Modernity versus Superstition

“Ah, it is the fault of our science that it wants to explain all; and if it explain not, then it says there is nothing to explain” (Dracula 228). Throughout Dracula there seems to be a constant battle between modernization, particularly advances in science, and superstition. The main characters actually find themselves being preyed upon precisely because their modern knowledge. Their modern thought prevents them from identifying the true nature of their predator. However the triumph of old superstitious thought over new scientific reasoning is seen in the end when Van Helsing, the only character who possesses the knowledge of both the new and the old world, defeats the monstrous Dracula.

Bram Stoker first wrote Dracula between 1847 and 1912. During this time people were also going through an enlightenment stage. As modern women were beginning to find their identity and the new advances in modern medicine, science, and technology began to hit the streets, the world was becoming a bigger and more confusing place. Questions before explained by religion and other superstitions were now being answered by modern scientific means. Stoker lived in an age in which people were now being equipped to question, if not dismiss, the religious doctrines that had formed the basis of moral and social order for centuries. In Dracula, Dracula seems to take advantage of a society on the edge of modernization and moral collapse, suggesting that safety lies in the very religious traditions that modernity tempts society to abandon. This is perhaps the same reasoning Stoker had deduced during these changing times.

Throughout the book, the triumph of superstition over science can be seen through both Dracula and Van Helsing victories. “She wants blood, and blood she must have or die.” (Dracula 157). When science fails John and Van Helsing when giving poor Lucy a blood transfusion, Dracula gains victory by still turning Lucy into a vampire. Blood Transfusions were also a new phenomenon during Stoker’s time and perhaps they had not quite caught the grasp on blood typing just yet. Another example of this battle between modernization and superstition is when Lucy actually comes back as a vampire. “Has there been any mistake; has she been buried alive?” (Dracula 244). But Van Helsing finally lays the beast that Lucy has become to rest through abnormal superstitious means.

In conclusion, by using the triumph of old ways and religion over modernity and science,  Stoker seems to invoice a message that new mind thinkers need to open their minds to experiences that may initially seem to counter the new Western approach.

-Aryn Banovic

 

Sex Doesn't Mean Romance

Throughout Beloved, Toni Morrison shows us a number of methods used to contain and control the enslaved, including but not limited to: guns, whips, chains, cages, law, restriction of education, and naming. Above all other tools of subjugation, however, is a methodology so intimate by our perspective that it is easy to shut our eyes to it: sex. Morrison’s use of sex, rather than any other device, serves as the most dynamic tool used by and against the characters depicted in the novel. The act doubles as a symbol for something outside that which a modern audience would normally expect, representing dominance, triumph, and slavery as well as occasional love and tenderness.

The first time we see sex in the book is immediately after Paul D chases away the baby ghost. He and Sethe go up the stairs to her bedroom, where their enjoyment is so fast that “it was over before they could get their clothes off” (24). At first glance, this encounter seems to be well within the limits of what a modern audience might expect. Yet, Paul D’s thoughts reveal a subconscious second purpose. When he follows Sethe up the stairs, he thinks back to the times on Sweet Home, when Sethe was Baby Sugg’s replacement and all the Sweet Home men lusted after her in silence. As Paul D follows Sethe up the stairs, he thinks not of their joint pleasure, but that he has beaten back the ghost, and that “now he would do more” (24). Thus, sex becomes the spoils of the winner. A trophy waved over the heads of the slewn. Finally, Paul D has won over the baby ghost, over Halle, and over Sethe’s original refusal of him in choosing Halle.

Later, after Beloved’s arrival, Sethe tells the story about her crystal earrings. She and Halle “marry” in the cornfield with the blessing of their owners. Sethe relates her sadness at there being no ceremony before the consummation of her marriage. Later on, Sethe realizes that “marrying” Halle was not just the consummation of her love for a man. After being around Schoolteacher, Sethe comes to learn that her marriage to Halle produced marketable product for her owners (232). Thus, sex becomes a tool for the proliferation of profit for the benefit of white masters – a tool of subjugation and continued slavery. At the same time, Halle and Sethe are happy being together, producing four children out of their shared happiness.

Conversely, Sixo discovers in his dying moments that his own sex was a sort of weapon against his captors. As he faces his death, he cries out “Seven-O!” In being with his thirty-mile girl, Sixo left a legacy despite his owners. Despite all, a part of him still would escape. He has his epiphany on death’s doorstep, and in his joy, he proclaims his triumph over the white men who had bound him and was preparing to burn him alive. He leaves proof in the world that he was a man, and the white men lost in failing to stop him from doing so (267). Women, too, are used and use sex themselves to a greater purpose.

First, the abuse by masters. Ella, Sethe, and Baby Suggs, and Sethe’s mother all suffered sexual abuse at the hands of owners. Ella was kept in a locked room and used by a father and son, her captivity so horrible that she refers to them as “the lowest yet,” even in the face of all the rest of the world’s atrocities (301). Sethe was raped, abused, and beaten just before her escape from Sweet Home (19).  Baby Suggs and Sethe’s mother both seem to have been used to breed more slaves for their owners, judging from Sethe’s memories of their stories. We know that they each had many children and only seemed to be able to make memories with one respectively. Both, it seems, were subjected to enforced breeding (165). According to Wyatt, the practice of forced breeding was common during the days in which America allowed slavery. It was further encouraged by laws enacted after the Revolution to ban the import of slaves from Africa, thus creating a culture in which breeding was necessary in order to maintain profit on plantations (National Humanities Center). Furthermore, the act of rape, the enforcing of breeding, also served as a psychological weapon against the victims. Being treated as an animal even when engaging in the most intimate of activities further bound the enslaved of the time (Davis).

Conversely, women in Beloved also used sex to their advantage. Beloved seduces Paul D for the purpose of distracting him from Sethe and driving him out of the house (137). Sethe pays for Beloved’s headstone by giving the engraver “ten minutes” between her legs (5).

If we take into account all the mentions of sex within Beloved and account for their motivations, circumstances, and benefitting parties, it is impossible to claim that they were anything close to simple. Someone always benefitted above the general pleasure/intimacy/romance dynamic. Someone always lost.

That’s my line of thought just now, anyway. I’m still sticky-noting and looking for the strongest evidence, while pulling together historical accounts about sexual abuse in slavery. What do y’all think? Any suggestions to improve the quality of my argument? I’m having a little trouble focusing my thesis into something amazing. Hoping the discussion will help me pin it down just right.

Works Cited:

Davis, Adrienne D. "Slavery and the Roots of Sexual Harassment." Diss. Ed. Catherine MacKinnon and Reva Siegel. Yale University, n.d. Slavery and the Roots of Sexual Harassment. Yale University Press. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://www.law.berkeley.edu/faculty/abramsk/Davis_UNCCH/davis.v4.title.pdf>.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved: A Novel. New York: Vintage International, 2004. Print.

National Humanities Center, comp. "On Slaveholders' Sexual Abuse of Slaves." The Making of African American Identity: 1500-1865 1 (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/enslavement/text6/masterslavesexualabuse.pdf>.

Wyatt, Gail Elizabeth. "The Sociocultural Context of African American and White American Women's Rape." Journal of Social Issues 48.1 (1992): 77-91. Print.

Cultural Norms Inflicting Abuse

In a “Woman Hollering Creek”, Cisneros defines not only the personal experiences that many Mexican- American women endure, but also descriptively defining her personal experiences through a developed character named Cleofilas. Cisneros illustrates the Mexican-American woman’s traditions, including her gender role and the repression she faces as a female, and how tending to these traditions can allow the infliction of abuse. Through this story, it is established that there is far more than one Cleofilas, in this country, who demonstrates the bravery of an American women, while maintaining the origins of her Mexican culture. Cisneros ultimately defines a theme of literary awareness: how emotional abuse can result in physical abuse, and in what ways silence can be uncovered through a woman’s strength. Strength to make an independent discovery she, as a woman, is capable of building her own life on her own foundation.

            Gender Roles are clearly defined within the Mexican culture. To women, family is consistently defined as the concern and obligation of the female. Through research it is predominantly found that the traditional Mexican woman is “often passive, allowing their husband to make decisions for [her].  Wives are expected to care for the children, keep the house clean, cook all the meals, and do all the other domestic chores necessary in a family” (Culture Issues for Mexican Women). Quite obviously, these labels are cultural, and Cisneros defines how commonly understood this idea is within the first few pages of her story. In the very beginning, Cleofilas tells us about her wedding arrangements and the way in which they will occur; she predictably explains the idea that “Juan Pedro wants to get married without a long engagement since he can’t take off too much time from work” (364). Her statement defines the common knowledge that the man is ultimately in control. Although this is supposed to be “her day”, Juan Pedro is the determining factor in the ways in which not only their wedding, but many instances in their married life will pan out.

Cleofilas role is also defined in her tendency to submit to Juan Pedro’s hurtful words and emotional ill treatment. Cleofilas clarifies how truly insensitive he is when she tells us what he says to her when she first begins to doubt their relationship, “if [you] had any brains in [your] head [you’d] realize that [I’ve] been up for before the rooster… just leave me in peace, woman”. There are various instances where Juan Pedro inflicts pain on Cleofilas, by making her feel that she has nothing without him. In the same sentence, he makes it clear to her that he is the one who puts “food in her belly” and a “roof over her head” (367). Because he is the man, sole form of income, and culturally identified as the strength, he illuminates the stereotypical Mexican gender roles. Cleofila’s is a housewife, “who went on washing dishes”(369).

She stays, and although she has “A doubt. Slender as a hair” (367), she does not uncover her experience with abuse: not only emotional, but also physically.  Her physical abuse is defined in a raw manner, almost causing the reader to long for her to escape. She stays, and it is also a cultural stigma that ties her down. Women often feel that they must keep the family together at all costs.  Staying together as a family is their priority.  Women may make excuses to their kids for their father's violence, trying to save the kids' respect for their father, so the family will run smoothly (Avalos). Although, her son Juan Pedrito was not quite old enough to understand, there are various instances where Cleofilas creates excuses.

             I have a thesis, but I think once I started writing I began to lose focus. I am very interested in discussing how “Woman Hollering Creek” represents abuse, but I also want to express it through terms of the Mexican Culture (and how Sandra Cisneros used this as an expression to awareness for her culture, and how she personally rose above it). I would love any advice, I know the thesis needs work.

Sources:

Sarafin, Jennifer. Domestic Violence Among Three Immigrant Communities in Rice County: Cambodian, Mexican, and Somali. St. Olaf College, 2003. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.

Cisneros, Sandra. “Woman Hollering Creek.” A Pocket Anthology”. Ed. Michael Meyer. 8th    ed. New York: Bedford, 2008. 95-101. Print. 

Technology in Dracula

In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, one can argue that because of the characterization of new-age characters, such as the Harker’s and John Seward, and old-age characters, such as Van Helsing and Count Dracula, Bram Stoker showed how technology can make people overlook what is occurring, whereas older means, such as superstition and religion, can hold people back in modernizing.

            Before we jump into any conclusions on what technology holds for characters, we must first analyze what technology brings to the table. According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, technology can be defined as the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area. Technology, being a “practical application”, can relate to the motto: use it or lose it. If you do not keep practicing or using technology, your skills in technology will worsen over time; for example, a college student using a laptop or writing with a pen during the fall semester for hours a week may finish the summer losing an apprehension of what shortcuts do what and how it truly feels to hold a pen. However, in an article titled “Technology, Wealth and Modern Management” by Slavko Dolinšek and Peter Štrukelj, both employees at the University of Primorska in Slovenia, Rias J. van Wyk, Director of Technoscan Centre in Minneapolis, Minnesota states that technology “is the source of many benefits and most of our wealth…On the other hand it is disturbingly disruptive”. He also goes on to state that “our understanding of technology is poorly structured” (Dolinšek, and Štrukelj 29-30). Although technology can benefit us, it can also harm us. If we do not get a full, complete grasp of what has been developed, then we cannot improve ourselves. In Dracula, Bram Stoker does a fantastic job of showing us how it is beneficial and destructive, beneficial by saving time, yet destructive by distracting attention from the main goals.

            Previously noted, technology can be a good thing, and within the characters of the Harker’s and Dr. John Seward, this beneficial aspect of their lives is recognized within communication and medical reasons, despite its prevalence in blinding them, which we will get to after. This talking is related to Dr. John Seward’s use of the phonograph to record his daily findings in himself, his patient Renfield, his lovely friend Lucy, and his daily activities. He even uses it to help his insomnia and his inability to eat when he states, “Cannot eat, cannot rest, so diary instead…the only cure for this sort of thing is work, I went down amongst the patients” (Stoker 93). This reliance on his form of technology and communication to himself helps him keep his mind under control, and it helps him record his thoughts on his patients easily.

 Stoker does not only use this means of personal benefit in only Dr. Seward, but he also uses it with the beautiful Mina Harker. In a letter to Lucy Westenra, arguably Mina’s best friend, Mina states she is using the typewriter, the mid-1800s development that encouraged writing, to help Johnathan in his studies, and she is “practicing very hard” (86). Her use of technology is for the loves of her life. This shows the advancement of technology at that time period and how it was useful in communicating to people.

With the rest of the paper, I will take an approach and further my investigating on the characters and the prevalence of technology within the theme of how it blinds others and creates openings for some. Like Mrs. Grover said, this is a rough rough draft. My two mini-claims were the ones about technology in general and the characters John Seward and Mina Harker. Please, help me!

Works Cited

Dolinšek, Slavko, and Peter Štrukelj. "Managing Global Transitions." Managing Global

Transitions. 10.1 (2012): 29-49. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.fm-kp.si/zalozba/ISSN/1581-

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Broadview. Peterborough: Broadview Press Ltd., 1998. Print.

Symbolism of Color

Planting the reader directly in the center of an emotionally gripping story, Beloved reveals a rainbow of feelings both figuratively and literally. Color is a universal and relatable symbol when placed in conjunction with emotion. In the story, Morrison uses the symbolism of color to help readers gain an intimate understanding of how slavery impacted the lives of those in “Beloved”.

Although well publicized, slavery is a very abstract thing to most. Present day society is not only distanced from slavery by time, but also by the lack of similarity between today’s lifestyles and pre-abolition lifestyles. Most stories about slavery merely retell what has been told thousands of times. However, “Beloved” is different in that it actually plays on the heartstrings of those who read it by using the few similarities that still exist between the present and the past. By taking advantage of the feelings evoked by color, most notably red and white, Morrison finds one of these small similarities and exacerbates it throughout her novel.

What does red represent? Love, anger, life, possibly even death? At some point all of the characters in “Beloved” feel or experience at least one of these. The first reference to the color red is the light inside of 124. The light that is only there when Beloved is considered a ghost, not present as a life form as she is after Paul D shows up. This red light is clearly representational of the Earthly absence of Sethe’s daughter Beloved. According to Keskar, red is a South African symbol of mourning (62). This makes sense, because of the way Sethe refers to the light. “It’s not evil, just sad. Come on. Just step through (Morrison 10).”  This light could also be a reflection of Beloved’s anger toward her situation. Either way, this element is not present in the story by coincidence, but rather to allow the reader an enhanced level of relation to the feelings of the characters.     

White stairs. White dress. White blossoms. In the story, all of these seem to have an illusion of purity, life, or freedom. The stairs were painted in honor of Beloved so she could see them and climb them. They are referred to frequently in the story, and when they are it immediately reminds the reader of Beloved and the tragedy that ended her life. When Denver witnesses Sethe in the keeping room she sees . . . a white dress knelt down next to her mother with (and had) its sleeve around her mother’s waist (Morrison 35). So accustomed to seeing the color white in association with Beloved, it is default to think that the dress is the ghost of Beloved. The dress is the size of a woman, but its color symbolizes the purity of a baby. Paul D. follows the white blossoms of trees to a place of safety. When he reaches the river, he knows he has reached freedom. All of these instances are major points that give the story emotional impact on the reader.

Not being present during the times of slavery and being separated by lifestyle and sometimes race, it is hard for most to grasp the strife that was subjected on those who were forced into slavery. By using some of the human similarities that we all share, Toni Morrison goes beyond telling a story. She gives the reader an experience in life of her characters.

  

Works Cited:

Keskar, Gulab. “Color psychology and its effect on Human Behavior.” Paintindia 60.5 (2010):  61-64.    

          Web.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York:  Vintage International: 2004. Print.

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