Examining Authority and Authenticity in "Circling My Mother"

Mary Gordon utilizes this novel as a way to understand and unpack her relationship with her mother. Thus, the piece itself addresses her authority and authenticity in telling this novel.

The authority of Gordon's voice and her handle on this become clear as the novel goes on. The honesty of her voice gives allows the reader to know exactly what Gordon is thinking or feeling. Her writing is raw, so she even questions her authority in being able to tell this story and her experiences. Occasionally, she questions whether or not she has the right to talk about her mother and tell her story. For example, she says, "How is it possible to speak of a mother's body? Possible, that is, without betrayal... How can a daughter talk about a mother's body?" (215). By questioning these, she seems to questions her authority at times.

Given the nature of the story, her mother's struggle with polio and the excessive way Gordon details the effects of her disease, Gordon's honesty seems to speak to her authenticity in telling this story. She is not holding any specifics back. This could possibly mean that she uses this excessive detail as a way to forgo addressing the heart of the matter. However, I do not believe this is the case. She writes honestly, as if she writes in order to comprehend her relationship with her mother and even Gordon herself.              

An Interpretation of "This is a Family Living in Harlem" by Jacob Lawrence

Per our class discussion on Tuesday, I decided that today's blog post would take a look at another example of Harlem Renaissance art. The painting above, by Jacob Lawrence, is entitled "This is a Family Living in Harlem."

The most prominent feature of this photo seems to be the slimness of everything. Even the vertical alignment of the painting seems to emphasize. In particular, the table where the family sits does not take up much space in the room. The narrowness of the painting seems to accentuate the bareness of the apartment. On the walls hangs only a simple, small black coat and a rickety-looking broom leans against the wall. These items show that the family works and works tirelessly. The curtains appear slightly tattered at its edges and frames the bleak purple-gray outside the window. Perhaps this dim color could represent the hopelessness that closes in upon the family, upon the apartment. The family sits around the table with a fairly meager meal. The mother and father seem tired with hunched postures. While her family eats, the mother coddles her baby in her arms. Her work is not done. She is not at rest, none of them seem to be. Although they sit and eat, even the children look as if they are performing a chore. Their lives seem to be filled with chores. There is no life in this photo. If we could hear the conversation going on at this table, I believe this too, like the apartment, would be sparse and tired. Perhaps, the baby would be crying.

But, yet, I see hope in this painting. Even though the family appears downtrodden and the apartment lacking in life and fullness, I am encouraged that they sit together and share a meal. This is a priority for the parents, being together with their children and providing what they can for them, even if this is a meager meal. Despite the commotion of their lives, they sit together every evening (perhaps) and share each other's company. They struggle, but they struggle together.

The title of the painting, "This is a Family Living in Harlem," seems to me like it is announcing a PSA. It suggests that this is only one example of a black family living in these poor conditions in Harlem, that if one were to look through the windows of any Harlem apartment, he/she would see this same scene. It bids the audience, "Look at this situation. This should not be happening. Do something about it."

Photo Credit: http://www.bandagedear.com/category/world-culture/african-american-culture/african-american-family-art

Letter to Myself, a Freshman Belle: Balance and Breathe

Dear Freshman Belle,

Breathe. College seems overwhelming, but your experience depends on what you want to get out of it and where you devote your time. It seems as if things are coming at you for every which way and you cannot control any of them. New classes, new peers, new roommates, new meal plan, new home-- all of that comes at you is new. Don't get me wrong, many, many things about this year are in fact new to you. However, if you take the time to look around, you will hopefully see that even if some things appear differently, there are some things that have not changed. For example, a hard workout and a long nap will do wonders to stress. Balance holds the key to your success.

Don't feel as though you must hastily squeak by in a schedule of running here and there, every which way. Take control of your schedule. Take control of your time. This is the most precious tool you have to succeed. And this does not mean you should spend every waking hour in the library. But it also does not mean you should spend hours and hours on Netflix or goofing off with your roommates. Both these activities-- work and play-- are important and should be balanced because one without the other will only lead you down a rabbit hole of more stress. Breathe.

Don't feel as though you have to meet your besties right away. You will find them when you open yourself up to opportunities and allow your real personality to show through. In this new place, everyone wants friends. This is of course a good thing, a wonderful thing. You will find people who you will come to love and cherish, people that you will stay up all night talking to because you've lost track of the time, people who will read over your papers, people who will treat you to frozen yogurt and listen to you when something has gone wrong. You will find your besties. However, it may not happen right now and those people might not be who you first expect. Be open and be you. Breathe.

Many, many amazing experiences await you. Learn courage to put yourself out there and act on the opportunities that come your way. Learn wisdom to know the difference between gold and its impostors. Learn patience to maintain peace within yourself and enjoy the present moment. You will learn many things over the course of your college career. You will be inspired, you will fail at times, you will depend on others at times, and others will depend on you.

Wake up each day with joy and gratitude. Call Mom and cry when you need to. Pray daily. Reach out to the people around you. Go out on a limb. Smile and have confidence to grow. Breathe

All is well, Freshman Belle,
Elizabeth

"Girl, Interrupted": Patchwork of Interpretation

Suzanna is a girl, displaced.

When she arrives at the psychiatric ward, Suzanna feels as if she doesn't belong. This new place feels unstable, the other young women and girls who surround her seem to be in their own little worlds. Suzanne denies that she  However, as we had seen in previous scenes, she does not feel as if she fits into the world outside the ward either. She searches for connection wherever she can find it. Before being admitted to the ward, she has slept with two men, one of whom is a friend of her parents. Oftentimes, she gazes off from the action of realtime. Similar to the other young women in the ward, she appears trapped in her own little world on certain occasions moments. At her high school graduation, her thoughts distract her and she fails to hear the principle calling her to the stage.She tends to draw inward and retreat to the world inside of her, neglecting the world outside of herself.


Suzanna is a girl, misunderstood.

The therapist diagnoses her with Borderline Personality. Convinced that they do not understand her, Suzanna refutes their ideas and diagnosis. Yet, she too, does not understand herself. As if the cloudy air which surround her head mirrors her internal confusion, Suzanna constantly smokes and is rarely seen without a cigarette. Her habit reveals her agitation and internal distress. Upon first meeting her roommate, Georgiana, Suzanna glances over at Georgiana and sees that she reads a book entitled The Patchwork Girl of Oz. In the moment, Suzanna believes that the other patients at the ward are this way, "patchworks." Yet, she appears to convince herself that she is not this way, a patchwork, someone who "deserves" to be misunderstood, that there is no reason why she should be ousted and disconnected from reality.

Suzanna is a girl, interrupted.

As the taxi car drives her from the ward, we see a clear change in this young woman. She has become more connected, developed friendships, and learned to channel her thoughts into her passion (writing). Yet, she is still a girl, interrupted. She remains a "patchwork" and her borderline personality disorder has not simply disappeared into thin air. Her story simply accentuated the human experience of misunderstanding and interruption. In reality, we are all "patchworks" and conglomerations of various identities and experiences. Similar to every person who wakes up in the morning, Suzanna faces confusion and distraction. Temptation to hide away from difficulties she encounters bids her to fall into this trap. She desires to stow away within herself, feeling constantly interrupted by the outside world. Yet, through the friendships and experiences she has had during her year-long hiatus at the ward, her tendency to turn blindly inward and ignore the outside world, has been interrupted. Her experience has refreshed her perspective.