Monday, February 28, 2011
Character Profiles Cyber-Assignment
In class we started our character studies. Students were to choose 2-3 women from Half the Sky and make a list of their characteristics. I handed out brainstorming worksheets and another sheet to take the ideas and put them into essay form (don't worry about that sheet now).
Post your Character Profiles (min 2) here.
The question is what is an empowered woman look like? I am being both figurative and literal. Are empowered women born or do circumstances make this choice inevitable?
Answer these questions in a commentary about the women you choose to profile her.
In Half the Sky, some women profiled do not live up to their own and others in the community, such as family, Nick or other supporters, expectations.
What does that say to you about these women? Do you think they are weak? What do the authors say? Is the opposite of empowered, "weak" or is the contrast between the two more complex? Why or why not?
We spent the bulk of the class reviewing the section in Pidd on Pronoun AGR. The essay is due Wednesday. E-mail it to yourself. We will complete the peer review.
In Half the Sky we are up to chapter 11 this week, next week we complete the book and work on developing a topic to write about. Next week we will also complete Pronoun Case--the Midterm Essay and Grammar Exam 1. On Wednesday, we will take the Pronoun AGR and Ellipsis Quizzes.
We have a lot more books to read so we can't stay in Half the Sky indefinitely (smile). If you are behind, catch up. Bring both books and the Alice Walker, We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For handout to class as well.
Borders in Alameda is closing and all the books are on sale.
We had a library orientation last week with Professor David Sparks. He gave us five handouts. If you'd like the assignment ask him for it. After you complete the assignment, give it to him to grade. Put my name on it as well, so he can return it to me. It was due today, so get it to him by Wednesday.
Post your Character Profiles (min 2) here.
The question is what is an empowered woman look like? I am being both figurative and literal. Are empowered women born or do circumstances make this choice inevitable?
Answer these questions in a commentary about the women you choose to profile her.
In Half the Sky, some women profiled do not live up to their own and others in the community, such as family, Nick or other supporters, expectations.
What does that say to you about these women? Do you think they are weak? What do the authors say? Is the opposite of empowered, "weak" or is the contrast between the two more complex? Why or why not?
We spent the bulk of the class reviewing the section in Pidd on Pronoun AGR. The essay is due Wednesday. E-mail it to yourself. We will complete the peer review.
In Half the Sky we are up to chapter 11 this week, next week we complete the book and work on developing a topic to write about. Next week we will also complete Pronoun Case--the Midterm Essay and Grammar Exam 1. On Wednesday, we will take the Pronoun AGR and Ellipsis Quizzes.
We have a lot more books to read so we can't stay in Half the Sky indefinitely (smile). If you are behind, catch up. Bring both books and the Alice Walker, We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For handout to class as well.
Borders in Alameda is closing and all the books are on sale.
We had a library orientation last week with Professor David Sparks. He gave us five handouts. If you'd like the assignment ask him for it. After you complete the assignment, give it to him to grade. Put my name on it as well, so he can return it to me. It was due today, so get it to him by Wednesday.
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Professor Sabir, your most recent post has said this is where the character profiles belong so I am adding my character profile here in addition to the post that everyone else is posting on.
Julien Chen
English 201B
Professor Sabir
7 March 2011
Srey Neth
Srey Neth, a fourteen-year-old looking prostitute, who did not know her actual age, is from a small village located near the urban Poipet in Cambodia. She was brought to Poipet by a female cousin who promised Neth a job selling fruit in the big city. Her cousin instead sold Neth to a brothel, which checked if her hymen was intact and auctioned off her virginity. During her time in Poipet, she entertained customers in a cheap guest house that doubled as a brothel. Neth had a full face, but her body was skinny and weak, her face was filled with cosmetics, like she had just finished playing with her mother’s (35).
When visited by Nick Kristof, the co-author of Half the Sky, she was extremely nervous. Kristof was her first foreign customer and she was incredibly wary that he was sent as a test of her loyalty. Srey Neth has only been working at the brothel for approximately a month, but she still claims that the brothel was hell. When Kristof offers to purchase Neth from the brothel, her eyes light up and passionately proclaims her feelings toward working in the brothel. She proclaims, “This is hell, [y]ou think I want to do this?” (37).
Kristof purchases Srey Neth for $150 and was given a receipt. He contributed some of his own money to help Neth start a small shop in her native village. Initially, Neth’s shop bloomed, it was the only shop in the village, but others saw the success she gained and started the own stores, Neth’s family also took advantage of her and raided the store for free food. “Her mother recalled later: ‘Neth got mad, she said we [the family] had to stay away or everything would be gone. She said she had to have money to buy new things.’ But in a Cambodian village, nobody listens to an uneducated teenage girl. The feast went ahead, the store was emptied. Afterward, Neth had no money to replenish her inventory. Four months after the shop had opened, her business plan had collapsed.”(41).
Julien Chen
English 201B
Professor Sabir
7 March 2011
Srey Neth
Srey Neth, a fourteen-year-old looking prostitute, who did not know her actual age, is from a small village located near the urban Poipet in Cambodia. She was brought to Poipet by a female cousin who promised Neth a job selling fruit in the big city. Her cousin instead sold Neth to a brothel, which checked if her hymen was intact and auctioned off her virginity. During her time in Poipet, she entertained customers in a cheap guest house that doubled as a brothel. Neth had a full face, but her body was skinny and weak, her face was filled with cosmetics, like she had just finished playing with her mother’s (35).
When visited by Nick Kristof, the co-author of Half the Sky, she was extremely nervous. Kristof was her first foreign customer and she was incredibly wary that he was sent as a test of her loyalty. Srey Neth has only been working at the brothel for approximately a month, but she still claims that the brothel was hell. When Kristof offers to purchase Neth from the brothel, her eyes light up and passionately proclaims her feelings toward working in the brothel. She proclaims, “This is hell, [y]ou think I want to do this?” (37).
Kristof purchases Srey Neth for $150 and was given a receipt. He contributed some of his own money to help Neth start a small shop in her native village. Initially, Neth’s shop bloomed, it was the only shop in the village, but others saw the success she gained and started the own stores, Neth’s family also took advantage of her and raided the store for free food. “Her mother recalled later: ‘Neth got mad, she said we [the family] had to stay away or everything would be gone. She said she had to have money to buy new things.’ But in a Cambodian village, nobody listens to an uneducated teenage girl. The feast went ahead, the store was emptied. Afterward, Neth had no money to replenish her inventory. Four months after the shop had opened, her business plan had collapsed.”(41).
# posted by 
: 11:19 PM
: 11:19 PM
There is no actual physical description of what an empowered woman looks like. I strongly believe that they can come in any shape, size and color and really it’s the courage mixed the anger of their oppression that will sooner or later unleash the possibilities of change that she can take on within her community. Women are all born with empowered attributes but its certain actions, experiences, and feelings that brings it out of her. Yes, some women do live in fear but underneath that fear I’m sure they wonder what it would be like if they had the chance to speak up without getting punished for it. Usually under harsh circumstances is when a woman will feel like enough has been enough and change must take place, because if it doesn’t then she will feel as if her life has been a partial waste and she will one day die with much resentment built up in her.
I chose to profile Usha Narayne, whom is from India and Mukhtar Mai from Pakistan that both live in small villages where poverty is obvious. Both of them have suffered because of gender oppression as well as the consist threat of rape, which Mukhatr Mai was actually gang raped shortly after her own brother had been gang raped as well. Infuriated with the ways rape had been dealt with and police officials who don’t even protect them grew to the point where the two women had had enough. Rather than fleeing their own communities, they stayed and tried with what they could to help the helpless within their villages. As Usha organized ways for her community to make profit through small business moves and Mukhtar opened a school for girls and then later for boys shows that the oppressed can strive and succeed towards change. These two women not only made changes within their communities, but also brought a whole other level of hope for the generations to come that will result in less oppression towards woman. Education can play a big role in change for the better in the times to come and these two women know how much of a difference it will make.
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I chose to profile Usha Narayne, whom is from India and Mukhtar Mai from Pakistan that both live in small villages where poverty is obvious. Both of them have suffered because of gender oppression as well as the consist threat of rape, which Mukhatr Mai was actually gang raped shortly after her own brother had been gang raped as well. Infuriated with the ways rape had been dealt with and police officials who don’t even protect them grew to the point where the two women had had enough. Rather than fleeing their own communities, they stayed and tried with what they could to help the helpless within their villages. As Usha organized ways for her community to make profit through small business moves and Mukhtar opened a school for girls and then later for boys shows that the oppressed can strive and succeed towards change. These two women not only made changes within their communities, but also brought a whole other level of hope for the generations to come that will result in less oppression towards woman. Education can play a big role in change for the better in the times to come and these two women know how much of a difference it will make.
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