Consent or Lack There Of

An important topic that we have discussed in class and that has been a common theme throughout the articles and books we have read is consent. Consent is the notion that a clear and verbal agreement is required from both parties prior to engaging in any activity. Without consent an activity may be considered to be a violent and/or criminal act. Although, typically when we think of consent we think of it in the context of sexual activity, we have seen it other cases as well. Throughout the semester we have found various examples of lack of consent in the following literature: “When Doctors Took ‘Family Planning” In Their Own Hands,” Medical Apartheid, Zulus, and Zone One. Continue reading “Consent or Lack There Of”

Response to: Is Hope a Bad Thing?

Sakshi’s post Is Hope a Bad Thing? provoked my thinking as she highlighted the line “He told himself: hope is a gateway drug, don’t do it” (Whitehead, 222). That line had not stuck out to me before, so I am glad Sakski brought my attention to it. As I went back to the text to look up the context of the quote, the already dark line became even more gloomy. In this section, the skels were encroaching on Mark Spitz’s hide out with Margie, Tad and Jerry. His stay with these three was a rather hopeful blip in his otherwise depressing life. He felt as if the four of them were almost a family, as “he was trapped in this house and he couldn’t think of where else he’d rather be” (Whitehead, 224). However, as the theme of this novel persists, all good things must come to an end and the skels eventually end up invading the house and the group separates. Prior to their disbanding, Mark Spitz had agreed to stay with the trio after the skels left and they were not trapped anymore. This glimpse at family and companionship in the midst of the plague was a glimmer of hope Mark Spitz allowed himself to enjoy, even against the warning to himself. Through his various experiences portrayed in the novel, Mark Spitz learned that hope only makes the disappointment worse when life comes crashing down, as seen when his relationship with Margie, Tad and Jerry comes to an end.

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The Importance in Vocabulary

Being an English major on the creative writing track, as a writer we are forced to stray away from cliches and to transform any abstract thoughts or words into concrete words. Abstract words are words that do not trigger the five senses. This means that every word we put into our writing is carefully selected and carries a lot of weight in its meaning. This relates to the book Zone One by Colson Whitehead. Colson Whitehead’s language use is specific and forces the reader to “navigate” through this sci-fi world. Every word in this book has a meaning. According to this website, the use of these specific keywords enable the writer to quickly and effectively communicate their meaning. Whitehead’s meaning of Zone One is to portray that his world is far from the ordinary.

Vocabulary is not only important to the writer, but it is important to the reader as well. Comprehension of vocabulary is crucial in achieving the main goal of reading which is understanding. According to Scholastic, “Words are the currency of communication. A robust vocabulary improves all areas of communication — listening, speaking, reading and writing.” It is critical that the writer effectively translates his or her ideas for the reader to understand. Whitehead effectively carries out these tasks in Zone One creating a diverse and alternate universe for readers to embark in.

Persuasion vs. Awareness

I find that I’m often carrying on conversations outside of the classroom with my friends that relate to this course’s content. Every time we read an article or a chapter from Medical Apartheid that is absolutely appalling to me, I’ll bring it up to my friends in conversation. Nearly all of the things we discuss or read in this class is too important to not spread to those who don’t have the opportunity to learn it themselves. Continue reading “Persuasion vs. Awareness”

The Haunting of Misgendering

It’s been over a week since we finished our discussions on Lillith’s Brood, however, our conversations related to gender are still prevalent in my mind. Similarly to Kevin, I found myself thinking of the role of the ooloi and how even now, we still struggle with giving it the wrong pronoun. After a great class discussion last Monday, I began to realize that I have learned more about the ooloi and its gender, through it’s role as a parent. Continue reading “The Haunting of Misgendering”

Medical Voluntourism and Our Civic Duties As Students of Geneseo

In class a few weeks ago, we were lucky to have Dr. Muench and Dr. Kennison speak with our class about their experiences running different study abroad trips and the issues related to voluntourism. Voluntourism is the act of conducting volunteer work while abroad and was something my group briefly talked about yesterday in class when writing our mission statement. As we have come to learn, voluntourism can be a very dangerous practice, especially when the help being conducted involves medical treatment. Initially there was concern that some trips offered by the Geneseo Study Abroad department entailed such types of medical voluntourism after Sabrina and Jenna addressed trip offerings that seemed to involve medical voluntourism. Learning of how “the international volunteer placement industry (as a whole) opens the door to potentially disastrous outcomes” (Sullivan) by Sullivan was unsettling especially when it seemed there was a chance that Geneseo students might be directly contributing to this issue. Thus, this opportunity was unique in that it provided some clarity on how Geneseo programs are generally run and also allowed us to get a better understanding of how volunteer work is properly conducted abroad. As we would come to learn though, just because these professors ensured no harm to local populations didn’t mean that the places they were visiting were exempt from the dangers of voluntourism.

 

My group was fortunate to speak with Dr. Muench who spoke about her experiences abroad in Haiti and Ghana. Amongst the many things Dr. Muench talked about, she specifically talked about the precautionary steps that she takes every time she goes abroad to ensure a beneficial and safe interaction between students and locals. This means providing a hands-on learning experience while also having informed consent from villagers on the help students provide. She explained that none of her students conduct medical procedures and that to get students to look at the people they are helping as people and not just test subjects, that she teaches and applies the concept of interdependence to their interactions. Interdependence is the reliance of two or more organisms on each other and is a term taught by Dr. Muench in her introduction biology lecture. In her own way, she has made students see this interaction “both and” benefits wise and is something I personally found to be a great idea. I personally was taught on the topic by Dr. Muench three years ago in her introductory biology lecture and seeing her apply this term topic to a real-life situation outside of the class was cool. Although it was relieving to hear about how Geneseo students provide consensual and meaningful help,  it was disheartening to learn of the few instances where Dr. Muench witnessed another group of doctors conducting work that could potentially involve issues we discussed in class.

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Walking into the Sea: Strength in the Face of Death

“In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free

While God is marching on.”

– The last chorus of Julia Ward Howe’s Battle Hymn of the Republic

Throughout the myths and legends scattered across human history, the concept of a noble death is often romanticized. Whether it is the ancient practice of seppuku in Japanese culture, the numerous “Last Stands” across military history or the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament, examples of bravery in the face of death are littered across history. However, not all sources agree on what makes for a noble death. Continue reading “Walking into the Sea: Strength in the Face of Death”

A Different Way of Looking at Hierarchy

I’ve been thinking about Sandra’s post about hierarchy in Lilith’s Brood, and while I agree with her notion that the hierarchy the humans can, and often do, employ involves “imbalances of power in relationships,” I had a sort of epiphany when finishing up Lilith’s Brood that led me to a different definition of hierarchy that I believe the Oankali see as humans’ fatal flaw. Sandra makes a good point about hierarchy being present in human and Oankali relationship when it comes to one group having more power than another. It’s clear that that is present considering adults have more say than children, even regarding ooloi. However, I think that the type of hierarchy that ultimately led to human destruction and would most likely lead to it again is different.

Continue reading “A Different Way of Looking at Hierarchy”