Radical Liberation

At first with the discussion of the class that Martine was crazy, I didnt agree with what was said.  Then after finishing the novel, I see where these inferences where coming from.  The act of committing suicide can definitely be tied to insanity but we must try to look deeper into the reasons behind this tragedy.  The rape is definitely the cause of all of the trauma that Martine went through because her life was never the same after that.  She was often trying to escape her past memories by leaving the area that she grew up in and where the incident took place but it would always haunt her in the form of nightmares.  The fact that she couldn't comfortably have sexual relations with her boyfriend Marc also shows evidence of being deeply scarred by the incident.  Other forms of trauma are the voices that she hears when she discovers that she is pregnant with another child.  She tries to cope with this stress by escaping physically and also mentally by suppressing it by not showing it through her exterior interactions with others such as Joseph, Sophie's husband.  All of these forms of dealing with the stress is not enough because after so many years, it still resonates in the same intensity within her.  So by taking her life, she finds the most radical type of liberation that a person could find.  But i just wanted to justify that Martine was not just crazy.  I think she was severely emotionally damaged by the incident.   

Death

When Sophie was younger and living in Haiti with her aunt she had a more care-free attitude. This may be due to the fact that her mother was not physically present in her life in Haiti. She knew of her mother through her aunt, but was not aware of her ways and traditions that would later on influence her life. Once moving to New York with her mother Sophie did not like all of the values that her mother mentally and physically instilled in her. She associates her mothers impositions to a sort of bondage. Her mother's does not just advise her how to carry herself, but physically makes sure she is following her rules. We see this when she starts the testing. Sophie is totally violated when this is done to her. Even though Sophie hurts herself in order to stop the testing she is still not "free" from the bondage in which came from her mother. It seems like it is not until her third trip, to Haiti, that is her mother's death that makes a difference in her life. Her mothers death may have truely signified the separation from her mother. It may not have only been the literally death of her mother, but the death of the old things that happened to not only her mother, but Sophie as well.

The Color Red

The color red is used at a few different points in the book in order to show the details like the inside of Martine and Sophie’s house, the testing, and Martine’s favorite color, which also is the reason for her burial in a red dress.

Furthermore, red is always compared with bleeding which is mentioned by menstruation and Sophie losing her virginity. There is a difference between bleeding from a wound and having the period. The menstruation happens once a month, which is a necessity for the woman’s body to function properly. Blood plays a role once Martine starts testing Sophie because she was afraid that she might have lost her virginity to a man. This happens when Sophie returns home late one night. Martine wants to make sure she is a virgin and thus pure, since this affects the marriage. The testing is a very annoying, embarrassing and painful act for Sophie.
And also, I think that the red dress for Martine’s burial shows the anger Martine had kept for herself, due to the disappointment she had towards Sophie.

ONLY ONE WAY TO END

There was only one way Martine was able to get away from her trama and sorrows. The only ways she was able to escape was to take the ultimate escape, death. She moved from Haiti to the United States, yet still she was not able to accomplish an safe-heaven for herself. She tried to confront her rapist indirectly by facing Sophia yet still she was not able to overcome. Things only became only worse with her nightmares haunting her everynight. Martine was not able to outrun the past or even hide from it. Martine's life binded to the tramatic event, she was never able to suppress the horrible events. It is interesting how before dieing Martine says she could not carry the baby. This raises the question, if Martine had done a abortion with Sophia would she have been able to overcome the horrific event overtime or would it have been the same. Sophia to Martine was a constant reminder of the rape, maybe if the the reminder was not there she would have been able to BREATH !

Purity

In the novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat, female purity seems to be a big concern. In the chapters that follow chapter ten, we see Sophie really pushing the envelope by going out with Joseph. The fact that she comes home so late is a reason for her mother to be concerned about her purity. She “tests” her to see if she is still a virgin. These examinations are ongoing and eventually Sophie is sick of them. The fact that she is willing to take her own virginity is appalling to say the least.
Purity is something that many cultures find to be sacred. For a woman to not be ‘pure’ any longer is a symbol of rebellion. Sophie is rebelling against her mother. The fact that her mother tests her to see if she is still pure is excruciating. She says her mother tells her stories while she is testing her to take her mind off of what is happening. I feel that Sophie taking her own virginity by a motor pestle is pent up aggression. Sophie wants to marry Joseph the Jazz musician; she can’t tell her mother so instead she does one thing that she knows would blow her mother’s mind. Sophie’s actions do not make her un-pure but desperate to be with the man she loves and if that means putting herself through pain she is willing to do so.

An empowering journey

In Edwidge Danticat's Breath, Eyes, Memory begins in Haiti in the early 1980s. Danticat's heroine is Sophie Caco, who has spent a happy childhood in rural Haiti with her grandmother and her beloved aunt Atie, who raised her as her own child. Sophie's mother, Martine, lives in New York City and supports the family with the money she sends home. When Sophie is twelve years old, Martine sends for her, and Sophie must leave the only home and family she knows and begin a new life in a strange country with a mother she hardly remembers. As Sophie overcomes her initial fears and becomes closer to her mother, she learns that Martine has for many years been tormented by memories of the anonymous man (Sophie's father) who violently raped her when she was a teenager. Martine's move to Brooklyn was a form of escape, since she was raped at age sixteen by a Tonton Macoute, or guerrilla, one of many allowed by the government to kill, torture, and rape anyone he wanted to. This rape resulted in Sophie's birth, but Martine, unable to bear the painful memories of her past, Martine brings her feelings of terror and guilt to bear upon her daughter. Even though Sophie has to deal with such emotional problems, she continues to empower herself to keep going in life.

Talking Letters

I find it amazing how Atie communicates over great distances with her sister Martine with the clever technique they have devised of recording their messages on cassettes and sending them via mail. This replaces writing letters which Atie maybe capable of, if she was willing to learn. Its is obvious Atie neither is movtavatived or willing to learn how to read and write, this is evident when Sophie asks Atie to go to the reading classes and she denies because she believes she is to old to learn. I find this way of communication ironic to the story line in that there are many missing voices in this novel. Sophie mother Martine wants Sophie to be a doctor when it is obvious that Sophie would prefer not to even insisting during there dinner with Marc. Another time was when Sophie was not able to truly disclose the characteristics or name of the guy she liked because her mother would disapprove of him. Even Martine voice is missing, it manifests inside of her and she has nightmares which haunt her everynight. A Cassette can be played in public without the voice having any hesitation, as opposed to one being able to communicate in a person where fear of taboo or shame is present.

Symbolism of Daffodils

In Breath, Eyes, Memory, Danticat uses the daffodil to symbolize strength and perseverance in the face of hardship. These flowers “grew in a place that they were not supposed to” (Danticat 21). Although daffodils were originally European flowers adapted to growing in cold climates, they were brought to Croiz-des Rosets and a strain had developed which could withstand the heat. This symbolism is applicable to Sophie, who must move from her village to New York, as well as her mother, whose story is still unknown to readers. Moreover, Danticat seems to be foreshadowing Sophie’s successful adaptation to her new life apart from Tante Atie.

Interestingly, Danticat also introduces the story about the people of Creation to readers. Although these individuals do not know who they are, they are “chosen to carry part of the sky on [their] head[s]” (25) because of their strength. Through this passage, there is further emphasis made on the fruition of Sophie’s conquest of adversity later in the novel.

Easy Adjustment to New York

Although it must have been extremely hard to move from Haiti to New York, Sophie seems to be adjusting unbelievably well so far. She clearly saw Tante Atie as a mother figure before she left because of the card that she made her on mother's day. When her real mother finally greets her at the airport, their relationship was a little bit stifled at first but surprisingly natural after a few days. I think what made Sophie feel so comfortable was the fact that her mother needed her so badly. When her mother was constantly having horrific nightmares, she sounted on Sophie to wake her up. I think this did multiple things for Sophie. For one, it seperated her mother from her Tante Atie. It took away all the pressure that she was feeling before leaving that her mother would somehow replace Tanta Atie. After her mother showed her all of her unique vulnerabilities, this difference couldn't be more stark. Another thing that it did, was create the type of mother-daughter relationship in which they both rely upon each other. This relationship of exuality works out well for Sophie while she is adjusting but not so well for her mother when she wants to come down hard on the rules. As Sophie continues to grow up, it becomes harder and harder for her mother to play the disciplinarian.

Lets just call him a kid toucher and be done with it

I think that it is interesting that there are two views of rape in the novel Disgrace, firstly there is the supposed rape of Melanie and then there is the rape of Davids daughter. I understand that Melanie was a college student but she is also someones child. Davids constant dips between what is really going on and the fantasy he lives in because of his love of poetry demonstrate two things, he is out of touch with reality and is constantly delving into moments of fantasy because he is bored with his own everyday life. His fascination with Melanie seems to be him fulfilling another fantasy, since he is no longer the handsome ladies man he once was Melanie a student of his someone that does not know him romantically seems like the perfect target for his advances. I know it sounds weird to call him a kid toucher because Melanie is obviously college age since she goes to a University, however the way shes portrayed in the novel paints her as childish and David as some shuffling middle of the road balding CPA type who is trying to re live his glory days through someones child. He is projecting his sexual desires onto others and writing it all off as a mans purpose. Sorya seemed to be the only person I could successfully say he fit with. I say this because she provided him with not only sexual companionship but a fantasy that in the beginning was not hurting anyone. By pursuing Melanie he is not only putting his job and student in danger but by attempting to live out a fantasy through her is displaying a sort of psychological imbalance. Atleast with Sorya his afairs did not affect anyone in his work environment. I also find it Ironic that since David endangers his job by having and affair with Melanie although he is someone her parents should trust he is not. In this way he can be contrasted with the hired help his daughter has taken on to help with the farm work. Ultimately this is not someone she can trust, thus making him no better than the stranger she has known.

David's Relations of an Animal to a Human

David relates himself to animals, which is ironic because he never wanted to help Bev Shaw at the animal clinic in the first place. While helping her, David is drawn to the animals and somehow feels obligated to make sure that the dead animals are disposed of correctly. His concern for the animals helps him gain a sense of compassion that he was initially missing from his life. His desires led him to hurt himself and others in the process. David compares his desires to that of an animal, justifying it as being in his nature and you can not force an animal to do something that is not in his nature. As humans we all have instincts and develop behaviors in life because of our environment. I believe that David's environment while with Melanie consisted of relations with romantic objects amongst them. Melanie assisting him to remove her clothes, her young body, her unique mannerisms and her silence. 

The environment of an animal is somewhat different they develop instincts from wild life and or under human care. David becomes connected to animals. Towards the ending of the novel, David is upset to learn that Petrus is depriving two sheep of food and water because he ties them to a nearby stable. Petrus will slaughter the sheep and he believes that it is being immoral considering that the people around will eat them afterwards.  Lurie begins to show a concern for the animals and takes the sheep close to a dam where they can gain nourishment. I believe that this is David way of explaining how he is feeling and why he has not acknowledged the fact that he was wrong in some part and should show remorse for what took place with Melanie. David develops some sort of bond with the two sheep and studies there every move. He does not love the sheep, but I think he considers the sheep part of life and his penance. Ironically earlier in the novel he thinks if he helps Bev Shaw it will make him a better person and he does not want that to happen. In a way his priority for animal care has made him a better person and I am not sure if he is aware of his improvement or if he just denies it . David does not admit his remorse for Melanie but the influence led by the trauma to his daughter and the animals (not being an individual) has touched him in someway that it has created a different David internally.

Violence and abuse (unposted blog due to error from last week)

  

       In the novel Purple Hibiscus, Kambili is forced to stand in a tub as her father pours hot water on her feet initially burning them, putting her in horrible pain. He tries to justify this abuse as a lesson to teach his children as someone once taught him as a child. This time instead of getting her mind to forget it her father comforts her letting her know why he did this to her. Is it alright for a parent to abuse their child and then comfort them giving them some kind of reason to think that it was the moral thing to do? How can he have handled this lesson differently? At one point in the novel Papa take a belt and strikes his entire family,Mama, Kambili and Jaja because he believes the devil has caused them to sin. Papa has certain beliefs and uses different methods which turn out to become violent to help his family realize what they are doing right. Kambili never speaks about her abusive experience nor does she defend herself against her father. Does Papa mean well? Does he do this because it is in his nature? How does it affect his family?

    A child is a joy, Papa abuses Mama and as a result kills their unborn baby. Jaja and Kambili seemed to be really excited about the baby in the novel and later are upset  to find out the baby will not be born. How does a woman get over a normal miscarriage or  abortion, let alone losing your baby to abuse? Throughout the novel, silence is a form of forgetting this abuse. Kambili is not rebellious and later in the novel, rebels by defending her grandfathers painting after her father wishes to destroy it. She accepts the abuse and defies her father by remaining on the floor as a way of protecting the painting. Kambili then thinks of her unborn sibling and tries to relate her position to the baby. Throughout the novel the characters tend to either rebel as a result of the abuse or accept it by ignoring it and keep it bottled up inside. To expand this discussion, we can think about protection. Both Kambili and Jaja want to protect the baby from their father, Kambili wants to protect the memory of her grandfather as well as herself by not talking back to her father and or speaking out about this abuse. Aunty Ifeoma tries to protect Mama after she learns that Mama lost her baby to domestic violence of Papa and so she asks her to stay with her for a couple of days in fear of further abuse.  Mama wants to be free so she protects herself by poisoning Papa (murdering him) and Jaja protects Mama by taking the fall for Papa's murder. It seems like an on going thing. How can they change their former life? How can they function without Papa?

Exploring Contrasts Throughout the Novel

In Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee, we are faced with increasingly more contrasts as the story progresses. The novel explores the troubling tensions between generations, sexes, and races through its plot. At first we are introduced to David’s sexual encounters which seem to contrast him in age. Although he is a 52 year old man, as well as a father of a young daughter his sexual encounters typically consist of under age girls such as Soraya and Melanie.

Then we are confronted with the issue of sex. Does David in fact believe there are different standards for him because he is a male? It seems that there is no remorse for Melany from either the school or from David himself. In fact the school even criticizes her for daring to put in such a complaint, “this young woman who is dragging your name through the mud…of course I blame her!” (Coetzee 45). This shows that Melany is looked as an inferior because she is a female in contrast to the male figures in her society.

Following this part of the novel, an underlying conflict becomes apparent. It seems that there is more to the contrast of male authority verses female inferiority at play. We are encountered by the complexities and racial conflict in South Africa, through a historical context. Now we begin to see inferiority verses superiority being caused by racial discriminations and standards. The situation where David, a white man takes advantage of Melanie, a black girl seems irrelevant in comparison to the black men that rape Lusy. The contrast in color, being black or white greatly affects the public’s reaction to the crime being committed.

Justice..

Indeed once again in life we encounter the fact that " what goes around must come around" this example could be found in the novel Disgrace by J.M.Coetzee. Towards the end of the chapter, we learn that Lucy who is David’s daughter is raped by two African men. Not only that, she also hide it and dose not report the rape to the police even though David himself tried convincing her many times. The fact that David himself is trying to convince his daughter to report is an hypocritic act ? I strongly think so !. What happed to Lucy has also happened to Melanie and Saroya. However the only difference is that they both have moved on in life. One settled down in a different county and the other Melanie filed a case against him( David) thus obtaining a mental satisfaction. I feel that to live with the fact that being a white women in Africa who is raped by two black man is indeed extremely shameful. In the previous few novels, we have constantly learnt that it is the Europeans or the white men who dominated countries like Java, Indian, Philippines, Africa or in other words most of the world. In this context it is none other then a white women who is being raped. Where is the status then ? Hence I feel this is the reason as to why Lucy didn’t report the rape. She also mentions that " the act was violent and filled with hate". Moreover she also says " .....will taste the defeat for the rest of my life"(161). She is clearly shaken by the incident and refuses to share it. In the last few chapter David’s alienation from the society becomes pronounced. Neither the father nor the daughter has any hope for the future. I then ask myself...who is the dominating figure in this context? It is none other then David and Lucy who are broken, hurt and a disgrace to themselves and the nation. Justice is the standard by which one measures guilt and innocence. However in this novel, J.M. Coetzee explores the moral foundation on which justice depends. Is justice in this case then fair ? I feel that it is indeed nothing more then a show, an act !

Females

Could it be that one of the ideas incorporated in this book is that the women we meet go through a cycle of life and that cycle is a natural cycle of life. For these women they were once daughters who became lovers and who then became mothers? For example Soraya was once a daughter who got married and becomes a mans lover then she has two children(boys) and with that comes a new title which is mother. Same as Lucy she is David's daughter and now she is helen's lover and with the course of nature she might become a mother? Same goes for the other female figures in this novel like Bev Shaw and her Husband. This is the natural cycle of life. We are born to our parents who went through the natural cycle of life in the sense of sex. This will forever be the cycle of life and it is natural. Not that I am saying that David is going about his sexual lifestyle the right way however this is nature and desire is part of our natural being however it is up to David to choose what he feels is right and what is wrong however it seems that he can not say no and accept that he is a Sexaholic I came to conclusion because throughout the book up until he comes with his daughther (as far as I have read) he needs to have sexual intercourse to complete his schedule in a sense. Meaning after Soraya left him he did not know what to do with his time so what does he do, he went and found another prostitue. After that he chases after Melanie in a stocking sort of way. It seems that his natural desires are uncontroable perhaps this is why dogs are such a big symbol in this book. A symbol of David's Character. When Soraya left he was asking the agency to give them her info he looks her info up he rejects him and boom he goes after Melanie just like a stray dog. A stray dog would look for his owner after being lost but after a couple of days if a new person finds him they would not reject. In a way this is like what David does after being rejected by Soraya he finds a new female.
Also another thing i would like to talk about is Petrus is it me or is it weird that he dissapers right befroe the attack and then suddenly appears and plans a party and he asks weird around Lucy I believe that Petrus might have something to do with the attack or might have known about it.

A New Person

In the novel, Disgrace, Coetzee shows the reader a new person in not only David Lurie, but in Lucy as well. We do not see their new characters until after the traumatic event, the break in. In Lurie's old character he was a womanizer. He took advantage of women in many ways, the most important of them, physical. Even though he says that his actions are only a result of his desires, this is no excuse. Even though Lurie's stay with his daughter initially was to escape the media and madness that his story had created in the town of the university, it may have been Coetzee way of letting the reader know this new place would possibly not only create a new life, but a new person. He is not able to see the abuse that he has been carrying out until his daughter is taken advantage of and raped. Now, he is able to look at things from a different perspective, the perspective of a father not being able to protect his daughter. Coetzee allows for the reader to see a more sensitive side of David after the event as well. The old David seemed to just believe what he was doing was right and that was the end of it. David was very critical of his daughter and her lifestyle. He did not have any regard for the farmlife or animals. It is not quite clear whether David is just more sensitive towards these things now because Lucy was stripped of things and they meant the world to her? Lucy is also a new person after she is raped and robbed. Lucy's previous life was simple, but she was happy. Coetzee goes to show that one does not have to be living in luxury just to be happy. She was content with simply the satisfaction of helping animals and vending. Afterwards Lucy is withdrawn, unhappy, and quiet in many ways. Her silence is what is killing her father inside and out. He does not understand how it is possible for her to keep quiet about the rape, but Lucy is determined to. She not only lost her animals, but is almost as if Coetzee is trying to show us that she lost her soul. Even though a piece of her is missing she will not speak up because it will compromise the bigger issues in society and possibly make matters worse.

Chanel Merchant

Rituals make things easier

Thus far in the story we've been following a man who becomes a victim of his own routine. David has grown extremely mechanical in every aspect of his life. From the way he handles his relationship with Soraya, to the way he teaches his students, to the way he goes about wooing his peers and Melanie. He realizes that as he gets older things don't come as easily to him anymore. Whenever something shakes him out of his comfort zone he desperately seeks a way to get back into in. He's so caught up in trying to keep the fire within alive that he fails to realize how his actions affect others.

One may be tempted to sympathize with David and agree that he merely acts on his instic to love, his instict to live, his instict to feel, but we can't ignore the fact that he migrates from one experience -or person- to another when it, or she no longer meets his very specific requirements for community. After Soraya decides to block him out of her life, he quickly finds refuge with a "new" Soraya. When this Soraya fails to live up to the mystique of the previous one, he moves on to his colleague, then onto Melanie.

With Melanie, even though he's fully aware of the severity of the situation and the damage he might cause, he decides to perpetuate his pursuit solely based on a basic instict that he cannot turn down. He is a "victim" of Eros. He thus become an istrument for the gods, and proudfully executes his god-given assignment. It's that same pride that drives him to act irrationally and reject the offer of the board -who inspite of it all are sincerely looking after his best interest. He pleads guilty in a self-glorifying gesture, but he's not at all repenting for his actions.

Just as we have seen in "The earth of Mankind" and "Purple Hibiscus," it takes for a man/woman to experience a traumatic experience -more specifically, for his or her loved ones to undergo a traumatic experience for them to really awaken and shift their way of thinking. As the story progresses we hear less and less of David's own "disgrace," and the author draws our (and David's) attention closer to Lucy's. David is seemingly torn by the terrible turn of events, and feels both helpless and responsible in his role of father.

However, I raise this question: Is it far fetched to think that David might be subconsciously using this event as a means to satisfy his hunger for passion? Could Lucy's disgrace be his new Soraya, or Melanie?

Lesson learn equals one suffering

In this novel David clearly wants women for one reason and that is for sexual intercourse this can not be classified as intimacy because there is no sense of foreplay or taking the time to be intimate so perhaps his desire is only to feel pleasure by having sex with no attachment. He is being selfish in the sense that he wants to fulfill his manly desire which we discuss in class as being brought on by natural desires of men. Could it be that in the sense of the dogs David was slowly becoming an untamed dog. From the beginning of the book it states that he is divorce but we have yet to find out the reason. Could it be that his daughter Lucy had to suffer for him to learn a lesson? I mean he was slowly turning into a man that looked at women just as a sex symbol something to get his hands on and if he did not accomplish this he became aggressive like in the case of the sex he has with Melanie. So perhaps it could be that his daughter unfortunate incident is an eye opener for him in the sense that he comes to a realization that the way he treats women is not okay and its not morally nice? His daughter had to suffer this horrified action of crime for him to come to terms with his own innate sexual desires? I do not know if it has to do so much with race as I have not reached so far in the book to draw such conclusions. However I still stand to say that he never raped Melanie and her actions to file a complaint against him has hidden motives she has to have a hidden agenda

So far mama is being depicted as inferior to papa. Mama has no saying in any matter nor does she ask questions. For example when papa and Jaja have an argument about why Jaja did not take communion and mamas figurines were broken she did not ask what happened rather she started to clean up the broken pieces. "She stared at the figurines pieces on the floor and ten knelt and started to pick them up with her bare hands" (7). It seems that she is definately scared of asking papa questions. One can't help but ask is she okay with this supression or is it becasue she is not a working woman that she does not want any arguments. Mama does not want to voice her opinion at the dinner table when everyone was tasting papa's new drink for his factory. Also when the children are finished with dinner or lunch they say "Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Papa. Thank you, Mama". Why is that mama is last is it because of her gender or simply because she is not valued as much as papa in the sense that she does not contribute financially?

Blooming

In the beginning of the novel when Papa and Jaja are arguing because he did not go to communion and Papa “picked up the missal and flung it across the room, toward Jaja” (7). The top shelf was cracked and the figurines landed in many pieces. This could be a symbolic reference to the status of the family right now. In the second half of the book Before Palm Sunday the family is broken up. Papa is in trouble because of his newspaper Standard, Mama is left home alone with Sisi and the children are with Aunty Ifeoma. They are slowly being separated and the children are blooming in different directions. This could also be a reference to the title of the book Purple Hibiscus because Hibiscus bloom when they are exposed to a lot of sunlight and that is what these children are being exposed to right now. They are no longer in their dark gloomy home where they have no voice and no control of their lives(rather they are like robots) they are now in the light of many new things and therefore they are blooming. Jaja for example seems different to Kambili “”His shoulders seemed broader, and I wonder if it was possible for a teenager’s shoulders to broaden in a week” (154). They are exposed to having emotions and having their voices heard. Like the hibiscus they are being showed tender love and care (tlc) and they are blooming into teenage hood. Also the fact that at home they are constantly suffocating although they live in a mansion they are not allowed to breathe feely. It is ironic that at aunty Ifeoma’s home is so small and one could suffocate in this environment (given the description of the size of the house) but instead Jaja and Kambili are free.