and something common and familiar.
    The introduction took on a whole different turn of 9/11 for me. Being an American born and raised in this country, I grew up wondering, why would foreigners do such a horrid thing to our country? What gave foreigners that have most likely never visited the U.S. the incentive to destroy the World Trade Center and take over thousands of innocent people's lives? I just assumed these men from Afghanistan were the culprits, that the U.S. has to learn how to be more cautious about other "worlds" and cultures. After 9/11, that is expected. But Nye really opened my eyes to 9/11. After all, she herself is from the Middle East. While the American culture automatically assumed everyone from that background were to blame for the happenings of that day, and that everyone unlike Americans were evil, I didn't realize there was still a person.. a VOICE behind this background. Nye is that voice. While it is understandable that Americans could feel that way, people from other cultures like Nye's are still people like Nye and myself. My interpretation of the beginning was that like here in the U.S., not all Arabs are bad.Same concept goes for Americans. Not everyone can be good, and not everyone can be bad. Reading the introduction made me realize something. How did Nye feel knowing that she came from a background where her heritage was constantly being bashed because of other's mistakes? What was it like for her when she came to America? Did people, such as peers, teachers, and others look down upon Nye because she was Palestinian? That is definitely something to think about. I myself have felt judged before, as well, as I know most people have. In a time where unity was needed most, people were turning their backs on one another. Just because of one person's mistakes, doesn't mean that we should shun all. That's something I definitely learned from the beginning, which was refreshing because she was in a neutral state writing that particular piece and was not bashing either culture, but stating her opinions on it.
      Nye also explains her childhood growing up, which I feel is vital to understanding a person and where they come from. For example, I can relate to her in the poem "My Father and the Fig Tree." Growing up, her father had a connection with fig trees, and often told stories to his daughter about them. As most fathers do, he instills dreams and hopes in his small child. Nye writes, "At age six I ate a dried fig and shrugged. That's not what I'm talking about! he said. I'm talking about a fig straight from the earth." What is the significance of this statement? What does this have to do with 9/11 and Nye? Analyzing it I realize that like myself, everyone has something that acts as a constant that can not be changed, such as the father and his opinions in the fig tree. Nye's mother never understands why her father doesn't decide to plant one of his own. On page 1, Bye writes, "What a dreamer he is. Look how many things he start and doesn't finish." One factor I noticed about Nye's writing is at first it doesn't make sense. For example, to the audience, how does this relate to 9/11? What is important about a fig tree and what does it represent? I realize now all of these little factors symbolize something.
    Who isn't a dreamer? When ever I'm down or in doubt, I feel that I can't finish whatever it is I've started. What's the point if I feel like I can't attain those dreams? Whether you're a native to the U.S. or of Palestinian descent, everyone has dreams and goals. This line in the 3rd stanza is my interpretation of an underlying message that people can connect in that sense. That everyone has dreams and goals they feel are attainable at times.
   "The Words Under the Words" really spoke to me; it is a poem that takes a while to understand for some, but it connected to me so quickly. In all of Nye's writing, there are underlying messages and symbols, some harder to understand than others. Here Nye writes about her grandmother and her words of wisdom. On page 4, Nye writes "Answer, if you hear the words under the words- otherwise, it is just a world with a lot of rough edges, difficult to get through, and a pocket full of stones." I absolutely adore this line because it's true. Everything said in life has an underyling meaning- a joke, a thought, an idea, an assumption. When someone passes judgment on another, let's say for example Naomi Nye, there is a meaning implied. By bringing her grandmother's wisdom into her book of poems makes the now present reader really ponder and wonder what is really meant when a comment is made about them or a thought or opinion. That definitely related to me.
  While what I may have said it unconventional, they are definitely points to consider. I feel by Nye's connecting her childhood and her culture back to today shows there are more than just the culprits of 9/11, but actual people existing in that culture that relate to regular people like myself and Nye, no?