Fraden says, “The eye of every beholder is not disciplined. And this finally is what makes the Medea Project Wild, on the edge, not entirely didactic, and never the same”. This quote sticked out to my mind after I heard people in our class talking about that in theater we are creating “characters” that “exaggerate” the stereotypes of those women. However, I really want to point out that, different people would have different versions of interpretation toward the same performance. And the audiences of the Medea Project, like us being self-selected in this 360, are the people who genuinely care about social injustices.

I am still interested in pursuing "criminal" as an identity and the effects of that identity (whether claimed or imposed... often both) on incarcerated individuals. Art that complicates and combats this identity is what I've found is driving my research... I haven't had the opportunity just yet to explore where I can find more websites like :

http://www.performingstatistics.com/ (Combatting the stereotypes of "criminal", especially powerful since teens who are labelled as such are the ones who are working against it)

I approached this book with doubt and hesitation. The general plot was nothing new: the main character goes on some sort of ridiculous and dangerous journey of self-discovery to overcome grief and they live happily ever after. From the synopsis on the back of the book, this was the general impression I got. I started the book with a somewhat already negatively formed opinion, one that critiqued Strayed's assumption that she'd be able to figure her life out by hiking the PCT trail and risking her life as an inexperieced backpacker.

When I began reading “Wild,” by Cheryl Strayed, I found myself extremely critical. I was shocked by Strayed’s reasoning for hiking the PCT and treating family and friends in the detached and sometimes disrespectful ways that she did. As I continued reading I began appreciating the frequent flashbacks which allowed her past to unfold in a methodical yet unpredictable fashion. The pain and confusion Stayed experiences became an almost tangible thing in my heart. Many, most in fact, of her experiences were not ones I am familiar with, however her incorporation of personal thoughts and emotional outbursts brought me to a level of emotional understanding: compassion. At times I still felt her actions were irrational, but I could understand what had led up to her irrationality.

I enjoyed the comfort and openness at which Strayed describes her experience enjoyment of sex.  Her story is incredibly real in its telling- her inner thoughts, her expression of the realities of a journey, of death. Wounds are no laughing matter, though Strayed utilizes humor in her telling of her struggles. Her self-doubt and uncertainty are refreshing; she reminds us that it is alright to be uncertain, not to know. This practice alludes to a theme inclusive of mindfulness – an open attention to the present.

Relationship power dynamics are often viewed in terms of dominance and submission. It is easy to view relationships as asymmetrical and unbalanced in terms of power. Despite the prevalence of such ideas, there does exist a direct opposite of an asymmetric power relationship: a symbiotic one. In a symbiotic relationship, both partners rely on each other equally, and thus form a bond through their codependency. In Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild for example, the main character Gan encounters T’Gatoi at a very young age. He develops a connection with her despite their different backgrounds and her supposed ‘dominance’ over him. As time passes, Butler begins to describe this connection as more of a codependent one than one of superiority and inferiority.

Do you remember when you sighed?

Do you remember when you, you with this exterior and this interior and these identities, sighed?

A heaping, swollen sigh, that fills every corner, crack and crevice, each fiber of your being, every cell in your body, each layer of structure that holds you up.

And you think it is enough. You think this sigh will release all the yesterdays and prepare you for all of the tomorrows. But instead, you exhale just a whisper of all the hate, all the anger and rage and disappointment and all of the yesterdays. And you think it is over.

And the corners, cracks and crevices are empty. Ready for all of the tomorrows.

To read this essay in the original color, please see the attachment.

Silence, Dignity and Forgiveness

The Appropriate Response

I might as well have been of a different species – we were both human, though I couldn’t understand his language, his gestures, his expressions. I was in his territory, playing his game—the blatant other in this unfamiliar field. My zone of contact existed within another social mechanism, where the dynamics of power are inherent in appearance and aspect. In Iran, I must behave and conduct myself in a certain way, because I am a woman. I must dress a certain way, and respond in a certain way. Having arrived to the country only three days prior to the eve of ‘the happening’, I was unaware of this vast divergence in demeanor between the Iranians and Americans.

 slippage

noun  slip·page \ˈsli-pij\

1. the act of sliding or slipping.

2. a movement downward : an act of moving into a lower or worse condition or state.