Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists in protest
of treatment of African Americans in the U.S. Mexico City, 1968
For the last 9 weeks, we have read and discussed texts that have shown us varied forms of resistance. We have seen examples of characters and authors who resist oppression in order to fight for justice, who attempt to speak for those without the power to do so, who stand against the social constructs of race, gender and sexuality, who admit that the process towards selfhood is marked by struggle, who find hope even in the most hopeless moments, and who use literature and other art forms to reject the rigid rules of normativity. Through these texts we ourselves have become witnesses to these courageous acts of resistance, to the enormous risks and sacrifices of these rebels, and even the corruptive force of violent upheaval. Through our interactions with these texts we have seen the joys and pains of daily life that seem, at first glance, to be so far removed from our own experience in these seemingly far-off places. While we may still think that there remains fundamental differences between "us" and "them," I hope that these stories, even in some small way, have inspired and entertained us, given us hope, made us think, and given us new ways to imagine what it means to love ourselves and others. Ultimately, these texts reveal to us humanity in all of its forms and complications and that to be human is to feel and acknowledge the humanity of another even in our darkest moments and even when that other refuses to see our own humanity.
For this final (regular) blog post, reflect on your own experience of the texts we have read and the course as a whole: What have you taken away from these texts? What are the lessons you find the most valuable? Which of the novels moved you the most and why? How does this affect the way that you see movements of resistance? Comments must be 2-3 paragraphs long and must be posted by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, June 3rd.
From this course, I have learned that there are multiple forms and mediums of resistance, all of which are effective. Each author had a distinct way of portraying these methods of resistance. Persepolis was our first introduction to the graphic novel. The narrative was illustrated in black and white with little detail in order to bring attention to the universality of human conflict, despite the fact that this particular history was specific to Islamic culture. The resistance shown in this novel was through group protest and through individual self-expression. Yocandra In the Paradise of Nada is written in a detailed prose to emphasize the main character’s attention to detail in her daily routine, despite the stagnant nature of her life. The characters were able to find agency through sex, and this agency over their own bodies was their own form of resistance in a state of purgatory within Cuba. Boxers and Saints is another graphic novel that chooses to expose two sides to rebellion and resistance. The vibrant, detailed illustrations show that the author wanted to bring attention to particular groups of people, unlike Satrapi in Persepolis. Resistance in these texts is shown through violence and also through compassion in order to show that one must always rely on their humanity. Salvation Army demonstrates sexual resistance in the form of an autobiography. Not only does Taia resist laws against homosexuality, he resists traditional conventions of love in general. Finally, Bonsai demonstrates resistance in the form of literature, by breaking away from the conventions of the magical realist genre.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I was moved the most by Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada. Although they were trapped in a state of nothingness doing whatever they could to survive, I found it very compelling that they were still able to resist quietly through their own forms of agency, such as sex. I also liked how in the end, Yocandra realized that she could find even more satisfaction through writing. Throughout the text, the characters never gave up, and although the novel does not have much closure in the end, it leaves readers with a sense of hope for revolution. This shows that there are always ways that groups of people can resist and find agency even when it doesn’t seem so.
Throughout the course and the texts that we have read, I have learned many things, one of the most important being that you should always have the right to stand up for yourself and your beliefs, and that finding your identity may be something that takes time and may not be easy. I find this lesson most valuable because I often witness people who go with the flow of society and think that they are required to do so, however, in reality you can be whoever you want to be, especially in a free country such as America. I think we take advantage of the fact that we are a free country with so many privileges and forget that there are many countries that still do not have the rights that Americans take for granted. In a similar way, identity plays a part in the right to stand up for oneself as well. No one is required to morph into an identity that does not fit what they believe and although it may be difficult to find your own identity, it’s the struggles that you face along the way that truly define who you are.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Salvation Army moved me the most because it opened my eyes to issues that I was fully unaware of; Moroccan trafficking and oppression that homosexual individuals face in Morocco. Although these issues were something that I had not fully acknowledge before reading the novel, I was also moved by the way in which Abdellah presented the story and his openness to share his own identity. This idea was interesting to me because, as a society, we are very closed off to the idea of openly talking about sex and discussing sexual relations between our family members. I was definitely cultured hearing the way Abdellah presented his story because he spoke about sex in a way that I was unfamiliar with in the means of our society today. But above all else, I was moved because Abdellah was able to discuss his identity in a way that was so bold, showing much emotion and bravery in his own skin. I aspire to be more like him in that sense, to hear him express his beliefs and his own personal thoughts in such a way was very admirable.
I see the movements of resistance with extremely open eyes now. I feel that I’m more aware of the issues that are going on across the globe and that I am privileged to life in a place where I am fortunate enough to have so many rights. Overall, it makes me want to make a difference in some way and stand up for my beliefs like many of the characters in the novels that we read did. Additionally, it made me realize that even though the pressure to find yourself is a heavy stressor in our culture today, I still have time to discover my own identity.
At first I was not sure what to expect from a class focused on literature of resistance. I was only expecting to learn and write about various historical conflicts around the world, but then I found that most of the stories in this class dealt with personal accounts of resistance by the main characters in the setting of revolutionary times. I knew some facts about the different revolutions we read about, but after this class I feel more versed in the specifics of each. Reading about the stories of each protagonist, I felt a personal connection with each story. Through reading about their struggles and challenges and I was able to relate their stories to my current life for guidance and support through the personal changes that I am currently going through.
ReplyDeleteSome lessons I found most valuable would be that I should be true to myself. I should suppress my interests due to fear of judgment from my peers and family. I have the freedom to be myself so I should exercise that fact. By doing so, I can be comfortable and attain self hood like many of the characters that we read about in class. Through this class I also learned that I should fight for justice and equality. Since it is easy to communicate and gather forces in this technology age, I think rallying with others for my rights as a student/US citizen can make a difference (small or big). I also learned that I should be more active in staying up to date with current events. Even though I am miles away from the Middle East or Asia, events there can eventually affect me here in the US.
Novels that moved me the most would be Persepolis, Boxers and Saints, and Salvation Army. I felt that I could relate to these novels the best due to their focus on the coming of age. I am currently going through my own coming of age, so it was refreshing to read about each respective character’s journey. Overall, my favorite would have to be Boxers and Saints. I enjoyed following the contrasting stories of Vibiana and Bao, because I felt that I could relate to their childhood, being raised as an Asian American like Gene Luen Yang. Their stories reminded me of my morality and personal values like - being loyal to your parents, being true to yourself, standing up for righteousness, keeping true to your religious faith, and much more. Now when I think movements of resistance, I do not only see the general fight for a just cause. I now see rebellions as a means for those participating individuals to express themselves and their true self identity.
Emily Dinh
The texts that we have read and discussed throughout this course illustrate the power of resistance through literature. In a sense, each of these texts represents a different form of resistance and rebellion. In Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, resistance is shown externally through the cultural revolution of Iran as well as internally through the eyes of the protagonist Marji. Zoe Valdes’ Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada depicts the consequences of the failed Cuban resistance while also initiating a new resistance through the main character Yocandra. In Boxers and Saints by Gene Yang, two sides of a rebellion are pitted against one another to illustrate the complexity of right and wrong, hero and villain. In Abdellah Taia’s Salvation Army, resistance is shown in the form of living outside the boundaries of cultural and societal norms. In Alejandro Zambra’s Bonsai, the novella and writing style serve to rebel against the ideal Latin American genres of literature. Therefore, resistance is not only the subject of each of these texts but also the driving force for these narratives.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis because I was able to relate the most to Marji and her experiences of isolation and searching for an identity that is her own. It was especially surreal in realizing how Marji’s childhood and life was no different from my own. Even though the novel is based in another country and another era, her encounters with life in a time of cultural, religious and political tension reminded me of my own. I believe that Satrapi did accomplish her goal of humanizing the characters within Persepolis, in that these individuals were no longer just foreigners but people who I associate with daily. Ultimately, I felt much closer to these characters because each of them reminded me of my own family members and friends. Before reading this text, I did have my own expectations and judgments of how foreigners (the “other”) lived. An important lesson I learned from this text is the importance of breaking down barriers, whether it is based on gender, race, etc. I enjoyed seeing how these modes of resistance have impacted not only the authors of the texts but also the readers (myself included). Movements of resistance are not just made up of protests and public acts of defiance; the types and ways of resistance for an individual are endless.
From our readings and class discussions, I believe I have gained more of something that I highly value: perspective. As someone who transitioned from being a deeply religious Roman Catholic, largely seeing things in black and white, to someone who is unsure that there are any universal truths (at least, when it comes to morality), I have come to believe that all I can do in the pursuit of truth is to see truth in the perspective of individual people. I became a psychology major because I wanted to understand why people are the way they are and why they do the things they do. I believed that it is easy to judge people when you do not understand them, but it is easier to forgive people when you can understand their reasons. I believe that although some reasons for behavior can be seen disagreeable, they are valid reasons, nonetheless. Why else have these heroes in our texts been struggling with their identity if not that they feel invalidated?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite text was Boxers & Saints, because it exercised the power of viewing life through the lens of another. If we had just seen Bao destroy villages and slaughter innocent lives, we could have easily labelled him as a villain. However, we grew up with Bao, journeyed with him, and shared his trials. Can we so easily blame and reprimand him when we have a greater understanding of his life? Also, although Bao and Vibianna had similar backgrounds, they turned out to be completely different from each other, and it was the intolerance of their differences that fueled the tragic war. What would history be like if we had always been able to see things in the perspective of the "other"? From these readings and from the social progress we make in the world today, it seems that we are striving to overcome the obstacles on the way to living in harmony with one another. To achieve this, we have rebelled at macro and micro levels. Our violent rebellion has incited a reciprocated violence, while those caught in between must suffer. Rebellion through compassion and understanding has been the only way to effectively end this endless cycle of violence before everyone is ultimately destroyed.
This course has exemplified the power of my three closest values: faith, hope, and love. In the case of these readings, faith in oneself and the rest of humanity, hope that there will eventually be solace in the face of hopelessness, and love for one another as humans who face common struggles.
One of the most important themes I've taken away from this course is that the opinion of other, random, people doesn't really matter. It really makes no difference if someone doesn't like the way you dress, talk, behave, or any of your mannerisms. As long as you lead a meaningful life (and you determine whether or not it's meaningful), nothing else matters. Specifically, your beliefs, sexual orientation, or feelings towards social policies should be sacred and you shouldn't have to feel a certain way in order to fulfill a societal norm.
ReplyDeleteThe book I enjoyed reading the most was Boxers and Saints. This is because I felt as if I could relate to the main character's passion. I feel as if there have been times in my life where I would do anything to accomplish my goal at hand. Like the main character, I lost sight of my moral code through my ambition. Reading boxers really helped me reflect on that period of my life and made me realize how stupid it is to sacrifice what you believe in order to accomplish what you think is necessary.
Another notable thing about this class I want to talk about is your personal lecture in which you talked about your personal life. That lecture was extremely well presented. It reinfornced the theme of the class (importance of resistance!) and I just thought it was a really great lecture. It made me realize how you can't "live for other people." It really hit home because I hate letting people down, but it made me realize that if you're living for other people then you're not really living at all! It's imperative to stand up for yourself and speak your mind or else you'll just live a life of self-pitty and regret. Thanks!