The Deluded Self

Themes in Literature/Isolation and Community

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About the Authors

Butler signing

Octavia E. Butler was an American science fiction writer and a pioneer in the genre of Afrofuturism. Born in Pasadena, California, she began writing at a young age and went on to publish several critically acclaimed novels and short stories. Butler's works explore themes of identity, power, and social justice, often through the lens of speculative fiction. She was the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, also known as a "Genius Grant," and is widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction writers of her generation. Butler's writing continues to be celebrated for its bold vision, powerful storytelling, and its ability to challenge readers to think critically about the world around them.

Carmen Maria Machado

Carmen Maria Machado is an American writer and memoirist. Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she is best known for her critically acclaimed debut short story collection, Her Body and Other Parties. Machado's work blends elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror to explore themes of gender, sexuality, and identity. She has received numerous awards for her writing, including the Bard Fiction Prize and the National Book Award for Nonfiction for her memoir, In the Dream House. Machado's writing has been praised for its innovative style and powerful storytelling, and she is considered one of the most exciting voices in contemporary American literature.

Emily Dickinson was an American poet known for her unique style and innovative use of language. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1830, she lived most of her life as a recluse, and her work was largely unknown during her lifetime. After her death, her poems were discovered and published, and she is now regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson's writing is characterized by its simplicity, power, and depth, and she is known for her innovative use of punctuation and capitalization, which helped to shape modern American poetry. Her work continues to be widely read and celebrated for its honesty, insight, and beauty, and she is considered one of the greatest poets in the English language.

Langston Hughes was an American poet, playwright, and social activist. Born in Joplin, Missouri in 1902, he was one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance and is widely regarded as one of the most important poets of the 20th century. Hughes was known for his writing that explored the experiences of African Americans and celebrated their culture and heritage. He wrote poetry, plays, and essays that addressed issues of race, justice, and equality, and his work remains an important part of the literary canon. Hughes' writing is known for its musical quality, humor, and insight, and he continues to be celebrated for his contributions to American literature and his legacy as a champion of social justice.

Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, and poet who lived from 1854 to 1900. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he was one of the most prominent figures of the Victorian era and is widely regarded as one of the greatest playwrights in the English language. Wilde was known for his wit, flamboyant personality, and his writing, which often explored themes of love, morality, and aesthetics. He wrote several successful plays, including The Importance of Being Earnest and A Woman of No Importance, and his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray remains a classic of English literature. Additionally, Wilde wrote several fairy tales and stories for children, showcasing his versatility as a writer. Wilde's legacy continues to be celebrated for his contributions to the arts and his influence on modern literature, and he is considered one of the most important writers of the 19th century.

Julio Cortázar was an Argentine writer, translator, and teacher, widely considered one of the most innovative writers of the 20th century. Born in Brussels, he spent much of his childhood in Argentina and later lived in Paris for many years. Cortázar was known for his experimental writing style and his use of unconventional narrative techniques, and his works are often characterized by their playfulness, humor, and surrealistic elements. He wrote several short stories, novels, and essays, and is best known for his works Bestiario, Final del Juego, and Rayuela. Cortázar's influence on Latin American literature and the development of the "Boom" literary movement continues to be celebrated, and he remains one of the most important figures in 20th century Latin American literature.

Ken Liu

Ken Liu is a Chinese-American science fiction and fantasy writer, translator, and computer programmer. Born in Lanzhou, China, he immigrated to the United States as a child and grew up in the Midwest. Liu has published several award-winning short stories and novellas, and is best known for his works "The Paper Menagerie," "The Wandering Earth," and "The Grace of Kings." He is also a translator of Chinese science fiction and fantasy, and has been recognized for his efforts to bring the works of Chinese authors to a wider audience. Liu's writing often explores themes of culture, identity, and technology, and he is considered one of the leading voices in the science fiction and fantasy genre.

Chekhov by Osip Braz (1898)

Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright, short story writer, and physician, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of short fiction in the history of world literature. Born in 1860 in Taganrog, Russia, Chekhov was the third of six children in a family of struggling merchants. Despite his humble beginnings, Chekhov was a prolific writer and produced many of his most famous works while working as a physician in rural Russia. He is best known for his plays, including The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, and The Seagull, and for his short stories, which often explored the lives of ordinary people and the complexities of the human condition. Chekhov's writing continues to be widely read and performed today, and his influence on modern literature is widely recognized.

Ray Bradbury was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, screenwriter, and playwright. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Bradbury was a prolific writer who published over 27 novels and more than 600 short stories in his lifetime. He is best known for his works The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, and The Illustrated Man. Bradbury's writing often explored the dangers of technology, censorship, and the loss of individuality, and his works have been recognized for their poetic style, imaginative storytelling, and their impact on the science fiction genre. Bradbury received numerous awards for his writing, including the National Book Award and the Bram Stoker Award, and his legacy continues to inspire new generations of writers and readers.

Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury in 1975

Ray Bradbury is one of the best-known 20th Century fantasy, horror, and science-fiction writers in the United States.  He is famous for his novel Fahrenheit 451 and the short story collections The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man. (See the Recommended Reading section at the end for more information on these works).

Bradbury was born in Waukegan, a small town in Illinois, in 1920, and lived most of his life in Los Angeles, California, where he died in 2012. A writer with unlimited imagination, Bradbury was interested in science, especially in life in other planets, though he “challenged the limits of the science fiction itself” by adding fantastical notions and a lyrical tone to his stories, which “restored wonder to a genre that, without him, might have proven dull, indeed.” While he specialized in narratives, Bradbury also wrote drama, poetry, and even musical compositions. Several of his works have been translated to many languages around the world.

Anton Chekov

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian writer now internationally famous for his plays and short stories, partly thanks to the translations of his work by Constance Garnett into English.

Chekhov by Osip Braz (1898)

As a playwright, he is considered a key representative of early modernism. His plays The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard, for example, are said to "present a challenge to the acting ensemble as well as to audiences, because in place of conventional action Chekhov offers a 'theatre of mood' and a 'submerged life in the text'."

While studying for his medical degree, Chekov began to author comedic sketches of Russian life for humorous journals to support himself and his family. The publication of the autobiographical story "The Steppe" (1888), marked his move to more serious subjects and tales, among them “Neighbors” and “Ward Number Six” (1892), “An Anonymous Story” (1893), “The Black Monk” (1894), “The Murder" and “Ariadne” (1895), “Peasants” (1897), the trilogy “The Man in a Case,” “Gooseberries,” and “About Love” (1898) and "The Lady with the Dog" (1899), all of which helped build his reputation as the "master of the modern short story."

See links to the full text of these and other short stories under "Further reading" below.

Julio Cortázar

Julio Cortázar

Julio Cortázar was an Argentine-Belgian author, best known for his short stories, poetries, and novels. He was one of the authors at the forefront of the Latin American Boom, a literary movement from the 1960s to 1970s where Latin American works became popular throughout the world. This movement was heavily influenced by the effects of the Cold War. Many novels written during this period were defined by its unique portrayal of time and uses of magical realism, which is also what makes Cortázar's stories so appealing.

Cortázar lived in Argentina during his childhood until early adulthood, when he moved around in various parts of Europe. In Argentina, he was a professor of French literature briefly until he had to resign due to political pressure from Peronists, who were supporters of the authoritarian party at the time. They often used education as a means of propaganda to further their agenda, thus Cortázar had no place as a professor. This incident might be a source of inspiration for his seemingly anti-Peronist short story, "House Taken Over", which he wrote in the same year he lost his profession. Later, Cortázar settled in France, where he primarily stayed until his death. There, he was also an active supporter in combating the abuses of human rights in Latin America.

Ken Liu

Ken Liu

Ken Liu was born in 1976 in Lanzhou, China and spent most of his childhood with his grandparents. His mother received her PhD in chemistry, and is a pharmaceutical chemist, while his father is a computer engineer. The family immigrated to the United States when Liu was eleven years old. They lived in various states before settling in Waterford, Connecticut. Liu attended Harvard College, where he studied English Literature and Computer Science. Upon graduation, he worked as a software engineer for Microsoft. He later received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 2004 and worked as a corporate lawyer and eventually became a high-tech litigation consultant.

Liu also is famous for writing science fiction and fantasy fiction. He has won the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards and top genre honors in Japan, Spain, and France, among other countries. Liu has also translated the works of multiple Chinese authors into English.

Carmen Maria Machado

Carmen Maria Machado

Carmen Maria Machado is an American writer born in Allenton, Pennsylvania, in 1986. She is best known for her short story collection Her Body and Other Parties and the award-winning memoir about abuse in a lesbian relationship, In The Dream House. One of Machado’s favorite genres is horror because as a “transgressive space,” she explains in an interview, it

tells us a lot about who we are, what we are, and what we, individually and culturally, are afraid of.” Another of her interests is writing about sexual pleasure:

I feel like it’s not often done well....I’m tired of reading really dreadful sex scenes where everyone’s miserable and then eventually maybe one person has a reluctant orgasm. I thought, What if I tried to have a scene where people had sex and it was great? My characters do have sex in varying emotional states, and with various results.

While Machado admits to having cried while completing some of her most personal writing, she determinedly balances her expressions of vulnerability with bluntness so as not to seem soft or sentimental.

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright who lived in the Victorian Era, a time of great wealth inequality. He was widely known as a society wit and as an advocate of the Aesthetic Movement, which advocated "art for the sake of the art." The Happy Prince and Other Tales and its follow-up, the fairy-tale collection A House of Pomegranates are part of his early work, written after the birth of his two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan. Wilde's best-known work for adults (Lady Windermere’s Fan, The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Picture of Dorian Gray ) was published during the last decade of his life.

After losing a libel case against the marquess of Queensberry, who had accused him of being a "sodomite," Wilde had to serve two years of prison with hard labor, after which he moved to France. He died penniless in Paris, of meningitis, on November 30, 1900.

The Happy Prince

Background of the text

Oscar Wilde's tale "The Happy Prince" is a short story about friendship, kindness, and how selfless love can heal. It was first published in 1888 as part of the short story collection The Happy Prince and Other Tales. Other stories in the collection are "The Nightingale and the Rose," "The Selfish Giant," "The Devoted Friend," and "The Remarkable Rocket." Through the stories in the book, Wilde criticizes the attitudes of Victorian society in ways that are still relevant today.

Read the first edition of "The Happy Prince" here.

Synopsis of the story

The statue of the recently deceased Happy Prince stands high above the city on a tall column. He watches over the city in agony as his people suffer. A small Swallow flies over the city one night. Six weeks before, his friends had gone to Egypt for the winter, but he had stayed behind because he was in love with the most beautiful Reed. He arrives in town and takes refuge at the feet of the Happy Prince’s statue. The Swallow notices the prince was crying, and the prince explains that he is sad because he had spent his entire life in palace, despite all the misery in his kingdom, and had never experienced such pain. Now that he is a statue, he can see his people's suffering, so he requests that the Swallow distribute the gemstones and gold leaves from his form to various families in need.

The Happy Prince's statue (p 6)

Because the Swallow has come to love the prince, he stays with him. When winter arrives, the Happy Prince statue loses its beauty, and the Swallow dies from the harsh cold, thus breaking the prince’s heart. When the city Mayor notices the statue's poor condition, he decides to demolish it, melt it, and erect a new statue of himself. The prince’s lead heart and the Swallow are discarded because they seem worthless to the Mayor and Town Councilors. However, when God requests that an Angel bring him the most valuable items in the city, the Angel brings him the dead Swallow and the Prince's heart. God tells the Angel he has rightly chosen.

Characters

THE PRINCE

The Prince is revived from the dead as a golden statue and placed on a platform overlooking his domain. The Happy Prince's monument is characterized as gorgeous, and his name is an irony reflecting his anguish at seeing his kingdom's inequity. Despite his given name, laments his city's tragedy and the lack of compassion shown by those in positions of affluence toward those in need.

THE SWALLOW

On his way to Egypt, the Swallow stops to rest on the statue of the Happy Prince. When asked to assist the townspeople, he is initially standoffish towards the Prince’s requests. Eventually, the Swallow becomes a generous, compassionate, and friendly creature.  He falls in love with the Prince and stays with him until his death.

THE REED

 Although she only appears briefly in the story, the Reed is responsible for the Swallow's delay in traveling to Egypt. He tries to court her. However, his friends criticize the relationship because of her poverty and numerous lovers. She decides not to travel to Egypt with the Swallow, effectively ending their relationship.

THE LITTLE MATCH-GIRL

She a child weeping because she dropped her matches in the gutter and cannot bring her father any money. She is afraid her father will hit her. The swallow gives him the Happy Prince's second sapphire.

THE TOWN COUNCILORS

They first appreciate the monument's appearance, but then refer to it as "shabby" and finally destroy it to replace it with a statue of the mayor.

THE BEATIFUL GIRL

The seamstress (p 29b)

She was dissatisfied with the seamstress's preparation of her dress for the state ball, and she told her boyfriend about it.

THE SEAMSTRESS

She is embroidering passionflowers on a satin robe for a member of the royal family, but she has nothing to feed her sick child. The swallow gives her the Happy Prince's ruby.

THE PLAYWRIGHT

He is attempting to complete a play for the Theatre Director, but he is too chilly and hungry to continue writing. The swallow sends him a sapphire from the Happy Prince.

THE GROUP OF OLD JEWS

They are negotiating and using copper scales to weigh money.

GOD

He requests that an angel deliver him the two most valuable items in the city. The angel sends him the heart of lead and the corpse of the bird. God affirms that the angel made the correct decision.

Themes

BEAUTY

Oscar Wilde was an advocate for the Aesthetic Movement – Art for The Sake of The Art - that influenced most of his work. The narrator of “The Happy Prince” starts by describing the aesthetic beauty of the prince’s statue and its majesty, focusing on the richness of the statue:

High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.

One of the Council members' opinions reveals that his values were foolish and based on the external aesthetic and beauty:

He is as beautiful as a weathercock," remarked one of the Town Councilors who wished to gain a reputation for having artistic tastes; ‘only not quite so useful,’ he added, fearing lest people should think him unpractical, which he really was not.

Such values based on external beauty appear to be contagious and a common behavior among the privileged class of society of the tale. The narrator describes the Happy Prince’s statue from the perspective of a child and his Master. The children's view of the statue as perfect reflects the information they receive about the world in which they live:

He looks just like an angel," said the Charity Children as they came out of the cathedral in their bright scarlet cloaks and their clean white pinafores. "How do you know?" said the Mathematical Master, "you have never seen one." "Ah! but we have, in our dreams," answered the children; and the Mathematical Master frowned and looked very severe, for he did not approve of children dreaming.

The concept of beauty takes precedence over the usefulness or utility of things. It demonstrates society's obsession with beauty as surface. The fact that the characters in the story who appreciate beauty appear to be all from high society is satirizing society's lack of understanding of what is the beauty of art and what is useless.

INEQUALITY

Another major theme in "The Happy Prince" is inequality. When the Happy Prince asks the Swallow to fly over his kingdom and report to him what he sees, the Swallow observes that “the rich [were] making merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the gates. [Then h]e flew into dark lanes and saw the white faces of starving children looking out listlessly at the black streets.” In fact, it is the indifference of the wealthy and privileged for those in need which contributes significantly to the misery of the less fortunate. The Swallow notices this inequity while flying to aid someone in need: he witnesses a beautiful girl moaning to her lover about a seamstress's poor work, which may cause her dress to be late for the night ball; then the Swallow goes in a room where a poor youngster is tossing and turning in his bed, and his mother, the beautiful girl's seamstress, has fallen asleep exhausted of a job that did not pay her enough to purchase her son medication.

This story is an open and honest critique of the privilege that existed in that society at the time, which only served to reinforce cycles of inequality and separation for those in need. This critique is timeless because, despite being pointed out, society continues to maintain its unequal conditions.

LOVE AND KINDNESS

“The Happy Prince” also conveys a positive message about the transformative power of love and compassion. The prince embodies the same values as Jesus, who gave his life to suffer to alleviate humanity's suffering. Previously unaware of his kingdom's inequity, the prince now sees how society behaves and the consequences. To make up for his previous life of luxury, he devotes himself to helping others and save his kingdom. In the beginning of the story, the Happy Prince expresses his dissatisfaction with his past when he says:

When I was alive and had a human heart […], I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans- Souci, where sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening, I led the dance in the Great Hall. Round the garden ran a very lofty wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful. My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So, I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead, they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead, yet I cannot choose but weep.

Love and kindness spread like wildfire. The Swallow pauses his journey to Egypt to assist the prince in his efforts to help those in need of his kingdom. Such actions make the Swallow realize how good it is to help others; once he returns from his first flight to assist a needy family, the Swallows share with the Happy Prince how he feels about it: "It is curious, […] but I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold." The prince explains: "That is because you have done a good action.” Love serves as a countervailing force to the unfairness and decaying standards of the society. The beauty of this Wilde tale is that even though it was written and published more than a century ago, the lessons it contains about life continue to be relevant even today.

Symbols

CHILDREN

Poor children under the bridge (p 21a)

Wilde used innocent characters to show how society's harmful deeds may tarnish a child's innocence and lead to the recurrence of cycles of inequity and injustice. Children were invoked as symbols of human greed and injustice's devastating force. For instance, when the speaker narrates “He passed over the river, and saw the lanterns hanging to the masts of the ships. He passed over the Ghetto, and saw the old Jews bargaining with each other, and weighing out money in copper scales. At last he came to the poor house and looked in. The boy was tossing feverishly on his bed, and the mother had fallen asleep, she was so tired. In he hopped, and laid the great ruby on the table beside the woman's thimble. Then he flew gently round the bed, fanning the boy's forehead with his wings. 'How cool I feel," said the boy, "l must be getting better"; and he sank into a delicious slumber.”

THE PRINCE' S LEAD HEART

When the prince’s dear friend, the Swallow, died of cold, the prince’s lead heart cracked into pieces. The mayor of the city then melts the Happy Prince statue to construct a new statue of himself, and the lead heart is thrown away as garbage, but is rescued by one of God’s angels. The lead heart represents genuine beauty, not superficial beauty. Although the Happy Prince was made of gold and stone gems, his true beauty lay within.

THE STATUE  

“The Happy Prince” is a parable used to communicate Christian values to a dysfunctional society. The statue represents Jesus and his tender love for humanity, who saw the suffering and dedicated his life on earth to helping those in need.

Further reading

◆  Oscar Wilde at Project Gutenberg:

• A House of Pomegranates
• Lady Windermere’s Fan
• The Importance of Being Earnest
• The Picture of Dorian Gray. Also, the novel's manuscript and transcription at Wikisource

♥  Rupert Hart-Davies, The Letters of Oscar Wilde. New York: Hartcourt, Brace and World, 1962.

Fun Facts

♣ Some of the original manuscripts of Oscar Wilde's work are available at Morgan Library and Museum in New York. Check the link below to see the remaining original manuscripts of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

♥ The British silent comedy film Lady Windermere's Fan, directed by Fred Paul and starring Milton Rosmer, was released in the United Kingdom in 1916. Lady Windermere's Fan was the first cinematic version of Oscar Wilde's 1892 drama.

Check out the movie in the link below.

Lady Windermere's Fan is a 1925 American silent film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It is based on Oscar Wilde's 1893 play of the same name, Lady Windermere's Fan.

♦ One of the oldest bars in New York City has been transformed into a tribute to Oscar Wilde and Victorian-era bohemia. In December 1933, the Volstead Act is abolished, and Oscar Wilde's statue is erected, making the location into a symbol of his bohemian lifestyle. Check out the place here: Oscar Wilde NYC

Oscar Wilde NYC, picture by Gerusa Maso

The Selfish Giant

Text

Here is the text for the Selfish Giant

Summary

A Giant had a beautiful garden where children loved to play in while the Giant had been abroad for seven years and when he returned, he was upset to find the children playing in his garden, so he built a wall around it to keep them out and put up a sign threatening anyone who entered the garden without Giant’s permission. From then on, the children were forced to play on the dusty, hard road. Because of this selfish act, Spring, Summer, and Autumn stopped being interested in visiting the Giant’s garden and only Winter existed there. As the months passed, the Giant became very puzzled as to why the seasons did not change, but one morning he finally heard a bird singing in the garden. When he looked out the window he saw that the children had sneaked into the garden, causing Spring to come back and the trees and flowers to blossom again. Still, Winter remained in one part of the garden where a little boy was crying because he was unable to reach up and climb a nearby tree. The Giant then understood that his selfishness had caused Spring to avoid his garden and he felt very sorry, resolving to destroy the wall so the children could play in it whenever they want.

  But when the Giant went into the garden, the children ran away, afraid of him, except for the little boy who was still crying; so the Giant picked him up gently and

The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888)

helped him up into the tree, which immediately burst into bloom and filled with singing birds. The little boy then kissed the Giant for helping him.

  The Giant then tore down the wall and let the children play in the garden as much as they wanted. When the evening came and the children had to go home, the Giant looked for the little boy who had kissed him, but he was nowhere to be found and the other children did not know who he was or where he lived. Many years would pass before the Giant saw the little boy again.

    At the end of the story, the Giant was old and it was Winter in his garden again. He looked out of the window and saw a golden tree with silver fruit and white flowers--and under this golden tree is the little boy that he loved best of all the children. Filled with joy, he ran down to meet him but then turned angry because the child had wounds in his hands and feet. The Giant demanded to know who had hurt his friend, but the little boy told him not to be angry because the wounds in his hands and feet represent divine love: he is Christ, and to reward the Giant’s generosity, he has come to take him to God’s garden, which is Paradise.

Analysis

  The short story “The Selfish Giant”, is a Christian story Its main message is that selfishness does not pay off, as it can lead to misery. We see in the story that the Giant did not want the children playing in his garden and built a wall enclosing it. He explains himself by saying, "My own garden is my own garden, anyone can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself." The garden represents the Giant’s heart.  As a result of the Giant’s wall, Spring did not come and Winter, Hail, Snow, and Frost stayed. This is much like how the Giant's heart was cold.

Even though he achieves his goal of being the only one to enjoy the garden, the Giant was unhappy. In the story, we see that the Giant wonders of when Spring will come: “ ‘I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming,’ said the Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold white garden; ‘I hope there will be a change in the weather.’ ” Spring is a beautiful time when everything is pretty and becoming full of life again. Spring is also significant in the story as Easter is in spring, which also is the time of Jesus' resurrection. A time where it is remembered that Jesus Christ dies showing his love for his people and pays for their sins and lives again in three days.

It is only when the children are allowed back into the garden to play that Spring comes back and the Giant himself feels better and just like the weather his heart softens and becomes beautiful again:

One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the King's musicians passing by. It was really only a little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world..” “.And the Giant's heart melted as he looked out."

This relates to isolation and community as when you are isolated and by yourself, you may not be happy, and if you have something to offer your community you should and you may even be rewarded for such actions.

  In the end, the Giant was rewarded for what he has done in changing his ways and becoming charitable and kind to others, behaviors that are highly looked upon in Christianity.

The little boy who was always at the very corner is Christ in disguise:

“ For on the palms of the child's hands were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet.” We know Christ was nailed to a cross for his people and died to pay for their sins. And the Giant was redeemed for the way he had been and thus was able to enter Paradise. It is important to recognize this as in the story we know that the Giant was redeemed and the Giant is accepted by Christ and into his “garden” of paradise which we know as heaven. By this, it is also perceived that the Giant has been accepted into the Christian community. In this story, the characters and objects are symbols. For instance, the garden represents the Giant’s heart and putting up the wall the Giant is not allowing anyone in or guarding himself rather and not being kind or genuine, thinking it would be better. But of course, we see it is not the truth and when the walls are broken down allowing children to play representing innocence, sweet, goodwill nature, redemption is, therefore, is given when done. The different weathers were much like people as the nice things like the blossoming of flowers and fruits didn’t happen. Also showing how they did not want to be with the Giant. As the story says, “But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant’s garden she gave none. "He is too selfish," she said. We can all relate to this as our own friends may not want to hang around us if we are not kind to them.

Questions To Think About

1. When was the last nice deed you did for someone? What was it and why?
2. Did you think it was nice of the Selfish Giant to keep the children from playing in his garden?
3. How did the Giant try to be nice to the children towards the end of the story?

1. How did the Giant change from the beginning of the story to the end?

Word Scramble!

Complete the fun word scramble below and remember key things from the story! Click to find out the answers!

INGSPR
Template:SPRING

ECLHNDRI
Template:CHILDREN

NGEARD
Template:GARDEN

EHRAT
Template:HEART

VEOL
Template:LOVE

SHELIFS
Template:SELFISH

SIPRDAAE
Template:PARADISE

LWREOSF
Template:FLOWERS

SOSLMOSB
Template:BLOSSOMS

ANTIG
Template:ANTIG

Octavia E. Butler

Butler signing

Born in Pasadena in 1947, Octavia E. Butler was a prolific female black American science fiction author who heavily featured afro-futurism and feminism in her writing. She was raised by her mother and grandmother, after her father’s death, and took on jobs that would allow her enough free time to write. Despite many rejections early on in her career, her literature has received some of the most prestigious literary awards, including the prestigious Hugo Award for her novelette Bloodchild and her short story “Speech Sounds”, an acknowledgement for best in science fiction of the year preceding the award. She also received Nebula Awards, which also recognizes exceptional work in the science fiction genre, for her aforementioned novelette, Bloodchild and her novel, Parable of The Talents. Butler was also the first writer to obtain a MacArthur Fellowship. A complete list of her awards and literature can be found on her website. Butler died in February 2006. It was only near the end of her life when her stories—focused as they were on feminism, global warming, racial and other social injustice—became more widely known and loved, as present society’s focus tilted towards these concerns. Today, her books, poems and essays are taught in schools.

Dawn

Our hierarchical tendencies are older and all too often, they drive our intelligence – that is, they drive us to use our intelligence to try to dominate one another... Tolerance, like any aspect of peace, is forever a work in progress, never completed, and, if we're as intelligent as we like to think we are, never abandoned. -Octavia E. Butler, "Essay On Racism." 

Text

Published in April 1997 by Warner Books, Dawn by Octavia E. Butler is the first in the three-part Xenogenesis series, also known as “Lilith’s Brood.” The book was first published in 1987. Here is the text.

Overview

If they had been able to perceive and solve their problem, they might have been able to avoid destruction. Of course, they too would have to remember to reexamine themselves periodically. -Jdhaya, an Oankali.

Butler came from a Christian background, Baptist to be specific, during President Reagan’s term. Both of those influences are clear in the book Dawn. Butler tells the story of Lilith, akin to her biblical namesake, who is isolated from the human community in part because of a nuclear disaster—a real threat in the 1980s when the book was written. Inspired by the political affairs of Butler’s time, this speculative fiction hypothesizes how human folly (social hierarchy and a willingness to kill) could result in the annihilation of the human race. The threat of nuclear war is not unknown to the present and real world. Lilith struggles to find a sense of belonging with both humans and Oankali, creating the theme of isolation and community in the book. Dawn also presented subthemes such as consent, which humans were denied; transformation, the catalyst for the book’s conflict; violence, which starts and ends the book; power, which the Oankali held; and the chance for a new beginning, the Oankali’s gift to humanity. The story, foretelling a possible future for humanity, sans the alien intervention of course, warns that unless we make changes, we will destroy ourselves.

Analysis

Dawn tells the story, following the destruction of the Earth, of a woman saved by an alien species, the Oankali, for the purpose of ensuring both the aliens’ and humanity’s survival. The Oankali rely on interspecies breeding, through genetic manipulation, for the continuation of their people. They were overdue for such a transaction when they came upon the humans who needed help restoring the Earth that they had made inhabitable through nuclear warfare. The protagonist's name, Lilith, refers to a prominent character in the Judeo-Christian creation story. Lilith was the first woman created and refused to submit to and procreate with the first man, Adam. Her nature is debated. Some scholars present her as angelic for her strength, autonomy and marriage to an archangel, while others think she was demonic for refusing Adam to instead produce demon heirs with a fallen angel and hating the children of Adam and Eve – humans. A reader can argue which version they think the protagonist plays in Dawn. Like Pentateuch-Lilith, she consorts with and will produce children with non-humans – the aliens. Both representations of Lilith are locked out of Eden (in the case of Dawn, the new Earth and home of the humans), and she becomes the mother of a non-human species. One can likewise argue whether the Oankali (aliens) are evil or not. Some readers may interpret them as demons because they take humans hostage, deny them their God-given free will and seduce them from what is natural to them. Other readers may see them as angels because they save humanity and give them back their Earth. I find both to be true in part. The Oankali are not entirely altruistic in that they provided aid because they need something in return. They did, however, save humanity from genocide. They provide a trade: doing to humans what we have historically done to other humans and animals, i.e., eugenics, lab testing and the involuntary detainment of the “insane.”

AtomicEffects-Hiroshima

The theme of isolation and community is prominent in the story. Dawn’s Lilith is first isolated by the loss of her human family on Earth and then completely isolated in her first alien quarters. It almost drives her mad because humans are social beings, as Lilith tries to explain to the Oankali on numerous occasions. Lilith is then welcomed into the Oankali society and given a new community, but she is still isolated from humans, resulting in new distress. When she is given her desire of a human community, she is then separated physically from the Oankali and emotionally from the humans. She is no longer quite human, but neither is she Oankali. She fits nowhere. Community is further presented when the awakened humans immediately form cliques based on shared politics. By the end of the book, Lilith is forcefully impregnated by the Oankali with another human’s sperm. The biological father of her baby is named Joseph, one of the humans that Lilith guided through orientation for a return to Earth and the Oankali’s second choice to be leader of the awakened humans. He later became her lover, ally and the second human, after Lilith, to undergo genetic modification. This pregnancy might give her the opportunity to create a new family/community in which her genetic uniqueness does not isolate her, as the child would be genetically and biologically similar to her. At the very least, the child would be more like her than either Oankali or humans could ever be and, growing up in this new world, will be much better assimilated with the Oankoli that Lilith is.

Xenophobia and xenophilia are reoccurring subthemes in Dawn that cause both segregation and creation of community. Fear of “the other” (xenophobia) has been a major cause of segregation amongst humans. This prejudice is demonstrated in the awakened humans’ visceral reaction of terror towards the Oankali:  

I don’t understand why the sight of you should scare me so,” Joseph said. He did not sound frightened. “You don’t look that threatening. Just… very different.” “Different is threatening to most species,” Nikanj answered. “Different is dangerous. It might kill you. That was true to your animal ancestors and your nearest animal relatives. And it’s true for you.                                                        

For all their social superiority and mission to find and interbreed with beings who are “other,” even the Oankali demonstrate xenophobia through their initial fear of humans. This might suggest that segregation of human communities as a result of racism will be a difficult issue for the real world to overcome. Xenophilia is likewise present throughout the book in the humans’ eventual however reluctant desire for intimacy with the aliens and the Oankali’s primary motive being interspecies breeding for the creation of a single human-Oankoli species.

Humans are portrayed as being both a cancer to the Earth and themselves. Butler, through the Oankali, points out that, in order for our species to survive, we must evolve away from social hierarchy and to come together, both culturally and biologically. To that end, is it not interesting that the Oankali chose a Black femme to restart the world, one of the lowest strati of the present social hierarchy of today’s society?

John Collier - Lilith

To the left, is one of the earliest representations of Lilith. In this, the famous painter, John Collier depicts her, as do most artists’ renditions, as white. Further, Lilith is also queer because she has sexual relations with a non-human being that is neither male nor female (gender-neutral). A leader of humanity who is queer, a person of color, and female would certainly be a social reset. I think the Oankali focused on individuals of minorities (Lilith and Joseph) to lead the new race of humanity because having the rescued humans look towards such characters as their leader might prevent the Caucasian history of racial prejudice to continue. The Oankali chose Lilith, not just because of her will to live and ability to adapt, but because she would be less likely to perpetuate intolerance towards minorities and people who are “other”—white male supremacy.

KKK members for Goldwater in 1964

This then presents another important subtheme of the text, transformation. That is, transformation into a single community where there is no more alien versus human, or nation against nation but one new cohesive species. The premise of the book is that humanity, because of a genetic predisposition towards hierarchical separation and willingness to kill, destroys itself. This acts as catalyst for the Oankali to rescue the surviving humans with the intention of modifying both themselves and humans to create something new. The only way for either species to survive was to merge and become a new people. On page 50, the Oankali, Jdahya said, “Your people will change. Your young will be more like ours and ours more like you.” Throughout the book, Lilith and later Joseph undergo genetic adjustments to make them into something less like their original selves, creating a small and therefore very isolated and shunned set of people (pg. 176). The Oankali explain to Lilith that there were characteristics intrinsic to human nature that ensured their demise and that the only way to prevent another apocalypse is to move beyond this instinct. This lesson seems to be the Octavia Butler’s inspiration for writing the book. Dawn tells of an end to humanity if it continues its current path of war and segregation created by intolerance. The only recourse then is evolution. On page 32 of Dawn, Jdaya, an Oankali, says to Lilith, "You'll begin again. We'll put you in areas that are clean of radioactivity and history. You will become something other than you were.” The Oankali-human alliance would leave their new species free of the human hierarchical tendencies that lead to strife between peoples.

White Wreath for Peace at the Cenotaph in 2018

Glossary

Ooloi: a non-binary third sex of Oankali that forms a third of a male/female Oankali family structure

Oankali: the alien species that rescues humanity/ holds them hostage, depending on your outlook

Tilio – a form of transportation aboard the Oankali spaceship. It is an animal that has been genetically modified for eco-friendly transportation

Quatasayasha: an Oankali food item that resembles a sharp cheese

Xenophilia: refers to an affection for unknown or foreign cultures and people

Xenophobia: a fear or dislike of outsiders or people who are different, particularly foreigners

Critical Thinking Questions

• How does the presentation of themes like xenophobia in this book relate to racism and other kinds of separatism and animosity between groups of people in the real world? Does this make you view the effects of prejudice with new perspective?

• The book acknowledges that practices like eugenics, involuntary sterilization of and genetic testing on people of color have been practiced by humans, and yet the awakened were horrified when the Oankali decided to do the same to them. How do you think that our othering of minority groups allows us to validate practices like these?

• As in most of her books, Octavia Butler pushes boundaries of sexuality and gender, longstanding causes of ostracism. When Butler wrote Dawn, ideas like gender non-conformity (GNC) and gender non-binarism were neither well known nor widely accepted in our predominantly heteronormative society. In Dawn, Octavia presents the gender neutral Ooloi and presents the humans with a new world where they must accept this gender diversity as a part of their new social order. As gender non-conformity and gender fluidity become more noticeable in the 21^st century, how has the book impacted the way you interact with people of non-normative genders and sexuality and whether you welcome or ostracize them?
• Octavia Butler does an amazing job at creating complex characters. Do you perceive the Oankali as savior or jailer, good or evil? Do you think that creating community is always the best goal? For example, were the feelings of animosity and betrayal expressed by the characters that rejected Lilith justifiable or understandable? What kind of barriers might exist in creating a positive, healthy community?
• In terms of social norms, human and Oankoli society are polar opposites. While the Oaskoli are not perfect, their society is built on harmony, empathy and equality. Does their culture present any solutions for the human condition?
• In the book, humans were locked up in solitary confinement, in their pods and cells during interrogation, and in “gen pop”. Later they will be further controlled by the Oankali on Earth, for their own good. In all of these cases, the Oankloli were in charge, which created a divide of controlled captive and jailer. How has the human response to this captivity made you think of incarceration and the prison system where “criminals” are held apart from the rest of society? What, if anything, does this isolation and rigid control suggest about the potential impact of the prison system and the relationship it creates between prisoners, law enforcement officers and the rest of the public without proper rehabilitation of released prisoners?

• Without the intervention of aliens, how can humanity overcome its inclination to isolate themselves into individual communities based on every difference we can find between us? How might we create a cohesive and cooperative community? How do we overcome intolerance of the “other” – xenophobia?

Extension Activity

Choose one of the following:

1. Identify marginalized people within your community and find ways to make them feel involved with and cared for by the wider community. An easy place to start could be volunteering for engagement activities in a nursing home or at a food pantry within your immediate community
2. Become an activist through outreach. People in detention facilities and prisons are isolated from the rest of society. Consider participating in efforts that help individuals like these feel less alone. Black and Pink is one prison abolition group with a focus on LGTBQ and HIV-positive inmates that enables volunteers to become pen pals to the incarcerated, offering emotional support.

Complete Series

Xenogenesis:

• Adulthood Rites (book 2)

• Imago (book 3)

In the Media

Dawn is to be adapted into an Amazon TV series by Ava DuVernay, Victoria Mahoney Team

References

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[i] According to the MacArthur Foundation website, the MacArthur Fellowship is a five-year grant to individuals who show exceptional creativity in their work and the prospect for still more in the future

Kindred1

“So I was sold at last! A human being sold in the free city of New York! The bill of sale is on record, and future generations will learn from it that women were articles of traffic in New York, late in the nineteenth century of the Christian religion.”- Harriet Ann Jacobs

Text

Kindred is a novel by American writer Octavia E. Butler that incorporates time travel and is modeled on slave narratives. First published in 1979, it is still widely popular. It has been frequently chosen as a text for community-wide reading programs and book organizations, as well as being a common choice for high school and college courses. Here is the audio version of the text.

Context

Kindred is the first-person account of a young African-Americanwriter, Dana, who finds herself being shunted in time between her Los Angeles, California home in 1976 and an ante-bellum Maryland plantation. There she meets her ancestors: a proud Black freewoman and a white planter who has forced her into slavery and concubinage. As Dana's stays in the past become longer, she becomes intimately entangled with the plantation community. She makes hard choices to survive slavery and to ensure her return to her own time.

Butler often said she was inspired to write it when she heard young black people minimize the severity of slavery, and strongly assert what they would or would not have tolerated if they were enslaved. She wanted them to not only know the facts of slavery, but how slavery felt. She wanted to make those militant young people see that even surviving such an institution made their ancestors heroic.

Analysis: America is a disabled body

"I lost an arm on my last trip home. My left arm. And I lost about a year of my life and much of the comfort and security I had not valued until it was gone"

Kindred, page 1.

In Kindred, Butler reveals how slavery has disabled America. The reader sees Dana, the protagonist, go back and forth from the present day to a pre-civil war plantation in Maryland. While going back to the past, we see Dana trying to save her white ancestor, Rufus, who is a dangerous slave master, even though she is putting her own life in danger as a black woman during the time of slavery. Dana faces violence and is shown the brutality and horror of slavery. Butler uses Dana and Rufus' relationship to portray the connection that black and white people have. This connection portrays just how much our lives affect each other. We see Dana going back in time to help her ancestors which further helps her in her present time. These two completely different people from different backgrounds affect each other's lives. 

What Rufus does directly affects Dana, we are shown that our histories connect. Dana is continuously being thrown into danger to save Rufus so that he could meet Alice and have her ancestors, while Rufus depends on Dana because she is constantly saving him from the danger that he himself causes. This dependency sheds light on the relationship white people and black people have in America. America was a country founded by white people but thrived off of the labor of black people. Without black people, America would not be the powerful country it is today. In a debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, Baldwin states

It is a terrible thing for an entire people to surrender to the notion that one-ninth of its population is beneath them. And until that moment, until the moment comes when we, the Americans, we, the American people, are able to accept the fact, that I have to accept, for example, that my ancestors are both white and Black. That on that continent we are trying to forge a new identity for which we need each other and that I am not a ward of America. I am not an object of missionary charity. I am one of the people who built the country–until this moment there is scarcely any hope for the American dream, because the people who are denied participation in it, by their very presence, will wreck it.

Baldwin further pushes the idea that African American people have white ancestry as well and that a lot of black people have ancestors in the white people who “created” America. He states that in the denial of black people, America will never be able to grow. The white and black experience is so different, but our history is one and it affects all of us. Butler chooses to make Rufus and Dana related because it exposes that we are all connected, we all come from the same source so how could one community be praised and the other disregarded when we are one unit working together like the human body, all parts are affected.

"I tried. I showered, washed away the mud and the brackish water, put on clean clothes, combed my hair. . . “That’s a lot better,” said Kevin when he saw me. But it wasn’t."

Kindred, page 18.

When one community is silenced and disabled, the entire humanity is disabled, if one community can not function that directly affects other communities.

The novel gets the reader thinking about who exactly makes up America. If we look at American media, the most privileged and represented are white people. The media chooses to portray white people as the face of America. As consumers, we see it in our politics, sports, and media. Butler offers a different representation of who America actually is. The reality is that America was built on the oppression of black people, America is built off of slavery. Kindred expresses this idea in multiple ways, one being the realistic portrayal of slavery and all of the trauma  African American people actually had to face at the hands of their white oppressors. Dana being a well-educated person, she knows all of the hardships slaves went through, but when she is actually experiencing slavery, she expresses how much worse it actually is:

I had seen people beaten on television and in the movies. “I had seen the too-red blood substitute streaked across their backs and heard their well-rehearsed screams. But I hadn’t lain nearby and smelled their sweat or heard them pleading and praying, shamed before their families and themselves. I was probably less prepared for the reality than the child crying not far from me. In fact, she and I were reacting very much alike. My face too was wet with tears. And my mind was darting from one thought to another, trying to tune out the whipping.

This quote leads us to believe that slavery was much worse than what America portrays. The inhumanity and shame is hidden by America creating an inaccurate portrayal of slavery. Langston Hughes, an African American poet and social activist that was most known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance, hints at this shame that America now carries regarding the topic of slavery. In his poem "I, too," Hughes states “Tomorrow I'll be at the table when company comes/ Nobody'll dare say to me “ eat in the kitchen” then besides, they'll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed- I too am America” (8-17). In this poem, Hughes speaks about the day America realizes just how much black people have sacrificed for this nation and how important they are/ were to our survival as a nation.

In American history, there have been plenty of times when we the people as a nation were left disabled. The first occurrence was the creation of slavery. America was built because England wanted more control over the colonies. Our nation was created in the fight for freedom and justice. We have to question how the fight for freedom led to the many years and continuation of the oppression black people face. Again, poet Langston Hughes, touches on this idea in his poem “Let America Be America Again”, Hughes states,

O, let America be America again
The land that never has been yet
And yet must be—the land where every man is free.
The land that’s mine—the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again (60-68).

Langston Hughes speaks of America never being a country built on freedom, and expresses the blood and sweat his people have put into building America. Wikipedia states,

The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primarily of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the United States of America from its founding in 1776 until 1865, predominantly in the South. Slavery was established throughout European colonization in the Americas. From 1526, during early colonial days, it was practiced in what became Britain's colonies, including the Thirteen Colonies that formed the United States. Under the law, an enslaved person was treated as property that could be bought, sold, or given away. Slavery lasted in about half of U.S. states until abolition. In the decades after the end of Reconstruction, many of slavery's economic and social functions were continued through segregation, sharecropping, and convict leasing.

These people were viciously preyed on and captured. They were separated from their families and brought to a land they had never seen. In Kindred, Butler sheds light on this common reality with the character Sarah. Sarah is a slave on the plantation whose family has been sold and her husband is dead. Dana states, “The expression in her eyes had gone from sadness—she seemed almost ready to cry—to anger. Quiet, almost frightening anger. Her husband died, three children sold, the fourth defective, and she had to thank God for the defect. She had reason for more than anger. How amazing that Weylin had sold her children and still kept her to cook his meals. How amazing that he was still alive.”

The reader closely follows another slave named Alice who is Dana’s ancestor, that looks exactly like her. We see her struggle with the toll Rufus takes on her, ultimately leading to her taking her own life. Butler portrays Sarah and Alice as a symbol of the lifelong effects trauma causes on the black psyche. Slavery might have been a while ago but it directly affects America. In an article about the long-term effects of slavery written by Nathan Nunn, Nunn  states,

Although research understanding the long-term impacts of Africa’s slave trades is still in progress, the evidence accumulated up to this point suggests that this historic event played an important part in the shaping of the continent, in terms of not only economic outcomes, but cultural and social outcomes as well. The evidence suggests that it has affected a wide range of important outcomes, including economic prosperity, ethnic diversity, institutional quality, the prevalence of conflict, the prevalence of HIV, trust levels, female labour force participation rates, and the practice of polygyny. Thus, the slave trades appear to have played an important role in shaping the fabric of African society today.

The ancestors of the black community never actually experienced life, they experienced trauma and the art of survival. The people who survived slavery then went on to have families and create generations of people. As humans, we learn first from our families especially how to raise families. These generations of black American people have taken on the generational trauma of their ancestors. Not only that, but they are forced to live under the societal constructs that slavery created. These social constructs further oppress black people and are still present in America today. This oppression might not be as bad as slavery, but it still silences and pushes back the black community. Things like being passed over for a job opportunity, or housing opportunity, being hated, crimed, or even harassed because of their race, creates a world where black people can not live up to their full potential. These societal constructs that slavery has created, and america has fulfilled, creates the same experience that slavery was for there acestoes, survival no actual living. In creating these social constructs, and further oppressing black people, white people have stunned their own growth as a community. If black and white people were given the same opportunities, they would be able to work together to further advance our country. Butler expresses this in Kindred with the protagonist Dana. Dana, like her white husband, is a great writer, Dana is as talented as her white counterpart. We see that in having the tools Dana was able to be as successful as a white man. Alice, who looks exactly like Dana, is used to portray the lost potential slavery caused. We are shown how much slavery actually oppressed the black people. Not only physically, but the owners would make sure to keep their slaves illiterate and used all of their power to keep the slaves in line.  Alice could be as successful as Dana, many of the slaves are talented in their own ways, but are not allowed to even try to explore said talents.

"I touched the scar Tom Weylin’s boot had left on my face, touched my empty left sleeve. “I know,” I repeated. “Why did I even want to come here. You’d think I would have had enough of the past.”

Kindred, page 264.

The ADA defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. If we look at America as the body, slavery has limited major life activities. With the oppression of slavery, America as a whole has not been able to experience the full potential of African American people.Slavery forever traumatized an entire group of people and even today we see the life long effect it has had on us. We see the prejudgment of black people in politics, media, school, and even the workforce. Butler represents America’s disability through the scars and, in the case of Dana, loss of a limb,  at the end of the novel. They both understand that their life will never be the same and they will forever have to live with what they experienced, that is slavery. These injuries represent the life long effect experiencing slavery left on black people and the scar its left on America.

Critical thinking questions

• In Kindred, Butler depicts the community within the slaves and how they come together to help Dana. Without the isolating experience of slavery, do you think the slaves would have still had a sense of community and risk their own lives to help her?
• If you were born during the time of slavery would you take the risk of escaping?
• What long-term effects do you think slavery caused on African American people?

Further reading

The linked articles and videos below show the struggle and fight for justice that not only African American people experience but minorities as a whole.

• James Baldwin vs. William F. Buckley
• Ta-Nehisi Coates take on Reparations
• Mendez vs. Westminister
• The long term effects of the African slave trade
• Asian Americans

Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson daguerreotype (cropped)

Emily Dickinson was a 19th-century American poet whose distinctive writing style made her stand out from the other poets in her era. She is known for her notably unconventional writing style that was unique at the time, where she often made use of dashes and unusual capitalization, and frequently used slant rhyme, which is a type of rhyme with words that have similar but not identical sounds. She ignored the typical rules of versification and grammar, making her work brave and completely original. Dickinson was highly educated and was raised in a Calvinist household, which emphasized the sovereignty of God and the authority of the Bible. This religious influence permeates throughout her work. She had a complicated relationship with her religious beliefs and God; while her friends and family proclaimed their love of Christ, she was reluctant to join the church and ultimately stopped attending services altogether.

Dickinson’s family was well known in the Massachusetts community where they lived. Her grandfather was a trustee of Amherst College, while her father had served in both state and federal Congresses. Although Dickinson herself was more socially active at a younger age, she became more reclusive later in the later years of her life. Scholars believe she was troubled from a young age by the "deepening menace" of death; throughout her lifetime she would suffer tremendous loss of friends and family, while later living through the time of the American Civil war that began in 1861 and ended in 1865. She began to isolate herself in her room in her family’s homestead and did not leave unless it was absolutely necessary. She began to talk to her visitors from the other side of her door instead of speaking to them face to face. Only the few people who knew her personally and had exchanged written correspondence with her during the last years of her life had ever seen her in person. Her writing was said to be an outlet for her to express herself verbally rather than socially. Her works reflect this, as they are full of religious imagery and nuance, conversations about death, the ironies of life, her love of nature, and criticisms of societal behaviors.

Dickinson died of heart failure at her home on May 15th, 1886. Only a handful of poems and a single letter were published during her life. After her death, her younger sister discovered Dickinson’s vast collection of nearly 1,800 poems and letters, and she had Dickinson's first volume published almost four years after her death. Literary scholar Thomas H. Johnson would eventually publish Dickinson's Complete Poems in 1955, and her poems have been in print continuously since.

Much Madness

Insanity is relative.

It depends on who has who locked in what cage.

-Ray Bradbury, “The Meadow”

Divine madness and poetry

Divine madness, which is also referred to as “crazy wisdom,” is usually described as a manifestation of enlightened behavior by an individual who has transcended societal norms. The behaviors that the individual will act out may seem to other individuals in their society as symptoms of mental illness, but they are said to really be a form of religious ecstasy. According to scholars like June McDaniel, David M. DiValerio, Georg Feuerstein, and others, the discussion of divine madness is found throughout history and across many cultures. It is said to reflect an expression of a divine, or godly, love. In some religions such as western Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and others, divine madness is described as an unordinary form of madness; it is behavior that is “consistent with the structure of a spiritual path or a form of complete assimilation of God”.

The Athenian philosopher Plato discussed his ideas of divine madness in his text Phaedrus. He described “Theia mania,” a Greek phrase for divine madness, as being a “gift of the gods.” In Phaedrus, Plato’s main protagonist Socrates declares, "In fact the best things we have comes from madness”. Plato discusses the topic of divine madness once more in his text Ion. In the text, Ion is a professional reciter of poetry, and he argues with Socrates about the nature of the art. They argue that art is a divine inspiration, and that “divine madness is like the prophet being overtaken by God,” where God then speaks through the artist.

In the Pentecostal religion, which is a sect of Protestant Christianity, the practice of divine madness is encouraged among its followers. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit, also known as the Holy Ghost, is the “divine force, quality, and influence of God over the universe or over his creatures, while in Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as an agent of divine action or communication.” The activities, behaviors, and alleged healing power of the possessed is said to be the “Holy Spirit” in action. This phenomenon is known as charism, which in Christian theology is defined as a "power or authority of a spiritual nature, believed to be a freely given gift by the grace of God." To the people who do not believe or who are untouched by the by the Holy Spirit, the phenomenon of "hearing spiritual voices" may appear to be a symptom of mental illness. The followers of the Pentecostal religion believe there has long been evidence of the Holy Spirit being deeply rooted within Christian spirituality. It is believed that Saint Augustine had “similar experiences of deliberate hallucinations and madness.”

Background of the text

The poem “Much Madness is divinest Sense” by Emily Dickinson is thought to have been written in 1862, but because much of her work was not published until well after her death in 1886 it cannot be said for certain. It was published as part of the Dickinson collection Poems, edited by two friends of the poet, Mabel Loomis Todd and Thomas Wentworth Higginson in 1890.

Religious tones are present in the poem, as well as a sense of wit and rebellion that reveals frustration at the societal norms of the time.

The Text

Much Madness is divinest Sense - (1)

To a discerning Eye - (2)

Much Sense - the starkest Madness - (3)

’Tis the Majority (4)

In this, as all, prevail - (5)

Assent - and you are sane - (6)

Demur - you’re straightway dangerous - (7)

And handled with a Chain - (8)

A Helpful Glossary

The American vocabulary in the 19th Century was very different from what it is now. Dickinson’s poetry is also notorious for the use of certain words with a variety of connotations so understanding the definitions of certain words gives new meaning to her writing. The Emily Dickinson Lexicon was created to help translate these words to allow the reader a clearer understanding of her poetry. Here are some definitions of words used in “Much madness…”

Madness, n:  

A.) Distraction; preoccupation; absent-mindedness; [fig.] artistic genius; intellectual brilliance; poetic creativity.

B.) Disorder; craziness; passion; frivolity; erratic behavior; lack of caution; [fig.] windiness; unpredictable weather.

C.) Ecstasy; rapture; jubilee; exhilaration.

Divine (-st), adj.

A.) Heavenly; godlike; ecclesiastical; (see Hebrews 9:1).

B.) Godly; higher; sacred; increase of heavenly state; (see 2 Peter 1:3).

C.) Best; greatest; sublime; (see Proverbs 16:10).

D.) Supernatural; immortal significance; (see Ezekiel 13:23).

Stark (-est), adj. [OE 'to grow rigid, strength, strong, become frozen'.]

A.) Bleak; desolate.

B.) Gross; mere; absolute.

Sense (-s), n.  

A.) Reason; mind; mental stability; ability to feel; faculties of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and so forth.

B.) Sanity; lucidity; order; rationality; [fig.] insight; inspiration.

C.) Significance; meaning; intimation; definition; [word play] sensory perception from the physical world.

D.) One's body; physical being; perception of the material world.

Being; consciousness; identity.

Assent, v.

Agree; yield; concede; concur; give in; conform in practice; [possible word play on “ascent”.]

Demur (-ed), v.  

A.) Refuse; decline; dissent; hesitate; back away.

B.) Object; protest; resist; contest.

C.) Pause; hesitate; linger; wait; stop.

D.) Relent; repent; soften; yield; change mind; make a concession.

Analysis

The poem opens with a paradox with the first line, where the speaker states that “madness” is actually “sense.” In poetry, a paradox is a figure of speech that is a self-contradictory phrase or concept that illuminates a truth. The speaker declares that what is considered to be sane or insane based on the opinion of the majority should be rejected by any intelligent person. The speaker may also be implying that an individual whom society considers to be “mad” or insane might be touched by God; it can be suggested that the “divine madness” the speaker is referring to is the sometimes erratic and unconventional behavior that a person displays when they are receiving a divine message. The poem suggests that the experiences or ideas of individuals whom the majority considers to be mad says much more about society itself than the individual who is being called crazy. The speaker argues that who society considers to be “mad” or who’s behavior goes against acceptable societal norms should be seen to a person with a “discerning Eye” (2) or a “perceiving eye” as expressing intelligence and commonsense. The “Eye” is capitalized, however, and could be a reference to God’s gaze. Furthermore, those who are untouched by divinity will not be able to understand the reason for the behaviors of those they consider mad. Only God and the individual would know the true meaning behind their behavior. The speaker then states that “Much Sense” is the “starkest madness,” (3) implying that what the majority decides is sensible and acceptable societal behavior is what should truthfully be considered insanity. A person who adheres to societal rules and plays their part without question or hesitation like “the Majority” (4) is deemed compliant and accepted as a member of that majority, as suggested in the line “Assent- and you are sane-.” (6) On the other hand, someone who questions societal rules or rejects them is seen as dangerous or insane, as expressed in the lines “Demur- you’re straightway dangerous- and handled with a Chain” (7-8).  

Although the attitude and approach towards fully understanding mental illness and its symptoms are different today than they were during Dickinson’s lifetime, there are still many similarities in the way the mentally ill are perceived by society. Those who suffer from extreme cases of mental illness are often shunned from society or kept locked away in hospitals and prisons, with unequal or limited access to proper care. In the time when the poem is said to have been written, women’s behavior was often heavily scrutinized and their main role in society was seen as the caretakers of a household or to entertain their husbands. They had limited freedom or say in what they could do unless given strict permission from a man, be it father, husband, or any other male member of their household. A man had the power to have his wife or daughter committed if they believed they were suffering from “hysteria,” which was a term used to describe emotional excess. Today, hysteria no longer exists as a medical diagnosis in Western culture, but the aftermath of hysteria as a diagnosable illness in the 18th and 19th centuries has had a lasting impact on the medical treatment of women's health. The term hysterical, applied to an individual, can mean that they are emotional, irrationally upset, or frenzied. It was a common medical diagnosis during that time, used to describe a woman who was exhibiting emotionally charged behavior that someone else decided was too excessive or out of control. Being called hysterical by a man and being put away because of it was a very real threat at that time, and one can only assume that Dickinson would have had strong opinions about this hypocritical aspect of society.

Dickinson herself was a well-educated and creatively gifted individual. She never married and spent much of her time secluded while she wrote. It is agreed by many literary critics and historians that Dickinson was influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was an essayist, philosopher, poet, and was the founder of the transcendentalist movement. Transcendentalists believe in the inherent goodness of people and nature, and that society and its institutions have the power to corrupt the purity of a person. It is a core belief of transcendentalists that people are at their best when they are self-reliant and independent. Emerson also encouraged all individuals, and especially writers, to live a hermit’s life and to withdraw from society to prevent being contaminated with materialism. Emerson’s influence on Dickinson can be felt in the poem, as its overall tone comes off as condescending and rebellious, with the sense that the speaker views themselves as an outcast of society for expressing commonsense and rejecting societal roles and norms.  

They shut me up in Prose

Recreation of Emily Dickinson writing a poem.

“We turn not older with years, but newer every day.”

Emily Dickinson, Letter to Frances and Louise Norcross, late 1872.

Biography

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts, into a prominent family. Dickinson was an American lyric poet who lived in seclusion and is considered one of the leading 19th-century American poets known for her bold original verse, which stands out for its epigrammatic compression, haunting personal voice, and enigmatic brilliance. Dickinson spent virtually all her life, increasingly reclusive, in her family's home in Amherst, where she was considered eccentric by locals due to her penchant for white clothing, her disinterest in leaving her room, and her reluctance to greet guests. Emily Dickinson was a prolific writer as she wrote over 1,800 poems; however, only ten are known to be published during her lifetime. Even though Dickinson's passion for writing was not a secret, it was not until after her death that her work became public, most of her poems being significantly edited and purposely censored to follow the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson never married and was suspected of having a romantic relationship with her sister-in-law "Susan," which is believed to be the inspiration for some of her poems. On May 15, 1886, at the age of 55, Emily Dickinson died of heart failure.

Introduction

We have progressed as a civilization so that now most people can be able to be themselves, express their ideas and points of view, and do any job imaginable. However, it is incredible to think that humanity took an exceptionally long time to get here. If we had a time machine and went back only 200 years, we could see how society was constructed uniquely with different rules. Men and women (especially women) had specific roles, behaviors, and tasks that were expected, but even though there were rules, there was also rebellion. Emily Dickinson, the 19th-century poet, was ahead of her time, constantly going against what was expected from her. She found a way of being free of these rules and did it not in a common approach. As Dickinson decided to do poetry, we can look through her poems and acknowledge the frustration she felt against the society of the time. In the poem “They Shut Me Up in Prose,” Emily Dickinson writes about the freedom she achieves from societal restrictions by secluding herself.

“The Shut Me Up in Prose” (1862)

Emily Dickinson writing a poem in her bedroom.

They shut me up in Prose –

As when a little Girl

They put me in the Closet –

Because they liked me “still”  –

Still! Could themself have peeped –

And seen my Brain – go round –

They might as wise have lodged a Bird

For Treason – in the Pound –

Himself has but to will

And easy as a Star

Look down opon Captivity –

And laugh – No more have I –

Poem Analysis

When Dickinson started poetry, she found her voice and distinctive way of expressing her feelings about everything around her; however, the society of the time did not support female poets as the role expected of women was far from what Dickinson’s wanted it to be. At the time, women were expected only to occupy domestic affairs and be dependable on a husband without a legal or emotional existence of their own (Medhkour 9). According to the The Lady’s Token: or Gift of Friendship, published in 1848, “only with domestic affairs-wait till your husband confides to you those of a high importance-and do not give your advice until he asks for it.” In the first stanza of “They Shut Me Up in Prose,” we can acknowledge how the society of the 19th century is trying to control Dickinson’s will as she might be the speaker of the poem:

They shut me up in Prose –

As when a little Girl

They put me in the Closet –

Because they liked me “still”   –

In the first line of the first stanza, the speaker makes an emphasis how “They” are trying to lock her in prose, the prose being a boring, dull, and conventional ruling she is against, quite different from poetry, which in this poem is trying to be represented as a celebration of originality, freedom, and individuality. The second line starts with the speaker getting an epiphany from when she was “a little girl” and compares to her current situation. The third and fourth lines express how “They,” which is the authority, locks the speaker in the closet as a cruel punishment because she would not be “still.” This punishment explains how “They” are trying to confine her energy and freedom for not being well-behaved, alluding to Dickinson’s circumstances with society as she was not allowed to be a poet. Then, in the second and third stanza, the poem takes an interesting shift:

Dove freeing itself from imprisonment

 

Still! Could themself have peeped –

And seen my Brain – go round –

They might as wise have lodged a Bird

For Treason – in the Pound –

Himself has but to will

And easy as a Star

Look down opon Captivity –

And laugh – No more have I –

The second stanza’s first line starts strong with “Still!” where the sarcasm can be immediately sensed. The speaker continues to explain how pointless trying to restrict her is, though she is being confined physically; her mind is always free and cannot be contained by walls (Walker 57). In the third and fourth lines of the second stanza, the speaker implies to how ludicrous “They” are; a bird obviously cannot be locked up for treason. “What makes it even more bizarre is the fact that birds sing melodious tunes. The metaphor for poet suggests that shutting up beautiful language makes just as much sense as imprisoning a bird for committing a crime against a king” (Medhkour 10). Finally, in the last stanza, the speaker continues with the bird example, expressing how easy it is to escape imprisonment. From the view the bird gets from above, it looks down at its would to be captors and laughs at them. The distinct perspective of the speaker, which is higher than “Theirs,” are the wings that are keeping her above and setting her free from the confinement being put on her. However, like the bird she had escaped it already.   The poem explores the themes of restriction and seclusion against an individual who does not believe or share the same beliefs as the surrounding community. Individuality is the ideology of being self-reliant and unique, making us different from one another as we will have different needs, rights, goals, and morals. Unfortunately, when individuality is taken away because of culture, religion, or in this case, society's expectations of all women behaving and acting in the same way, the sense of self is lost as the group (women) must act like one. As a result, different ideas or perspectives that go against the ideal beliefs of the community will be labeled as outrageous, atrocious, or even insane, and the person challenging the ideals will be separated from the group and labeled as demented. Emily Dickinson embraced the seclusion she was getting from society for being a woman trying to publish poetry and began to disappear from social life. This was the time in her life she was fully dedicated to her writing to the point Dickinson would only speak with visitors through a door instead of face-to-face. According to the essay Redefining Domesticity: Emily Dickinson and the Wife Persona, published in 2015:  

“At first glance, the way Dickinson shut herself up in her bedroom seemingly contradicts this poem’s message. She chose four walls over the usual concept of freedom. Nonetheless, this poem exemplifies Dickinson’s choice. The prison was outside of her room—her walls kept things out, not her in. Her room was where her mind could “go round” and be free of captivity, because that is where she wrote poetry. It is the place where “I” finds precedence over “They.” She chose to not publish traditionally because “They” would “shut [her] up in Prose” or force her to write poetry that was an “acceptable” subject for women or more regular in syntax, stanza, and rhyme as was the style of the time” (Medhkour 10).

In brief, the poem “They Shut Me Up in Prose” honors the liberty Emily Dickinson achieved from society. Even though Dickinson was lacking in contact, she was her true self; she explored her individuality and did what she liked the most, write poems. Society could not stop her from writing, as she wrote over 1,800 poems in her lifetime. Her mind and ideas were always free, not obeying the restrictive social conventions because it is laughably powerless compared to the power of one’s mind (Little, 2021). Emily Dickinson is the perfect example of a feminist poet revolutionary in a patriarchal society.

Glossary

Bird, n.

1. Mortal being; transitory creature; [fig.] angel; spirit; essence of a dead loved one.
2. Fowl; winged creature; warm-blooded vertebrate with feathers; member of the class Aves.
3. Quick-moving creature; [fig.] feeling; emotion; sentiment; affection.
4. Nestling; hatchling; chick; baby fowl; [fig.] child; offspring.
5. Whistler; [fig.] informer; reporter; gossiper; messenger; secret-bearer; tattle-tale.
6. Nesting creature; [metonymy] melody; song; tune; [fig.] happiness; hope; joy; good tidings.
7. Far-flying creature; [fig.] explorer; navigator; sailor; mariner.
8. Creature used in sacrifices and offerings; [fig.] Savior; Christ; (see Leviticus 12:8).
9. Communicative creature; [fig.] thought; idea; intelligence.
10. Singing creature; [metaphor] poet; minstrel; author of lyric verse.
11. Phrase. “Patriarch's bird”: Noah's dove; the dove that Noah sent forth from the Ark to look for land after the flood (see Genesis 8:8-12).
12. Phrase. “Blue Bird”
13. Phrase. “Humming Bird”

Brain, n.

1. Imagination; cognition; sensory perception; cognition; center of emotion.
2. Cerebrum and cerebellum; master organ of the body; terminus of the central nervous system; soft viscus mass within the skull; center that enables various human functions, abilities, capacities, connections, and sensations.
3. Memory; mind; remembrance; recollection; mental awareness.
4. Intelligence; understanding; consciousness; center of thought; seat of the soul.
5. Intellect; reason; logical capacity.
6. Nucleus; core; kernel.

Captivity, n.

1. Bondage; slavery; thralldom; imprisonment; servitude; subjection; state of being controlled; [fig.] embodiment; incarnation; mortality; (see Ephesians 4:8).

Closet, n.

1. Chamber; cupboard; wine cabinet.
2. Small room; storage place; [fig.] body; mind.
3. Compartment; [fig.] area of the brain.

Laugh, v.

1. Bubble; gurgle; chuckle; chortle; chirp; guffaw; giggle; make mirthful noises.
2. Express joy; project gaiety; be cheerful, pleasant, or lively.
3. Phrase. “laugh at”: mock; scorn; deride; ridicule; treat with some degree of contempt.

Lodge, v.

1. Enclose; confine; detain; imprison; incarcerate.
2. Place; plant; set to grow.
3. House; host; board.
4. Stay; rest; abide; find a place in.

Might, n.

1. Bodily strength; physical power.
2. Strong force.
3. Ability.
4. Strength in mind and body.
5. Supernatural power.
6. Strength of affection.

Upon (opon), prep.

1. On; using; standing upward with.
2. On; in contact with; at the point of.
3. Affecting; opposing; up against; grating on.
4. During.

Peep, v.

1. Arise; awake; begin to appear; emerge from concealment.
2. Watch carefully; observe secretly; look through a small opening.

Pound, n.

1. Prison; jail; detention facility; holding place for impounded animals; enclosure for confinement of stray creatures.

Prose, n.

1. Ordinary language; uninspired expression; unimaginative discourse; dull, commonplace words.

Star, n.

1. Heavenly body; shining points of light in the night sky; [plural] Milky Way; stellar display.
2. Celebrity; genius; great one; special person; selected individual.
3. A general term for a point of light in a constellation.
4. Wish; miracle; special phenomenon; beautiful thing; signal of hope; dream to come true.
5. Small meteorite; shooting star.
6. Lesser light; smaller celestial being; less prominent but nevertheless worthy of heaven.
7. Sparkling entity; glittering orb.
8. Reflection; glimmer.
9. Lofty goal; unreachable object.
10. Director; guide; heavenly map; divine guidance.
11. Polar center; central point in the heavens around which other heavenly bodies move.
12. The United States flag; the red, white, and blue emblem of the independent government in North America.
13. Six-pointed symbol [*]; pointed punctuation mark in a text; [fig.] heavenly being; splendid multi-faceted person who has left mortality but leaves a hint of eternal life.
14. Saint; righteous person; being of great renown.
15. Bright orb; glowing point of light; distant object in the night sky.
16. Phrase. “border star”: evening planet on faintly visible on the horizon at sunset; [metaphor] frontier newspaper in Missouri in the mid-1800's.
17. Phrase. “Morning Stars”: pre-mortal choir; female singers who rejoiced when the Lord laid the earth's foundations; daughters of God who sang for joy when the world was created (see Job 38:4-7).
18. Phrase. “the Morning Star”: Venus; the second planet from the sun in Earth's solar system; the star-like planet that appears in the east just before dawn; [fig.] the Lord; the resurrection of the dead (see Revelation 2:28, 22:16).
19. Phrase. “Star of Bethleem/Bethlehem”: astrological phenomenon; extremely bright body of light that appeared in the sky at the birth of Jesus (see Matthew 2:1-10).
20. Phrase. “the northern star”: polar center; Arctic view of the sky; compass point in the heavens around which other heavenly bodies move.

Still, v.

1. Appease; assuage; placate; satiate; silence.
2. Occupy; engage; busy; captivate; engross.
3. Suspend; efface; disperse; dissolve; evanesce; cause to disappear; make to vanish.

Treason, n.

1. Perfidy; act of betraying; attempt to overthrow the authority; subversion against one to whom allegiance is owed.
2. Disloyalty; infidelity.
3. Disclosure; revelation that betrays identity.
4. Treachery; deception.

Wise, n.

1. Seer; most intelligent person; one who usually possesses great discernment.

Activities

Let's write a poem! Just take a piece of paper and a pencil and start writing about a moment in your life, any! Just think about how you feel, where you were, what smelt like. It does not have to be perfect! After you have your first draft, let's shorten it and try to think of different words to express the same or deeper feelings. Instead of "love," you can use colors like "red," and instead of "passion," you can use objects like "fire." You can also use metaphors and compare emotions like "Love is like a rollercoaster" or "This passion is like a burning sun."

You can also go to Poem Generator and generate your own poem with your own specifications.

Further readings

• “I’m nobody! Who are you?” [1]
• “I dwell in possibility” [2]
• “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died” [3]
• ““Hope” is the thing with feathers” [4]

• “I felt a funeral, in my Brain” [5] 
• “The Soul selects her own Society” [6] 
• “The Heart Asks Pleasure First”
• “I died for Beauty – but was scarce” [7]

References

Habegger, A. (2023, May 11). Emily Dickinson. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emily-Dickinson

Hallen, Cynthia, ed. Emily Dickinson Lexicon. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 2007, http://edl.byu.edu/index.php.  

Little, Margaree. "They shut me up in Prose –." LitCharts LLC, January 21, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2023. https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/emily-dickinson/emily-dickinson-they-shut-me-up-in-prose.

Medhkour, Yousra. Redefining Domesticity: Emily Dickinson and the Wife Persona. 2015. University of Toledo, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=uthonors1418939861.

Pinckney, C. (Ed.). (1848). The Lady's Token: or Gift of Friendship. Nashua, NH: J. Buffum.

Walker, N. (1983). Emily Dickinson and the Self: Humor as Identity. Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, 2(1), 57–68. https://doi.org/10.2307/464206

The Soul selects her own Society

The Power Of Selectivity

“Unable are the loved to die, for love, is immortality.” - Emily Dickinson

Introduction

Being selective.

The capacity to narrow one's attention to a single objective from many possibilities is called the Power of Selectivity. Being able to choose and choose what we pay attention to in a society where we are continuously being distracted by many things has become a vital talent. Numerous facets of life, including jobs, relationships, and personal growth, might benefit from this ability. We may increase our attention and productivity and our sense of fulfillment and purpose in life by strengthening our selection abilities. Our mental health and well-being can benefit from being selective with our attention. It is simple to feel stressed and overwhelmed in a society where information overload is the norm. However, we may lessen these uncomfortable emotions by focusing on what demands our attention. Furthermore, choosing the relationships we invest in carefully might result in stronger, deeper bonds. It is crucial to pay attention to the connections that matter to us the most and let go of the ones that do not. Making such crucial decisions might be challenging in the culture we live in today.  

It might be challenging to discriminate between what is crucial and what is not since we are constantly inundated with information and messages. But by developing our ability to be selective, we may better manage our time and feel more satisfied with ourselves. We may have a stronger feeling of fulfillment and purpose in our lives and a more optimistic mental state by putting the selectivity principles to use in our daily lives. For our general well-being, it is also good to continue to develop our abilities of selection. We get more sense of control over our lives when we learn to say "no" to commitments and diversions that do not benefit us. Increased confidence and self-esteem can result from this feeling of control, generating a positive feedback cycle. Additionally, by allowing us to concentrate on our interests and passions, being selective can aid us in achieving a better work-life balance.

We are better able to make choices that support our objectives when we are aware of and value our own wants and preferences. In turn, this could result in a happier and more fulfilled life. Additionally, by making thoughtful decisions, we may prevent feeling overloaded and exhausted. Our productivity and stress levels can both be improved by concentrating on one activity at a time. We may therefore feel more well-being generally because of this. Being selective also enables us to prioritize the activities and opportunities that are consistent with our values and goals, which may help us stay faithful to them. The Power of Selectivity is a concept that is crucial to our lives. It is the act of choosing to focus on certain things while ignoring others. Emily Dickinson's poem "The Soul Selects Her Own Society" beautifully explores this idea. In this poem, the main character chooses to only allow certain people into their life while rejecting others. This poem is a fitting example of the power of selectivity. Dickinson emphasizes the importance of selective companionship to cultivate a fulfilling life. The speaker's ability to "shut the door" on certain individuals symbolizes the empowering nature of selective choice. By committing to only surrounding oneself with those who bring joy and upliftment, one can live a truly harmonious life. This poem highlights how the power of selectivity not only adds value to one's life but also helps in maintaining personal boundaries. (IvyPanda, 2022)

Context

Who was Emily Dickinson?

Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Little known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most distinguished figures in American poetry. She attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, but only for one year. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was actively involved in state and national politics, serving in Congress for one term. Her brother, Austin, who attended law school and became an attorney, lived next door with his wife, Susan Gilbert. Dickinson’s younger sister, Lavinia, also lived at home, and she and Austin were intellectual companions for Dickinson during her lifetime. (https://poets.org/poet/emily-dickinson)

Summary

"The Soul Selects Her Own Society" by Emily Dickinson is a poem that speaks about the choice one makes to select their own companions. It highlights the idea that one's connections are important and are determined by the soul. The poem is Dickinson's way of expressing her belief that individuals are selective in their choices of friends and associates and that these choices are determined by a spiritual force - the soul. This idea is beautifully conveyed through the poem's imagery and language, which creates a sense of intimacy and connection with the reader. The poem is about the personal choices made by the soul, and its reflections on the nature of human connections. It is a poem about the nature of human relationships. The poem is written in a free verse format, and this is an amazingly effective form of writing that makes it easy for the reader. Free verse is a powerful technique used by the poet to emphasize the importance of individual choice. By not conforming to a traditional structure or meter, the poem itself becomes a metaphor for the freedom that one has in choosing one's own society. Also, the lack of forced rhyme and structure allows for greater focus on the imagery and language used, which further adds to the poem's intimacy. Overall, Dickinson's use of free verse reinforces the central message of the poem - that the soul has agency in the choices it makes, and that these choices are essential to our human connections.

Textual Analysis

Keywords

The soul is being taken away.

The Soul

The soul is not simply an abstract idea, but a tangible, active force that selects its own community of like-minded individuals. Dickinson uses metaphors and personification to emphasize the power of the soul in determining one's social connections. Additionally, the poem can be interpreted as a commentary on individuality and the importance of staying true to oneself, rather than conforming to society's expectations.

Unmoved

The idea of the "unmoved" can be interpreted in numerous ways. The unmoved represents a person who chooses to remain unattached and distant from others in society. The speaker of the poem admires this characteristic, as it allows the unmoved to preserve their sense of self and individuality. However, the speaker also acknowledges the loneliness that can come from this choice. To me, the "unmoved" signifies a sense of selectivity. The soul only chooses those who are worthy of its company, those who share the same values and beliefs. These chosen few are the "unmoved" because they remain steadfast in their convictions and are not swayed by external forces. It is important to note that the concept of being "unmoved" can also be interpreted as a form of protection. The soul selects those individuals who it trusts and will not try to harm or manipulate it. These individuals serve as a barrier against outside influences that may try to sway the soul from its chosen path. This barrier allows the soul to remain true to itself and its values, even in the face of adversity.

Like Stone

When describing how carefully the soul selects its friends, the metaphor "like stone" is often used. It means that the soul makes decisions with firmness and constancy and that its choice of companion is not readily influenced. This line deepens the poem's meaning by highlighting both the significance of the soul's decision and its independence in doing so. By choosing its own society like a stone, the soul can resist the pressures of society and maintain its true self. This idea is particularly relevant in today's world, where people are constantly bombarded with external influences that can sway their beliefs and actions. The metaphor of the stone reminds us of the importance of staying true to ourselves, even in adversity. (Poetry for Students. 2023)

Analysis

Emily Dickinson’s poem "The Soul Selects Her Own Society" is a masterpiece that highlights her genius. The poem is a celebration of individuality and the power to choose. The central thesis of the poem is about how the soul selects and sticks to its chosen path despite the pressures of society. This poem explores the themes of free will, personal autonomy, and individual power by personifying the speaker's soul as an entity separate from the body and the world around it and suggesting that it has a unique ability to discern and select individuals who will make up its inner circle. In this poem, she expresses her belief that each person has a distinct path and purpose in life.  

The poem is a fascinating examination of how much people want connection and companionship. The first stanza focuses on the soul's tendency to just open to a chosen group of people rather than to everyone. The concept that the soul has power over its own fate and can choose and select whom it wishes to be near to is highlighted in the second verse. The speaker underlines the exclusivity of the soul's group in the third verse by claiming that those who are not included feel abandoned and rejected. The significance of welcoming new members into the community of the soul is emphasized in the fifth verse. It draws attention to the fact that, despite being exclusive, the group is open to new members. As to the speaker, the soul must extend out and welcome new individuals into its inner circle to form meaningful connections. To promote more empathy and understanding among all community members, this is a necessary step. The poem's concluding verse stresses the major influence that each person can have on the neighborhood if they are open to letting others in and fostering a genuine sense of community and connection.

Isolation

The subject of social isolation is addressed in this poem. The speaker chooses her own company over other people's overt preference for isolation. The speaker's commitment to uniqueness is emphasized throughout the poem, and it can be assumed that Dickinson is arguing that finding true happiness requires staying loyal to oneself and resisting social influences. As the speaker expresses a yearning for solitude, isolation, and independence serve as the poem's key themes. The speaker emphasizes the importance of having the freedom to pick one's own route in life in this poem, which features a significant motif about choosing one's society. This concept may be seen as a denial of social standards and expectations. The poem's overall message is that seeking independence and rejecting conformity are the only ways to find true happiness.

Dickinson challenges us to think about the significance of selecting those whom we allow into our lives through her words. According to the poem, we must acknowledge the wisdom our souls have about those who will make our lives more fulfilling. We begin to see the value of carefully choosing our partners as we explore deeper into this poem's meaning. Dickinson's writings can act as a road map for negotiating the difficulties of interpersonal relationships. We may create a positive and stimulating environment that feeds our spirits by carefully choosing the people we spend time with. In contrast, allowing toxic or harmful individuals into our lives can have a devastating impact, leading to feelings of isolation and emptiness. Therefore, Dickinson's poem serves as a reminder to be intentional in our connections with others, choosing those who bring out the best in us and help us grow.

Personification is a literary technique that Emily Dickinson uses in her poem "The Soul Selects Her Own Society" to give the soul agency and human-like characteristics. The soul is portrayed as having free will and the ability to select the people it associates with. This tool additionally supports the idea that the soul is unique from the body and has its own goals and preferences. Dickinson gives a compelling and sympathetic picture of the soul as a being with free choice and action through personification. In addition to showing the soul as a distinct entity from the body, this illustration highlights its significance and power. The soul is not only a nebulous and abstract idea but rather an actual, breathing being that can make choices and has agency. In addition, the soul is defined as a social being that selects its own society. This indicates the soul's power to make decisions and choose its own path. The soul can choose whom it associates with and how it interacts with others.

This poem is a masterpiece that captures the essence of human nature. Dickinson creates a sense of closure as the poem ends, leaving the reader with a touching sense of conclusion while still encouraging them to consider the larger meanings of her words. This is a heartfelt poem, and I was impressed by how well Dickinson's words connected with me. I was very moved by the notion that we have the freedom to select the people we choose to be in our lives and the significance of discovering our own special position in them. She reminded me to be true to myself and my ideals through straightforward yet emotive words. Overall, I thought the poem was a moving work of writing that has the potential to move readers' emotions for many years to come.

Deliberation

Here are some queries to consider to examine how The Power of Selectivity has been used at this point in these texts:

• What are the benefits of selective processes?
• What are the potential drawbacks?
• What criteria are being used to make these choices?
• Who holds the power to make these decisions?
• What factors are being used to determine what option is best?
• How much weight is being given to each factor?
• what motivates the soul to choose certain individuals or groups over others? We might examine how selectivity relates to power dynamics; does the soul have agency over its choices, or is it confined by external factors?
• What factors influence our decisions to include or exclude certain people One of the central questions to ask when considering this theme is what criteria the soul uses to choose its society. Is it personal preference, shared values, or some other factor? Additionally, what does this say about the nature of individuality and identity?
• What motivates the soul in its choices of companionship? Is it a desire for understanding? Is it a need for safety?

References

1. "The Soul Selects Her Own Society ." Poetry for Students. Retrieved May 25, 2023, from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/soul-selects-her-own-society
2. IvyPanda. (2022, February 3). “The Soul Selects Her Own Society” by Emily Dickinson. Retrieved from https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-soul-selects-her-own-society-by-emily-dickinson/

External Sources

Wilner, E. (1971). The Poetics of Emily Dickinson. ELH, 38(1), 126–154. https://doi.org/10.2307/2872366

Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886. (1961). Final Harvest: Emily Dickinson's poems. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.

Habegger, A. (2023, May 11). Emily Dickinson. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emily-Dickinson

https://poets.org/poet/emily-dickinson

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes in 1943

Langston Hughes was an African-American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist who examined life in United States during the first part of the 20th Century, exposing oppression, discrimination, and inequality. Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. After Hughes' parents divorced, he began living with his grandmother, Mary Langston, who encouraged him to understand the importance of racial issues in America, so he dedicated much of his work to celebrating African American culture. The difficult experiences that he went through at a young age like growing up during a time of segregation motivated him to write poems while he was at grammar school. Later, while Hughes attended Central High School in Ohio, his Latin teacher taught him the importance of writing literature so he began writing for the newspaper and yearbook. He began writing short stories because books helped him escape from the hardships that he experienced. At the age of seventeen, he wrote his first poem called “When Sue Wears Red."

In the 1920s, Hughes became one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, a congregation of African American artistic, intellectual, and political talent centered in the neighborhood of Harlem, New York. He became famous for defending racial integration around the world, especially with younger generations of Black writers, who considered Hughes as a defender of minorities’ rights. One case in point was his encouragement of Black Americans to join World War II because he believed it would help them obtain civil rights at a time of racial segregation in the United States. Hughes died on May 22, 1967 in Stuyvesant Polyclinic in New York City.

Let America Be America Again

Text

“Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes. This poem was written on 1935 and originally published in Esquire Magazine in 1936. It was revised in 1938 for a collection of Hughes' poems entitled A New Song, which was published by the International Workers Order, an organization with close links to the American Communist Party. The version analyzed here is from the Academy of American Poets website. Here is the poem as performed by Aldo Billingslea.

Analysis

The Statue of Liberty as symbol of the American Dream

The American Dream deferred: The sign “COLORED WAITING ROOM” illustrates Jim Crow in Durham, North Carolina in 1940.

The American Dream represents the liberty and freedom of Americans to pursue what makes them happy. However, this American Dream has not been achievable for everyone. In the 1935 poem “Let America Be America Again,” written when the country was beginning to recuperate from the Great Depression and while Jim Crow segregation was still an everyday fact, Hughes examines the state of the American Dream to expose the cruel reality of inequality and servitude that minorities, the working class, and the poor experience in the United States.

The poem begins with a speaker wishing that America were allowed to live to its ideals of liberty and equality so it can be “the dream the dreamers dreamed” (line 6), that is, “that great strong land of love/Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme/That any man be crushed by one above” (7-9).

Meanwhile, a second intermixed voice suggests that he has never experienced the American Dream in his life: “America never was America to me” (5). The first speaker, curious, asks the second voice to identify itself, and it responds that it is “the poor white, fooled and pushed apart”(19), “the Negro bearing slavery’s scars”(20), “the red man driven from the land” (21), “the immigrant clutching…hope” (22) “the farmer, bondsman to the soil” (31), “the worker sold to the machine” (32), “the people, humble, hungry, mean” (34), and “the man who never got ahead,/The poorest worker bartered through the years”(37-38). The second voice represents all of those who have been oppressed, work for low wages, or serve others and they never see prosperity or appreciation. They find it difficult to obtain basic necessities such as food and home to feel safe and secure, even though some are hard workers. Their housing, their education, and their health are all second-class. They have been excluded from achieving the American Dream, which for them has been replaced by “the same old stupid plan/Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak” (23-24).

At this point the poem focuses on those powerful people who oppress poor people and never give them an opportunity to demonstrate who they really are and how far they can go with their dreams. They are described as “leeches on the people's lives” (72) because they live off of the work and the hopes of others, giving little in return. They absorb the lifeblood of the workers, leaving them weak and vulnerable. Because minorities and the poor do not have appropriate representation that could protect them from those “blood suckers,” their opportunity to achieve the American Dream disappears.

The speaker ends the poem by swearing an oath: the oppressed of America will ensure that America will live up to its ideals. He knows his demand for action will cause those who are against him to hate him (“sure call me any ugly name you choose”), but he will never give up until the situation changes. He insists that “we must take back our land again” by fighting for the rights all of us should enjoy equally.

In conclusion, Hughes’ speaker demands the American Dream that he has never experienced. He demands that it come not only for him but also for the many working class families that have passed through situations like his. Even though he wrote this poem more than a century ago, we continue to see how inequality keeps low-class families in the same spot, which leads to the overall poverty in America. One of these inequalities comes from education disparities so that poor and minority students are not getting support to succeed in their lives.

Further Reading: Other Poems by Langston Hughes on Inequality in America

• “I, Too" (1925). A poem reminiscent of Walt Whitman's celebration of America in poems such as "I hear America singing," but written from the point of view of a segregated speaker. Here is a version where Hughes gives context to the poem and reads it out loud, with a small modification.
• “Song for a Dark Girl" (1927). A poem mourning the brutal lynching of a young black person in Dixieland. Here is the poem turned into song by folk musician Leyla McCalla.
• “An Open Letter to the South" (1932). A plea from a black worker to the white workers of the South to overcome segregation and join forces against bosses and owners.
• “Harlem" (1951). Sometimes referred to as "A Dream Deferred," the poem identifies the consequences to the community of Harlem of continually postponing the achievement of the American Dream.

“America never was America to me”: Educational Inequality in the United States

Having read and analyzed Langston Hughes' poem, I understand that the inequality we see today is not new in America; it has been happening for centuries. One major cause and effect of this inequality is the American educational system, where a child’s education, and therefore their chances at achieving the American Dream is determined by their socioeconomic status.  In the United States, working class students—mostly Latino and black—perform poorly because their teachers are less prepared, their schools do not have the resources for extracurricular instruction, and their parents do not have the money or resources to help their children succeed.

Quality teachers are essential in the classroom because when teachers are prepared, they can guide students step by step in the process of learning, which increases their chances to develop strong habits of studying and succeed in school. However, in America, the less prepared teachers are mostly likely to be sent to poor neighborhoods where students are already struggling with their learning which decreases their chances to graduate from school. What is more, research demonstrates a disproportionate distribution of money, with schools with good performance receiving better resources.

Courses Offered in Public High Schools, by School Poverty Level. Public high schools with more students in poverty and smaller schools provide fewer academic offerings to prepare for college.

This problem affects the whole school system because teachers with low resources and salaries often quit their jobs, affecting students' performance, especially on standardized tests. Switching teachers in the classroom creates chaos for students because they become confused about the changes and fall behind. It is clear how the lack of experienced teachers and well-funded schools creates education inequality in America. The government could fix this problem by creating legislation that improves salaries and resources for all schools so that educators stay in one school and provide quality education, especially for minority students. Having effective teachers in the classroom would help students from working class families increase their test scores and achieve their goals.

Furthermore, students' progress is not dependent only on the hours of instruction but on extra support like after school programs or tutoring. Individualized instruction reinforces students’ knowledge and increases their ability to improve academically, so students will perform better on their standardized test scores which is one of the requirements to earn a scholarship and finish their career. Unfortunately, for Latinos and African American students, there is a limit to how many programs they can participate in to increase their grades. Students who have a low proficiency in reading English are mostly placed into special education classrooms or they stay in the same grade for the following year, which causes them to lose motivation in school. Moreover, state legislations and the government concluded that because low-income families are unable to pay tuition their education is negatively impacted, thus increasing the division between the rich and poor. The research also explains how residents select the amount of tax grants for each school when they elect a district board to collect taxes. This plan affects poor neighborhoods because schools with low performance will be receiving less funding from taxpayers.  The school system must fix this problem because it is affecting students who have the potential to earn their college degree and be successful in life. Academic development requires a lot of time so students need additional resources like tutors to increase their knowledge and improve their grades.

Many working class Black and Latino parents do not have access to essential resources such as books, electronic devices, and access to the Internet which makes it impossible for their children to turn in their assignments on time. Family size also affects many minority students; because their families share apartments with other family members or strangers, students do not have enough space to study and complete their assignments. Having limited access to resources leads parents to look for alternative schools where their children could have enough free resources. In recent decades, charter schools have become a possible option for these parents because these schools provide food, books and academic support. It is disturbing to see how Latinos and African American students and their parents do not receive enough support and supplies essential to succeed in school. This makes academic disadvantages and inequality even worse.

Overall, minorities in America with low income, especially Latinos and African American students, do not achieve their goals because educators do have enough experience and resources to provide support for minorities, creating a gap in education. These obstacles cause students to leave schools without a degree. Parents also are not able to provide their children with essential tools like electronic devices which leaves their children behind on their assignments and causes poor performance. The government should address this issue by creating legislation that equally distributes funds for schools regardless of the students’ race or socioeconomic status.

Further Reading: Educational Inequality in the United States

• Wikipedia contributors. "Educational inequality in the United States." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. A review of the history and main factors behind educational inequality.
• Gregor Aisch, Amanda Cox, and Kevin Quealy. "You Draw It: How Family Income Predicts Children’s College Chances." The New York Times. May 28, 2015. An interactive chart that requires the reader to guess the chances of a child going to college based on her family's income level before it reveals the correct answer.
• Motoko Rich, Amanda Cox, and Matthew Bloch. "Money, Race and Success: How Your School District Compares." The New York Times. April 29, 2016. A factual analysis of the learning gap based on race and income.
• Keith Meatto. "Still Separate, Still Unequal: Teaching about School Segregation and Educational Inequality." May 2, 2019. The New York Times. Civics lesson plan containing activities to investigate school segregation and educational inequality.
• Cory Turner. "New Studies Show The Pandemic Highlights Inequality In U.S. Education System." All Things Considered. National Public Radio. December 10, 2020. A podcast discussing how the COVID-19 pandemic has widened the learning gap, creating a "lost generation" of low-income kids, mostly from communities of color.
• Clea Simon. "How COVID taught America about inequity in education."The Harvard Gazette. July 9, 2021. This article points to possible educational reform now that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the disparity in educational resources.

Mother to Son

Mother to Son

A mother's eternal and unconditional love.

“Motherhood isn't just about making babies, it's about making lives and molding destinies”.   --Agu Jaachynma N.E.. 

Background of the text:

Langston Hughes was regarded as “the most prominent African American poet of the twentieth century”. In 1922 he wrote the poem “Mother to Son” which talks about a mother's life experiences that she shares with her son. She emphasizes the obstacles she has faced and motivates him to persevere. She encourages him to use her struggles as a source of strength and courage and never give up.

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A Motivational Poem about a Mother’s Resilience:  My Reflections

"Mother to Son" [8] is a dramatic monologue spoken in African American vernacular English. The Poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes –  in which a poor, hardworking black mother imparts advice to her young son about the struggles he will face in a segregated society where African Americans are oppressed, marginalized, and discriminated against.

“Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair/ It had tacks in it, / And splinters / And boards torn up” (2-5).

Crystal stairs are a metaphor for people who are extremely financially stable and luxurious. It symbolizes the segregation of people living in a society of color. A striking symbol used in the story was tacks and splinters to depict the hardships of a black mother living in a racially segregated community.  

The mother of the poem points out that determination will give you power through life:.

“ So boy, don’t you turn your back/ Don’t you step down on the steps/Cause you find it’s kinder hard/Don’t you fall now/For I’se still goin, honey / I’se still climbing.” (14-19).

As we travel through life's estrangement, we should have the will to be brave and courageous. There should be the will to overcome life’s challenges and not giving up is the only way to succeed in life. Despite life's ups and downs we must move onward and forward to achieve our goals in life. The journey of life is not an easy one, and we must accept life as it is to appreciate the victories along the way.  

Mothers' struggles can be very lonely and overwhelmingly exhausting, both mentally and physically.

“And sometimes going in the dark/ Where there ain’t been no light." (12-13).

The trials and tribulations of a mother can feel so lonely in times of darkness. Because a mother shielded her own problems and presented a façade of a strong woman. This was so she could carry all her responsibility to her family and most of all to her children. This often leads to isolation, as she cannot express her true feelings. This can be a burden difficult to bear and have serious implications for her mental health. It is important to support mothers in these difficult times.  

The mother emphasizes the power of resilience amidst her isolation and how it can help cope with all the hardships in life:

“But all the time/I’se been a-climbin’ on/And reachin’ landin’s/And turnin’ corners/And sometimes goin’ in the dark/Where there ain’t been no light.” (8-13).

Despite the trials she faces in life as an American African mother, she maintains a positive outlook.  It is through her example that she teaches her young son the true values of life and the courage to never give up even in the face of discrimination or segregation. She believes that these values are what will keep him going in the face of adversity, and she wants him to understand that he has the power to make a difference. She encourages him to reach for his dreams and to never be afraid to stand up for what is right.  

 

Pregnant women supporting each other.

Even though the text, is meant to illustrate the African American experience, the trail and tribulations of this mother is universal to mothers of all colors who live under a similar circumstance of hardship. We should acknowledge the fact that our children are the future of our society. It is essential that they develop the grit necessary to overcome any challenges they may face. Therefore, it is important that parents equip their children with the necessary skills, values, and attitudes that will help them become resilient and successful individuals. Parents must also provide them with the tools and resources they need to make the right decisions and succeed. Moreover, providing our children with a role model of love, kindness, and compassion is the most effective way to ensure these values are instilled.   

Glossary:

• African-American Vernacular English - is the variety of English natively spoken, particularly in urban communities, by most working- and middle-class African Americans and some Black Canadians. Having its own unique grammatical, vocabulary, and accent features, AAVE is employed by middle-class Black Americans as the more informal and casual end of a sociolinguistic continuum.
• Adversity [9] - a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune.
• Grit [10] - firmness of mind or spirit: unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.
• Marginalized [11] - to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group.
• Segregation [12] - the separation or isolation of a race, class, or ethnic group by enforced or voluntary residence in a restricted area, by barriers to social intercourse, by separate educational facilities, or by other discriminatory means ; the separation for special treatment or observation of individuals or items from a larger group segregation of gifted children into accelerated classes
• Tribulations [13] - distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution also: a trying experience

Further Reading: For better comprehension on the meaning of African-American Vernacular English:

• 1.Wikipedia contributors. “African-American Vernacular English”. . Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. An article about the meaning and ideas of a spoken English used by native African Americans.    

• 2.Wikipedia contributors. “Mother’s Day” .Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Article about Mother's Day celebrations around the world.

Recommended Reading for Segregation:

To give you a better understanding of isolation, I have included a few poems and articles. They will help you to appreciate how it feels to be isolated and to understand the complexity of emotions that come with it. I hope these resources will provide you with insight and support.

1. “What We Can Learn of History from Older African American Women Who Worked as Maids in the Deep South.”  [14]
2. “My People” [15] a poem by Langston Hughes
3. " I, Too " [16] a poem Langston Hughes

Love letter: A Mother’s Day Project

Love with pen and paper.

Mother's Day is a very special occasion, and we want our kids to know we love and care for them. So, every year on this incredibly special and memorable occasion, I want you to write something special for your baby, kid, and children. This is even if they are grown up and have their own family. Easy but wait, here’s the catch! It is recommended that all mail be handwritten; the content of your letter can be anything from the lyrics to poems to short stories to anything you wish to express. If you have difficulty writing, no worries you can leave a personal voice message, a voice message of you reading a poem, or a voice message singing a few lines of your favorite song or saying something funny or cringe jokes and whatever you want to say to your kids. And every 5,10,15 years ask your children who saved the most letters or voice messages, and whoever saved the most gets a reward or the loser gets a sanctioned, like taking a family photo wearing matching ugly sweaters or treating the family to a dinner, or anything the whole family decides. Best of luck!

References:

• https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-Poem-Mother-To-Son-by-Langston-Hughes

• Butler, Robert. “Langston Hughes: A Biography.” African American Review, vol. 40, no. 2, Summer 2006, pp. 386–87. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com

• Filmer, Alice Ashton. “African-American Vernacular English: Ethics, Ideology, and Pedagogy in the Conflict between Identity and Power.” World Englishes, vol. 22, no. 3, Aug. 2003, pp. 253–70. EBSCOhost

• VAN WORMER, KATHERINE, et al. “What We Can Learn of History from Older African American Women Who Worked as Maids in the Deep South.” Western Journal of Black Studies, vol. 37, no. 4, Winter 2013, pp. 227–35. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com

Belonging

All immigrants belong.

-Pierre Ieong

This story of loss and regaining of identity is, I think, the framework of all literature.

-Northrop Frye, The Educated Imagination (1963), Ch. 2

Text

Belonging, a short film by Pierre Ieong. Winner of the Honorary Award at the United Nations PLURAL+ Youth Film Festival, New York, 2016.

Analysis

Loneliness

A sense of belonging means one feels connected to individuals, places, communities, and the world. The contrary feeling--alienation--can lead to low self esteem and depression. Our life experience, childhood, culture, social setting, and self-esteem can all shape how we experience belonging. The need to belong is a valid and essential feeling and it can push us to connect with others.

The director of the short film Belonging, Pierre Ieong, gives us the point of view of a young Armeanian Syrian refugee named George Gabonian. Over the years, George and his family have had to relocate their home many times, so he always has felt like he does not fit in. However, at the age of four, his father encouraged him to join the Scout Movement, where he found comradeship and a common purpose: to survive the wilderness together.

After the violent death of his father during the Syrian civil war, George and his mother had to flee Syria, relocating to Paris. At first, George felt isolated in such a big and foreign city and yearned to feel a sense of belonging. To illustrate his feelings, the director compares George’s memories as a boy scout to the new memories that he is making in his international class at the Lycée Jean de LaFontaine. The differences seem to stand out at first: while George's boy scout team is made up of boys like him, his international friends are female as well as male and come from many different countries and cultures. And yet, as George points out, “[w]e all come from different places, [but are] united here with a common objective.” The community the international students have created as outsiders to the French culture makes George feel they all have the same purpose: "We're little scouts in our hearts."

The importance of the analogy is given at the end of the film, when George concludes that “[a]lthough we’re out of our homes, in the wild, we’ve got each other’s backs.” He is commenting on the reality that, just like him, we all live in some form of chaos and the connection to others and sometimes places is what balances us. In those moments, knowing that we are surrounded by other people who genuinely accept us and care for our well-being reassures us. That sense of comfort when we realize that we have others around us who share our objectives and fears--that is belonging.

The urban versus the natural world

Throughout the film, Ieong uses specific mises en scène to aid us in visualizing George’s journey of loss, change, and eventually, belonging. For example, when George says that moving to Paris was scary, the director shows a shot of a crane very high in the air to symbolize fear of heights; this gives the viewer a visual sense of the George's fear caused by the traumatic chaos in his home when his father was killed as well as by his move to an alien environment. When George mentions that he felt lost, the director creates a scene of him being surrounded by many people walking in different directions-- he is surrounded by people but he still feels isolated.

Another example is a scene of George laughing and eating with his fellow boy scouts to illustrate the happiness that George felt when he belonged. This scene not only contrasts with the shots of George alone on the subway and in the streets of a crowded Paris but also with a low-key scene where George eats a meal with his mother at a kitchen table in their Paris apartment. Sad music punctuates the scene as George recounts the devastation he felt at the violent loss of his father. A balance is then achieved in the last scenes with his new friends: they are moments full of light and vivid scenery that encapsulate the happiness that may eventually offset George's loss.

Overall, Ieong's film shows that George's journey as an immigrant has been made successful by his father's early insistence that he build identity through fellowship; in every case, it is this fellowship that has allowed him to find a sense of belonging in the midst of uncertainty.

Glossary

Refugee: A person fleeing their home to escape persecution or conflict who seeks asylum in other parts of their country (also known as an internally displaced person), or in other countries. Protected by international law, refugees cannot be forced to return to their home if their lives would be endangered. Until a refugee can resettle, they rely on others to provide the basics of shelter, food and water, and healthcare.

Syrian Civil War: An armed conflict between several factions that include the Syrian Armed Forces, a loose alliance of opposition rebel groups, and the militant Islamic group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), each supported by international allies. It began in 2011 when the Syrian government violently suppressed pro-democracy protests. As of 2016, six million Syrians have been internally displaced and more than five million have fled Syria.

The Scout Movement: An international educational movement whose purpose is "to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities." Its goal is to train its members to become independent, helpful, healthy, and happy.

Comprehension questions

1. In an interview about Belonging, Pierre Ieong explains that George is trying to find his identity. What is an identity? Why does George have to try to find or create an identity? How is he doing so?
2. The film compares shots of George surrounded by the greenery of nature to George surrounded by the traffic of Paris to represent George's idea of being out "in the wild." Does this comparison work for you? Why or why not? If not, what scenery would you have chosen to express George's feeling that he must survive in a hostile world?
3. George believes that he and his classmates are "little scouts in our hearts." What does he mean by this?
4. The end of the film featuring George's classmates are shot outdoors. How does this scenery represent George’s outlook on life?

Creative thinking questions

1. Read about the Scout movement (see resources under "Further reading"). Hypothesize which skills and strategies George learned as a scout may have helped him navigate his displacement.
2. Imagine that due to war or a natural disaster you had to move to a country where you were a stranger and different. What in your upbringing could you draw upon to make this sudden change and build a new life? If you realize you completely unprepared, what are some actions you could take right now to be better prepared if such an event were to happen?
3. Very often, refugees do not have time to pack their possessions before they have to run for their lives. Imagine you had to leave your home due to a war or disaster and only had time to take one thing with you. What would you choose and why?

References

Further reading

On the social psychology of belonging

• Kendra Cherry, "How the Need to Belong Influences Human Behavior and Motivation." At Verywell Mind, a resource of wellness information by health professionals.
• Marianna Pogosyan, "On Belonging: What is behind our psychological need to belong?" At the Psychology Today blog, a resource of psychology literature for the general public.

On the Syrian refugee crisis

• "Syria Emergency." At the United Nations Refugee Agency.
• Chris Huber and Denise C. Koenig, "Syrian refugee crisis: Facts, FAQs, and how to help." At the World Vision humanitarian organization website.
• "Syria's beleaguered Christians." At BBC World News. February 25, 2015. (George is a Christian Syrian).

On scouting

• Scouts Official website
• The Scout method

On the United Nations PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival on Migration, Diversity, & Social Inclusion

• Official website (here you can view other award-winning films and submit your own)

Other short films by Pierre Ieong

• L’Amour Invisible / I Saved The Fish (2019)
• Skin to Skin (2018)
• Maledictus Tormentum (2014)

The Deluded Self

Everything has been figured out, except how to live.

~ Jean-Paul Sartre

Fear makes liars of us all.

~ Carmen Maria Machado, In the Dream House

Introduction

The masks that come with self-delusion.

Humans in the modern world have grown to become smarter, a mindset that is constantly adapting to modern technology and new experiences. However, with the change of time, humans have also learned and developed ways on improving social relations and self-image, as the need for public approval and pride have become evident in recent times, such as the use of Instagram and the rising popularity of content creators. Young people, who are still learning what is their “truth”, may find it amusing to strive for that struggle of endless validation, however, what not many realize is the implications it can do on a person’s mental condition and morals. To not only let others validate for you, but also eventually become a slave to the pride that fears what the governing eyes of others may see and reveal.

Self-delusion has, and will always be, an unconscious psychological behavior that people in their daily lives have resorted to. To delude your true self, creating a lie that allows a person to switch their “image,” is an act more common than you think, and it does not mean it’s generally bad. While we are lying to ourselves, it does enable us to protect our vulnerable ego and our conscience from the pain of reality, boosting our ability to perform as self-delusion transforms into confidence. Not only that, but by convincing ourselves of that lie, it becomes easier to convince others of that lie, as now it is seen trustworthy as any other belief.

However, there are cases when self-delusion reveals itself to be self-deception, a lie that was made with the sole intent of improving social status, stemming from the exaggeration of over-confidence and insecurity. Cases where self-delusion becomes toxic towards the authenticity of oneself, distancing and mudding the lines between genuineness and “putting up an act”, aiming towards desire and grandeur. Instances like these are what we can see in the news, such as the case of Elizabeth Holmes. Through her strong self-belief of having the potential to become a successful entrepreneur, she was able to do so, eventually declared the youngest self-made billionaire in 2015. Be that as it may, the public did not realize the fraud she committed just to achieve that until 2018, the lies in her product that was undetected due to the strong persuasion she had in attracting investors sourcing from being self-delusional. She even continued to exhibit this type of behavior during her trial when trying to justify her products, refusing to admit the lie when evidence points out otherwise. To read more about the behavior of self-delusion, visit this BBC article or The Verge article on the studies of self-delusion, or watch this TedTalk by Courtney Warren about the psychology of self-deception.

Texts

In accordance with self-delusion, there are a couple of literary works that display such that which will be discussed:

“Dream House as Choose Your Own Adventure” is a chapter in Carmen Maria Machado’s latest memoir In The Dream House. The analysis made about this chapter is based on an audio version of the story dramatized by Zoë Winters on the podcast This American Life episode 703: Stuck! during Act Two: You Can’t Go Your Own Way.

“No Exit” is a 1944 French play produced by Jean-Paul Sartre, originally titled Huis Clos. This analysis is based on the transcript of the play provided by the Internet Archive and the 1964 cinematic BBC adaptation of the play.

Summaries

In the Dream House is a memoir of Machado's abusive relationship with an ex-girlfriend. Over the course of the memoir, Machado meets her girlfriend and finds herself rapidly infatuated, wooed, love bombed, and then, eventually, the abuse begins. The memoir includes chapters that are iterations of the abusive recount in different forms of storytelling. One of which is titled “Dream House as Choose Your Own Adventure”, where the story is told from the perspective of the main character, Machado, with the reader determining the choices taken in the Dream House, thus affecting the “outcome” of the story. However, as any toxic relationship goes, it proves to be a fruitless endeavor as the abuse repeats itself day after day. The reader either ends up restarting the day or meets an ending accompanied by harsh commentary by Machado herself about the course of actions taken.

“No Exit” is an existentialist play centered around three damned souls sent to a “hellish space”, condemned to be stuck together for the rest of eternity. They are Garcin, a revolutionary who betrayed his own cause and wants to be reassured that he is not a coward; Estelle, an egomaniac who killed her illegitimate child and craves the objectivity of attention; and Inez, a sadistic lesbian that takes joy in torturing others. Each of the characters requires another person for self-definition and their means of salvation, yet each is most attracted to the person most likely to refuse and torment them. Their inability to escape from each other guarantees their eternal torture, thus having “no exit” from their never-ending need for self-definition and rejection of the past.

Textual Analysis

Key Terms

Before diving deep into analyzing both texts, there are a few terms that need to be emphasized and further analyzed to fully understand the stories:

A visual representation of the Dream House.

The Dream House

From my perspective, a house can be two things. One is as a safe haven, the embodiment of our own secure, personal space from everything else, basically "the comfort of our own home". On the other hand, two, as a prison of our own making that becomes more torturous the longer we stay holed up in there. During the pandemic, for instance, when people were forced to stay at home for quite a while, people started out strong and happy to stay in the comfort of their homes. However, people became increasingly tired of always being at home and were actually relieved to finally be free after the pandemic ended.

Of course, a Dream House would mean that it's someplace not real, or intangible. Or, it could also mean a literal “dream house”, a home where you would dream of having all your favorite things and making happy memories there. But after listening to the transcript, I would say that she’s metaphorizing this Dream House as a construct in her mind, conjuring the abuse that polluted the memory of the Dream House. Looking back and questioning the what-ifs while now being able to see it from the bigger picture of how her Dream House slowly shifted from a warm place to cold torture. Really, it’s ironic that she calls it a Dream House, as it now lingers as a hellhole. She could never claim it as her dream home, as it did not provide the love and security she needed.

The Fawn

The narrator compares, or rather contrasts herself to a fawn, reminding herself of the position she’s in in the Dream House after trying to defy the actual course of actions. As we know it, a fawn is a vulnerable and fragile creature, a young deer that usually shies towards people and other foreign beings it might encounter. It understands its capability and weakness, so it’s extremely cautious of any potential predators it might detect and puts an effort into trying to protect itself, usually by fleeing from danger. Machado depicted in the story, however, while being fragile and vulnerable, still decided to stay in the toxic relationship, justifying it as something that can be fixed even though signs that she was hurting were clearly visible (see page 12). The narrator describes the fawn to help Machado realize this, but somehow, it is shown to be as if mocking her past self for being foolish.

The Box, The Clothes, The Dishes

She started off by describing the setting when she awakened, stating despite how messy it was, she felt that warmth of innocence and glow of contentment in the room, up until she realized the existence of her partner there. Thus, voiding the light and warmth that was once in the room and leaving the room left with the disheveled mess it was originally with. It clearly shows how messy their relationship was, with the Dream House being left to a mess and how there were no signs of ever cleaning it up, with the only time she does not acknowledge the presence of her partner being when the gloomy mess “disappears”. This could be referencing to her time during the relationship, how the only time she could enjoy her Dream House was when her partner wasn’t in the picture, when she could be happy and forget the mess they made. Her partner only became a parasite to the Dream House, bringing harm and disorder into the relationship.

Mirrors

It is usually used to see yourself physically or meant as a window to see one’s soul introspectively. Sometimes even used as a tool to reaffirm your own existence and essence, to fix and confirm your appearance on how others view you. Mirrors reveal a person's truth, which is their appearance, but ironically it is sometimes referenced as needed by characters to reflect what they "want" to see or hope for their lie to be the truth. A symbol of pride in self-image and arrogance. And of course, most of the time it does not go accordingly. Say, for instance, think of how the Evil Queen in Snow White asked the mirror "Who's the fairest of them all?” with confidence that she herself is, but instead shows the image of Snow White being the fairest. Then she goes on to mess with Snow White, which we all know did not end well for the Queen. They are restricted from ever having any means of defining themselves and are constantly conscious of that lack of definition, leading up to them resorting to needing each other to be their “mirror.”

A mirror reflects our gaze back at ourselves, giving us reassurance of our existence and our "true" definition, as it is an object that shows the undeniable truth, or at least, the truth that we want to see. Now, what happens if we were to be deprived of mirrors or any tool to reflect on ourselves? Then it would narrow down our options to relying on other people's gazes to affirm our true selves. It would be fine if it were an accumulation of many different people's views, but how about limiting it to two? Now that would simplify the affirmation of your "definition" to something cruder and more untrustworthy. Almost like if you see a paper uses a lot of sources, then you can say it is reliable. But if it just uses two, then its credibility becomes questionable. The problem is, a person's gaze can never be too reliable, as they too are human, something that can show our worth subjectively and objectively. Different from a mirror that can easily be manipulated or repurposed to define us just as what we want it to be, people bring in the judgment and the opinions of defining a person, revealing the "hard truth" or the "fabricated lie" that can easily torment the individual. Just like when Estelle decided to use Inez as her mirror, with Inez lying about Estelle having a pimple on her face, which she easily believed. Each character wants a mirror not only to reassure their existence and reflect their believed "definition", but because they know it will only show what they want to see or their interpretation of their truth, making it a means of escape from the "real truth" that the gaze of each other reveals.

Freedom

A depiction of the room in "No Exit".

The definition of freedom in the text is a bit twisted. For one, they all tried to live in freedom, free from the obligations of their crimes, free from the guilt of their past, and free from the consequences of existence. They were even provided freedom in Hell when the door to their room suddenly opened after Garcin’s whines for escape. However, there is a difference between true freedom and the freedom we are comfortable with. The freedom we know of means to be free from obstacles that restrict our actions, to have the power to do, speak, and act the way we want, at least under the rules of law and order determined by a higher power, or essentially by others. True freedom, however, is a more reckless nature, where you are granted total liberty. To live life with no rules to define consequences, no one to dictate our actions, and no one to judge us except for us. But in return, we ourselves must become the regulator for our actions. Our whole life is our own, and the responsibility and obligation for our actions fall solely on us, with no one else to carry that burden, for with true freedom comes independence. And that is what the characters of “No Exit” want but can never get because of what they would have to sacrifice to obtain that. They would need to leave behind their attachment for validation and acknowledge their past to be able to achieve their desires without consequence. Basically, they would need to get rid of their need for others to dictate their existence and stop trying to reject their past, something that they are evidently not willing to let go of anytime soon as they decide to stay stuck in the room together to continue fighting for each other’s validation.

Huis Clos

As being the original, untranslated title of the play, Huis Clos roughly translates to “with closed doors”, or “behind closed doors.” This could be referencing literally to the overall setting of the story, as their torture is never-ending and their arguing is to be “behind the closed doors” of Hell for eternity, as their room was designed to be “life without a break” from the use of specific bad décor to the lack of use for the items in the room. Or, it could be the closed-off mindset of each character, the secrets and true nature they withheld throughout life. As we know each character (except for Inez) has an issue with their past, they succumb to this constant need for approval just to uphold the “closed doors” that separate their past from their delusions of self. The closed doors could also mean the separation between their self and reality, as they all fear the suffocating reality of freedom and the consequences of true independence when they were given the chance to escape. The closed doors are their only way to maintain their integrity and chance for salvation, nevertheless, it eventually proves to be their punishment. Which side of their reality really is behind closed doors, the choice of true freedom or their choice of eternal confinement?

Analysis

Machado Between the “I’s” and “You’s”

In the chapter, Machado already starts it off by saying “you” in the second person perspective, immediately emphasizing the distance she has against her “self” in the recount. This also establishes the control over “you” or her younger self that the reader has, as this will be important in its choose-your-own-adventure format. The reader would go on to explore the variety of actions the “you” character can choose and the resulting abuse that their partner would respond with, told with occasional monologues, such as on page 191 during the making love scene that drifts off for a while, as if these were scenarios Machado had known too much and too well. The cycle would then continue, only for it to restart the day and reuse the same choices for the next. However, by breaking the cycle, or in this case, the reader finally chooses to arrive at a page that was never given, we start to realize who is actually in control of the story, as page 186 reveals the inner dialogue of the narrator criticizing towards the “you” of the Dream House. We see this dissonance happening between the present “I” that is introspectively viewing the endless suffering of the past “you” still stuck in the Dream House. With “I” being the narrator and present self of Machado, and “you” being the naïve younger version of Machado who lives in her memory of the Dream House. The same “you” that the reader tries to project its liberty of choice onto, especially in this section by choosing to defy against their partner, only to be scolded by the present Machado as something she would “never do.”

Later on, specifically on pages 190 and 186, we see more of this defiance, where an argument breaks out because of “you” trying to stray from the cycle of pages once more. Still, they, or rather the reader, are reminded by the narrator of how unchanging this memory is, how in reality their choices don’t amount to anything in a story that remains as a lingering regret of a foolish young Machado, saying that “[they] can’t make it not happen, no matter what [they] do.” Escape was only a red herring in this story. As a figment of her imagination, “you” is frequently depicted as a separate entity of Machado’s bound to the events of the Dream House, being the subject of criticism and portrayal of regrets that the present Machado continues to disassociate. Despite being just a different version of herself, Machado still rejects that past self and even displays her present self throughout the chapter as being a higher-power entity than the Machado in the Dream House, isolating the pain only to happen to her depiction of a younger self and never claiming to be the once foolish girl she was.

Prison of Her Own Making

It’s evident throughout the story that Machado imprisons herself in guilt, in the trauma that gives life to the Dream House. It matters that the abuse happens in the house as it sets the boundary of those memories, those feelings that she associates with the abuse that happened in that house, limiting to just her and her partner. No one else is able to interfere with those memories and the decisions she has already made, as the house is a barrier between one's "outside life" and one's "personal life", blocking people from looking in on what's happening inside. It also restricts her freedom of choice in contrast to the choose-your-own-adventure concept. There is essentially no "choosing" in this story, as she's only limited to making decisions that are provided by the house. It's reflected in how in this never-ending game, she was never given the option to leave the house. It only happened when the author made it up, "pretending" that's what they did during that time. The events of the Dream House are already set in stone, unchanging as it had already passed on but persisted.

Since the beginning, we also see the real Machado as a dominating person, being the present that knows the outcome of the story and ostracizes her younger self for being naïve. Her self-deluding has made her the officer as well as the prisoner. Instead of being the once foolish girl that was abused, she has taken on the mantle of abuse even if it meant for the peace of her current mental well-being after the relationship. As the weakest of her self tries to navigate towards a resolution from the abusive relationship, the reader, Machado and the residual memories of her partner are who are keeping her bound, warping the storyline and her choices. For what the young Machado builds, it is eventually to crumble at the inevitable mercy and choice of others.

Delusion of Bad Faith

Similarly, “No Exit” deals with the character’s delusions of disassociating their true self and rejection of their past, specifically that of Garcin and Estelle. As each of the characters had lived a life of selfish desires, they are met the same fate to be tortured together and isolated in a hellish space. As the play proceeds, we start to notice what their “hell” really is about. Both Garcin and Estelle are victims of bad faith, meaning that they require the views of others to dictate their existence and deceive themselves about the weight of responsibilities that they are already committed to, needing others to justify their reasoning for their misdeeds and as a way to disassociate with their past crimes.

The play gradually reveals this, starting with Garcin constantly checking in with his coworkers in the real world to see what they thought of him and if they ever saw him as the coward he was. But because of his constant need to justify his past of cowardice, he later becomes increasingly desperate to defend his "pacifist" life as brave, when only Inez sees him for the coward he is, leaving him stuck in a loop for approval.

Estelle, however, is somewhat a worse case than Garcin, as she wants to exist solely free from the obligations of being a subject, using bad faith to give up her freedom and become an object in the eyes of others. She begins by needing a mirror to see herself exist as the object she wants others to see her as, only to eventually crave the constant gaze and sexual attraction of others to grant that objectification of hers, specifically Garcin as he is the only man she “wants” to affirm her existence as an object of love. Because of this blind pursuit of objectification and being free from the obligations of true freedom, she also slowly reveals her delusional nature and the sins she had done to maintain her previous life of leisure, as far as murdering her own illegitimate child just because she didn’t want them. Being heartless, she didn’t even care when the father of the child committed suicide, only claiming that he “killed himself on [her] account.” Through and through, she doesn’t care about her past actions, disassociating them as if they meant nothing to her and justifying them as for her own gains.

Inez’s Consequence of Authenticity

Disassociation and Deception

On the other hand, in Inez’s case, while she lived as a sadist, she still accepts her situation in hell, even acknowledging her misdeeds, saying that she’s "always conscious of [herself] – in [her] mind. Painfully conscious", in contrast to the other two that struggle to flee from the reality of their crimes. So really, Inez is the only individual that is truly “authentic” in this situation, but is still damned as a person tormented of their past existence and requires others to fuel that reason of deserving damnation, a consequence of embracing their past nature. How could you acknowledge being a sadist if you have no one to torture for it? It’s shown as Inez seeks Estelle’s “love,” but in actuality she just wants to toy and torture her. We see this instance happening when Estelle asks Inez to be her mirror, only for her to tell lies that twist Estelle’s image and toy with her bad faith. At the end of the day, they are all endlessly competing for their own definition of authenticity, struggling for peace of mind, and preoccupied with rejecting the consequences of their freedom, even when given escape. Garcin and Estelle have become a slave to desire and condemned to ever gaining closure to the past crimes they try to disassociate from, with Inez being an anchor for their bad faith. Thus, looping the cycle, making them bound to be isolated together for eternity. There is no escape.

Cycle of Constant Rejection & Disassociation

Disassociation of the past has led each character into a spiral of looping torment, each stuck in a cycle of not owning up to their own mistakes and trauma. Machado, while already free from the abusive relationship, is still not free from the trauma it caused, still gripping onto that memory of the Dream House that she fears of even setting foot in. In turn, it creates this distance between her naïve younger self that is forced to relive the events of the Dream House, and the present self that tries to criticize every mistake they do, refusing to admit ever being that naive self as shown through her use of “I’s” and “you’s” and her harsh commentary toward herself. The characters of “No Exit” as well disassociate from the crimes of their past, claiming that it was for the better, or in reality, for their own selfish pursuit of desires. As a result of this rejection of their life's obligations and consequences, it has led them to Hell, condemned to struggle to fulfill their desires for eternity, shackled by the one thing they once primarily desired in life. What’s more, both stories portray how each character would resort to deception to deceive themselves, which in turn has led them to spiral even deeper into further painful lies and desperation, only making the truth a little harder to swallow. Machado tries to deceive herself and tweak the actions she’d taken during her past relationship, along with Garcin and Estelle trying to deceive their way toward peace of mind.

Brainstorming Activities

Can I Ask You A Question?

To analyze the concept of self-delusion in these texts thus far, here are a few questions to reflect upon:

• Who do you think is Machado’s past self trying to deceive?
• In what role does the reader play in Machado’s story? As the embodiment of her self-delusions, a passive bystander, or as the narrator that forces the torment of choice on her past self? Or, is there any other role not listed that you might agree with?
• Why do you think Machado hasn’t given up on the nightmare? Is it guilt, is it self-justification, is it a responsibility?

• Why is Inez the only one who hadn’t succumbed to self-delusion and is always self-aware? Why does she ultimately “win” in this ordeal?
• Compared to the other two, Estelle died in a natural matter of pneumonia, while Garcin and Inez died in certain situations due to rejecting the consequences of reality. What made Estelle’s self-delusion and rejection of the past different than the other two?
• Was Garcin’s punishment for cowardice deserving, or is his reason of self-delusion justifiable? Try being in his position and explain why.

Image Imagine

Here’s an interesting group activity – together, try to pick out a few key words or element from each of the stories. Then, using an AI image generator, conjure up each your own depictions of these key elements, and present these images together. Have each group member discuss what prompt they used in the AI search description for their own images and discuss which image from the group closely resembles to their combined depiction of the key element.

For sources of a free, AI image generator, here are a few links:

• Bing Creator
• Stable Diffusion
• Dall-E (requires account)
• Midjourney (requires account and joined as a member of the Discord server)

*Example Prompt: Joseph Garcin as a tall, mid-30’s, in a suit and tie, balding, with mustache, realistic art.

Storyteller

Interested in Machado's storytelling concept of utilizing a choose-your-own-adventure format? Luckily, there is a free, online service in creating those type of stories! Inklewriter will enable you to write complex stories, branching decision-making, and overall an in-depth story of your own making, which you can even share to others to experience for themselves!

Here's an example of my own short interactive story using Inklewriter.

External Sources

1. Chen, Angela. “A Psychologist Explains Why We’re Probably All Delusional and How to Fix It.” The Verge, 21 May 2017, www.theverge.com/2017/5/21/15660894/insight-self-awareness-psychology-tasha-eurich-interview.
2. Glass, Ira. “Stuck! | Act Two: You Can’t Go Your Own Way.” This American Life, performance by Zoe Winters, season 1, episode 703, 8 May 2022, https://www.thisamericanlife.org/703/stuck/act-two-10.
3. Iglesias, Gabino. “‘in the Dream House’ Invents a New Form of Memoir to Convey a Haunting Nightmare.” NPR, 5 Nov. 2019, www.npr.org/2019/11/05/776316011/in-the-dream-house-invents-a-new-form-of-memoir-to-convey-a-haunting-nightmare.
4. “Jean-Paul Sartre’s ‘No Exit’: A BBC Adaptation Starring Harold Pinter (1964).” YouTube, 17 Jan. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v96qw83tw4.
5. “No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre.” Internet Archive, ia800700.us.archive.org/11/items/NoExit/NoExit.pdf. Accessed 11 June 2023.
6. “No Exit Study Guide.” Shmoop, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/no-exit.
7. Robson, David. “How Self-Deception Allows People to Lie.” BBC Worklife, 31 May 2022, www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220525-how-self-deception-allows-people-to-lie.