I’ve always struggled with my dual identity as a Bengali-American. I was brought up in my home in one way and expected to be another way at school and in public. My mother constantly reminded me that I was not American just because I was born in America. She instilled her cultural values and traditions in me in such a way that I could never forget, even if I sometimes wanted to. At school, I was expected to speak in English and wear jeans, to look and act like all the other kids. I was the one brown kid in class who wore a colorful salwar kameez while everyone else had on the suggested blue and white uniform. Things like that made me resent my culture and heritage as a child. My teachers encouraged me to speak English at home, and in doing so, I received backlash from my parents. Continue reading “Two-ness, Three-ness, Five-ness, Infiniteness”
Heard It’s Her Man Too
Solána Rowe, professionally known as SZA, released the album CTRL last year in 2017. As suggested by the title, the album contains themes of control, but also modern love, jealousy, anxiety, and self-esteem. I think this album speaks volumes as a black woman speaking the truth against societal expectations. In black communities, black women assume the role of being strong and emotionally stable. Continue reading “Heard It’s Her Man Too”
Week 2 Response
Melvin Tolson’s poem Libretto for the Republic of Liberia was very difficult to read and comprehend. From what I understood, the poem was about a history of African peoples and their story that is untold. Almost like Tolson is filling in the blanks left by the white man in the official story. I thought it was very interesting that Tolson chose to use the solfège scale to separate the verse paragraphs. At first, I did not realize what it was until I continued to the rest of the poem. Continue reading “Week 2 Response”
Week 1 Response
The Hegel piece really made me angry after initially reading it. It really blew my mind that he could actually think of people in such a way. Honestly, it was such a dose of reality because it made me realize that not only does Hegel think this way but other people do as well. In his writing, he depicts the Africans as savages and cannibals without reason and dehumanizes them. Continue reading “Week 1 Response”