Blackness, Performance, Freedom
The individual choreography of the various characters’ “fits” suggest that—like puberty—this experience is unique for each female. If you were to portray your own coming-of-age in a short segment (like Toni’s “fits” dance sequence), how would you do it? Which element(s) of your development would you focus on? After reflecting and deciding what to emphasize,…
To begin approaching an analysis of the chapter title “The Loophole of Retreat,” I asked a couple friends what their associations with the word “loophole” are. Words like “legal,” “white collar,” “politicians,” “corporations,” and “universities” were prevalent responses, confirming my original perspective of the word having a legal or professional connotation—implying someone in a position…
Consider the portion of Scene 2 in the “Harriet Jacobs” play by Lydia Diamond—from the top of page 12 through Harriet’s paragraph on page 14 ending with “…I live under the feet of the Whites who wish us to believe that we are animals”—in which Harriet’s picturesque portrayal of the cotton field is interspersed and…
In college, Halloween has become just another excuse to party—a social occasion not unlike other weekends (besides the costumes, of course). But when we were little, Halloween was a family time of pumpkin-carving, ghost story-telling, and trick-or-treating. I hadn’t carved a pumpkin in years, and even the smell of the seeds brought back a waft…
Last week, I enacted the scene in Sassafrass, Cypress, and Indigo on pages 74-75, where Sassafrass cooks dinner. I made a variation of the fish with red sauce and a vegetable side. Like Sassafrass, I did breathing exercises while preparing the ingredients and relevés while waiting for the fish to broil—embodying her physical state and…
This is a test post! -Alicia
After brainstorming for each of the prompt questions, I felt the most interested and engaged in prompt number 2. I was absolutely blown away by Guava Island—the message, the music, the performances, the magic—and feel compelled to write about it, to think about it, and to encourage discussion of it in class. I think before…