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.
After having completed all the readings for this class, I think what I have taken away from these texts the most is that while everyone has to deal with some struggle or another, what really matters is how you deal with it. The majority of the novels had a protagonist who over the course of the novel tried to find what matters to them while dealing with oppression of some form or another. This movement of resistance in each of the first four novels taught me that the struggle against oppression while difficult is very important in order to maintain one’s sense of self in order to form one’s self identity. From these texts, I also have realized how blessed I am to live in America and experience the freedoms that I have. These texts have also shown me a different viewpoint then the one normally seen in America which has allowed me to expand my understanding of countries and events outside of America.
ReplyDeleteThe novel that moved me the most was Salvation Army. This novel was truly beautifully written and it amazed me how hopeful it was even with all of the problems the author had to face. I cannot imagine ever traveling to another country with no money and no place to go. The courage and strength that Taia showed was amazing to me and I found it incredibly inspiring that so many of the passages still had hope in them.
This class has affected the way that I see movements of resistance in that I had no concept before of what it would be like to live in the different kinds of oppression that the characters and authors of these novels faced. It has made these movements of resistance more real and more personal instead of faceless things I only read about or hear about on the news. I see movements of resistance as a great way for change to come about and I also understand the dangers of these movements. While not all movements of resistant are successful at bringing about the desired change, this class has showed me how important resistance is and has opened my eyes to the world around me.
Standing here, at the end of the course, looking back at the all the books we read, I am inspired. I am inspired by the grit, perseverance and resilience that appears as a common thread amongst all the novels we have read so far. I am inspired by the protagonists of the novels we have read so far and the grace with which they overcame the obstacles life threw at them. I feel pride reflecting on how our race has overcome oppression time and again and fought for freedom and the equality of people irrespective of race, gender or sexual orientation.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I was most affected by Yocandra and the Paradise of Nada. Literature is abound with works that talk of revolutions and the defeat of the oppressors, but it is not as often that we read about what happens to a nation after the colonizers or oppressors have been driven out. The tale of Cuba struggling with the failure of agency and an excess of scarcity is one I found extremely moving and also in some way relatable. As an Indian citizen having grown up in post colonial India, I have seen my country grow from being a nation shattered, both economically and socially, to a booming economy. After the British were finally overthrown, India was left to rebuild herself and become a functioning democracy with a government stable enough to address the concerns of its 1.2 billion and growing population. Cuba too, was left broken, poor and starving, albeit free and through the story of Yocandra we see the story of Cuba. I found Valdez's style of writing, honesty and the silent power in her words extremely moving.
Overall, my view on resistances as a very white and black, good vs evil idea has changed and I have come to accept that there are plenty of gray areas. I take away the values of perseverance and unwavering belief from this course and the lesson to always fight for what I believe in.
After reading these novels, I realized that across the world, people of color will face immense oppression from white people. White people may oppress people of color in large groups. but it can also happen at the individual level. This is explicitly shown in Salvation Army and Boxers and Saints. In Boxers and Saints , Yang depicts how colonization was justified by Christianity , allowing cruel and inhumane behaviors from the White Christians towards the Chinese peasants. In Salvation Army, Taïa demonstrates how a white French man colonizes the body queer Moroccan teenager.
ReplyDeleteThese two novels touched my heart at a deeper level than the rest. Both of the protagonist find different ways to cope with oppression. The way Little Bao risks his life to protect whom he is and how Taia risks everything he has, including his own family, to resist oppression, it encourages me to take on any challenge because at the end of the day it will only make a stronger individual .
Before this class, I did not consider writing a book, or the form in which the book is written a form of rebellion. Graphic novels challenge the normative way of writing a novel. Besides the form, the content of the novels is also rebellious. These novels bring the perspective of the oppressed, and how they cope with oppression. An important lesson that I have learned through the texts is that at the end of the day, people come and people will go, but one's integrity will stay with oneself.
Over the course of this class, I have found it difficult for myself to personally be able to relate to the texts because I have had the privilege of being raised in a very supportive family and society in which I don’t exactly break “the norm”. But despite the fact that I can’t exactly relate to the stories of the people we have read about, I can definitely relate to their small personal struggles because of the texts’ humanistic points of views. For example in Persepolis, Marjane talk about her struggles with relationships, school, money, and living alone—all things any college student will have to deal with at some point of their lives. I really admired Marjane in her novel and I found her struggles to be extremely inspiring.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, these novels’ most lasting effect on me has been their inspiration. Each text we read dealt with different types of internal or external struggles and described the perseverance that the characters had to endure in order to find themselves. Taia’s novel “Salvation Army” in particular really moved me because of the optimistic view in life. I like to think that I am a pretty optimistic person, but he goes beyond that because his story is extremely bold because he sacrificed his acceptance in his family and in his country of Morocco in order to fully embrace himself and his homosexuality.
This course was a bit eye opening because I have never taken a class that focused on the different forms a resistance a person could embrace. It makes me realize that resistance can be a very vocal process but it can also take the form of something very quiet. Overall, these texts give me an optimistic view on life and inspire me to be the best person I can be.