"A Story about the Body" Journal Entry
In "A Story about the Body," Robert Hass tackles an interesting concept, which is the perception of personal differences by others. A young composer believes himself to be falling in love with a painter, despite the fact that they have different interests, different ages, and different races. However, after the composer begins courting the painter, but before they can become intimate, she reveals to him that she has had a double mastectomy. The composer finds himself unable to deal with that possibility, and walks away from the painter. The next day, the composer finds that the painter has left him a bowl filled with dead bees and covered with rose petals. While many people might concentrate on the composer's behavior, which is so inappropriate as to border on unacceptable, I actually find the painter's behavior more intriguing. First, although the composer was attracted to her despite obvious physical differences, the painter still found it necessary to warn him about the mastectomy. In fact, she uses the information almost pre-emptively; as soon as the possibility of intimacy presents itself, she tells the composer, "'I think you would like to have me. I would like that too, but I must tell you that I have had a doub
In "Mommy, what does Nigger mean?" Gloria Naylor addresses the different meanings that the word "nigger" has when used by different groups of people. Naylor states that the first time she heard the word was from a third-grade classmate. (Naylor 47). Furthermore, she indicates that, even though she did not know the meaning of the word, she knew from the boy's tone that it was an insult. (Naylor 47). Her belief was reinforced when, after reporting the incident to her teacher, the little boy was punished for saying a bad word. (Naylor 47). However, upon further reflection, Naylor realizes that she has heard the word on other occasions. In fact, she realizes that she has heard the word spoken in a completely different manner by members of her own community. Therefore, she begins to discuss her theory of the word. le mastectomy.'" (Hass 36). Clearly, the painter has some feeling that the composer is the type of person who would reject her because of the surgery. Therefore, I find it odd that she thinks that she would like to have him, as well. Furthermore, the use of the term by women to describe their men is also a challenge to the stereotype. By using the term admirably, African American women are not saying that their lovers are lazy, shiftless, or dishonest, which would be internalizing racism. Instead, they are saying the opposite; that there are strong, hard-working, men. African-Americans are not the only marginalized group to turn an epitaph into something laudatory. For example, women who have engaged in previously taboo sexual behavior might refer to themselves admirably as "sluts," but that does not reflect internalized misogyny. Furthermore, like the word "nigger," the use of the word "slut" by women in an admirable context does strip the word of negative connotations when used by someone who intends it as an insult. There is a tremendous controversy surrounding the use of the word "nigger" by different segments of society. While almost everyone agrees that it is inappropriate for non-African Americans to use the
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1391
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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