In Lysley Tenario’s book, “Monstress,” we see how the short stories, “The Brothers,” “Felix Starro,” “L’amour, CA,” “Monstress,” and “Save the I-Hotel,” connect to an overall theme on how society creates identities that negatively impacts people’s relationships. We first see how Erica’s relationship with her mom is negatively impacted because of Erica’s identity as a transgender in “The Brothers.” Erica knows herself pretty clear that she is transgender, but her identity is not readily accepted by Erica’s mom. Erica’s mom, when seeing Erica publicize his transgender identity on national TV, looked “like someone had hit her in the face” (p. 28). She later tells “ Eric[a] that [she] was dead to her” (p. 29). From these quotes, we can only imagine …show more content…
the disappointment and embarrassment her mom felt. Not only that, but society reacted by blurring her out on national television, by “cover[ing her] breasts with a black [pixelated] rectangle” (p. 31). Simply put, society already created a cis-sexual identity for Erica. Yet, when Erica could not perform the role as a cis-sexual, he was thus rejected by society and his mom. As a result, his relationship with his mom deteriorated. Next, we see how Felix Starro the III, from the short story, “Felix Starro,” has a conflicting relationship with his personal self.
Felix Starro the III wanted to escape to the Americas with his lover, Charma, in hopes of finding opportunities and in hopes of escape Papa Felix’s business, in which Felix Starro the III knows is a business that cons its customers by extracting negativities, or chicken liver, from their bodies and afterwards giving the customers, like Mrs. Delgado, false hope that by extracting their negativities will heal them of their diseases. In a way, the words of “You don’t belong here,” (p. 56) said by a member of a studio, when Felix Starro the III was ten and was watching Papa Felix’s Exclusion of Negativities backstage, are the emotions that Felix Starro the III possesses about his identity as a Filipino man, who is in want of a “good and honest life” (p. 59) and in want of job opportunities in a mainly white-dominated society. The implication we see here in “Felix Starro” is that to be Filipino means to be able to live thinly on resources, such as traditional Filipino practices and, in the case of their Exclusion of Negativities business, “old connections to help [them] build a client list in California….where there [are] plenty of Filipinos in need of healing” (p. 56). Felix Starro the III wants to run away from this life, even if it means to give up his identity as a Filipino person. When he receives his new name, John Arroyo Cruz, from Flora …show more content…
Ramirez, he takes on a new identity. Yet, at this moment, “[he] picture[s] [him]self dead, thinking, if [he] were not Felix Starro anymore, what would be taken from [him], what would be left” (p. 79). In the end, the inner conflict that Felix Starro the III has with his personal self is a negatively impacted relationship because of his desire to be assimilated into a society that has rejected him because of his Filipino identity. In Monstress, we see how Reva and Checker’s relationship is conflicted over the years they work together with Cocoloco Pictures.
In a society where “Manila moviegoers” are more interested in watching “imported Hollywood romance [than]...Checker’s low-budget horror,” (p. 2) Reva and Checkers struggle to compete with their competitors in the movie-making business. While Checkers hopes for a better future where people will love his Filipino films again, Reva is disillusioned by his hope and undermines his “minor local fame” by saying that “his movies [are] shoddily produced, illogically plotted, [and] clumsily directed” (p. 3). It is only when Reva meets Gazman from Hollywood that she feels like a woman again, an identity that society creates for her. Gazman also calls her a “Monstress” and not a “Monstrous” to feed her that image (p. 13). Yet, she acknowledges that when she played as a Squid Monster in Checker’s “The Squid Children of Cebu” horror film, her role “felt like [her] own skin” (p. 13). She was comfortable taking monstrous roles, yet, the roles she has now are unfamiliar and new. Even so, Checkers knows Reva so well that he tries to stop her from working with Gazman by telling her that, “‘On film...you will look like a whore’” (p. 21). In the end, their relationship is negatively impacted and Reva “slap[s] Checkers hard across the face” and tells him to leave her (p. 21). The identity in which Reva is seen as a woman and the identity that she takes on when acting
out monster roles conflicts. Reva even admits that if she hadn’t met Gazman, they “[they] might have married” and that “[they] would still be together” (p. 3). Yet, Reva had chosen to go along with society’s identity rather than her own identity. In “L’amour, CA,” we see how Isa conflicts with her identity as a Filipino woman and how she inflicts her rage and disappointment onto her Filipino household. In her school and in society, she feels pressured because she wants to assimilate into the cultural norms without being outcasted by her peers. Yet, because of her identity as a Filipino woman, her household is sent to live in Lemoore, CA. Immediately, Isa feels suffocated in this space and “she...sighs” and writes her “name...in fancy cursive letters, underlined twice” (p. 199) as a way to keep her sane. In the end, she struggles with the weak identity of a Filipino woman she carries, which motivates her even more to carry on an identity that is not her own by appearing more womanly and by dating a white man. When she wears makeup on her first day of school, her cousin, Darwin, says that she “‘look[s] like a hooker.”’ Her mother reacts by “wiping makeup from Isa’s face...until nothing is left” (p. 200) because she does not want her daughter to look like a hooker. Isa is enraged. She still desires to fit into society, and she shows that desire by “writing Isa, Class of ‘75 on the palm of her hand, as if she has always been and will always be a part of [her school]” (p. 202). She also starts dating a white man, called Malcom, while working at Lanes, and, in the end, runs away with Malcom and away from her family. With Isa’s disappearance, “the house feels too small” and the “parents fight, shouting things” (p. 214). The family is dysfunctional now, and the family truly misses and loves her, yet Isa could not realize this and was too blinded of her determination to fit in with society. What we see is a girl’s desire to fit in and be American and a disparity of a girl to rid the immigrant Filipino identity that she carries with her every day in life. In “Save the I-Hotel”, we see Fortunado and Vicente’s relationship being negatively impacted because of Vicente’s desire to fit into society and to not be labelled as an outcast. Fortunado is genuinely concerned and in love with Vicente, by “welcoming the responsibility...secretly cherish[ing]” (p. 175) the feeling of taking care of him. Yet, Vicente is always unsatisfied with being a Filipino, and he tries to go out with a white woman named Althea, to feel a type of connection that will tie him to the world that he lives in, yet he is rejected over and over again. We see this when police officers “forced the door open” one day to Althea’s and Vicente’s hotel room to find them sleeping together and handcuffed him. Vicente felt like a “criminal” “p. 191). Fortunado hears “Vicente...turning and breathing as he tried to sleep [and]... all he heard was loneliness...and wept for [him]” (p. 192). In the end, Vicente does not realize the true extent of Fortunado’s love for him, and leaves on a van after being forced to move out of the apartment building they lived in, abandoning Fortunado. “Vicente looked at Kearny Street…[and] as if he had finally seen enough, [he] turned away, picked up his suitcase, and stepped into the van” (p. 193). Even so, Fortunado believes that his love for Vicente will continue until he dies, “until the lamp itself finally died, or until someone turned it off” (p. 195). In the end, Vicente wants to feel tied to the world and to not be treated as a criminal, whereas Fortunado looks on, loving him truly as he is. The short stories written in “Monstress” enlighten us on how it relates to us in life; we must fight the identities that society places on us, and, instead, cultivate bonding and lasting relationships with the ones we love.
Alexander Stowe is a twin, his brother is Aaron Stowe. Alex is an Unwanted, Aaron is a Wanted, and their parents are Necessaries. Alex is creative in a world where you can’t even see the entire sky, and military is the dream job for everyone and anyone. He should have been eliminated, just like all the unwanteds should have been. He instead comes upon Artimè, where he trains as a magical warrior- after a while. When he was still in basic training, and his friends were not, he got upset, he wants to be the leader, the one everyone looks up to.
After a basketball game, four kids, Andrew Jackson, Tyrone Mills, Robert Washington and B.J. Carson, celebrate a win by going out drinking and driving. Andrew lost control of his car and crashed into a retaining wall on I-75. Andy, Tyrone, and B.J. escaped from the four-door Chevy right after the accident. Teen basketball star and Hazelwood high team captain was sitting in the passenger's side with his feet on the dashboard. When the crash happened, his feet went through the windshield and he was unable to escape. The gas tank then exploded and burned Robbie to death while the three unharmed kids tried to save him.
Maxine Kumin?s, Woodchucks provides an interesting and creative perspective into the mind state of those influenced by nazi warfare. What begins as a seemingly humorous cat and mouse hunt, reminiscent of such movie classics as Caddyshack, soon develops into an insatiable lust for blood. Kumin?s descriptive language provides the reader with the insight necessary to understand to the speaker?s psychology as they are driven beyond the boundaries of pacifism.
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate is the story of an African boy, Kek, who loses his father and a brother and flees, leaving his mother to secure his safety. Kek, now in Minnesota, is faced with difficulties of adapting to a new life and of finding his lost mother. He believes that his mother still lives and would soon join him in the new found family. Kek is taken from the airport by a caregiver who takes him to live with his aunt. It is here that Kek meets all that amazed him compared to his home in Sudan, Africa. Home of the brave shows conflicts that Kek faces. He is caught between two worlds, Africa and America. He feels guilty leaving behind his people to live in a distant land especially his mother, who he left in the midst of an attack.
In the poem pride, Dahlia Ravikovitch uses many poetic devices. She uses an analogy for the poem as a whole, and a few metaphors inside it, such as, “the rock has an open wound.” Ravikovitch also uses personification multiple times, for example: “Years pass over them as they wait.” and, “the seaweed whips around, the sea bursts forth and rolls back--” Ravikovitch also uses inclusive language such as when she says: “I’m telling you,” and “I told you.” She uses these phrases to make the reader feel apart of the poem, and to draw the reader in. She also uses repetition, for example, repetition of the word years.
This book is told from the diary of the main character, Sam Gribley. Sam is a boy full of determination. He didn’t give up and go home like everyone thought he would. He is strong of mind. After the first night in the freezing rain, with no fire and no food, he still went on. He is a born survivor. He lasted the winter, through storms, hunger, and loneliness, and came out on top even when everyone expected him to fail. “The land is no place for a Gribley” p. 9
Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver Six thousand years ago in Northern Europe, a teenager named Torak woke up with his shoulder throbbing in pain. His father lies next to him, bleeding from an open wound. The two have been attacked by an enormous demon bear, which is bound to come back at any moment. As he bleeds out, Torak’s father can only bear to say a few more words. He says that the demon bear will only grow stronger with each kill it makes, and he also tells Torak that he has to go to the Mountain of the World Spirit in order to defeat the bear.
Women’s roles in movies have changed dramatically throughout the years. As a result of the changing societal norms, women have experienced more transition in their roles than any other class. During the period of classical Hollywood cinema, both society and the film industry preached that women should be dependent on men and remain in home in order to guarantee stability in the community and the family. Women did not have predominated roles in movies such as being the heroin. The 1940’s film Gilda wasn’t an exception. In Gilda, the female character mainly had two different stereotypes. The female character was first stereotyped as a sex object and the second stereotyped as a scorned woman who has to be punished.
The elders of the ancient Kwakiutl tribe in the book, I Heard The Owl Call My Name, by Margaret Craven, were naturally insecure with the ways of the white man, yet the tribal youth seemed eager to welcome the change in lifestyle. Mark, an Anglican minister, was sent by the Bishop to spread the ideas of the faith among the people of the Kwakiutl tribe in Kingcome. While performing his duties, he worked with the villagers on a day-to-day basis. He brought his way of life to the tribe and taught some of the children what the white man was all about. The elders feared the loss of their heritage having someone of white descent amongst them. There are three distinct situations in which one can observe a switch in conduct between the youth, the elders of the tribe, and their desire to hold on to their past. A change can be noticed in both their mood and behavior toward the white man and his “evil ways”; from the first time Mark arrived at the village, to when the children began schooling, and finally when he passed away.
“Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield tells a story of a lonely, English lady in France. Miss Brill is a quiet person who believes herself to be important. The whole afternoon at the gardens, Miss Brill does not converse with anyone, nor does anyone show any inclination to talk with her. She merely watches others and listens to their conversations. This provides her with a sense of companionship; she feels as if she is a part of other people’s lives. Miss Brill is also slightly self-conceited. She believes that she is so important that people would notice if she ever missed a Sunday at the park. It does not occur to her that other people may not want her to be there.
Film scholar and gender theorist Linda Williams begins her article “Film Bodies: Genre, Gender and Excess,” with an anecdote about a dispute between herself and her son, regarding what is considered “gross,” (727) in films. It is this anecdote that invites her readers to understand the motivations and implications of films that fall under the category of “body” genre, namely, horror films, melodramas, (henceforth referred to as “weepies”) and pornography. Williams explains that, in regards to excess, the constant attempts at “determining where to draw the line,” (727) has inspired her and other theorists alike to question the inspirations, motivations, and implications of these “body genre” films. After her own research and consideration, Williams explains that she believes there is “value in thinking about the form, function, and system of seemingly gratuitous excesses in these three genres,” (728) and she will attempt to prove that these films are excessive on purpose, in order to inspire a collective physical effect on the audience that cannot be experienced when watching other genres.
There is perhaps no greater joy in life than finding one’s soul mate. Once found, there is possibly no greater torment than being forced to live without them. This is the conflict that Paul faces from the moment he falls in love with Agnes. His devotion to the church and ultimately God are thrown into the cross hairs with the only possible outcome being one of agonizing humiliation. Grazia Deledda’s The Mother presents the classic dilemma of having to choose between what is morally right and being true to one’s own heart. Paul’s inability to choose one over the other consumes his life and everyone in it.
To what extent does Carol Ann Duffy’s poem ‘Medusa’ challenge stereotypical masculine and feminine attributes?
Parents tell their children to think first and act second. Most people forget this as illustrated in Yann Martel’s satire “We ate the Children Last,” written in 2004. It starts out with an operation and humans are given a pigs digestive tract to cure cancer. Because the operation made people eat garbage, they gave it to the poor At this point everybody wants to have this operation. When people started going cannibalistic, the government puts them together to eat each other. This started out as a good thing by curing cancer. After that everybody from the poor to the people administering the operation didn’t pause long enough to consider the consequences. Real world examples of people not pausing to consider the consequences are seen frequently, whether, it be on a small or big scale. Yann Martel is saying that
Also, the film revealed women empowerment and how superior they can be compared to men. While demonstrating sexual objectification, empowerment, there was also sexual exploitation of the women, shown through the film. Throughout this essay, gender based issues that were associated with the film character will be demonstrated while connecting to the real world and popular culture.