Critical Analysis Discussions

My Original Post:
Looking at Kathy Wilson's "Dude Looks Like A Lady", you get the insight of "a black woman with barely there hair and 40 Cs (21) ", as she puts it. She lets you in on a few days in her life, and you see just how some people react based on first judgment. Kathy exhibits that even when she is mistaken at first glance for a man, she doesn't take it personally because she's gotten used to it happening. This shows that she is not ashamed of who she is or how she comes off to people. She says that she mostly keeps her hair buzzed short "not out of any confusion over identity or self-hatred...but because I'm lazy and it's cool looking. And I'm cute this way (21-22)." She clearly displays that she chose to live her life in a way that makes her happy and despite what others say, she's fine with that. But in some instances when people clearly put her down in public like the "Redneck Man" as she has named him, when he yells at her to take her "boy-lookin' ass on somewhere". She then begins to revaluate her previous decision to get a hair cut, but quickly realizes that she would only be giving in to what she considers is the overrated ideals of female presentation.

When you look at Gloria Anzaldúa's story you notice that she seems more concerned with how she is accepted. She notes how when in school all the Chicano students were forced to enroll in two speech classes, "with a main goal to get rid of their accents (54) ". She spends her essay explaining how she wishes she could be accepted for who she is, and have people less concerned with her nationality or the language that she speaks. Not only among people of the "English speaking" language, but she notes that she is put down by people of the "Spanish speaking" language as well. "Chicanas who grew up speaking Chicano Spanish have internationalized the belief that we speak poor Spanish. It is illegitimate, a bastard language. (57)."

Evaluating the thesis from both of these wonderful essays, I've come to the conclusion that both women are concerned with how they are placed in society. They both want to be accepted for who they are, and not placed in a category based on quick judgment. To an extent I have to agree with her, it is wrong to force people to learn your language when they are from a different area, I don't think if you go somewhere else that they should make you learn their language either. However, I guess where I differ is where I think that if someone of a different culture/language comes to our country for work or something that involves everyday communication, they should be able to effectively communicate. Not necessarily learn every aspect of our language, just know enough to make communication easier between each other, and that goes for both sides of the spectrum, we should also be willing to learn some of their language, like a meet in the middle kind of thing.

Classmate Response #1:
Samantha,
I agree with the conclusions you have made. When you said, "Evaluating the thesis from both of these wonderful essays, I've come to the conclusion that both women are concerned with how they are placed in society," do you think they are concerned? I came to the conclusion that Wilson was accepting of her placement in society, but Anzaldua was concerned. It seemed like it bothered Anzaldua more than Wilson. Wilson didn't really seem to care what people thought about her while Anzaldua was more bothered. Do you think this is true?

My Response:
You make a great point, and when I look back I think concerned was in fact the word that I wanted. Yes, I agree that Wilson didn't seem as concerned as Anzaldúa, but there are a couple examples that perhaps could suggest otherwise. For instance, when she says, "I felt like I used to in the fourth grade when Robert, son of a Klansmen, put pictures of black folks hanging from trees on my desk, trapping me and then smothering me. I felt ambushed...angry and confused (23)". Also look at her comment about "flaxen-haired white girls throwing their manes around (22)," When I look at those comments, they strike me not necessarily as angry with how society treats her, but concerned with how society is. Yes, Wilson accepts her placement in society, but when you evaluate those comments, she seems concerned that this is how society is. Concerned that society places 'twisted' ideas over race and female presentation. Does that make any sense at all, because it seems as though I may be rambling a bit

Classmate response #2:
First off, I think your essay is well written and you have a lot of good points. You pointed out that "they should be able to effectively communicate. Not necessarily learn every aspect of our language, just know enough to make communication easier between each other, and that goes for both sides of the spectrum, we should also be willing to learn some of their language, like a meet in the middle kind of thing." While I understand your sentiments here, and to a certain extent agree, It's not completely fair. I for example know a little Spanish. I think it's great that I am able to sometimes be able to help "decipher" what it is they are trying to say. Honestly some people don't want to learn a second language, and frankly some just can't. Why should they have to, when the only language required to learn is English, or other languages respectively. I think until it is required that we as children learn a second language, its not fair to expect us to do so. Do you know what I mean?

My response:
I completely understand where you are coming from; I'm not necessarily saying that they have to learn our language, or visa-verse. All that I'm trying to say is that it would make situations much easier to work through if everyone just understood each other, and I realize that can apply to various different aspects of everyday life, but that would be in a perfect world. I also understand that it's not fair to say that a second language should be required, however, if I was to go to a foreign country for work or business, say France for instance, I would try to do all I could to learn the basics of their language so I could effectively communicate. I wouldn't expect them to expect me to know their language, but it is nice to be able to effectively communicate. I to know a bit of Spanish and I work in the construction industry, so I now how helpful it is to be able to effectively communicate with eachother. And yes, i do know what you mean, I don't think that we should have to learn a second language, however, I don't understand why someone wouldn't want to effectively communicate with others around them.

Classmate Response #3:
I really enjoyed your response to these writing. I was specifically interested when you said, “both women are concerned with how they are placed in society.” The placement of society is something that I hadn’t calculated into my thesis. When you say placement exactly do you mean? Are you talking social ranking (poor and/or rich), or more to male or female or cultural placement?

My Response:
Actually, when i said they are concerned with how they are placed in society, I wasn't looking at their social ranking or any of that. I was merely meaning that they both seem concerned with the fact that people have to put them down. In Wilson's case, the man in the van felt the need to insult her for his benefit. Whereas, in Gloria's case, she had an experience where people thought they HAD to get rid of her accent, and then other people put her down, calling her illegitimate because of the language that she spoke. To me both women came across as accepting of themselves, but all in all concerned with how society has to treat them just because they aren't the 'norm'.