Exploratory Essay

Works Cited

Freud, Sigmund. “FIVE LECTURES ON PSYCHO-ANALYSIS.” Sept. 1909, WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS, CLARK UNIVERSITY, WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS. FIVE LECTURES ON PSYCHO-ANALYSIS

“Eight Bites.” Gulf Coast Magazine, texas.gulfcoastmag.org/journal/29.2-summer/fall-2017/eight-bites/

Critical Research Paper 

Works Cited

Freud, Sigmund. “FIVE LECTURES ON PSYCHO-ANALYSIS.” Sept. 1909, WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS, CLARK UNIVERSITY, WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS. FIVE LECTURES ON PSYCHO-ANALYSIS

“Eight Bites.” Gulf Coast Magazine, texas.gulfcoastmag.org/journal/29.2-summer/fall 2017/eight-bites/

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, Forum (1886-1930); Apr 1930; VOL. LXXXIII, No. 4; American Periodicals Series Online

 Melczarek, Nick. Explicator. Fall2009, Vol. 67 Issue 4, p237-243. 7p. Database: Academic Search Complete

Riask, Sam, Eight Bites Do Not Satisfy Me, Harrison Middleton University

Literacy Narrative 

The minute I started writing my literacy narrative, I instantly felt inspired. It may have been the environment, or the topic itself, but something had definitely sparked within me. Staring at the images of Ruby Bridges and Betsy DeVos, were extremely thought provoking. Not only did I conclude that the comparison between the two was incorrect, but also expressed why I thought that.

I am proud, to say the least, of the essay I have composed. I felt strongly about the topic, which only fueled me to write an essay with such intense feelings. Never in a million years would I have thought they would compare such situations. And, as I continue to think, Ruby Bridges would not be content with the comparison either. As another minority in this society, it is my duty to communicate a message that has been neglected for years, and whether it is through a big or small platform, I am glad to advocate, in any way. That being said, when writing this essay, my main focus was to effectively communicate my thoughts about this injustice. When reading my essay, it may come off as intense and too emotional, but the feelings were all real, and that was what I wanted to captivate. In the beginning I was indecisive about whether, I should make the essay too personal, but then I realized the only way to depict how I was truly feeling, was to put all my thoughts and feelings in to a coherent essay.

Essentially, I wanted to focus on my connection with the audience, in regards to the images. I find that, being relatable is what makes anything you’re doing better, simply because it allows for a connection. That being said, I wanted to highlight that throughout my entire essay, and for that reason, it heavily focuses on my feelings towards the topic. Overall, I had an easy experience writing about the topic, because it was something I instantly felt strongly about, and my ultimate goal was to advocate for it.

Exploratory Essay

Writing this exploratory essay was definitely more challenging than the previous essay we had written, for various reason. One, I found it difficult to organize my thoughts on my own, compared to having discussed the stories in class. In the end I did end up making an outline with all the points I wanted to make, which made organizing my thoughts slightly easier. The second reason being that, I wanted to take the comments I was given in my previous essay and apply those in this essay, in hopes of improving my writing. However, that was a challenge in itself because I am used to incorporating several quotes and then analyzing. But, I was told that it comes off as text heavy and I did not want to make that same mistake. This time around I feel as if I did not really involve the text as much and relied more on my own analysis. At the same time, I did not want to sound repetitive with my analysis, which was also another challenge I came across. Something that did facilitate this writing experience was the word count which gave me room to comfortably express all my thoughts.  Overall, I did enjoy the challenge this essay brought about but I can confidently say that I want to be able to talk about more of Freud’s ideas because the ones we are limited to just get repetitive after a while, which also influences the writing. Other than that, I am glad I chose a story that was of my interest because it made the writing process more entertaining despite all the obstacles.

Critical Research Paper

When writing this paper, I came across various obstacles that made writing this paper much more difficult. The first obstacle I faced when writing this paper was the research process. Using various databases, I tried to search for the best articles that would support my thesis however I could not come across them, especially for the stories I was using. My biggest difficulty was searching for scholarly articles that helped support my thesis in regards to “Eight Bites”. Considering the fact that the story has recently been written, it was difficult to find any scholarly articles that specifically supported my thesis. In addition to that, I wanted to make sure my paper was heavily analysis based because I tend to go overboard with quotes. In my first paper I made that mistake, and in my 2^nd paper I made sure to minimize the number of quotes I used. I can now say that t am content with the number quotes I used compared to the analysis of the stories and articles I used. At the same time, I felt as if I needed more evidence to truly back up my statement, without relying heavily on quotes. Overall, I had a challenging experience writing this paper because I have already written about these stories and I did not want to sound repetitive, I wanted to bring new ideas, and I am content with the piece I have created.

 

 

 

Anonymity in a World of Identity

            Both “A Rose for Emily” and “Eight Bites” consist of unnamed narrators that play vital roles in society. Often, the names of narrators remain undiscussed and ignored. However, this stylistic choice leaves the audience with room for interpretation regarding the characters and their personalities. In “Eight Bites” the unnamed narrator is in a constant state of confusion and doubt, but there is also an underlying sense of hatred caused by repression and trauma. In “A Rose for Emily” no exact detail is given of the narrator; however, the narrator’s views are clearly shaped by society as he/she portrays Emily throughout the story. The narrators’ anonymity in “A Rose for Emily” and “Eight Bites” influence the characters in society by providing a sense of transparency, allowing them to effectively communicate the traumatic experiences that shaped their lives, or either mimic them.

Nameless narrators remain unidentified because they possess a greater role in the story, contributing to how one thinks and feels about the characters. As for “A Rose for Emily” the narrator serves as a “bridge” in understanding who Emily was and the repression, perversions, and displacement that she experienced throughout her life. In fact, the story is told through the perspective of the townspeople and how they felt about Emily, ultimately shaping their views on her. As stated in the story, “We had long thought of them as a tableau: Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground…” (Faulkner 3) This quote portrays the idea that the narrator, representing the townspeople at this point in the story, has a fixed image about Emily. The narrator describes her as someone submissive and weak, compared to the male figure in her life. This establishes certain expectations for Emily, despite her not truly being the person behind the image. Not only that, but it’s also important to discuss the narrator’s effect in telling the story in a way that is far from chronological. The events described in this story do not take place one after another, instead they are convoluted by the narrator. Not having a specific name or title gives the narrator the power to tell the events of the story in a way that can mimic the audiences’ view on who Emily Grierson was. This can be supported by Nick Melczarek, the writer of “Narrative motivation in Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily”, when he states “by focusing on the simple horror of Emily Grierson, we miss the degree to which the townspeople exhibit obsessive and manipulative behaviors of their own.” He goes on to say “in focusing on the timeline or, going further, seeking to untangle it, we overlook the possible implications of the timeline’s tangling in the first place.” These quotes show the essence of the power that the narrator possess. Throughout the story, Emily is seen as an odd mysterious woman who possesses a veil of secrecy, but we fail to realize that the narrator’s retelling of events is arranged in a way that describes Emily as someone who is insane and odd. But, not once does the narrator manage to describe the trauma Emily had gone through, which was imposed on her by her father. In fact, the narrator seems to highlight her perversion, being necrophilia, more than her actual struggle. This shows the narrators manipulation of chronology also affects how we perceive Rose throughout the story. Lastly, the narrator’s secrecy also creates a sense of doubt for the audience. Although the events of Emily’s life are being told clearly, there is also doubt in the sense that the narrator could mimic the story depending on his/her views, or their role in the town. “A Rose for Emily” is a clear depiction of how an unnamed narrator can mimic the views of an individual in society.

On the other hand, “Eight Bites” written by Carmen Maria Machado, demonstrates how transparency can be achieved when retelling the events of a story through the use of an unnamed narrator. The unnamed narrator in this story suffers from a serious case of trauma, onset by her mother during her adolescence. With all the pressure the narrator found herself under, she resorted to a “solution” that would change her life forever. The narrator lives a life that becomes highly dependent on societal views of her, and leads to an insecure lifestyle. In a sense, the nameless narrator can represent a loss/confusion in identity. Throughout the entire story, the narrator faces an internal conflict that leads to a state of insecurity that defines her life and the characters around her. Not having a name allows the narrator to retell these events without fearing judgement, something that has haunted her since her early stages of life. As stated by Sam Riask, “Machado’s ambiguity between reality and hallucination illustrates the fallacy in universal standards.” Machado’s stylistic choice of leaving the narrator unnamed, helps illustrate how trying to fit in with society and hold a place, may lead to the loss of identity, which in this case, did occur with the narrator. This is demonstrated at the end of the story when the narrator seems to be at a loss with herself, even after undergoing Bariatric surgery, and “fulfilling” her wish. She comes to the realization that the one thing she wanted all her life, was the one thing she did not need. Ultimately, the narrator allowed society’s views to influence her development, which led to an unsatisfied character in the end. Being unnamed in this story not only helped communicate the fact that there was a loss of identity but also allowed for transparency when retelling the events of her life. It’s also important to mention the fact that even though the narrator was unnamed, the gender was clearly stated, with the purpose being that women in society already tend to be criticized, and adding a name would have placed a stronger effect on the narrator, compared to not knowing who the person truly was.

That being said, identity plays a major role in society, from what you wear to what you listen to all have a major impact in the way people perceive an individual. In the two stories, “Eight Bites” and “A Rose for Emily” we come across unnamed narrators who have a strong influence on society, but at the same time, society also has a strong influence on them. Both narrators are at a loss of identity, however they exploit their persona through the events that take place throughout the story, whether it allows for transparency or for manipulation. The unnamed narrators ultimately shape the characters throughout the story, along with highlighting the traumatic events each of them faced. In the end, the narrator serves as the outlook of communication between the audience and the characters in the story. 

 

 

 

Under the Knife

       “Eight Bites” written by Carmen Maria Machado exposes the detrimental effects of society on an individual. The unnamed narrator in this short story resorts to Bariatric surgery in order to disguise the trauma experienced during her childhood. This trauma onsets forces of repression, wishful impulses, and the unconscious within the narrator, which is then manifested through her actions. When applying a Freudian lens, this short story explores the disruptive nature of a woman’s mental health while battling with body dysmorphia. The protagonist in this story serves as an assertion of Freud’s ideas, as presented in his lectures.

One of the points that Freud made during his lecture is that behind an individual’s symptoms there is always an underlying trauma. In this case, that trauma was unintentionally instilled in the narrator by her mother’s idea of beauty. Eight bites are all that was needed to be consumed, according to the narrator’s mother. But, eight bites are also all it took to establish trauma. This idea of eight bites and its relation to body image created an unrealistic and unhealthy beauty standard that consumed the narrator. This is seen when the narrator says “I could not make eight bites work for my body and so I would make my body work for eight bites” (Machado). This powerful statement, not only reflects the narrator’s obsessive state of mind, but also her intentions. When she says that she could not make eight bites work, she realizes that it is something unpractical, however, she fails to understand that it is also absurd. It is absurd in the sense that after consuming eight bites the narrator remains hungry, yet continues to chase something unsustainable. In addition to that, when the narrator says she would make her body work for eight bites, she alludes to the fact that she is going to go under the knife, in order to make eight bites something sustainable. Therefore, demonstrates how powerful her mother’s influence was on her development and the establishment of her trauma.

Following the narrator’s trauma, she also faces repression, externally and internally. Freud defines repression as pushing “the pathogenic experiences in question out of consciousness.” (Freud 18). Various instances throughout the story demonstrate how the narrator tries to neglect the conflicting thoughts about her body through morality. An example of internal repression is seen when the narrator says “I thought about people on death row and their final meals…Their last meal comes before death, mine comes before not just life, but a new life. You are horrible, I thought, as I lifted the menu to my face, higher than it needed to be.” (Machado) Here, the narrator compares herself to someone on death row because, in a sense, she is leaving behind her old body and returning as someone new. She then proceeds to ignore what she truly is feeling by telling herself she is horrible and setting aside her feelings. The narrator fails to acknowledge her insecurity, and instead pushes it further into the unconscious. Another form of repression is influenced by the narrator’s sister, who have also gotten Bariatric surgery. The narrator’s sisters aid in repressing her own thoughts through their beaming happiness after their own surgery. Instead of helping bring the narrators trauma to light, the sister help represses the narrator’s thought by telling her that she will be content and fulfilled after the surgery is performed. This encouraged the narrator to put the feelings that were making her uncomfortable aside, and resort to surgery as a form of happiness and fulfillment.

Wishful impulses are motivated by desires, as Freud stated. In this case, the narrator’s greatest desire was to mold herself into her mother’s idea of the perfect body. This wishful impulse was manifested in the form of Bariatric surgery. The narrator had experienced repression all throughout her life, which made giving-in to her wishful impulse simpler. Although much debate went into her final decision, she ended up receiving the procedure. However, there was no actual fulfillment in the end, when the narrator realizes that life is beyond your body shape. At the end of the story the narrator makes two interesting statements pretraining to her wishful impulse. She first says “here is where I learn if it’s all been worth it” (Machado) and goes on to say “I will curl into her body, which was my body once, but I was a poor caretaker and she was removed from my charge.” (Machado) The ending of this short story shows how even though she managed to go through with her wishful impulse, she was unsatisfied because she neglected her daughter in the process. She realized that the one thing she hated the most was her figure, yet her daughter possessed the same figure and she did not hate it.

The narrator’s lifelong suffrage with body dysmorphia comes to an end after her trauma comes to consciousness. The very last words of the story are “I’m sorry” and “I didn’t know”, it can be concluded that the narrator realized that her battle with body dysmorphia was only that, a battle. Undergoing Bariatric surgery did not bring her happiness in the end, and she failed to realize that. It is important to note that the people around the narrator greatly influenced her actions in life, and created an atmosphere where she was able to disguise her trauma, repress her thoughts and give in to her wishful impulse. The unnamed narrator was simply an individual who allowed social pressures dictate her life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I sat in class and patiently waited for the handout to be passed back, I wondered what we would be discussing. Once I had the paper in my hands, I was confused, to say the least. Moments after, I was given background information, and my confusion then turned into frustration. I was startled, and then thought to myself, “how is this comparison deemed okay!” The longer I stared at the image, the more errors I found with it. My thoughts continued to flow, and I was stunned at the fact that, people thought it was okay to compare these two images: one being of Ruby Bridges, a young black girl, who fought for her education, and of another, being Betsy DeVos appointed as the United States Secretary of Education.

I took the time to analyze the images before me. To the left I saw a painting, “The Problem We All Live With” by Norman Rockwell, of Ruby Bridges making her way to school, surrounded by security guards, while tomatoes were thrown at her. This painting showed a young girl’s struggle, how she was able to defeat the norm and fight for her rights. The painting triggered inspiration and gave a sense of power. To the right, however, was a political cartoon of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos by Glenn McCoy, on her way to work, and in the background, the cartoonist decided to write “unqualified.” This was also a powerful image, that showed how a businesswoman was taking over an education position, one she was not qualified for. Yet, there seemed to be an underlying message of “struggle” in this cartoon.

The idea that the painting conveyed was one I supported. I saw a young black girl fighting, not only for her own rights but for the rights of many other minorities, which was something I resonated with. What Ruby Bridges did, required a tremendous amount of strength, especially in a time period where people of color were extremely discriminated against. That’s why I could not believe that people would dare to compare these two scenarios, when in fact, DeVos faced no struggle, especially as a privileged wealthy white woman.

Although the political cartoon can be put up for debate, I feel as if it shows, DeVos as another white woman getting what she wants. As a businesswoman, she has no spot in education. However, because of her stance and income, she is able to take on the role, even though there may be better people out there fit for the job. That being said, the cartoonist, made an excellent choice by placing the words “unqualified” in the back, to show that DeVos is not the person that should be in charge.

Seeing that the two images were placed next to each other, as some form of comparison, is upsetting. The struggle behind the painting is nowhere near the same as the one seen on the political cartoon. The fact being, it belittles all the hardships Ruby Bridges faced when they compare her to DeVos, who has had things in her favor. She was never deprived of an education because of her skin color and she was never deprived of basic human rights. This does not mean that DeVos may have not struggled for acceptance, but the truth is, she has never been deprived of anything. Which shows how different Ruby Bridges and Betsey DeVos truly are and how unfitting it is to compare the two.

I then snapped back into reality and pushed all my thoughts to the back of my head. The class then had an open discussion relating to the images. Hearing what my classmates had thought about the images, I realized not all of us think the same way, and that we all have our own thoughts and ideas about certain subjects. I felt strongly about my stance, however, there were other people who seemed to disagree. Whether or not some people thought it was fair to compare the two images, I realized that the opinion I should value the most is the one I think. This doesn’t mean that other people’s opinions aren’t valuable, but I should simply stand for what I believe, similarly to the way Ruby Bridges did.

By the end of class, I had heard several thoughts and interpretations about the images presented to us. Some were interesting, and others I completely disagreed with. At the end of the day, I made sure to get my point across to the class, and stuck to the idea that Ruby Bridges and Betsy DeVos were far from similar. The strength Ruby had would never be something DeVos could equate to, and for that reason, it is unfair to compare the two.

 

Walking into my FIQWIS Composition class I did not expect much, however, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of newly acquired knowledge. Starting off with the introduction to a new genre of writing. The first few days of class we started discussing the elements of a Literacy Narrative, only to end up writing one a couple of weeks later. The experience was enjoying, to say the least, the images that my professor presented us with, were ones that resonated with me which made the writing process much easier. In fact, in my Literacy Narrative Reflection, I explain how simple it was to address the rhetorical situations because I felt strongly about the topic which compelled me to write a powerful essay.

 

“I am proud, to say the least, of the essay I have composed. I felt strongly about the topic, which only fueled me to write an essay with such intense feelings. Never in a million years would I have thought they would compare such situations.”

 

When assigned our Exploratory Essay, we had to submit drafts that were then peer-reviewed by the students in the class. This was extremely helpful for both the receiving end and the editing aspect. Editing other students’ work allowed me to see what my peers were doing differently, and allowing me to evaluate and implement that into my own paper. This allowed me to write a well written Exploratory Essay with much more confidence.

In order to practice citing sources properly, we thoroughly discussed the elements that go into creating a work cited page. Entering this class, I did not know how to correctly cite my sources because it was something that was not enforced throughout high school. However, that all changed when my FIQWIS professors required a work cited page for my Summary and Response essay, Exploratory essay, and Critical Research Paper. This allowed me to practice citing my sources and gain greater experience. I can now confidently create a work cited page with no problem due to the number of times I have written one, and through the constant practice during my Composition class.

When writing my Literacy Narrative, I practiced using rhetorical terms and strategies to express my thoughts and ideas to the audience in a clear, concise, and effective way. For instance, in my Literacy Narrative I wanted to reach my audience in a personal matter, and for that reason, I incorporated the use of emotion and drama in order to resonate with the people reading my paper, in the same way, I connected with the two images that were presented to me. Not only that, but I also made sure to reach my audience through facts, not just emotion, this gave my paper some form of validity. Overall, in writing this assignment I learned how to use rhetorical strategies to effectively communicate my ideas to the audience.

Throughout the process of writing my Critical Research paper, we discussed among our peers the different topics we had all proposed and how to develop them when writing our papers and gathering our research. This was something I was not accustomed to; however, it was very enlightening to receive input from my peers and to see how they viewed my ideas. Not only that, but the information I was provided with was extremely insightful, which allowed me to develop my Critical Research Paper. In addition, collaborating with students that were working on the same prompt I chose was very helpful because it introduced me to new ideas and sources that I was unaware of. Overall, I can say that working with my peers had to be one of the best steps throughout the writing process because it helped me further develop my paper.

The technology was an important component in my FIQWIS class that allowed me to properly understand the material that was being taught. For instance, in my Content FIQWIS class, we used various online pdf in order to open ourselves to various pieces of literature such as “The Yellow Wallpaper’, “A Rose for Emily”, and many more. This allowed us to address our audience through several online texts that presented various perspectives of a Freudian lens, which is what we heavily focused on.

When researching for primary and scholarly sources for my Critical Research Paper I had to use various databases, found on the CCNY Library page, in order to develop my ideas. When writing my Critical Research Paper, I had to make sure that the sources I was using were scholarly sources, which made it more difficult to go online and search for sources that fir the criteria. However, using certain databases made this process much simpler, and helped me avoid any form of bias and inaccuracy.

When writing my Summary and Response, Exploratory, and Critical Research Papers, I learned to summarize, analyze, interpret, and synthesize my thoughts and ideas, in order to form an argument. Throughout the process of writing these papers, I was able to gain knowledge of various things whether it was how to properly analyze, or properly cite, I ended up improving, which ultimately was the goal.

I can proudly say that both my FIQWIS classes have introduced me what  college writing is like and what I can expect out of an English class. I can move on to my next semester English class knowing I possess writing abilities that will allow me to be successful.