Post Number Two: Names

Prior to reaching the age where I could understand that it was an honor to have my name spelled as Gillian with a “G” and not a “J,” I failed to comprehend what seemed to be such an illogical spelling of my name. People who did not know me and had to read my name for the first time such as TSA employees would frequently pronounce my name with a hard “G.” Eventually I got too frustrated with this common mistake and I decided to take action. So when I was invited to my friends sixth birthday party and was handed a wooden crate to decorate, I (a confident, all-knowing six year old) painted my name on the crate spelled with a “J.” Of course when I showed my mother the crate with the altered spelling of my name, she was furious and explained that my name, Gillian Leigh, originates from my maternal grandfather’s name, Gilbert Lee. It was decided that when I was born, that my parents would follow the Jewish tradition of naming their child after a deceased relative.  Upon further research, I came to the realization that my name of Latin origin means “youthful”. I believe that my name has come to define me; it is a representation and carriage of my Jewish heritage that I strongly identify with. However, I also believe that my parents were intentional when choosing a name that meant “youthful,” because they wanted me to follow the ideals of a child: inquisitiveness, truthfulness, and kindness.

There is a fine line in between wanting to be an individual and wanting to be a part of a larger whole, and I think that many times, this line becomes extraordinarily blurred.  Reminiscing to the summer after freshman year, I was at a program with a hundred other Jewish teens at a college in West Virginia and it was a Saturday evening, and I and roughly fifteen other girls were in a chapter that was to lead a service called Havdallah that would mark the closure of Shabbat. As we were planning the service, the chapter decided that we would all wear the chapter t-shirts we had just made. I have the custom of dressing up to some extent for this service, so I wasn’t exactly comfortable with wearing a t-shirt and Nike shorts. However, I wanted to be a part of my chapter and participate in leading the service, so I made a compromise. I wore a long floral skirt with a tie-dye t-shirt, so that I could maintain my custom of dressing up a little bit. It was certainly not an attractive combination or compromise, but I worked it, allowing me to maintain my individualism and a part as a larger whole, my chapter. I think that in society, it is more than acceptable to want to be a part of a whole, but it’s important to always keep the individual self in mind, in order to maintain the integrity of the values of the whole.

Word Count: 502

Post Number One: Othering

From the Archive-Fourth of July, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, MN
Lake Street USA (1997 - 2000)  by Wing Young Huie
http://know.wingyounghuie.com/

Wing Young Huie's photograph, Fourth of July, is a black and white photograph displaying the celebratory ambience of a neighborhood on the Fourth of July. In the background, the clear illumination of a fireworks display hovers above what appears to  be the houses of a neighborhood surrounding the lake. On the far side of the lake in darker shade of gray, three people appear to be watching the fireworks from afar. Upon closer examination, Huie appears to be emphasizing the implications of diversity in America. By solely utilizing the black and white tones in the image, Huie exemplifies the steep contrast between the culture of Caucasian individuals and People of Color. Furthering this purpose, the separation of the individuals silhouetted in black by the lake from the vibrant white explosion of the fireworks represents the distinctive differences in perspectives on United States nationalism between immigrants and natives. The separation of the figures that may be wishfully looking at the firework and the celebratory fireworks may be applied to Huie’s political views on the real life example of immigrants crossing over the Mexican-American border.

Margaret Atwood and Wing Young Huie both present “othering” as the distinctive segregation of a group of individuals based on their ethnicity and/ or social class.  In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood presents “othering” through imagery of the unwomen in the colonies. Atwood’s creation of mystery surrounding the presence of unwomen in society via Offred’s language perpetuates the segregation of classes within the society. The limited discussion of unwomen in the novel serves to exemplify the concept of othering, in that there is knowledge of the “othered” women, however the fact of their existence and conditions in society are ignored. The imagery conveyed by the unwomen existing in some unknown location, and the lack of desire to become “unwomen” as portrayed by Offred’s character, uses pathos, and the association of fear to present the unwomen as an alien group of women.

Wing Young Huie’s portrayal of “othering,” is similar to Atwood’s in that both individuals use fear to isolate a population. In conjunction to as how Atwood used verbal imagery to exemplify “othering,” Huie uses visual contrasting imagery to exemplify imagery. In the previous analysis of Huie’s photograph, Fourth of July, it was discussed that the dark figures on the near side of the lake look enviously to the far side of the lake where a celebration of Americans is portrayed by the vibrant white of the fireworks.  The lake serves the same purpose as the limited conversation of unwomen does in Atwood’s novel. The lake represents mystery, segregation and fear. It represents mystery in that it is a passageway to the unknown of American culture on the far side of the lake. It represents segregation in that it is a physical barrier to two sets of people, the outsiders and the high class of society. Lastly, if the image is to be taken in context of immigration policy in the United States, it exemplifies the “othering” of immigrants in our nation. The lake represents fear in that immigrants, the dark figures, are timid to cross “the border” and assimilate to American culture. However, it more likely represents the more prevalent reluctance to allow immigrants in the United States, and the fear that immigrants will diminish the American culture.

Overall, Atwood and Huie portray “othering” as the separation of individuals of different backgrounds due to fear and the lack of knowledge. Their representation of the concept through imagery is effective in that it isolates a population in society and attaches negative connotations to the individuals of that population.

Word Count:  600