Sherman Alexie walks a very delicate border between the absurd and the profound in "The Fun House". This is what makes the story so effective. He starts it with a ridiculous image of a fart scaring a mouse so badly that it runs up a woman's leg, and ends it with a heavy, serious image of a woman dancing while she wears the weight of tradition in the form of a hand-made dress. Essentially, after the mouse incident, the ensuing teasing on the part of her husband and son caused her to go to the river and bath naked for some time. This is a kind of spiritual cleansing, and leads to her to reflect on the trials of her life before emerging with an urge to shoulder the weight of tradition in an effort to change things.
This border that exists between absurdity and profound insight is prevalent in a lot of Alexie's other writing in Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. I think that this is because that border is an integral part of reservation life. People on reservations seem to drink an absurd amount of alcohol, and their lives seem so entangled in the past that it seems funny to an outsider. However, the weight of tradition, like the dress in the story, is something that native people carry with great pride. Like the people in "The Fun House" native lives seem to teeter between a great seriousness about their heritage and tradition, and a reckless desire to have fun. At least, that's the impression I got from the book.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Jacob Riis: You're a Racist!
A celebrated African Novelist by the name of Chinua Achebe once wrote an entire essay about Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" because he thought that the author was a little bit racist. If Achebe gets to call out Conrad for saying that Africans are savages, then I DEFINITELY get to call out Riis for the following reasons:
1. Italians - Riis writes that Italians are "content to live in a pig sty and submits to robbery at the hands of the rent collector without murmur". This is just one of the insults, he also implies that they are illiterate by nature and lazy.
2. Chinese people - Where do I even begin? Riis states that Chinese people are greedy pagans who are incapable of becoming good, moral Christians. Riis says that they beat their wives, gamble, and he indicts them for using telegraph poles as an organ of information. But worst of all, Riis writes the following, intending to imitate the voice of a Chinese person: "S'ppose your wifee bad, you no lickee her?" I laughed out loud at this! Not only is it totally racist, it also kind of reads like a reference to cunnilingus! What an asshole!
3. Jews - Oh Jacob Riis. If only you knew what the people of Israel were going to go through in 50 years time. Maybe then you wouldn't have written racist stuff like this:
"Thrift is the watchword of Jewtown, as of its people the world over". I mean, this stuff I simply can't believe. Riis writes about people starving themselves just to have a little money. I doubt that very much.
These are but three of many delectable bits of bigotry, and for all of these reasons, I accuse Jacob Riis of racism! And I accuse Dr. Evertson of racism for having us read such a racist book. You're both terrible people...
1. Italians - Riis writes that Italians are "content to live in a pig sty and submits to robbery at the hands of the rent collector without murmur". This is just one of the insults, he also implies that they are illiterate by nature and lazy.
2. Chinese people - Where do I even begin? Riis states that Chinese people are greedy pagans who are incapable of becoming good, moral Christians. Riis says that they beat their wives, gamble, and he indicts them for using telegraph poles as an organ of information. But worst of all, Riis writes the following, intending to imitate the voice of a Chinese person: "S'ppose your wifee bad, you no lickee her?" I laughed out loud at this! Not only is it totally racist, it also kind of reads like a reference to cunnilingus! What an asshole!
3. Jews - Oh Jacob Riis. If only you knew what the people of Israel were going to go through in 50 years time. Maybe then you wouldn't have written racist stuff like this:
"Thrift is the watchword of Jewtown, as of its people the world over". I mean, this stuff I simply can't believe. Riis writes about people starving themselves just to have a little money. I doubt that very much.
These are but three of many delectable bits of bigotry, and for all of these reasons, I accuse Jacob Riis of racism! And I accuse Dr. Evertson of racism for having us read such a racist book. You're both terrible people...
Jacob Riis: I Got Mad-Respect
I thought Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives was a pretty good read. It's the kind of muckraking journalism that our country's modern press was built on. The startling revelations contained within its pages would make that douchebag who dressed-up as a pimp to reveal the Akorn conspiracy swell with pride. Ha-ha... Seriously though, you have to respect Riis. It seems like he really got out there to write his book. He was going out with cops on raids and visiting with all kinds of crazy foreigners; whatever it took to get an accurate representation of the facts.
I had always heard about tenement life and its effects on politics and society in New York City, but Riis was really able to put me there. With facts and statistics about death rates among children, the packed conditions in tenements, and the moral depravity of the slums, the author basically adds himself to the list of forward-thinking progressives that would inspire municipal reforms in later years. What speaks more to the power of his work, though, is the lasting impact. As I read it and thought about how terrible it was that all of these people were subjected to these conditions, I was reminded that people still live like this. All over the world there are still slums where people sort through garbage just to survive. I wonder what Jacob Riis would say if he knew that now, in the 21st century, some people still live like the ones that he described in his book. Even worse, some American's still live like that! Sad stuff indeed.
For these reasons, I've got mad-respect for Jacob Riis, and for Dr. Evertson, for having us read such an insightful book.
I had always heard about tenement life and its effects on politics and society in New York City, but Riis was really able to put me there. With facts and statistics about death rates among children, the packed conditions in tenements, and the moral depravity of the slums, the author basically adds himself to the list of forward-thinking progressives that would inspire municipal reforms in later years. What speaks more to the power of his work, though, is the lasting impact. As I read it and thought about how terrible it was that all of these people were subjected to these conditions, I was reminded that people still live like this. All over the world there are still slums where people sort through garbage just to survive. I wonder what Jacob Riis would say if he knew that now, in the 21st century, some people still live like the ones that he described in his book. Even worse, some American's still live like that! Sad stuff indeed.
For these reasons, I've got mad-respect for Jacob Riis, and for Dr. Evertson, for having us read such an insightful book.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
My Page Looks Empty...
Wow, this page looks pretty damn empty. A person more studious than I would say: "Well, do your Homework and then there'll be some stuff on it!", but I say No. That would be too border-ey. Instead, I'll post something only vaguely connected to this class. That way, my blog will no longer look empty, I can procrastinate, and I can promote the "Get Outside Yourself" campaign being sponsored by the English Department!
So here it is, my "User Testimonial" that I just submitted to Dr. Evertson:
I came to Chadron State College because I wanted to get far away from home. For me, life "back east" was comfortable but boring, and like so many young men, I sought adventure in the West. The little Panhandle town of Chadron seemed to combine the pleasures of higher education with the thrill of the unknown, and when I arrived on my first visit, I was hooked. The scenic Pine Ridge to the south provided a perfect backdrop for the cozy campus I encountered. Rolling hills to the north and west hinted at vast, unknown spaces waiting to be explored, much like those within myself. The English Department here has proven to be an exceptional accompaniment to the adventurous natural setting, and I've come to admire both greatly. It's a privilege to be able to work closely with dedicated and experienced professionals, often in small, personalized classes, but also on campus and in the broader community. Literature Professors structure their curriculum to fit with the natural surroundings of the college and the experiences the students have while in attendance. When I go hiking or fishing in the nearby wilderness after a day of classes, I can always appreciate how my education adds meaning to these activities I‘ve grown to love. The Department has worked to make the college experience into an integrated whole for the learner. Chadron Literature Majors don’t just study and go to class. We learn of the power a place can have over people, while experiencing it first-hand.
Boom. Impressed? I would be too.
Ps, did you catch my joke about dedicated professionals? Ha-ha... Just kidding, guys...
So here it is, my "User Testimonial" that I just submitted to Dr. Evertson:
I came to Chadron State College because I wanted to get far away from home. For me, life "back east" was comfortable but boring, and like so many young men, I sought adventure in the West. The little Panhandle town of Chadron seemed to combine the pleasures of higher education with the thrill of the unknown, and when I arrived on my first visit, I was hooked. The scenic Pine Ridge to the south provided a perfect backdrop for the cozy campus I encountered. Rolling hills to the north and west hinted at vast, unknown spaces waiting to be explored, much like those within myself. The English Department here has proven to be an exceptional accompaniment to the adventurous natural setting, and I've come to admire both greatly. It's a privilege to be able to work closely with dedicated and experienced professionals, often in small, personalized classes, but also on campus and in the broader community. Literature Professors structure their curriculum to fit with the natural surroundings of the college and the experiences the students have while in attendance. When I go hiking or fishing in the nearby wilderness after a day of classes, I can always appreciate how my education adds meaning to these activities I‘ve grown to love. The Department has worked to make the college experience into an integrated whole for the learner. Chadron Literature Majors don’t just study and go to class. We learn of the power a place can have over people, while experiencing it first-hand.
Boom. Impressed? I would be too.
Ps, did you catch my joke about dedicated professionals? Ha-ha... Just kidding, guys...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
