Having been exposed to the tenets of the Feminist and Psychoanalytical criticisms in Literature, review some of the guiding questions that reflect these thoughts. (Handouts attached below for easier reference)
Feminist Criticism in Literature
Psychoanalytical Criticism in Literature
Build your initial discussion around which literary criticism can best be applied to any of the main characters from Danticat's "Breath, Eyes, Memory."
Your class blog has been set up as your INITIAL place of "information gathering." Your blogs would be done individually to get your thoughts out and then you may use your blog findings to determine your collaborative/work partner for completing this task in our google classroom.
Topic: Which Literary criticism can best be applied to your chosen major character in the novel?
Follow all blog guidelines and our blog rubric in order to complete your blog and prepare for your next level of work.
Remember to respond to at least two other classmates' postings.
The blog rubric is attached for reference: Blog rubric
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Nathaniel Rodriguez
ReplyDeleteThe third wave of feminism that is shown in the novel when it comes to Tante Atie is third wave feminism. The novel takes place in Haiti in the 1980s-1990s. During this time, women didn't have a lot of rights. Women had to work for themselves and they couldn't own property so they had to work for it. This is shown in the novel “Breath, Eyes, Memory,'' when it comes to the character Tante Atie. Throughout the novel, Tante Atie had to work for herself. She had to work all day to support her niece Sophie. She didn’t have anyone to help her when it came to finances, so this is why she would always play the lottery so she can get extra money. Tante Atie was a strong independent woman that did anything she had to for her niece, but she didn’t know how to control her feelings. This goes back to third wave feminism because most women had to support themselves. According to the novel, Tante Atie was rejected by the only man she loved, Monsieur Augustine.She would go to the window and would watch Augustine and his wife make love. She had nobody to go to so she can express her feelings. She had nobody to care for her. She wanted Sophie as a daughter, but she didn’t want to take her from her actual mother. This is shown in the novel when she rejects her Niece’s mothers day card to her. She was strong and independent, but she didn’t know how to express her feelings.
Shon Mack Jr
DeleteI agree with Nathaniel Roberto Rodriguez because we share common ideas that Tante had to work for herself in order for her and Sophie to live a happy life inside of Haiti. We give Tante the support of being an strong independent woman who does the work of men unlike other women around them.
John Guerrero
DeleteNathaniel Roberto Rodriguez, I like your ideas of Tantie Atie and her third wave feminism. You explained how Tantie Atie was able to take care of herself regardless of the oppression and showed how she was able to treat Sophie as if she was her own daughter, even though she is occupied by many things on a daily basis.
Shon Mack
ReplyDeleteIn the Novel "Breath, Eyes Memory" by Edwidge Danticat, The Feminist Criticism is portrayed through the character Tante Atie. The reason being that Tante Atie was supposed to be the one married or at least with Monsiure Augustine, but due to her illiteracy (she can't read) it didn't really work out that way. This made Augustine choose a lady named Madame Augustin because of the fact that she can read and Tante Atie cannot. Although Tante loses her "man" she shows that she can be an independent woman and still take care of Sophie without any man to help. This shows in the early pages of the book. For example, in chapter one there are men carrying different foods for the potluck, meanwhile there were no men in Sophie and Tante's household so they had to file out their houses by themselves, again with no man to help. Not only this, but in Haiti she was basically like a single mom to Sophie and she's doing a good job. Although she can't read, she is a great woman in different ways when it comes to responsibilities and being independent.
Sebaastian Marte
DeleteI agree with you on the fact that the reason Monsiure Augustine ultimately left Tantie Atie was due to her not being able to read and he found a women that had what he lacked. I also agree with how you stated that they basically had to play the role of the men in the house. Even though they didn't have a man in the house,they were able to do the same thing themselves.
Nathaniel Rodriguez
DeleteI agree with Shon because we both share similar ideas when it comes to how Tante Atie had to work for herself and she had to work hard for her niece Sophie. We also speak about how she had no man there to support her and show her love.
Jadal Rivera
ReplyDeleteIn the Novel "Breath, Eyes Memory" by Edwidge Danticat, The Feminist Criticism is portrayed through the character Tante Atie. The reason being that Tante Atie was supposed to be the one married or at least with Monsiure Augustine, but due to her illiteracy (she can't read) it didn't really work out that way. This made Augustine choose a lady named Madame Augustin because of the fact that she can read and Tante Atie cannot. Although Tante loses her "man" she shows that she can be an independent woman and still take care of Sophie without any man to help. This shows in the early pages of the book. For example, in chapter one there are men carrying different foods for the potluck, meanwhile there were no men in Sophie and Tante's household so they had to file out their houses by themselves, again with no man to help. Not only this, but in Haiti she was basically like a single mom to Sophie and she's doing a good job. Although she can't read, she is a great woman in different ways when it comes to responsibilities and being independent.
Shon Mack Jr
DeleteI agree with this person because we share the same ideas of Tante Atie being a strong independent women who doesn't need a man to do work for her. instead takes care of herself and Sophie. Good Writing
Jalen Jones
DeleteJadal, I enjoyed your in depth outlook on Tante Atie in light that you encoporated a feminist citicism read. But I wished that you followed the specific criteria mentioned above where it says “your thoughts”to produce a posting that showed your own thoughts instead of the previous posting above losing the essence of the blog posting as a whole
Aziera Khan
ReplyDeleteA literary criticism that best applied to the character Tantie Attie is Feminist Criticism. In the novel "the Story of An Hour" the author Dandicat portrays Tantie Attie has a strong , independent , caring women, and person who goes through alot in her life which she overcomes ,which falls under feminist criticism. According to the source of Feminist Criticism , feminist criticism is concerned with the ways in which literature and other cultural productions reinforce or undermine the economic, political , social, and psychological oppression of women. meaning the ways and actions of women handle certain things and the way women can think , which Dandicat uses to portray Tantie Attie. According to the novel, throughout the book Tantie Attie has become a strong role model for Sophie, and is a person full of wisdom. According to the novel, Sophie tries to surprise Tantie Attie with a mother's card , showing how much she mean in Sophie life. Even though Tantie Attie went thru challenges that affected her , such as not getting the chance to marry Augustine , her best friend leaving for abroad she use's the pain, struggles and independence to raise Sophie has a young women she would want to become which connects back to the literary criticism of feminism . Although Tantie Attie has lived and eased with pain, she is a amazing women who knows how to overcome and being independent.
Aziera Khan
DeleteI know I made a mistake with the title .
Nathaniel Rodriguez
DeleteI agree with Aziera because we both share similar ideas when it comes to how Tante Atie had to support and work for herself and her niece Sophie. She had no man in her life so she had to work twice as hard to support her niece and herself.
aaliyah B
DeleteI love how you went in depth on Tantie atie and how she had to be indepent and raise sophie
Jeily Antigua
ReplyDeleteIn Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat Martine, the estranged mother of Sophie, Martine, can be described as a sorts of an enigma. Not much is known about her beyond the fact that she lives in New York City. Despite this, Tante Atie always emphasizes the importance of Sophie acknowledging Martine as her mother. "Promise me that you are not going to fight with your mother when you get there." Tantie Atie says to Sophie. If Martine left, it was for a good reason as "In this country, there are many good reasons for mothers to abandon their children...But you were never abandoned. You were with me." Tantie Atie states, alluding to the fact that not everything is black and white, and if Martine left, it was because of something she couldn't fathom facing. Still, regardless of her having to leave because of her past trauma, she did try her best to make sure that Sophie could have what was offered to any other regular 12 year old. This shows the underlying caring nature Martine had, never having forgotten about her family in Haiti once she left to New York and worked to provide for them the best that she could. However, it is when Martine calls for Sophie to come live with her that readers truly learn who she is. Martine, when first introduced to Sophie, can be best described as demanding. She has very high expectations from Sophie as when Sophie informs her of her aspirations to be a secretary; she immediately shoots Sophie's aspirations down and tells her, "You are going to be a doctor" (Page 56) without even acknowledging what Sophie wants. However, as the novel goes on, readers can see why Martine has such high expectations, why Sophie's life consists of "School, home, and prayer" (Page 67). Martine, to pay for her mothers, Sophies, Aties, and her expenses, had taken up two jobs where Sophie watched her work tirelessly, until "her face was cloudy with fatigue" (Page 58). She did not want Sophie to struggle as she did in life. She continually reiterates to Sophie that she wants her, "I want you to go to school. I want you to get a doctorate..." things she never got to do. Martine wants Sophie to lead a more comfortable life than she has to, which is also what drives her to always warn Sophie against men. "You keep away from those American boys." Martine would advise. But, not because she did not want Sophie to be happy, but because she did not want Sophie to be exposed to the horrors she lived through with her rape, horrors that could come to Sophie in the form of a relationship. However, Martine, due to her past traumas, was unable to communicate this with Sophie and instead held her subject to testes of purity when caught coming home late. Unknowingly traumatizing her daughter in the same way her mother traumatized her. As Martine says, "I realize standing here that the two greatest pains of my life are very much related. The one good thing about my being raped so much to the point that it made the testing stop. The testing and rape. I live both every day." Showing to the reader that the testing was equally as traumatizing to her as it was for both Sophie and Tante Atie. The testing not only working as a generational curse to the women in her family, as it is when Sophie fails her test that Martine tells her, " You just go to him and see what he can do for you," effectively kicking Sophie out. But, the testing also being representative of the societal norms that are pushed on women every day. Overall, Martine can be described as a conflicted woman, whos past traumas have caused her to project her pain onto others in the form of subjecting her daughter to the very tests that traumatized her and limiting her daughter to few activities. Despite this, the readers are able to understand that the actions Martine took in regards to her daughter were not over cruelty but because that was the only way she knew how to protect Sophie from the very horrors she faced.
Malikiya Richards - In This Novel “Breath Eyes Memory”, by Edwidge Danticat. Women are oppressed by patriarchy economically, politically, socially, and psychologically. Women had to work for themselves and they couldn't own property so they had to work for it. This is shown in the novel “Breath, Eyes, Memory,'' when it comes to the character Sophie as first wave criticism. The book opens as she leaves Haiti for New York on the threshold of adolescence, suspended between childhood and womanhood and between her aunt's and mother's worlds. Sophie must take on the full weight of her mother's and aunt's dreams, spending six years doing nothing but studying and attending church. She must also contend with her mother's trauma, insomnia and nightmares, and with her own conflicting roles as an independent woman, loving daughter, savior from nightmares, and a reminder of the past. As an adult, Sophie's insomnia, bulimia and sexual phobia echo her mother's own problems and insecurities, even as her loyalty, love, determination, and strength reflect her mother's, aunt's and grandmother's spirit. In the novel it states on page 2 it states “When they looked up from their plates, my mother and Marc eyed each other like there were things they couldn't say because of my presence. I tried to stuff myself and keep quiet, pretending that I couldn't even see them. My mother now had two lives: Marc belonged to her present life, I was a living memory from her past. Having grown up without real parents, Sophie must suddenly play the part of daughter to her newly met mother and her mother's boyfriend, who would never have dated Martine in Haiti due to class differences. And though Sophie is introduced to the waiter as Martine's daughter, the waiter is able to find no resemblance in their faces. Sophie retaliates by forcing them out of her world, pretending she cannot see them. Sophie imagines that her mother's life has split in two, and that she and Marc bear witness to irreconcilable parts of it.
ReplyDeleteSebastian Marte
DeleteI think its interesting how you stated that sophie had now to live up to the role of a daughter for her newly met mother. I also find it amusing that her mother boyfriend would not date her back in Haiti, i didn't know that there were class difference like that present in Haiti.
Jeily Antigua,
DeleteMalikiya, I enjoyed how you unraveled the conclusion of Sophie not being part of the new life her mother has. Throughout the novel, it is evident how much of a stranger Sophie and Martine are to each other. Something that is shown either through Martine's sudden expectations of Sophie--a daughter she does not know or Sophie's reluctance to move to New York, away from Tante Atie, the only true mother she had known up to that point in her life. The reader is also able to see the two separate pages Sophie and Martine are on through Sophie's "rebellious" nature against the "schooling," and "prayer" that is continuously enforced by her mother. So, thank you for making the personal gap between Sophie and her mother evident!
Gavin Seebalack
ReplyDeleteTante Atie can be characterized as a feminist in the novel "Breath, Eyes, Memory" by Edwidge Danticat. Tante Atie displays third wave feminism, which was around the early 1990’s to the present day.Even though she may be be a kind, generous, independent person, deep down she has a very difficult time dealing with her deep emotions and difficult situations. Tante Atie treats Sophie as her own child and cares for her just as much as Sophie’s mother would, and does this in an independent manner. Tante Atie doesn’t really care for or depend on the help of men because she has learned and grown into doing things for herself. In chapter 1 page 10, it states “There were no men in Tante Atie’s and my house so we carried the food ourselves to the yard where the children had been playing.” This shows how independent and strong Tante Atie is because without any men in the house she still does all the work that is necessary while also caring for a child that isn’t even hers. Tante Atie shows us her other side where she has difficulty dealing with her emotions and also having difficulty with certain situations. For example, “Tante Atie kept looking at the window even after all signs of the Augustines had faded into the night. A tear rolled down her cheeks as she unbolted the door to go inside.” As you can see, Tantie Atie once had feelings for Monsieur Augustin but got rejected by him, causing her to be more of a feminist woman. Although she still has some feelings for her first love, Tante Atie was still a strong independent woman that had to work hard to take care of herself and Sophie. Despite all the emotions built up inside her that she can’t talk to anyone about, Tante Atie will do anything to support herself without the help of a man. The way she acts goes back to the third wave feminism because back then to now most women had to support themselves in order to make a living without the help of any man.
John Guerrero
DeleteGavin, I like your interpretation of Tantie Atie and third wave feminism. You stated how even though it's just her and Sophie in the house, she still finds a way to give her attention to Sophie while still being able to do multiple things, showing that to her, it isn't a necessity to have a man in the house.
Sebastian Marte
ReplyDeleteI believe that the best literary criticism that can be best applied to Tante Atie in the novel is feminist criticism in literature. Based on the fact that sophie lived in Croix-des-Rosets, Haiti from 1980's to 1990's, it can be inferred that when Tante Atie was young, it would have been around the 1940's and 1950's. In the time of Tantie Atie and Sophie’s mother (Martine) were in their adolescence, they did not have the same opportunity as Sophie. “No one is going to break your heart because you cannot read or write.You have a chance to become the kind of women Atie and i always wanted to be”. Women in Haiti did not get the opportunity to attend primary school until the 1840’s, only men were allowed to go to school. Tantie Atie never learned how to read and this made things more difficult for her than what they should have been. "so I could read that old Bible under my pillow and find the answers to everything right there between those pages. What do you think that old Bible will have us do right now, about this moment" She believes that if she can read, she can find the answers to many of her questions, like why did Monsieur Augustine leave her for another women. Tante Atie took the role for both a mother and a father for Sophie, cooking for her and working to maintain the both of them. "There were no men in Tante Atie's and my house so we carried the food ourselves". Tante Atie really had her best interest in Sophie by wanting her to go to New York because she knew that things would be better for her over there, like Monsiure Augustine and other said.
Jeily Antigua
DeleteSebastian,it is evident through your response that you thoroughly researched the conditions many women in Haiti lived through in order to accurately portray the conditions that oppressed Tante Atie's and why she pushed for Sophie to go to New York. Where she could pursue educational opportunities that she never got the chance to in the day and age that she lived in, no matter how strong her desire to learn how to read and write was.
Guilluga Phillip
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Breathe, Eyes, Memory", women endure the most difficult human trials: violence, violation, abandonment, poverty, mental illness. They don't always survive gracefully or very often, pain is often passed on from one generation to the next. In the novel, "Tante Atie", Sophie's aunt and Martine's sister, learns how to read, love, and cope with loss over the course of the novel and also grows emotionally. Tante Atie can be characterized as a feminist in the novel. Tante has a difficult time expressing her emotions and dealing with her pride. She took great care of Sophie Caco like she was her very own daughter. Atie uses only gentle loving words with young Sophie, calling her "my angel" and adorable terms of endearment. Atie is, in many ways, servant to the emotional needs of the family. She embraces this role fully, making it her goal to show Sophie that she is totally loved. Atie had a deep want for Sophie to go to New York because she knew life would be better for her there. Atie actions relates to a third wave feminism because she had to provide for herself with out the needs of a man.
Jalen Jones
ReplyDeleteThe literary criticism that I feel can be best applied to the main character; Tante Atie is a postcolonial criticism read. In a short synopsis, postcolonial criticism in literature is a body of thought primarily concerned with accounting for the political, aesthetic, economic, historical, and social impact of European colonial rule around the world from the 18th through the 20th century. In Edwidge Danticat, 1994 novel “Breath Eyes Memory” the main character Tante Atie seems to exude the persona of a woman who can’t seem to change with the times because of the constraints of her past experiences during her childhood. I came to the conclusion with this analysis because of her reluctance to read when given the opportunity by niece Sophie. When asked by Sophie why she never shows up to the afternoon reading classes at her school, she responds by saying “I don’t not want… read” (Chapter:1, Page:4). She then goes on to say “at one time, I would...school”(Chapter: 1 Page:4), Conveying to readers that her reluctance of learning how to read and mentioning “my time is gone” is an excuse because she “cooks and cleans”which may have been the pressures of society for women in Haiti before the 20th century. As a result, causing Atie to feel repressed because she can't pursue her dream of reading due to societal standards set for women before the 20th century . Proving this to be true, Atie later goes on to remember a memory with herself and Sophie’s mother, Martine in the sugarcane fields when they were kids saying “Whenever she was sad… children” (Chapter:1, Page:4), showing readers that life for Tante Atie growing up was hard because her family was slaves in Haiti and as readers know from history, slaves were not allowed to read or write, especially female slaves. Furthermore, the roles of women during that time were to tend to their masters by cooking, cleaning, watching their children, and much more servitude responsibilities. Applying this logic to the novel, Tante Atie may equate the willingness to read to a bad memory of her childhood. As the story progresses, readers see that due to her inability to read, Tante Atie can’t turn to the Bible to look for answers for her conflicting feelings for Monsieur Agustin and the news she kept from Sophie about her mother sending for her due to her illiteracy . She says “It was always … moment?” (Chapter: 1 Page:16), Showing readers that not being able to read may classify her as undesirable to men in society in comparison to women like Madame Agustin who has a husband and is inferred to be smart costing her potential love with Monsieur Agustin told his wife about her secret because she didn’t know how to tell Sophie about her mom sending for her .
Darlene Rodriguez
ReplyDeleteThe novel "Breath, Eyes, Memory" by Edwidge Danticat illustrates a third wave feminism were Tante Atie is potrayed as a strong and Single mother to Sophie during the 1990's. Tante Atie doesnt know how to read or write because she didnt had the same oppurtunitys when she was young around the 1940's and 1950's were women didnt have alot of opportunity and fought for civil rights.In the novel is states that, “There were no men in Tante Atie’s and my house so we carried the food ourselves to the yard where the children had been playing.”. Earlier in tante Atie life she was left by the man she was suppose to married "Augustine", he left her because Tante Atie Wasnt as smart as other women because she couldnt read or write , therefore he left her and got together with a more educated women. Eventhough Tante Atie didnt have a men to help her with Sophie but she always did the best to support and take care of both of them and all she wanted for sSophie was to go to New York to have a better life that she didnt get to have.
John Guerrero
ReplyDeleteFor Sophie, a literary criticism that I can associate to her is psychoanalytical criticism. When she learned of the news that her actual mother, Martine, called for her to come live with her, she was angry due to the fact that she had to leave and abandon the mother figure she grew up and knew her whole life, Tantie Atie. Sophie is met with various challenges, such as learning how to cope with living with a mother who left with Tantie Atie to give Sophie a better life to live. Since Sophie never knew anything about Martine other than the fact that she is the one who birthed her, she tries to make herself comfortable in a situation that Sophie feels has anything but comfort in it. Sophie also has to endure Martine's trauma and nightmares, which is located on page 48, when Sophie says “Later that night, I heard that same voice screaming as though someone was trying to kill her. I rushed over, but my mother was alone thrashing against the sheets.” However, Martine quickly dismissed her nightmares when she saw that her inability to sleep at night reflects within Sophie. Even though Sophie doesn't see the mother figure in Martine as she does in Tantie Atie, she steps up to the role of a daughter and tries to adapt to the situation as much as she could, as stated on page 49, where Sophie also says “Welcome to New York, this face seemed to be saying. Accept your new life. I greeted the challenge, like one greets a new day. As my mother's daughter and Tantie Atie's child.”
Aaliyah Benaine
DeleteI like the fact that you to wrote about something that nobody else did and the way how you went in depth on sophies feelings in that situation
Krishion Blair
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Breath, Eyes, Memory" By Edwidge Danticat the author uses a strong feminist role in the main character Tante Atie as she is A single parent to sophie which in it self is very difficult because Sophie was in Haiti around the 1980's to 1990's so when Tante Atie was younger it would have been around the 1950's, around that time women did not have the same opportunities as men, it was considered the norm to have a male figure around to go out and do all the hard work and the female should be left at home as a house wife because males were seen as superior to women. Tante Atie was left to take care of Sophie on her own "There were no men in Tante Atie's and my house so we carried the food ourselves" so she had to play the role of a mother and a father without the basic skill of reading and writing because around the time when she was younger women in Haiti were not allowed in school which gave them a major disadvantage, but she still managed to fight that and give Sophie the opportunities that are available today “No one is going to break your heart because you cannot read or write.You have a chance to become the kind of women Atie and i always wanted to be”.
Aaliyah Benaine
ReplyDeleteOver the years men always had a tendency to assume any possible role that could put them in a superior position and take on the national stage as protectors and defenders of women. Edwidge Danticat tells the story of a young girl (sophie) who was left by her mother in the care of her aunt “ Tante Atie” the story is based in Haiti and New York and uncovers the good the bad and the ugly for all characters.
Of all the characters Tantie Atie is a character of great endurance stands out tremendously because of her will to stay strong and not to be defined by her flaws. She played both roles as a father and a mother to sophie in the absence of her parents although a biological father was not mentioned. Sophie was raised by a strong woman who was fighting her own battle with love and her lack of education but still stayed strong above all expectations.
Jalen Jones
DeleteAaliyah, I enjoyed reading your response. I love how in your response you point out the societal role of men who is normally classified as the superior and the protectors and defenders of women in contrast to the novel where Tante Atie is seen playing both roles of mother and father to young Sophie while remaining strong for herself and Sophie. Showing readers that women can't be defined by superficial societal roles placed on them because of who they are but more so how they can be viewed on the same level as their male counterparts