English

the posts i thought about but did not write

missing class #1: black at bryn mawr

I decided that for my final english project I will query black and white through a zine, focusing on interracial relationships. I hope through this zine I can do some healing work for my interracial relationship, which just ended, and focus on the black identity, constructed through and independent of whiteness. By including multi-media entries, I hope to give the reader a lense into what it means to be a black woman partnered to and in love with a white woman. I want to return to Beloved to lean on themes of forgiveness and impossible situations as a loose frame for the zine, though I will be sampling a lot of works as well as creating my own. 

            Chapter 4 is concerned with living in the country called Prison. The chapter explains how there are four subcultures in prison, which include licensed professionals, inmates, and security personnel. The members of each of these subgroups have learned the culture of their own group through instruction, imitation, observation, and reinforcement. Every group has created their own ideologies, language, principles, relationship patterns, and perceptions of power. Looman and Carl present a strategic proposal to “modify prison environments to promote cooperative behavior and prosocial American values” (126).

Intro to Afro-Pessimism

Theoretical Framework:

i'm still trying to sort out the best way to convey what i've been thinking about/researching. i had assumed i would write a paper up till now but seeing other people's creative approaches, i'm considering shifting my approach. (Anne, what am I able to do? What are the boundaries of this project?)

my guiding question remains: Why has The Color Purple become such a success, both commercially and within literary circles? 

I'm really interested in the minimization of Celie & Shug's sexual/romantic relationship in the film and musical versions of story. Why was this reduced? For commercial appeal? I'm interested in looking at what has become absent in the shift away from a novel towards other forms.

            Chapter 3 introduces the offenders who are the inhabitants of the country called Prison. Many offenders come from extremely poor neighborhoods; they have suffered abuse, neglect, mental illness, addiction, and have been poorly socialized. Whether this history is understood through the lens of differential association theory, social learning theory, general theory of crime, containment theory, or social bond theory, the general criminological consensus is that criminal behavior stems from the lack of education and psychological growth throughout childhood. Looman and Carl argue that the main reason criminals reoffend is because of the lack of resources allocated to rehabilitation and psychosocial growth and development.

Tuesday breezed by without me posting an updat eon the state of my paper. Things are oving along. I keep going back and forth between the ways I want to address double consciousness. I want it to be rooted in Black aesthetics/studies that seek to imagine a boundless reality instead of traditional disciplinary work that is conclusive. The conclusive nature of traditional disciplinary work (@BMC) recreates a colonial mindset. It is about promoting a sense of dominance through an ownership of knowledge that is finite. 

           Chapter 2 examines what elements make a group of people a country, and specifically why the US prison system matches such designation. Shared common language, views, principles, social behaviors, terrain, historical factors, and a feeling of shared culture bring inmates together and draw them into a country-like system. Inhabitants of a prison create a national identity and develop a social personality that arises from shared experiences within the “prison country.” Inmates are forced to assimilate into the prison’s culture in order to survive physically, mentally, and socially. The beliefs, language, social norms, ethics, and code of behavior within the prison system do not fit those of the United States or another country outside prison walls.

My biggest accomplishment on this project since last Tuesday is that I have listened to/read the resources that Anne recommended to me. It is interesting to consider Adichie's take on feminism in relation to her novel Americanah, which is often very feminist but which also frustrated me at times by focusing so much on Ifemelu's interactions with men. Thus, I was a little surprised that Adichie criticized Beyonce for her own focus on men. This has certainly provided some insight into the book, but I am not sure how much will make it into my paper.

It's difficult for me to provide a concrete outline at the moment, simply becuase I don't want it to take over how I curate the images I have/will take. But here's some of the planning and work I've been doing:

Theme/Title: From Crazy to Consciousness: The Makings of Black Womynhood

This photo journal/essay (still working out what it is exactly caused) is very much a self reflection. Tapping into my personal perspective/experience to paint a narrative that encompasses this idea of how many view black women as crazy. But when we take off masks and look for truth we see that there is a level of consciousness present that fuels movements, supports families, and perserves humanity. Also, I am going to use art as a way of expressing this. 

PHOTOS: