- In Silko’s “Yellow Woman,’ what do the stolen beef and the Jell-o have in common? How do these elements break the prevailing mood?
While reading “Yellow Woman’, I had to read it a few times to figure out what was trying to be thrown at us with the stolen beef and the jell-o. The stolen beef came in the beginning of the story. Yellow Woman is trying to find her place in all of these tales that she is being told. While running into a rancher on the mountain, the stolen meat comes into play! I thought that this showed enthusiasm because the story mentions how the meat claps against her legs. This made me think of the clapping of hands and how you clap when something exciting happens. The Jell-O comes into the story when she returns home. It’s almost like the Jell-O is signifying the present. When the story talked about the stolen beef, she was being told tales of the past. Both of these elements were almost like turning points in the story, from past to present.2. After reading Saadawi’s “In Camera,’ how do you feel about Leila Al-Fargani’s father? Upon what evidence do you base your judgement?
Leila was not on trial for committing a crime, she was there because she voiced her opinion and called the President stupid. In her culture, women are supposed to keep quiet about certain topics, politics being one of them. During the trial, her father supported her, even though he wished that she would not have opened her mouth. He was suffering from his daughter’s actions. He said that if she had been a male, she would not be on trial. This showed me that her father was a great one! He didn’t abandon his daughter, even when she made a mistake. He would never turn his back on her.
- What is the importance of the title of the story “Death Constant Beyond Love’? What does it tell us about the stories central thematic concerns?
In this story, a senator is running for reelection and finds out that he has a terminal illness. He was only given six months and eleven days to live. However, he fell in love with an eighteen-year old girl named Laura. Laura seems to cure his loneliness and takes his mind off of his upcoming death. I believe that this is simply saying that death is the true ruler of everything. No matter how love he has for Laura, it won’t make his time on Earth last any longer.
Your answer to the third question seems to be along the same lines as what others have written, as well as myself. Good to know we are all on the same page.