Ozick’s story about Rosa can be seen as either a story or triumph, or a story of oppression, but I think that it is obvious that this is a story that is weighted on the side of oppression.
Rosa’s entire life is based around the theme of oppression considering she was a victim and survivor of the Holocaust and has transformed her current life into a relived nightmare.
I can most definitely say that her early years of life were under oppression because she was stripped of her family in more ways than one. She was taken from her family n Warsaw and put on a train, which led her to an unknown destination. From there she was put in a death march that led then to the camp, which was described in The Shawl. After being forced to live like a caged animal by inhumane men, they murder the one last thing she had to call her own, Magda. This event seems to be the beginning of the end for Rosa.
She moves to New York and seems to be dealing with dealing with the Holocaust. She has opened an antique store and seems to be doing well for herself, for antiques do not come cheap. But due to the insensitivity of her customers, they throw her into a tornado of destruction and she smashes her entire store so that no one can have the antiques that she sold.
From here, she shelters herself and nearly becomes a recluse and lives a very dirty life in cheap motel that is paid for by Stella. This new life in Miami is representative of her experience in the concentration camp all those years ago. She hardly eats, leaves her room and is living in filth. It is Rosa oppressing herself rather than someone else oppressing her but nonetheless, Rosa is still living under oppression. And it will only be Rosa who can bring herself above the oppression she is living under.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Why Go Back
Its Friday morning, somehow I had forgotten to write my blog entry for last night, so I am hoping you would accept this one even though it is 8 hours late.
I am going to write this blog entry on Rosa and the delusional world that she has forced herself back into. When you read this novella, you quickly learn about the tragedy in her experience during the Holocaust, which then leads into a short story of her life after the Holocaust. Once she gets settled into New York City, she appears to have her life back under control; she owns a antique store and is living a very comfortable life. But out of nowhere, old resentments and feelings of hate are brought up by the customers that drift into her store, leading her to possibly the most rash decision of destroying everything in the store with a hammer. If she wanted out of this sort of business she could have sold the store and made even more money. I understand that she feels everything in that store has its own sense of history and culture, which is not seen by these young folk that come in looking to buy old stuff but this is the impact of time. Time doesn’t stop for anyone and through that certain things get lost. In this case, the next generation has furthered itself from events such as the Holocaust leaving nothing but Rosa to dwell wither own memories.
The destruction she causes in her store spirals into a whirlwind of disaster for this poor, aging woman who is then caught up in the evils of her own dreaded memories. Through these awful memories she continuously sinks lower and lower, taking herself from her life of luxury to a life that very much so represents her past during the Holocaust. Perhaps she couldn’t help it being so used to those conditions for so many years during World War II but it is depressing to read how she threw away a life that appeared so good for memories of her past that cannot change the present she is living in.
Living in conditions that echo the Holocaust will not bring back your dead daughter whom you write to as if she were a professor at Columbia. The worst has already happened Rosa. It appeared as if you did move on and created a life that was much better than the one you had in Europe, but for reasons we can only guess at, you would rather sulk and become a delusional old woman than live a more luxurious life and try to repress the memories of a terrible time.
I am going to write this blog entry on Rosa and the delusional world that she has forced herself back into. When you read this novella, you quickly learn about the tragedy in her experience during the Holocaust, which then leads into a short story of her life after the Holocaust. Once she gets settled into New York City, she appears to have her life back under control; she owns a antique store and is living a very comfortable life. But out of nowhere, old resentments and feelings of hate are brought up by the customers that drift into her store, leading her to possibly the most rash decision of destroying everything in the store with a hammer. If she wanted out of this sort of business she could have sold the store and made even more money. I understand that she feels everything in that store has its own sense of history and culture, which is not seen by these young folk that come in looking to buy old stuff but this is the impact of time. Time doesn’t stop for anyone and through that certain things get lost. In this case, the next generation has furthered itself from events such as the Holocaust leaving nothing but Rosa to dwell wither own memories.
The destruction she causes in her store spirals into a whirlwind of disaster for this poor, aging woman who is then caught up in the evils of her own dreaded memories. Through these awful memories she continuously sinks lower and lower, taking herself from her life of luxury to a life that very much so represents her past during the Holocaust. Perhaps she couldn’t help it being so used to those conditions for so many years during World War II but it is depressing to read how she threw away a life that appeared so good for memories of her past that cannot change the present she is living in.
Living in conditions that echo the Holocaust will not bring back your dead daughter whom you write to as if she were a professor at Columbia. The worst has already happened Rosa. It appeared as if you did move on and created a life that was much better than the one you had in Europe, but for reasons we can only guess at, you would rather sulk and become a delusional old woman than live a more luxurious life and try to repress the memories of a terrible time.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Can Death Help?
The first piece to Cynthia Ozick’s novella was quite interesting. I was very surprised at how quick she was to describe Magda’s short life, which ultimately leads to an early death. It makes me wonder what the author was trying to convey in this quick chapter.
Also, I find it interesting that there is so much left out of the experience within the concentration camp considering it was without a doubt the most life altering experience for the characters. I am also curious to the fact that Magda never cried or mumbled a word once they were imprisoned in the camp until the moment she was stripped of her shawl. What was it about that shawl that miraculously gave that baby the power to keep silent for so long?
Magda’s death also made me wonder whether it was beneficial for the mother and daughter to be rid of this child that caused them both so much stress and pain. Stella almost seemed content after ripping the shawl away from Magda and falling asleep under it for that brief moment, as if it were a quick escape from their life of imprisonment. What if Rose’s loss of her child now freed her of having to constantly worrying of the inevitable death of her daughter, the needed starving of herself just to sustain the little life left in her daughter, and the constant thought of how her baby girl was growing up in one of the darkest times in human history. It might seem sick and depressing but perhaps losing this child gave Rose and Stella the opportunity to survive the camp.
Also, I find it interesting that there is so much left out of the experience within the concentration camp considering it was without a doubt the most life altering experience for the characters. I am also curious to the fact that Magda never cried or mumbled a word once they were imprisoned in the camp until the moment she was stripped of her shawl. What was it about that shawl that miraculously gave that baby the power to keep silent for so long?
Magda’s death also made me wonder whether it was beneficial for the mother and daughter to be rid of this child that caused them both so much stress and pain. Stella almost seemed content after ripping the shawl away from Magda and falling asleep under it for that brief moment, as if it were a quick escape from their life of imprisonment. What if Rose’s loss of her child now freed her of having to constantly worrying of the inevitable death of her daughter, the needed starving of herself just to sustain the little life left in her daughter, and the constant thought of how her baby girl was growing up in one of the darkest times in human history. It might seem sick and depressing but perhaps losing this child gave Rose and Stella the opportunity to survive the camp.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Papa-san
I think I want to write about the father in this week’s blog entry. The father was never a character in the book that got face time or had a chapter that described himself before he was detained for being an enemy of the state, and I feel that this is very important seeing that the only time we hear the father’s voice is in the very last chapter of his confession.
His entire family describes him, but most of the memories that we get to live through come from the boy and the girl. You have their memories of laughter, stories, the description of his smiling face and the love he has for his family, yet we still don’t have a first hand analysis. But even without this, there are still plenty of details to work with especially with the way that the author writes.
The overall view of the father is very positive and throughout the entirety of the book I feel that the father was most definitely the one who went through the most change, both physically and emotionally. It was ironic that the mother was worried about the father not being able to recognize her when he comes back since he was the one who was unrecognized by his family. He had lost his teeth, hair, and his fun loving spirit and limped with the support of a cane. Through the authors words one could think he went to hell and back, which he surely did while being detained. The father’s change put a damper on the ending of the book, especially since we did not get to know his personality through a chapter of his own but it was needed because each day his family continuously anticipated his return. War is known to change a man.
His entire family describes him, but most of the memories that we get to live through come from the boy and the girl. You have their memories of laughter, stories, the description of his smiling face and the love he has for his family, yet we still don’t have a first hand analysis. But even without this, there are still plenty of details to work with especially with the way that the author writes.
The overall view of the father is very positive and throughout the entirety of the book I feel that the father was most definitely the one who went through the most change, both physically and emotionally. It was ironic that the mother was worried about the father not being able to recognize her when he comes back since he was the one who was unrecognized by his family. He had lost his teeth, hair, and his fun loving spirit and limped with the support of a cane. Through the authors words one could think he went to hell and back, which he surely did while being detained. The father’s change put a damper on the ending of the book, especially since we did not get to know his personality through a chapter of his own but it was needed because each day his family continuously anticipated his return. War is known to change a man.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
LIARS
Lying is a large theme throughout the book and plays an important role for all the characters regardless of their race or creed. Right from the start, there is noticeable lying and seems as if the majority of the lying is used as protection, whether it is to protect the liar or whether it is to protect the ones being lied to.
At this time in history, you have all these Japanese families being sent of to internment camps and this displacement is being watched, from the outside, by the non-Asian community. A perfect example of a regular white man who you can suppose is powerless to the government, but still shows no sign of eagerness to help is Joe Lundy. This man has been working in his hardware store for what seems like his entire life post high school and one could infer that he gets the same customers over and over. So assuming that he has seen this woman come into his store before and that they are casual acquaintances one would think that maybe he or other members of the community would strike against the displacement of people who they know are true Americans. But we see in this book that no one has that sort of courage; Joe just tries to take this blame off his shoulders by offering to pay when she gets back, and who actually knows when this will be, and secondly with a few pieces of candy. I’m sure that this will make everything just fine for this family who is being forced to pick up and move to desert internment camp for Japanese-Americans. This sort of lie fits in with the type of people who are trying to protect themselves because they can’t deal with the shame.
The second type of liar in this book is the one who lies to protect another, in this case usually a family member or friend. The mother is forced to kill White Dog so it is not suffering alone when the family has to leave their home, but does not tell the boy that she has actually buried his dog in the back yard. She is just trying to protect her son from everything bad that is coming in the near future, she knows that there is going to be a point where he will have to face the truth but until that time comes she has the power to sugarcoat his life. These are just two examples of the types of lies found in this book, and since it is such a prevalent theme, I am sure that more will arise before the story’s end.
At this time in history, you have all these Japanese families being sent of to internment camps and this displacement is being watched, from the outside, by the non-Asian community. A perfect example of a regular white man who you can suppose is powerless to the government, but still shows no sign of eagerness to help is Joe Lundy. This man has been working in his hardware store for what seems like his entire life post high school and one could infer that he gets the same customers over and over. So assuming that he has seen this woman come into his store before and that they are casual acquaintances one would think that maybe he or other members of the community would strike against the displacement of people who they know are true Americans. But we see in this book that no one has that sort of courage; Joe just tries to take this blame off his shoulders by offering to pay when she gets back, and who actually knows when this will be, and secondly with a few pieces of candy. I’m sure that this will make everything just fine for this family who is being forced to pick up and move to desert internment camp for Japanese-Americans. This sort of lie fits in with the type of people who are trying to protect themselves because they can’t deal with the shame.
The second type of liar in this book is the one who lies to protect another, in this case usually a family member or friend. The mother is forced to kill White Dog so it is not suffering alone when the family has to leave their home, but does not tell the boy that she has actually buried his dog in the back yard. She is just trying to protect her son from everything bad that is coming in the near future, she knows that there is going to be a point where he will have to face the truth but until that time comes she has the power to sugarcoat his life. These are just two examples of the types of lies found in this book, and since it is such a prevalent theme, I am sure that more will arise before the story’s end.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
history again
When the Emperor Was Divine, is already my favorite book out of the list that we have read thus far. This has really struck me as a favorite because it is based around a topic that I have for my major, history. Having a relatable topic makes this book that much easier for me to get into and I thoroughly enjoyed discussing it.
Having a background in history, and having specific knowledge in United States history, has helped me to understand the character that have introduced this far into the book. As noticed in class today, the average person is not well educated in what the United States had done to Japanese-Americans throughout the country after the bombings of Pearl Harbor. I feel that having this knowledge will help as the book continues because there will be situations where knowing specific dates and events.
Aside from knowing history, I am waiting anxiously to find out the names of the characters in the book and hoping that more information will be revealed about their heritage and lives back in their old neighborhood. I am also waiting to find out more about the family’s husband and the site that he is being held at. So far in this book, the author has kept much of the dialog out of the book and I can understand that because she has been writing to give us a feel for the family and the roles they played before they were displaced. I am also anxious to see how the author describes the camp that this family will be forced to move to in the book.
Having a background in history, and having specific knowledge in United States history, has helped me to understand the character that have introduced this far into the book. As noticed in class today, the average person is not well educated in what the United States had done to Japanese-Americans throughout the country after the bombings of Pearl Harbor. I feel that having this knowledge will help as the book continues because there will be situations where knowing specific dates and events.
Aside from knowing history, I am waiting anxiously to find out the names of the characters in the book and hoping that more information will be revealed about their heritage and lives back in their old neighborhood. I am also waiting to find out more about the family’s husband and the site that he is being held at. So far in this book, the author has kept much of the dialog out of the book and I can understand that because she has been writing to give us a feel for the family and the roles they played before they were displaced. I am also anxious to see how the author describes the camp that this family will be forced to move to in the book.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Institutions
In Push, by Sapphire, it is clearly shown that throughout many cities in the United States of America, and throughout the world, there are social institutions that are not doing an adequate job of performing their roles for the people within the community. These institutions are state funded and should have the capability to help the underprivileged families that live within the surrounding community if they are not taken advantage of.
Some social institutions that I am talking about are social services, welfare, schools, hospitals, and the police. All of these are mentioned in Push and they all play a part in Precious’ life. Within inner cities, there are underprivileged families that coast through life through welfare checks, and a perfect example of this is Precious’s mother who is obese and has turned into a shut-in. When people take advantage of welfare it decreases the motivation to work or to find a job because they are being given money from the state. Precious even notes it in her writing when she says that she doesn’t want her mother taking her own welfare checks.
Then you have the police, who are seen by Precious’ mother and neighbors as terrible people who take good people away to jail. In actuality, the police are there to keep the community safe but from the perspective of her mother, she is raised with a jaded view towards law enforcement. This view is something that Precious can grow away from as she expands her knowledge. But through this book you can see the sort of negative views that are expressed towards the lax from the inner city community. Along with the negative views towards the law, Precious also has similar views towards the hospital and its workers after she has her second child. Because of how the police take away people in her community she gets scared that the workers in the hospital are going to take away her child, and since this is the first thing in her life that she truly has a emotional attachment to, she becomes very scared and frantic.
At first when this book starts, Precious is completely against the principle and for the most part the school system she is apart of, but as the story progresses she begins to appreciate the efforts that her new teacher is willing to give towards the individual success of her students.
Some social institutions that I am talking about are social services, welfare, schools, hospitals, and the police. All of these are mentioned in Push and they all play a part in Precious’ life. Within inner cities, there are underprivileged families that coast through life through welfare checks, and a perfect example of this is Precious’s mother who is obese and has turned into a shut-in. When people take advantage of welfare it decreases the motivation to work or to find a job because they are being given money from the state. Precious even notes it in her writing when she says that she doesn’t want her mother taking her own welfare checks.
Then you have the police, who are seen by Precious’ mother and neighbors as terrible people who take good people away to jail. In actuality, the police are there to keep the community safe but from the perspective of her mother, she is raised with a jaded view towards law enforcement. This view is something that Precious can grow away from as she expands her knowledge. But through this book you can see the sort of negative views that are expressed towards the lax from the inner city community. Along with the negative views towards the law, Precious also has similar views towards the hospital and its workers after she has her second child. Because of how the police take away people in her community she gets scared that the workers in the hospital are going to take away her child, and since this is the first thing in her life that she truly has a emotional attachment to, she becomes very scared and frantic.
At first when this book starts, Precious is completely against the principle and for the most part the school system she is apart of, but as the story progresses she begins to appreciate the efforts that her new teacher is willing to give towards the individual success of her students.
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