Behind Ficial Story By James C. Scott

940 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Nature of authority in power

No matter how you look at it, there will always will be a power struggle between the ones who have it and the ones that don’t have it. James C. Scott describes in his memoir “Behind the Official story”, James talks about political sciences in society and hidden transcripts in the public. James describes hidden transcripts as being “The public transcript, where it is not positively misleading, is unlikely to tell the whole story about power relations” (Scott 522). The hidden transcript is a lie and disguise for those who don’t have control and power. He argues about how both parties are misleading and conspiring against each other. Azar Nafisi also talks about power relations in her memoir “Reading Lolita in Tehran a memoir in books”. Azar is Muslim who host a book club with her friends as they talk about literature and are able to be themselves without the power of authority or presence of man in the room. The fact that there are hidden transcripts shows that Azar may be herself at home, but in public must be covered and be an obeying woman to the power of authority and men on the outside. If you really think about the only time when we have power and are away from Hidden transcripts is when we are in are homes, where we have power. Hidden Transcripts are things where you can be yourself in your own home and have the power to act and dress as you please without the power of authority hanging over your heads. In Nafisi talks about in her book how she would have a secret book meetings in her home. How she was shocked by her friends when they would undress from there black curtains of a dress and appear with colorful clothes and makeup on their faces. Azar states “When my students came into that room, they took off more...

... middle of paper ...

...d and where it all begun, how they all connected amongst themselves and became intertwined with each other, created a hidden transcript for themselves. Azar talks about being able to be her true self with the power of authority breathing down her neck. How when she moved into the apartment she was finally able to be able to where colorful clothes and be he self without the power authority telling her how to act in the public and what wear. Scott in this case would describe this as a hidden public transcript. Azar describes in her menorah that there two hidden transcripts of power. The one where she may undress in home and here colorful clothes and be herself read forbid literature, as in the public she must where black robes and scarves around there heads and obey the public’s eye of power that has a hold over Azar. What scott considers a hidden transcript.

Show More
Related

  • Book report

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.

    Read More

  • Historical Perspective in the Essays of Susan Griffin, Richard Rodriguez, and Ralph Ellison

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    Susan Griffin’s “Our Secret” is an essay in which she carefully constructs and describes history, particularly World War II, through the lives of several different people. Taken from her book A Chorus of Stones, her concepts may at first be difficult to grasp; however David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky say that, “Griffin writes about the past - how we can know it, what its relation to the present, why we should care. In the way she writes, she is also making an argument about how we can know and understand the past…”

    Read More

  • Analysis of Louisa May Alcott´s Behind a Mask

    851 Words  | 2 Pages

    Behind a Mask is a book that demonstrates the power a woman possesses. During a time in which those who are not rich are considered mere human beings, Louisa May Alcott creates a character by the name of Jean Muir who surpasses the society she lives in. Muir is a woman who seeks to have a prestigious title that will give her the recognition she desires. As governess to the Coventry family Muir puts in play a plan to marry Sir John, the old uncle in the family, whose title she wants. In the process of getting sir John’s tittle Jean causes controversy in between the family which results as a positive thing for the family as a whole. While stepping over the boundaries set by her society, Muir takes a journey which she must face with intelligence and courage.

    Read More

  • The Effects of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 on Gender Equality

    1625 Words  | 4 Pages

    With such a unanimous resentment, particularly in the dominating religious sect of Iran, it is important to address the ideologies within the religion enforce the country’s patriarchal social structure, i.e. the “form of social organization in which males dominate females” (text 38). Furthermore, with the Islamic Revolution of 1979, these attitudes were the driving force behind many of the discriminatory laws that confined women in Iran to a life defined by its limitations.

    Read More

  • Dorothy Allison's This is Our World

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...t is the Rorschach test of what is inside of a person. One work can touch or go unnoticed by its audience; it projects their “secret lives” (159).

    Read More

  • Analysis of Lila Abu-Lughod’s Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lila Abu-Lughod’s article titled, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” takes a closer look at the problematic ethnocentric approach many have when trying to gain an understanding of another culture that may be foreign to that individual. In this analytical paper, Lughod looks at women in Islam, specifically the treatment of women and how it might be utilized as a justification for invading into a country and liberating its people. The country Lughod refers to in her article is Afghanistan, and Lughod points out the misunderstanding from the people to the Bush administration like First Lady Laura Bush who believed that intervention was necessary to free women from the captivity of their own homes. It is important to consider the role that different lenses play into all of this, especially when one’s lenses are being shaped by the media. Depictions of covered women secluded from society leave a permanent image in the minds of many, who would then later support the idea of liberation. This paper will discuss that the practice of using propaganda when referring to the lifestyle in the Middle East is not exclusive to the U.S; rather it has been utilized throughout history. Additionally, we will take a closer look on the importance of symbols, such as veils in this case; help to further emphasize the cause to liberate. Finally, we will analyze Lughod’s plea towards cultural relativism and away from liberal imperialism.

    Read More

  • Power: the Fuel of a Crucible

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    In consideration of how power functioned in both the Crucible and the Holocaust a tend of how an individual can use power to control, influence, benefit themselves, and also protect themselves from attacks can be seen. Human Nature compels us to gain power because of want, but once we have the power we will inherently use it to influence other because of the need of the individual to have their ideas agreed with. Power can either make a leader great or make a whole society or movement corrupt. Lessons can be used about how to effectively use power to properly initiate change and make a positive impact on the world.

    Read More

  • Paul Lawrence Dunbar's Poem: We Wear The Mask

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dunbar begins his poem by introducing the idea of deception through a symbolic “mask”. In the first two lines, Dunbar states “we wear the mask that grins and lies, / it hides our cheeks and shades our eyes” (1,2). These lines portray an image of a dishonest face partially because of Dunbar’s word choice and partially because masks have been used as tools of disguise throughout history. However, the lines

    Read More

  • The Reason Behind the Censorship of Salinger's Catcher In The Rye

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ubversion of power that is constantly expressed in this book that people want to suppress.

    Read More

  • Impacts of Civil War Reconstruction

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine you’re a mother of a Union soldier during the Civil War. You get a letter from your son in the mail, from the US Postal Service. You’re overjoyed to hear about your son’s adventures from battle. You pick up the letter and you begin to read… All you see is a few scrawled words that are irrelevant to the rest of the letter. His letter has been censored. Censoring letters was a defensive strategy used ...

    Read More

  • The Bible and Christianity on Abortion

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    not hidden from you when I was in that secret place. When I was woven

    Read More

  • Analysis of Our Secret by Susan Griffin

    1534 Words  | 4 Pages

    First, Griffin reveals that there is a hidden side to everyone that is only known within, and anything outside could be a false representation, or imposter. “I think of it now as a kind of mask, not an animated mask that expresses the essence of an inner truth, but a mask that falls like dead weight over the human face” (Griffin 349). This quote captures what she is trying to say about secrets being the barrier to others’ feelings. The mask Griffin talks about represents the barrier to the secrets. Having this mask shields what is on the inside.

    Read More

  • Our Secret

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    Griffin, Susan. “Our Secret.” 1992. Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. 9th ed. Ed.

    Read More

  • Women in Islam

    2656 Words  | 6 Pages

    Since the September Eleventh attacks by Islamic extremists at the World Trade Centers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, Islamic culture has come under scrutiny by Americans more so than at any other period in the history of the ancient religion. One area that is often criticized by the American main stream media is the role of women in Islamic culture; it is almost common knowledge now that Islam subjugates women to a degree not seen since the Medieval Ages, and is backwards in all aspects of gender relations. Like many stereotypes, this one is overblown, exaggerated, and often completely incorrect. Women have been a fundamental part of Islamic culture since the founding of the Muslim faith. Women have had tremendous influence in all areas of Islamic culture including education, politics, economic concerns, and religious interpretation; by examining each of these four areas, it become clear that women have tremendous opportunities within mainstream Islam. Of course, certain hardline regimes like the one currently holding power in Iran will always oppress women, as well as gays and other minorities. It is important to not focus on the few areas where Islamic culture is practiced and women are subjugated, but to look at the broader Islamic culture where women are a critical component.

    Read More

  • Literary Criticism of Swift’s Poetry

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    The private life consists of details that the public life would rather deny or at least hide. (17) If one person examines the private life of another (i.e. Strephon sees Celia's dressing room), the credibility of that public life is destroyed for him or her. If a large number of people examine that private life (i.e. readers of Swift's "The Lady's Dressing Room"), the public facade is totally dest...

    Read More

More about Behind Ficial Story By James C. Scott

Open Document