Category: Uncategorized

Alaina Losito

M. NourbeSe Philip’s book Zong! recounts, through the use of poetry, the horrific massacre that occurred on a slave ship in November 1781. Philip uses the repetition and placement of certain words and phrases in order to highlight the importance of said words or phrases. The placement of the words on the page may also allow for the reader to read the text slowly in order to contemplate the significance of each word in relation to the historical context of the poem. This poem can be relevant to current times as well. The formatting and repetition of specific words speak to issues in today’s society of police brutality which brought rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Luxury of a Breath

The first 20 pages of Zong! are included in the chapter “Os”. In the back of the book there is a glossary of words and phrases overheard on board the Zong! In the glossary the word “os” translates to “bone” in Latin (Philip 184). Bones can be associated with images of skeletons and death. This could signify the deaths of the 150 slaves that died on this ship. One thing that is tactful in reading this poem is to read it aloud. In Zong! #1 there is the breaking up of words and letters. These are scattered throughout the page and may not make sense at first glance but when read aloud can be coherent to the reader. If read aloud, this page could sound like someone drowning, or someone who has been deprived of water for so long that their throat becomes dry and they can barely even speak. This usage of water could show the suffering that these slaves endured. The fact that this is the very first page makes it so that the reader is drawn in. On the bottom of the page it says “Masuz Zuwena Ogunsheye Ziyad Ogwambi Keturah.” These are not listed in the glossary which could suggest that these are names of several of the slaves that were murdered in the massacre. This opening scene can be related to the death of George Floyd. While reading this opening page it seems like the speaker is gasping for air and the struggle for words seems terribly difficult. This can be seen in the breakage and scattering of the words on the page. In the incident of George Flyod, the police officer was kneeling on George Floyd’s neck while George Floyd was suffocating and screaming “I can’t breathe”. The opening page parallels this disturbing murder of George Floyd because both show the painful struggle to survive in a situation where another person has complete control over their lives.

The Law is Never in Favor of the Oppressed.          

In this section of the book it also emphasizes the fact that the fate of these slaves was in the hands of the white people on board the ship. These slaves were never in control of their own lives. In Zong! #11 there is an emphasis on the law. On this page there is a significant blank space in between the words “is”, “not”, “does”, “not”, etc. This blank space could be related to the message of the words on the page. There can be so many “what if” questions about history. Questions such as “what if slavery never existed” or “what if racism never existed”. The law is a social construction and so is racism. Both, together, result in the mistreatment and death of so many people in the black community. Zong! #11 could parallel that of the case of Breonna Taylor. She was murdered in her own home by the police when they had no reason to go in her home in the first place. In this instance, Breonna Taylor’s case went to court and lost. All of the evidence needed to prove that the police were guilty was there. Yet, the law is almost always against those of the oppressed instead of the oppressors. This can be similar to that of this page in the book because in this page the speaker says, “suppose the law not / -a crime / suppose the law a loss / suppose the law / suppose” (Philip 20). This is drawing attention to the fact that the law creates who is inferior and who is superior. For example, the law used to state that a white person could own another human being as their own property. This allowed for these slaves to be taken from their own country in the first place. The law also created the insurance on these slaves because they were property. All of these laws based on racism added up to the murder of these 150 slaves. The law was not in these slaves favor just as the law was not in Breonna Taylor’s favor. The law chooses, even before a crime is made, who is innocent and who is guilty. 

Discussion Questions:

1. Are there any other instances in this section of the reading that remind you of other current events? 
2. Do you think Philips wants each of us to read each page in the same way? Or do you think that the placement of the words/phrases in this book were meant to allow for each of the readers to create their own understanding of the page in relation to the historical context?
3. If you did not know what this poem was about (or the name of the poem), what would you think it was about based on the word choices and phrases that Philips emphasizes/draws the reader’s attention to? 

Philip, M. NourbeSe. Zong! Wesleyan University Press, 2008.

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine is a lyric that describes the life black people in America. Rankine tells this story through a second person of view through the character “you”. Throughout the final chapter of the book, the protagonist questions her identity and self worth since society’s racism towards the black community constantly interferes with the way black people view themself as a full human being in America. However, at the end of the book, Rankine switches perspective to first person showing how the protagonist has embodied her true self instead of letting society impact how she views herself.

In the beginning of chapter 7, Rankine writes a non narrative poem with more conventional line breaks than usually. The protagonist has “some years…wanting to escape- floating above your certain ache- still the ache coexists.” (Rankine, 139)  By explaining that escaping from the racism in society gives the protagonist headaches, we can infer that it is painful for the black people to constantly fight against racism. These headaches are a reminder of the emotional suffering that blacks constantly have to deal with. This emotional suffering is evident throughout the rest of Rankine’s poem as shown when “you” discovers that “given the histories of you and you” makes the protagonist question herself by asking “ who is this you” (Rankine, 140) and “How to care for the injured body, the kind of body that can’t hold the content it is living?” (Rankine, 143)  When the protagonist asks these questions, it is evident that society views black people as worthless, which is caused by the long history of racism in the US. 

On July 13, 2013, George Zimmerman was on trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin, which caused an uproar throughout the United States. While listening to the radio broadcast about Martin, the neighboring car next to the protagonist said something racist about Martin which led to the protagonist unleashing his anger. The protagonist knew that her “partner wants to face off with a mouth and who knows what handheld object the other vehicle carries. You pull your love back into the seat because though no one seems to be chasing you, the justice system has other plans.” (Rankine, 151) We can assume that the protagonist’s friend is black and the person in the neighboring car is white. The protagonist is trying to calm her friend down because she knows that rage and anger will put them at danger. You understand that the justice system has always been against black people. If a black person naturally shows their anger in public, the justice system will unfairly punish black people. Because of this, you doesn’t feel safe showing anger in public. The justice system is an example of how society treats black people. Society wants black people to get over racist encounters and racist history by reacting in a way that is seen as negative and threatening.

At the end of the book, Rankine switches to a first person point of view and tells the last final page of the story through the character “I”. I has an encounter with microaggression before she went to play tennis  where “a woman pulled in and started to park her car” but when she noticed that I is black, “she backed up and parked on the other side of the lot.” I’s husband asked if she won from this microaggression but I knew that “it wasn’t a match…it was a lesson.” (Rankine, 159) In this event, a match is when a person is able to go up against another person implying that the standard for both are equal and fair. A lesson is defined to teach or instruct. This line connects to Rankine’s bigger idea of how to combat racism which is to educate those to show how racism affects people of color since white people can never experience the struggles that people of color face. 

Work Cited: 

Rankine, Claudia, 1963-author. Citizen : An American Lyric. Minneapolis, Minnesota : Graywolf Press, 2014.

Discussion Questions:

1. How would you interpret the image on page 147?
2. Why is the shift between second pov to first pov significant?

Citizen, by Claudia Rankine shows the reader what it’s like to be an outlier in society as she shares here personal experiences of what it is like to be a women of color in the world that we live in. As well she shares stories from other people who have gone through similar situations as her. All of these stories help the reader become more engaged as some of the stories are in daily situations that some people would never think twice about, but in her life and many others like her these daily situations can turn into something that’ll never be forgotten. This is simply because of society’s stereotypes that effect the daily lives of individuals. As a person born with a physical disability I personally connected to some of Rankine’s stories.

The stories she shares show how sometimes you simply cannot control every part of your life. Rankine stated “The world out there insisting on this only half concerns you. what happens to you doesn’t belong to you, only half concerns you. It’s not yours. Not yours only. (Rankine 141). Rankine is implying that what happens to you is sometimes out of your control. The important part of that quote is the word “half” meaning that yes you have control of your life such as your ambitions and goals. However the things out off your control is only because of society’s views. Another example is when Rankine states “A body in the world drowns it” (Rankine 142) meaning that what the world see’s in a body defies it’s outcomes. This is true in some cases, and not in others. The key is we do not have control of the things we are given or the things we are not. However, if your able to push past all the hurdles, are you then in control? If the answer is yes or no the world is always going to act a certain way and that is what will never be within your control. This helps explain her quote of “How to care for a injured body. The kind of body that cannot hold the content it is living in” (Rankine 143). The injured body is not physically injured. It is injured by the memories of it’s past. The memories caused by factors such as ethnicity. which it is not like we can choose our ethnicity. It is just simply given to us. Therefore we should embrace the obstacles we face as they only build our character and make us stronger human beings.

Rankine stated “The worst feeling is the feeling that you don’t belong so much” (Rankine 146) implying that her stories of being treated differently made her feel worse than any other thing that has happened to her. If you have ever been treated differently because of something you had no control over how would it make you feel. It obviously bothered Rankine, and had a huge impact on the life that she lived and the views she had developed. People of color face these situations and feelings commonly and it is wrong. The color of your skin only resembles how close to the equator your ancestors lived yet it leaves social impacts on millions of lives. These impacts are seen in the stories that Rankine shares, and it is heartbreaking to know that something so simple can cause these situations. Situations that are a result of people feeling more important, more valuable just because of the color of there skin. The stories shed light into a dark world, and it makes the reader realize the important aspects to apply to there own lives to overcome any obstacle they may face.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think Rankine meant by “The world out there insisting on this only half concerns you. what happens to you doesn’t belong to you, only half concerns you. It’s not yours. Not yours only.” (Rankine 141).
2. Do you agree with Rankine’s statement of “The worst feeling is the feeling that you don’t belong so much” (Rankine 146). If you faced the same obstacles she had, how would you react? Would you stand up for yourself?

Works Cited:

Rankine, Claudia, 1963-author. Citizen : An American Lyric. Minneapolis, Minnesota : Graywolf Press, 2014.

In Claudia Rankine’s book Citizen an American Lyric Rankine helps people understand life in America as a black woman or person of color. This is done through talking in the second person narrative and Rankine either telling her story or stories of other people of color. But in the book, something that got my attention was the references to the Colors red, white, and blue. There could be many reasons for the repetition for those three colors together for example she could be trying to get the attention of the American people with the use of the American flag colors. But to me in this book I see these colors repeating as a way to expose how the news media shows what happens in interactions between people of color and the American police forces.   

The first reference to one of these colors shows up was “In the darkened moment a body given blue light a flashlight” (Rankine – 70). When I see the words blue light and flashlight together the first thing, I think of is a police officer/ officers police lights being on and the officer walking up to a car with a flashlight to check for something illegal. The next thing that tells me that the colors represent interactions between people of color and the American police forces is when the book says “Stand where you are” (Rankine – 70). When this is said I picture a police officer/ officers doing a search and the person of color is afraid because of the history of violence between people of color and police forces all over America. The color blue is also brought up when Rankine says no matter what time it is blue is always around “looking into the blue light. All day blue burrows the atmosphere” (70). To me this is saying that no matter where she goes no matter what time it is, she can’t get away from the blue of the sky in the day and even the cops blue during the day. Another place where the police force is talked about is “you would look past me, all gloved up, in a big coat, with a fancy fur around my collar, and record a self-saying, you should be scared, the first person can’t pull you together” (Rankine – 71). Here I see a few things referring to the police forces one thing I see is raising the idea that if she or he wasn’t black or had fancier clothes the police wouldn’t pay attention to her or him. I also believe the self-saying is a reference to cell phone videos of police officers’ violence especially on people of color becoming more common. I also see a reference in the jailing of people of color when the book talks about “The past is a life sentence, a blunt instrument” (Rankine – 72). To me when I hear life sentence and blunt instrument close together, I think of police officers using force to arrest a person of color no matter if they did something or not. The last piece that I connect to how the interaction is when it talked about a red-tailed hawk waiting to strike “a red – tailed hawk, dusk at dawn, taking over blue, surveying moment” (Rankine – 76). Here I think Rankine is saying that the police even in the early morning is waiting for a person of color to do something that could be justified or even unjustified as against the law so they could swoop in and attack their pray.

  Now in regards to the history of violence against people of color for me and people around my age we probably are most likely to remember the Trevon Martin case because of the media coverage around it as for people in high school and middle school now when they think of violence against people of color it’s a good chance the first incidences that come to their head is the Breanna Taylor and George Floyd cases. But that doesn’t mean that these are not the only examples of violence against blacks as we can see on page 134. There are so many “In memory of” (Rankine – 134) and some of them are followed by names and some are not. The further you get down the list the blurrier the list gets.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think is going on with Page 134? In your opinion do you feel Page 134 is important to the book? Explain.
2. When the Red-Tailed hawk was referenced on page 72 what was the first thing you thought of?    

Works Cited:

Rankine, Claudia, 1963-author. Citizen : An American Lyric. Minneapolis, Minnesota : Graywolf Press, 2014.

Citizen, by Claudia Rankine focuses on being a woman of color through the author’s personal experiences and through the author’s eyes. Throughout this lyric, the author speaks about different accounts of when people of color were treated differently as well as her personal accounts when she was treated differently. She uses the second-person pronoun, you, to keep the main protagonist nameless. This draws us in as readers and brings us to be a part of the story. This protagonist is presumably black. We assume this because the lyric brings together stories, poems, and photographs to show the struggle of being a person of color. Rankine brings up society, also known as the “world”  in many forms in her lyric.

 One example she uses to show how society or the “world”  believes people should think is through memories. Society believes that we should not remember the past and that we should just move on. Rankine states, “ You like to think memory goes far back though remembering was never recommended. Forget all that, the world says. The world’s had a lot of practice” (Rankine 61). Rankine is saying that society believes that we should not remember the past and that we should only hold onto some memories. These memories should be happy and not be the bad things that happened in the past. One of the bad things that has happened in the past and present that the world does not want to be remembered is the treatment of people of color. Another example of how she shows that society believes people should think is through metaphors. The main metaphor Rankine uses is that “the past is a life sentence, a blunt instrument aimed at tomorrow” (Rankine 72). She uses this metaphor to show that society believes that the past can take control of people’s lives if dwelled upon for too long. She also says that if you “drag that first person out of the social death of history” then you are family (Rankine 72). This goes to show that society believes that the people should not look back at the past and just continue onto the future. This way society can put the past behind them in hopes that others will not bring up some of the horrible things that have happened in the past. Society or the world is telling you to “move on. Let it go. Come on” (Rankine 66). Society, also known as the “world,” is telling the people of color to move on from what happened in the past as if it is not relevant in today’s life.

The world is wrong. Society is wrong. People should not just “move on” from the past (Rankine 66). People of color and all people in general should fight to change this injustice that has happened in the past and still is happening today. Rankine is saying in her lyric that people need to remember the past and the memories in order to help the future and in order to help people thrive. You may notice the movements that went down in history and still are happening today. Both the Black Lives Matter Movement and the Women’s Rights Movement shows that these issues are still around today. Rankine says as an example, “you wait at the bar of the restaurant for a friend, and a man, wanting to make conversation, nursing something, takes out his phone to show you a picture of his wife. You say, bridge that she is, that she is beautiful. She is, he says, beautiful and black like you” (Rankine 78). This goes to show that people are still seeing other people for the color of their skin. It may not be deemed racist or wrong in many people’s eyes, but it is still very apparent in everyday life. These encounters affect people of color throughout their everyday life to this present day. Rankine continues with that example, “Appetite won’t attach you to anything no matter how depleted you feel… you do go to the gym and run in place, an entire hour running, just you and your body running off each undesired desired encounter” (Rankine 79). People of color who have these unsavory encounters will continue on with their day as usual, but these encounters can easily taint their every move. This concluding memory that Rankine uses exemplifies how people of color feel when encounters that make them feel different happen.

Discussion Questions:

1. In the example on page 77, is Rankine’s main protagonist right for giving the person the benefit of the doubt? Why or why not? If you were in Rankine’s main protagonist’s position, what would you have done? Why?

2. Do you believe that people should forget about the past or should the past be brought up in present times? Why or why not? If you were in society’s position, would you want your mistakes to be brought up in the present to help the future? Why or why not?

Works Cited:

Rankine, Claudia, 1963-author. Citizen : An American Lyric. Minneapolis, Minnesota : Graywolf Press, 2014.

Citizen, by Claudia Rankine focuses on the authors many personal experiences of being a woman of color. Rankine writes in a second-person narrative in order to display descriptive imagery and heavy emotions. The first chapter breaks down Rankine’s traumatic racial based encounters that she has faced throughout her lifetime. The chapter also specifically focuses on the pain, confusion, and sadness she was faced with as she was unable to defend herself in certain situations. All the memories discussed within this chapter center on race whether it was something Rankine faced or witnessed. The primary focus of why these memories is being addressed in this chapter are due to the lack of the individual’s awareness of what they have done. For instance, most of the people who were saying racist remarks were unaware they were due to their stereotypical judgement or cognitive process of implicit bias.

One of the main struggles Rankine was faced with was the constant confusion of the racial assumptions her peers and friends made about her. The first memory she explained within the book was her encounter with a young twelve-year-old girl. At the time, Rankine attended Sts.Philip and James school and a girl in her class asked to copy her test answers. “You never really speak except for the time she makes her request and later when she tells you you smell good and have more features like a white person. You assume she thinks she is thanking you for letting her cheat and feels better cheating from an almost white person” (Rankine 5). As Rankine finishes trying to justify the young girl for her racist actions, she proceeds on the next page by mentioning the sensation of speechlessness and despair she is left with as similar encounters continue to happen. “Certain moments send adrenaline to the heart, dry out the tongue, and clog the lungs. Like thunder they drown you in sound, no, like lightning they strike across the larynx. Cough. After it happened, I was at a loss for words. Haven’t you said this to yourself? Haven’t you said this to a close friend who early in your friendship, when distracted would call you by the name of her black housekeeper?” (Rankine 7). This memory is very significant as it represents how her close friend betrayed Rankine even though she was unaware of her actions. These hurtful actions led to Rankine bottling up her painful emotions and led to her remaining silent for many years. 

Later on in this chapter Rankine starts transitioning her stories by discussing memories where she finally stood up and her voice was seen and heard. She continues the chapter by telling another story about a time she witnessed a man referring to teenagers in a Starbucks by calling them racial slurs. “Hey, I am standing right here, you responded, not necessarily expecting him to turn to you” (Rankine 16). This is a strong transition in the chapter as it indicates Rankine was fed up with how the world treats people of color. Another significant memory that stood out in the end of the chapter is her encounter with her new therapist. As Rankine approaches her therapist’s house for the first time she knocks on the wrong door by mistake “. … the woman standing their yells, at the top of her lungs, Get away from my house! What are you doing in my yard? (Rankine 18). This concluding memory that wraps up the chapter is very important as it indicates even the people Rankine is supposed to confide in and trust make racial assumptions based on her appearance which is incredibly unfair as it causes many people of color to hold back, remain silent, and not show their identity. 

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think the young twelve year old girl that copied Rankines test was intentionally trying to show gratitude or insult her? What are your major takeaways from this interaction?

2. Why do you think Rankine remained silent and didn’t defend herself during most of the memories she explained in the beginning of this chapter? If you were in Rankines position what would you have done? 

Work Cited:

Rankine, Claudia, 1963- author. Citizen : An American Lyric. Minneapolis, Minnesota : Graywolf Press, 2014.

Chloe Fiore Del Vecchio

“The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston revolves around this internal conflict, this push and pull between American culture and Chinese culture. She uses this chapter to elaborate more on the challenges she faced living in a Chinese household in America. Her parents are Chinese, speak Chinese, and follow Chinese traditions while on the other hand Kingston is trying to assimilate into American culture as well. She tries to make herself seem “American feminine”. Kingston feels as if she is being torn between both worlds without really being a part of either, like most other first-generation Chinese Americans. She experiences her Chinese culture secondhand through talk-story, she has no first-hand experiences of her culture. While being first generation Chinese American, she is not yet fully immersed in the American culture. She still learning American cultures while trying to assimilate into this new country. Due to this talk -story Kingston finds herself trying to differentiate between what is Chinese, what is real, and what is just made up.

One of the major difficulties that Kingston faces in her growing up being Chinese American is learning to speak English to non-Chinese people. This challenge first appears when she is required to speak English in kindergarten and is still an ongoing issue going into adulthood. For a while her resolution was to stay silent until she realizes she is required to speak, Kingston states “At first it did not occur to me I was supposed to talk or to pass kindergarten” (Kingston 166). Whether Kingston was at Chinese school or American school she still found it incredibly difficult to speak, Kingston explains “Not all the children who were silent at American school found voice a Chinese school” (Kingston 168). This wasn’t a problem she shared alone, she speaks of her sister and other Chinese Americans all sharing the same roadblock. She speaks of this one silent girl in particular and criticizes her. She even corners the girl hurting her by pulling her hair until she speaks, which she never did. Kingston starts yelling at the girl telling her how horrible her life would be if she never speaks, it can be inferred that Kingston is projecting her own worries about herself onto this silent girl. You can tell how ashamed Kingston is about this interaction, she believes her karma for this is why that she was in the bed for the next 18 months due to a mysterious illness. Kingston infers this by stating “The world is sometimes just, and I spent the next 18 months sick in bed with a mysterious illness” (Kingston 183). This scene really shows and makes readers understand how speaking was a very serious challenge that these Chinese Americans were forced to endure

Towards the end of this chapter Kingston finally stands up to her mom. She goes on a tangent about how she refuses for her parents to just give her away to be married to a wealthy Chinese boy. She talks about how she is smart, independent, and going to make a life for herself. Kingston states “They say I could be a scientist or a mathematician if I want” (Kingston 201). Eventually her mother starts shouting “Ho Chi Kuei. Leave then” (Kingston 204). This can be translated two half ghosts; this expression implies the Chinese born immigrants resentment of the American born generation’s rejection of Chinese cultures. This fight with her mom allows her to discover her strong personal voice. She has now found her own identity apart from the talk story she has heard all of her life. She concludes this chapter and memoir by bringing up a female Chinese poet Ts’ai Yen. She was captured by a non-Chinese tribe and was forced to live amongst them for 12 years and never fully assimilated into their culture. Kingston explains “when she was 20 years old, she was captured by Chieftain during a raid by the southern Hsiung-hu (Kingston 207-208). Kingston relates because she also sees herself as a foreigner amongst Americans. Kingston is caught between her parents’ traditions and her new life in America.

Discussion Questions:

1.) Do you think Kingston was justified in being cruel to the silent Chinese girl, or was she trying to help her speak, Why do you think it is important that Kingston added this confrontation in her memoir?

2.) Do you think Brave Orchid was justified in the harsh things she said to Kingston, after Kingston’s outburst on page 202, what do you take away from this interaction?

Works Cited:

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. Vintage International, 1976.

Sydney Smith

Throughout the memoir The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston, we frequently hear Kingston and Kingston’s mother refer to different people and characters as ghosts. Afterall, this memoir is about a ‘Girlhood Among Ghosts’. Throughout the memoir, Kingston never specifically tells us as readers who the ghosts are. In the final chapter, A Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe, Kingston alludes to the ghosts as people who are not Chinese or who do not understand Chinese culture, making Kingston and her family feel like outcasts in America. 

During the final chapter, Kingston alludes to the ghosts as being different from her while talking about some of her classmates. Kingston writes, “I liked the Negro students (Black Ghosts)” (Kingston, 166). This shows us that Kingston is refers to ghosts as people based off of the color of their skin color. Kingston and her mother also allude to the ghosts as people who are not Chinese by separating and comparing themselves to the ghosts. In the final chapter after talking about her Hawaiian teacher, Kingston writes, “My mother says that we, like the ghosts, have no memories” (Kingston, 167). By distinguishing that Kingston and her family are separate from the ghosts, this could imply that the ghosts are not Chinese like Kingston and her family. Kingston also reveals to us in the final chapter that she didn’t go to school with many other Chinese children. She refers to her classmates as ghosts too as she writes about a time when she was playing basketball. She says, “Suddenly it would occur to me that I hadn’t memorized which ghosts were on my team and which were on the other” (Kingston, 173). This further implies to us that since we know not many of Kingston’s classmates are Chinese, we can assume that the ghosts Kingston refers to in this memory, are not Chinese. Kingston’s mother even refers to people as half ghosts when describing who won’t marry Kingston. She says, “Even the fool half ghosts won’t have her” (Kingston, 192). We can infer from Kingston’s mother referring to people as half ghosts, that the ghosts could only be part Chinese or not fully understanding of Chinese culture since Kingston’s mother only wanted her to marry someone who was Chinese. Kingston’s mother even thinks of her own children as ghost-like since they were not born in China and do not practice all of the traditions and customs many Chinese follow. Kingston says, “They would not tell us children because we had been born amongst ghosts, were taught by ghosts, and were ourselves ghost-like. They called us a kind of ghost” (Kingston 183). Kingston’s mother referring to her own children as ghost-like suggests to us that the ghosts are people who are not Chinese or who don’t fully understand the Chinese traditions/culture. 

In addition to the fact that Kingston alludes to the ghosts she refers to as not being Chinese or of Chinese understanding culture, we can see that Kingston and her family feel like outcasts in America by the ghosts. Kingston’s mother says, “Things are different here in the ghost country” (Kingston, 164). This alludes to the fact that Kingston’s mother feels as though they live in a country surrounded by people (ghosts) who aren’t Chinese or of Chinese understanding culture. Kingston refers to another story about feeling like an outcast when talking about the “Druggist Ghosts” who didn’t understand what Kingston was saying while she talked to them (Kingston, 171). Kingston writes, “But I knew they did not understand. They thought we were beggars without a home who lived in back of the laundry. They felt sorry for us” (Kingston 171). Kingston and her family constantly ran into communication barriers during her childhood which caused her and her family to feel even more like outcasts while living in America. Kingston even talks about how she felt the need to be silent because of how she talks. She says, “I knew the silence had to do with being a Chinese girl” (Kingston 166). Furthermore, Kingston grew up having to keep secrets from the “ghosts”, making her feel even more like an outcast. While in school, Kingston talks about how, “There were secrets never to be said in front of the ghosts, immigration secrets that could get us sent back to China” (Kingston, 183). We can see that Kingston feels even more like an outcast because of the different secrets she had to keep from others about her cultural background and life. 

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think that the ghosts Kingston refers to could represent something other than non-Chinese or people of non-Chinese understanding culture?
2. Do you think that by Kingston being silent, this was her way of assimilating into American culture more?

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. Vintage International, 1976.

In The Woman Warrior Kingston learns a disturbing story about her aunt who ended up killing herself and her newborn baby by jumping into the family well in China. This woman would not be named as “it is as if she had never been born” (Kingston 3). This woman is referred to only as “No Name Woman” which is degrading and mysterious considering the fact that she is Kingston’s aunt. Her aunt was not seen to be the “norm” of Chinese society at the time. There is an idea that she was a wild character with loose morals to her societal surroundings since she became pregnant without her husband being around. Women in China at this time did not have much choice in their lives and this is clearly shown with the quote, “After my grandparents gave their daughter away to her husband’s family, they had dispensed all the adventure and all the property. They expected her alone to keep the traditional ways, which her brothers, now among the barbarians, could fumble without detection.” (Kingston 8). The idea of women being “given away” represents a sense of control that women clearly did not have at this time. Her aunt went through this and it may have impacted the views she had on her own life.

Her mother did not go too in depth so Kingston was left to create fantasies or imaginations of what the situation was that her aunt was caught in, one being her aunt had been drawn in by a rapist because women did not have a choice (Kingston 6-7), and she was forced to keep the act a secret, another being that she was a confident woman who worked on her appearance to attract men (Kingston 8-9). Whether what the situation was, it was still seen as something that would effect the stability of the village and over threaten the social order since the villagers “depended on one another to maintain the real..” (Kingston 12-13) and saw her aunts lifestyle as a break in the “roundness” (Kingston 13).

Her aunt’s individuality was seen as a rebellious act in society at the time. Her husband leaving may have sparked that individuality again and gave her an opportunity to be independent, and go against these societal norms. Kingston writes, “When her husband left, they welcomed the chance to take her back from the in-laws; she could live like the little daughter for just a little longer” ( 10). This gives an image of the “no name woman” having a chance to feel young and free again for a little while. Belonging to a family that is not your own can be stressful and make life unwanted and uneventful since there is no choice for you to be your own person. Especially in Chinese society at the time, it was expected for Kingston’s aunt and women at the time in general to settle down with their husbands and have nothing to hide, meaning not having an individual life unseen by the community. Her aunt is truly seen as an outcast as she stepped out of the role that the Chinese society gave to her. The villagers depended on each other to maintain the normal way of life to them and wanted to show her aunt “the break she had made in the ’roundness'” (Kingston 13). Kingston writes, “The villagers punished her for acting as if she could have a private life, secret and apart from them” ( 13). This shows that the people in this society treated the situation as if she had betrayed her community, her family, the villagers, etc. just for stepping away from the “norms”.

The “no name woman” was cursed by her family by them shouting, “Look what you’ve done. You’ve killed us. Ghost! Dead ghost! Ghost! You’ve never been born” (Kingston 13-14). This caused her to run into the wilderness and give birth to her baby in a pigsty. The pain this caused her was tremendous. She had nothing left as everyone saw her as a wild woman who rebelled against societal norms, and betrayed her village. This causes her to kill herself and her baby to protect the child from living a life without a family or purpose. Kingston also believes that the baby is a girl which would be seen as a useless addition to society at the time. The “no name woman” or Kingston’s aunt is now a weeping ghost, lonely from the pain and judgment her society has brought to her.

1. Do you see any similarities with the expectations of Chinese women in comparison to the expectations of American women?
2. What do think the significance of not giving the “no name woman” was and how do you think that relates to expectations that women have to follow in order to be considered “normal”?

Work Cited

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. Vintage International, 1976.

By Caroline Donnelly

Maxine Hong Kingston’s “The Woman Warrior” is a novel that depicts the stories and tragedies that Kingston grew up hearing. In the first chapter the No Name Woman , the readers are told the story of her Aunt that her Family refuses to remember. There are many fascinating aspects to the story but two major details come to mind. The first being that Kingston choose to believe that her Aunt had been raped rather than have sex for enjoyment. First off, I agree that her forgotten Aunt was most likely raped and forced to suffer in silence. Kingston wrote, “Women in old China did not choose. Some man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil. I wonder whether he makes himself when he joined the raid on her family (6)”. Kingston’s reasoning for the fact that her Aunt was most likely raped was because women back then most likely did not even consider doing anything ‘frivolous’ such as having sex. But I do not even think that was it either, women were constantly watched and judged by everyone around them. They took appearances and the way people acted very seriously. I do not believe that her Aunt would be willing to risk her life, the reputation of her family and then her families hate for meaningless sex. As soon as her Aunt realized that she was pregnant she had to have realized that her life was going to end. Which given the fact that she gave birth in a pigsty said a lot about her character. “She got to her feet to fight better and remembered that old-fashioned women gave birth in their pigsties to fool the jealous, pain-dealing gods, who do not snatch pigs (Kingston 14)”. It was clear from the fact that she wanted to protect her child from evil gods that she was not an evil woman but an unfortunate one. Even when she hated the child that she carried, she could not do any harm to it. Which seems like a crazy sentence due to the fact that she killed the child. It must be remembered that in her mind she was not harming the infant but saving it from a vicious, hard life ; to her, killing the child was also saving it.

The second fascinating aspect of the first chapter in Kingston’s “The Women Warrior” would have to be the response that her family gave after raid on their house. They denounced her, “Aiaa, we’re going to die. Death is coming. Look what you’ve done. You’ve killed us. Ghost! Dead Ghost! Ghost! You’ve never been born (Kingston 14)”. Not only did they denounce her but she became someone who was never born. She became someone who they never loved or had happy memories with. She became a ghost in the moment, it did not matter that she was still alive when they rejected her. She became a ghost when she no longer had a life to live or a family to live it with. “The real punishment was not the raid swiftly inflicted by the villagers, but her family’s deliberately forgetting her. Her betrayal so maddened them, they saw to it that she would suffer forever, even after death (Kingston 16)”. The horrible part is the fact that her family was most likely not made up with bad people. Kingston’s family rejected their daughter, her Aunt, because that was what was expected and the cultural norm. They did not send her to her death with cruelty and hate in their hearts but with fear of the unknown and the culture that made them do this. That is not to say that these people are kind nor are they good but it needs to be remembered that this is all part of their culture. To ignore and forgo their culture would have placed them side by side with Kingston’s Aunt. It is very clear that they were unable to ignore their cultures even for their only daughter. This chapter is an entire tragedy in the making and they all knew it and chose to ignore it. Other chapters of this novel have happier stories that allow the readers some peace but this is not one of them.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think that they chose to ignore the Aunts pregnancy until it was too late?
2. What reason does the author have for not asking for more information about her forgotten Aunt?
3. Do you think that the family was in anyway justified for their treatment of the No Name Woman?

Works Cited

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. Vintage International, 1976.