Sexuality in Fun Home

It appears that the author and the main character in this book, Alison, struggles with finding her calling to sexual preference and coming into her own. She is different than the other girls in the neighborhood because she just wants to be one of the guys. Alison is even different from her family, especially, her father, because as he is searching for the newest fashion or flower bulb for the perfect garden, she is busy trying to work on her sports and muscles. Alison is almost compensating for everything that she thinks her father is lacking. However, her father's actions and behaviors signify and possibly foreshadow who Alison grows up to be and her ideals. Where I am in the book, Alison is always angry with her father for making her dress girly by putting a barrette in her hair or making her wear pearls. She also gets upset when her father is out in the yard working on his flower garden while most of the other fathers stick to playing baseball with their children. All of Alison's actions seem to be an act of rebellion against her father, her mother always seems to be out of the picture or uninvolved in her life, and this act of rebellion shapes her into who she becomes. She is called butch at times, and wants to get a boy "crewcut" hairstyle. However, I think that as much as Alison is trying to escape her father and avoiding all that he tries to do for her, maybe her father is acting the way he does because of his own parents. It could be a vicious cycle of attention and sexual confusion that starts with a strange or lack of connection between parent and child. This unusual relationship between Alison and her father seems to be growing, even though her father is dead. This book is going into detail about specific events in their relationship so that we as an audience can try to figure out what is going on between the two of them and even deeper, within themselves.

Fun Home

This book was definitely not what I had expected it would be like; I thought perhaps it would be a comic and then turn into a regular book after a few chapters of comics, but it did no such thing. Bechdel's style of writing and going about her topic is very interesting and original, which is probably why I kept wanting to read more of the comic. I've never read anything at all like this before, so this is a refreshing break from a plain old book.
The beginning of the book reveals that the author is the actual main character in this book and is retelling a story of her youth by using some comic relief to tragedies that have happened to her. In the first chapter, she describes the relationship between her and her father. Through the pictures you can tell that her father is similar to a dictator in her home, and it is fair to say that she is unhappy with her home life. It is her father's way or the highway and her whole family must take a step back out of his way or lend a hand to help him get to his goal. Her and her siblings often have to do "chores" or work that he needs done around their mansion. These quotes on page 15 really stuck out to me that sum up how Alison feels about her father and his treatment of her and her family, "I was spartan to my father's Athenian. Modern to his victorian. Butch to his nelly. Utilitarian to his aesthete."Her father had a skill of making even garbage turn into something beautiful, and she even goes to say that her father could make their dysfunctional family seem "normal." The theme in this chapter seems to be that her family was dysfunctional and relatively strange, but tried hiding all of their secrets to just inside the house. Their family wasn't "real" and not entirely whole; Alison felt that they were missing something that she thought every other family had. But to me, it seems that every kid wants what other kids' have and in Alison's case it was the affection that her cold father and mother lacked. But when her father died or committed suicide, whatever one wants to believe, one would think that things would change for her. Things in the story still go into detail about her her life, although we begin to see a few more stories about her father's family that maybe foreshadows his behavior towards his own family. I know that this book is supposed to be at tragicomedy, but this story is really a depressing story of family. However, reading this book reminds one that no matter how strange you think your family is, there are other families just as strange or worse off than yours.

Dede's own story

3) In the epilogue, Dede’s perspective is presented from a first person point of view,

unlike her previous chapters which were in third person. Why? Has she finally

found her “I”? What has she learned about herself by this time? Who is she and

how has her view of herself changed? Why does Alvarez dedicate the novel to

Dede?

Throughout the book and her own life, Dede has had to tell the story of her three brave sisters and all that they did for the resistance and for the history of the Dominican Republic. Dede has interviewers, family, and the community residents all coming to her asking her to retell the stories of her sisters. But, not once has anyone asked her to tell her story, or given appreciation to what she has also done. In the beginning of the story when Alvarez first comes to her, Dede seems to be a bitter, mean old lady who has no time for such people but is forced to tell the story to all who ask. Dede is haunted by her sisters' memories, footsteps, and accomplishments even years after their times. When Alvarez first arrived, Dede expected her visit and interview to be just the usual routine, but Alvarez was different and asked different questions, some that included Dede in the story of her 3 sisters. 

Alvarez sets up her interview questions and the book in such a way that Dede is able to be seen as a contributor to the story. Dede was the sister who took care of the money when their father died, the children when her sisters were in prison, and her own mother while her sisters were off being martyrs. All of the behind the scenes work was done by Dede, so it was no surprise when she was against the movement that took her sisters away from her and brought her into this life of always helping her family out. Alvarez is able to bring Dede to see herself as significant and an asset to her family. She was the backbone of her family the whole time period, but because she never went out to the action physically, she was never recognized or appreciated. But, Alvarez helps her reach this conclusion of self importance and acceptance towards the end of the book when she starts to use "I" instead of a "we" or "they".

Alvarez dedicates this book to Dede to final show to the world and to Dede, that she is important in this life and in the lives of her sisters. This dedication to Dede is a way of giving her the recognition for all she contributed towards the story after all of these long years since her sisters' deceased. This book is a way of freeing Dede and her inner butterfly that has yet to be realeased like her sister's. 

Minerva's Timeline

1938

- smack's her pet rabbit to leave her pen (Symbolizes her desire for freedom)

-goes to boarding school at Immaculada Concepcion

-becomes close friends with Sinita at school who tells her about Trujillo and the bad things he has done

1941

-schoolmate Lina, also her role model, becomes pregnant with Trujillo's baby, and is sent away to Miami as one of his many mistresses

1944

-performs a skit for Trujillo at his celebration where Sinita points a bow and arrow at Trujillo and gets them in trouble

-Minerva starts to believe in the movement and resistance against Trujillo

1949

-Graduated from boarding school and wants to go to law school but family wants her at home

-Meets Lio and finds letters he has written her in her father's pocket

-discovered that her father has been cheating on her mother and has a separate family

-At the Discovery Day Dance, she dances with Trujillo who asks her about Lio which she denies and also is inappropriate, so she slaps him and leaves without her purse containing Lio's letters

-her father is arrested because of her actions and Minerva goes in for questioning

-makes a bet with Trujillo, wins, and Trujillo allows her to attend law school

1954-57

-her father dies as a result of being tortured while in imprison

-gets married to Manolo

-finishes law school but Trujillo denies her license to practice

1960

-Minerva is on house arrest from recently being in prison for the past 7 months

-sisters want to write a letter to Trujillo and show the public of his wrongdoings but Minerva says no

-her and her sisters (minus Dede who is strongly against it all) go to try and save the men but die trying

In the Time of the Butterflies

As I am reading this book, the theme that sinks in and hits home for me is the sisterly bond that the four girls have, but in particular the bond between Minerva and Maria Teresa. Why I chose to write about this particular topic is because it reminds me of my own relationship with my sister. Although I have other siblings, similarly to Minerva and Maria Teresa, my sister and I have created this connection between the two of us that is almost inexplainable until I saw a little bit of each of us in these two sisters. Although my younger sister fits the character Minerva and I fit Maria Teresa more even though I am older. The particular quote that gave me the idea to talk about their relationship was when Minerva told Maria Teresa one of the most important secrets she had. 

"She took both my hands in hers as if we were getting ready to jump together into a deep spot in the lagoon of Ojo de Agua. Breathe slowly and deeply, she intoned, slowly and deeply. I pictured myself on a hot day falling, slowly and deeply, into those cold layers of water. I held on tight to my sister's hands, no longer afraid of anything but that she might let go."

Maria Teresa always looked up to Minerva as her role model out of all of her other sisters. Minerva took her under her wing and showed her the reins to her own life. The two of them became a unique duo throughout the book, not in the way that they were a power duo, but in that the two of them needed one another to balance each other. Minerva helped Maria Teresa come into herself as a woman and "find" herself by telling her all she needs to know about girl stuff and by giving her two diaries. These diaries are really helpful to Maria Teresa since they become her best friend and secret keeper as she goes through school life, family struggles, and a time of revolution. Maria Teresa is also an outlet for Minerva to spill her secrets without feeling judged and gaining support. Minerva tells Maria Teresa of her plans in the revolution, law school, her secret marriage to Manolo, when she sneaks out of school at night, and much more. Maria Teresa is able to open her mind to what is really happening outside her naiive bubble at school. I feel as though the two girls are able to grow and learn from one other; Maria Teresa is able to grow up and mature faster while still having someone to look up to and Minerva is able to get grounded and not too carried away with the revolution because she still can look back to her family waiting for her.  Much like these two sisters, my sister and I are quite opposite but we fit together and work off of one another. We both share with each other and give each other insight and advice, whether or not we chose to follow that advice is never judged or scolded for, but supported no matter what because of that sisterly bond.

Through the eyes of the commoners

I think that a main theme that can be seen throughout this book so far is the corruption of the Dominican government and its politics. Like most third world countries, their governments always end up being corrupt and heavily influencing and intimidating to the common people. These sisters strip down the truth about the government through their stories and every day lifestyle viewpoints. As someone living in a country with a dictatorship or harsh government such like the Dominican, then they may have a hard time realizing or taking themselves out of these bad situations. Historically, these sisters were known to stand up for themselves and what they believe in, and that is why their courage and real life story has inspired this novel. The corruption of the government can be shown directly through the dictatorship that the country has, but also in the way they treat the commoners and how they try to cover up any scandal the public might hear about. Minerva’s friend Sinita from school knows all about the Dominican dictator and the horrible things that he has done first hand from losing some of her family members, which she shares with Minerva. The two friends learn about their class mate Lina, who becomes pregnant with the child of Trujillo. Instead of helping her or her family, he sends her to Miami to avoid any public or political scandal with his infidelity and refusal to take responsibility much like anything else politically. This theme of government corruption will be found in much of the book, I anticipate. 

Question 10...I am an Emotional Creature

10. Thinking about one of the facts along with a few other pieces, what do girls need in High School besides "Sex Ed" in order to not get pregnant, etc.?


The fact that really stood out to me was the one talking about girls who play sports after school are less likely to participate in sexual activity or become pregnant, than girls who do not play sports. I have always grown up playing sports after school, and after reading this fact I wondered to myself how different my life would be if I never was active in sports. Would I have been one of those girls participating in sexual activity? I think this fact is true, because the two girls who I know from my high school that have gotten pregnant, did not play sports or participate in clubs after school. So this powerful fact really hit home for me. This also hits home because my sister who is in high school has had a boyfriend all year, but just started to get sexual active with him because she does not play a spring sport, yet she plays a fall sport. I think that this fact is important for everyone to read, understand, and to continue to spread around in hopes of helping other girls. 
The last time that I remember having "Sex Ed" was in middle school and my freshman year of high school. "Sex Ed" should be a mandatory class that one takes every year because students seem to be forgetting or not comprehending the class entirely. I know that I didn't begin to get sexual active until my senior year of high school, and do you think I remembered what I learned back in middle school? Nope. "Sex Ed" should be a constant lesson, because students will become sexual active at different times and stages throughout high school. I also feel that students leaving high school and entering college need "Sex Ed" classes the most because college is where a lot of experimentation occurs sexual and irresponsible choices occur. These classes for students in middle school are teaching but more importantly informing these students of the knowledge about sex. You cannot stop teaching them, you must continue to expand the lessons because the older they get, the more they can relate because they begin to experience sexually. 
However, besides continuing "Sex Ed" classes throughout all of high school, I feel that more schools should be creating after school programs to encourage students to stay after at school rather than participating in sexual activities. Not every student is an athlete, but there are so many other programs such as music, theatre, and art that schools should build up and encourage for their students. I remember a girl in class talking about her professor who worked at a school and created a program like this and saw a dramatic decrease in students becoming sexually active. That is amazing and should be a model for other schools! When students become active within the school and community, they can even begin to form friendships and a support system if anything were to still happen to them. The girl in, "It's not a baby, it's a maybe" did not seem to have anyone she could turn to for advice and support when she got pregnant. If only her school encouraged her to stay after school, she may have found the support she needed to make that important decision. That is why I think that after school programs are effect and important for every school to look into!

I am an Emotional Creature

This book definitely reminds me of The Vagina Monologues, but in a good way. Some people talked about how the did not think that this book was as effective because the stories aren't real from interviews, so thus less raw or hard hitting. However, I think those reasons are perfect for this book because who it is directed to. I am an Emotional Creature is a book created for young girls as a place to look to for comfort, assurance, and guidance, similar to those stories in The Vagina Monologues that have helped women feel less alone in the world. This book reminds me of Enlser's other writing pieces because she seems to be wanting to help other females, but I enjoyed reading this book because I think it is perfect for its intended audience. For young girls reading this book, they may not want to hear actual events from other girls because it could be traumatic at such a young age. These girls are still reading and learning from Ensler's stories that are based off of real events. Ensler may just be creating another story and changing the audience, but I think that it was a wise decision for her since I think it's inappropriate for young girls to read The Vagina Monologues. The information and lessons found in that book are very important for females to read, however young girls should have another book that gives the same messages but written differently. That is why I think I have enjoyed reading this book. I also think that this book would have been helpful as I was growing up, and wish that I could have read it to learn and grow as a young female. A few of her stories I feel that I can relate to and have done with my own friends. There are a few stories called, "Would you Rather," on page 32 and 68. These stories are conversations between two girls asking questions to one another about things sexuality, boys, popularity, and other things. My friends and I have played games like this before, and I could understand when the other girl would feel uncomfortable and not want to answer. That is also how I feel about this book in general; the feelings and stories of these young women is how I felt when I was their age and figuring out who I was.