Discovering the truth...

1)The genre of this piece of literature is drama, meaning that Ensler wrote these monologues to be performed. Why do you think she wants vaginas to be publicly performed? Why does she want vaginas to be physically embodied? What effect does this have on the way we see and think of vaginas?


I believe that the reason Ensler wrote these monologues was for them to be performed, because as a performance they are even more powerful than they are on paper. When one reads, the emotions that the writing is trying to portray isn't as strong as if it were performed in front of you. I know that when I am reading my voice and tone stays the same no matter what I am reading. 
In a performance, there is a sense of suspense as the actors take a breath or pause for emphasis. Performances are so inspiring because the actors are so good at their jobs; they can show the emotions in a dialogue and make the audience empathize, sympathize, and relate to their character. Audiences pay much more attention to a live performance than if they had to read a couple of chapters. In a performance, you can process what you are hearing so much easier than processing words being read in your mind. Actors also emphasize words, have a different tone of voice for different phrases, and lessen the awkward tension especially on a topic such as vaginas. Being able to have this book performed is brilliant and smart on Ensler's behalf because it really helps with it's purpose. The purpose of this book is to inform the audience of women's struggles, as well as be an outlet for the women in these stories. Ensler makes the reader more aware of what goes on with women, and she seems to be trying to get the audience to break out of their shells by reading about this controversial topic. As an audience, the majority of people do not like to talk about rape, sex, sexual orientation, and vaginas. This book and these performances gives the audience the "OK" to go out and talk about these awkward topics. It helps the audience to break free of their old, conservative, judgmental thoughts to tackle bigger issues such as vaginas. These monologues have helps so many people open up about their own stories, by giving personality to the characters in the book and by showing confidence in the characters and stories, seeming someone play it out for you is very convincing. "My angry vagina," the performance was as captivating and strong as it was, was because the actress poured her soul into the character. The actor felt related to the character and got really into persuading the audience of what the character really was saying. When our classmate put on the performance of "My angry vagina," I was left with the hair on my arms still raises, she was that good. She was loud, proud, moving around, interesting, and convinced us as an author to start thinking what she was thinking. If  I would only have seen the monologues performed, I would be interested to see "They beat the girl out of my boy...or so they tried." There are so many powerful lessons, and emotions in this story that a chapter in a book does not to it justice. These stories relay so much to the audience that is hard to pick up on if you are not just reading the book. I think that performing such a book is a great idea and inspiring.

The Vagina Monologues

5)Audience reaction is crucial to Ensler’s overall project. Why? Why won’t she allow us to simply read without having a reaction, whether positive or negative? Why do you think she wants to push us out of our comfort zones? Which monologues resonate most strongly (positively or negatively) with you and why?

When starting this whole project, Eve Ensler must have known and anticipated that a topic such as vaginas would cause some sort of reaction. Publicly discussing a topic that many people find uncomfortable is going to cause some stir in the audience. I find it impossible for anyone to sit there and read from this book and not have any reaction at all. This project that started off as a few plays based off of interviews with women, became this phenomenon across college campuses, states, and even countries! It could not have progressed so far through our society and so fast, if it were not for the reactions of an audience. I do think that Ensler is pushing her audience and the world outside of our comfort zones to create thought provoking ideas. By making her audience read, silently or aloud, topics that make them feel uncomfortable; maybe after reading or talking about it enough it will become less uncomfortable. Ensler wants us to become informed of topics in this book such as rape and abuse, which are topics that people throw under the bus. Many people avoid talking about certain topics, such as the vaginas or rape or penises, because they find it awkward, inappropriate, and confusing. What I think that she is doing is forcing the public to recognize these topics and become accustomed to them; she doesn't want the audience to feel ashamed or embarrassed at the topic. These stories are sad, funny, sarcastic, informative, and so much more. You can find strong, powerful character voice  and emotion in stories such as My Village Was My Vagina, The Angry Vagina, and The Flood. If anyone asks you why or what about it makes you squirm, you may not be able to articulate an answer. Ensler’s book pulls the audience out of their comfort zone, to inform and challenge themselves to prepare for a better understanding of the topic. Each part of this book is filled with emotion and having a response is vital while reading them. 

New York Day Women

This chapter gives us an insight into the relationship between Suzette and her mother through a series of miniature conversations and scenarios. From the tone of their conversations you can tell that their mother-daughter relationship is not strong or deep. We see Suzette following her mother in one scenario, and she even wonders to her self if she should say "hello" to her mother, or if her mother would stop and say "hi" to her. It seems so strange that a relationship with a family member could become so distant and awkward, like Suzette and her mother. Suzette's mother seems so blunt and straightforward, which seems part of the problem because she says things without thinking of the other person's feelings. She also seems stubborn and judgmental, which is a quality of a lot of cynical old women or mothers, and I can see a little bit of my own mother in Suzette's mother. Suzette's mother refuses to go out to dinner when invited, yet she gives the argument that if they really wanted to eat with her then they would come to her house. These random conversations with her mother that Suzette chooses to share are significant in the fact that they allow us to understand their characters. I do think that Suzette loves her mother in some way, and her mother does love Suzette, although they never say it to one another or allow themselves to share their feelings. Suzette seems to have accepted their relationship for what it is, and it seems that they have a relationship but it is not a deep emotional connection between most mothers and daughters. When Suzette follows her mother into the park, she sees her with a mother and child. Her mother watches the child while their mother goes on a run or possibly does errands. This is where the idea of “New York Day Women” comes from because these women come out during the day and meet up all together in circles. By Suzette following her mother, it seems that she is envious of the child and these other women for seeing a side of her mother she was never able to experience herself. I thought this chapter was interesting because the reader can relate this to some relationship in their life and I found the writing style interesting because you can tell a lot about the relationship through dialogue only.

KRIK? KRAK!

This book is definitely not what I had expected it to be like. When I think of Haiti, I think of the earthquake that happened and not of the politics or corruption in the government. What I have enjoyed about this book so far is that there are different anecdotes from separate characters, so that the readers can piece together one whole story, one bit at a time. Being a woman, I enjoy a love story here and there, and this particular story is somewhat subtle but deep. I think that loyalty is a big theme in this story and reoccurs throughout different relationships. There is a loyalty between the man and the woman even though they are far away and may never see one another again. These two lovers write letters to one another, even if they may not get to the other person, they still feel a deep emotional bond, which is remarkable and inspiring. The other place loyalty is found is in the family. The father of the girl sells everything he has for his little girl, even though he may not agree with who his daughter was with. The fact that he did such a significant thing for his family shows his loyalty and protection over his family, especially his daughter. This book reminds me of a few of the poems in Nye's book because of the strong relationship between father and daughter. Her father would do anything to make the best life for his daughter, at any price. The fact that the re-occuring theme is loyalty reminds me of my own family loyalty and my other loyalties.

19 Varieties of Gazelle...another Nye poem

Stain
By Naomi Shihab Nye

She scrubbed as hard as she could with a stone.
Dipping the cloth, twisting the cloth.
She knew the cloth much better than most,
having stitched its vines of delicate birds.

The red, the blue, the purple beaks.
A tiny bird with head held high.
A second bird with fanning wings.
Her fingers felt the folded hem.

The water in her pan was cool.
She stood outside by the lemon tree.
Children chattered around her there.
She told the children, “Take care! Take care!”

What would she think of the world today?
She died when she was one hundred and six.
So many stains would never come out.
She stared at the sky, the darkening rim.

She called out to the children, “Come in! Come in!”
She stood on the roof, tears on her face.
What was the thing she never gave up?
The simple love of her difficult place.

The second poem by Naomi Shihab Nye that I chose was Stain. I reread this poem only a few times before I felt that I grasped what Nye was trying to say, compared to some of her other poems where the meaning is hidden deeper in the poem. The main character in the poem is a woman, although Nye does not give her a name. Nye seems to follow this pattern of using pronouns as characters, possibly so her audience can relate and interpret her poem in many different ways, like in the poem Two Countries where she uses “skin” as a character. This poem is telling a story about a woman washing “stained” clothes outside. The five stanzas go in sequence order of how this woman washes, how she scrubs, twists, and rinses the clothes. The woman tells her children to “take care” when they leave to play and “come in” once the day is done. From first glance at the first few stanzas, it seems that this poem is simplistic and the story is purely about a woman delicately washing stained clothes, but the last two stanzas take the poem to a deeper level. They talk about the stains as never coming out, but what if she wasn’t talking about the stains coming out of the clothes but more of her past? I liked how Nye put a few questions in her poem such as, “What would she think of the world today? What was the thing she never gave up?” As the reader, this leaves you in suspense while also giving you something to think of as you reread and analyze this character. As the character is standing on the roof, it seems as though she is looking out on the stains on her life and what she failed to get out. The last line even says, “the simple love of her difficult place” so maybe her personal stain was never getting out of her country. These are just a few things to think about as you, too, read this poem.

What poem spoke to me?

The poem I chose from Nye's book was "Two Countries." My first reaction to this poem was sadness and loneliness. The tone of this poem is somber; definitely not as upbeat as other poems I have read, but it seems that most of her poems are quite somber. The first line, "Skin remembers how long the years grown when skin is not touched, a gray tunnel of singleness" sends the message of sad years spent alone, almost forgotten it seems. The first stanza is telling a story, almost like a background of what the skin, or person really, has gone through and felt. In a way, the first stanza is the past emotions of this "skin" and as the poem progresses to the second stanza, it takes us to the present emotions. I find that Nye does this often in her poems, how feelings of despair and sorrow often are found in the beginning of the story and have either disappeared or sunk in towards the end. Progression of emotions really seems to be a theme with Nye's poems as well as sorrow. One of my favorite lines from this poem that I really took away after reading this was, "skin had hope, that's what skin does. heals over the scarred place, makes a road." Nye could have been talking about many events that scarred her and have healed over, maybe it was the attack on Septemeber 11th, 2001, but this line makes Nye relatable to her readers. Everyone has scars, physical and emotional, that have affected them but has healed and made them who they are today; it paved the road to a newer life. The two countries that Nye particularly talks about is most likely America and the Middle East, and how her skin misses being touched by each one and remembers each vividly. Towards the end, Nye talks about the places people go that are larger than themselves. Wherever a person goes, it is always remembered in their skin and soul, and once they are touched by something so big, it will stick with them forever.