Angela Carter's "The Snow Child"

In my seminar, which dealt with British literature, we discussed an interesting short story by Angela Carter called The Snow Child, and I would like to share some of my ideas concerning it.

In the short story The Snow Child two female characters the Countess, the Count’s wife, and the Snow Child, are objectified in order to portray the masculine control over female identity. In the opening sentences the Countess is described only physically. She is wrapped in the glittering pelts of black foxes, and she wears high, shining boots with scarlet heels. She seems to exist only “through” her husband; she is the Countess—the wife of the Count. Her own personality is not important. While they are riding during the midwinter “fresh snow fell on snow already fallen,” which could be interpreted as foreshadowing: the replacement of the old by the new; the Countess will be replaced by the Snow Child. It seems that every sentence, every word in the story carries meaning: midwinter is described as “invincible” (superiority of the Count and the Countess) and “immaculate,” which could stand for innocence of the Snow Child.

 In a further section the Snow Child emerges as an objectified sex symbol, as materialization of the Count’s wish: “She was the child of his desire.” He has the authority and power over the Countess and over the Snow Child: “As soon as he completed her description, there she stood.”  The red color which is evoked many times in the text (the Countess’ scarlet heels, the child’s red mouth, the hole filled with blood) symbolizes vagina, or rather femininity in general. The Snow Child pricks her finger on the torn of a rose. Then she bleeds, which can be seen as a symbol of menstruation. She becomes capable of sexual act. She has fulfilled her purpose as sexual object and now she can die. What remains of her are a feather, a bloodstain, and a rose—a small collection of objects.  While the Count is raping the Snow Child’s remains the Countess cannot do anything because she has no power at all.

In the final scene, the Countess has all her clothes again on (earlier in the story she was undressed by his will; he could do with her ,and all other women, whatever he wanted to), and the Count hands her the rose which could be read as kind of her triumph. However, she is not happy; she says: “It bites!” The rose symbolizes their besmirched love. This love was constructed of the male power and destructed by the emergence of the other female (the Snow Child). Femininity means suffering and being inferior to men. 

“Icon: The Life, Times, and Films of Marilyn Monroe" (vol. 1 & 2) by Gary Vitacco-Robles

 “Icon: The Life, Times, and Films of Marilyn Monroe Volume” (vol. 1 & 2) by Gary Vitacco-Robles is, as the title explains, much more than Monroe’s biography. It is a very detailed chronicle of not only the actress’ private and professional life, but also of the times in which she used to live. It may seem that everything about Monroe’s life has been written, but Robles proves that there are still many issues in actress’ life and career to research on. The author debunks in his second volume, among other things, myths and conspiracy theories concerning Monroe’s death.

Both volumes are brilliant—immensely readable, superbly-written and well-researched. The biggest advantage of these books is their thoroughness—Robles’ riveting volumes come up with the facts, pure and simple; each of sentences and each of statements are proved and stick to the facts. The author deliberately avoids any sensationalism in order to provide the absolute truth about Monroe’s life. It should be emphasized that Robles’ biography is the most comprehensive one ever written— with 781 pages of the first and with 892 pages of the second volume (hardback edition). Robles provides a very detailed information not only on each film and each year of Marilyn’s life, but also details about  her make-up, clothes and pieces of jewelry. With his work, the author honors Monroe not only as a goddess, legend and icon, but—first of all –as a human being. Robles has given her the treatment she deserves. The actress is reborn in a fair and gorgeous way.

About the motives for writing his volumes, Robles explained to me: “I wrote it with the intent not only to honor Marilyn and to educate readers about the impact of abuse and mental illness, but also for those who both admire and feel empathy for her.” What strikes the reader is the author’s incredible empathy for Marilyn. 

Migration

Migration is a topic which affects people since hundreds of years. Especially, in recent years this issue has become hotly discussed because of the civil war in Syria connected with the refugees coming to Germany and other European countries. Those people flee from prosecution and insecurity in their homelands.
In particular, Germans have different opinions towards incoming refugees by the reason that they do not speak our German language and sometimes we are scared that terrorists come camouflaged as refugees to Germany. Often, they do not have any documents and that is why the German state is not able to identify whether people come from countries like Syria or Iraq where people are mostly welcomed in Germany and allowed to file for an application for asylum or from safe origin countries like Morocco or Algeria.
Fortunately, there are a lot of people who are working in an honorary capacity. This is essential because, for example, we do not have enough skilled teachers to teach refugees and I personally think, that learning the language of the country you live in is the first step towards the right direction. Without language, no education is possible. And without education, no good work is possible. In fact, refugees can get in a vicious circle when there is no one who cares for them. 

      According to the Federal Office lots of fled children come alone without their parents or any other relatives to Germany, therefore they need much more help for orientation and self-assurance to feel safe. Moreover, they must get in touch with new people for socializing. Everyone feels better knowing a person to talk to, especially when your family is not there. 

In terms of openness refugees can highly enrich our society and we should seize the opportunity to widen our view that is sometimes narrow-minded. 

Freighting

       The chapter about Freighting begins promising: I, the reader, am encouraged to write longer sentences (cf. Hoffman and Hoffman 96). Not a bad idea—I always struggle with shortening my potentially confusing sentences when writing term papers or the like. But this technique turns out to be unsuitable for me; while I like to string together several clauses that could also be divided into separate sentences—although this would mean not being able to make use of as many of my beloved colons, semicolons, and dashes—and to use complicated but classy verb forms that I am not entirely sure of how to use correctly, Freighting requires the writer to accumulate single words or phrases at the same position, like in one of the characterless examples the authors give: “Bill, my aunt Tina, and all their cronies, chopped, chewed, and utterly pulverized the red, hard, juicy, candied apple” (96-97)—even though they later arrive at the conclusion themselves that “this apple event is not worth developing any further” as it “says absolutely nothing of crucial importance” (97). Exactly. Which is what I hate most when reading a text. 
       On closer examination, however, I have to admit that maybe “my” kind of confusing writing style is not that much different from this kind of confusing writing style. And maybe, just maybe, I like to write in a style that I at the same time hate to read. But at least now I have got an excuse for why my writing is of course acceptable! After all, I do not have to read it myself.
 

Works cited
Hoffman, Gary, and Glynis Hoffman. Adios, Strunk and White. A Handbook for the New Academic Essay. 3rd edition., Verve Press, 2003.

Today I Am Still

Just a Bill.

During my whole life as an idea, a bill, and hopefully a law I pass the heads, desks, and houses of ordinary people, congressmen, representatives, senators, and the President to be proposed, discussed, and hopefully accepted. As an idea, I may stem from unfulfilled needs, wishes or hopes from mothers, fathers, children, and dogs -more likely their owners, in my billy experrience- in order to improve situations of daily life, safety precautions, and quenstions of liability. It is likely someone encountered problems, disputes, or uncertainties in any of those situations. The same way I spend my life in a constant state of uncertainty, until I finally become a full-grown, signed law.

Is Jane Eyre a feminist?

Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am an automaton? -a machine without feelings? … I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh; — it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal, — as we are! (Brontë Vol. 2, p. 18) 

These are the words Charlotte Brontë wrote in 1847, these are the words Jane Eyre says directly before the proposal of marriage by Mr. Rochester. Are these words part of the fundamental paragon for the first proto-feminist wave that started in Victorian times? The answer to this question is, yes - but is Jane Eyre really a feminist? I tend to observe opposing motives; Charlotte Brontë seems to not dare to make a change. I am not oblivious to the context of the quote itself, nevertheless in composition this novel seems to be lacking feminist ideas of progress.

Jane Eyre will not marry for convenience yet decides independently to marry for love at the end of the novel. Her reasons besides passion and love are the mutual beneficences, this relationship between Jane Eyre and Mr. Edward Rochester have. Jane Eyre says, ‘perhaps it was that circumstance … that knit us so very close: for I was then his vision, as I am still his right hand.’ (Brontë Vol. 2, p. 282) Mr. Rochester, who loses his eyesight and his right hand while trying to save his former wife, Bertha Mason from the burning ruins that are his home, Thornfield Hall. Hence, Jane understands herself to be equal to a disabled man.

A feminist novel uses a female protagonist as agent, a character that has her own articulate voice and realises her independence and desires. Jane Eyre is a paradigm of the Newer Victorian Woman and her darker antagonist Bertha Mason, the Madwoman in the Attic stands for old Victorian values of marriage of convenience – furthermore she is a symbol for the silenced female voice in Victorian society and marriage, which dies with Bertha Mason’s suicide. Jane Eyre has an antagonistic other in Bertha Mason, who reinforces the former pattern of the nineteenth century society. However, when light and angelic Jane Air is compared to the dark and ‘demon[ic]’ (Brontë Vol. 2, p. 71) Bertha Mason, this seems to be a relapse to the erstwhile image of the Angel of the House.

Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Vintage Classics, 2009.

Gilbert, Sandra M. and Gubar, Susan. The Madwoman in the Attic. The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. Yale University Press, 2000.

Feminism in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice And Fire"

In our seminar "Introduction to American Literature and Culture" we were asked to apply a theory of cultural studies to a book, film or TV-show for last week and write an explaining paragraph about our chosen subject. I decided to focus on the representation of different forms feminism in the world of "A Song of Ice And Fire". After taking a closer look at the various female characters and their cultures in the story, I came to the following conclusion: The spearwives of the free volk represent liberal feminism, the sand snakes and many other of the women in Dorne, radical feminism, Cercei Lannister and with her quite a few other Westerosi women, socialist feminism. Equality and opportunity for women is what liberal feminists stress, superiority of the female what radical feminists do. The socialist feminism however points to, tries to explain, and criticizes the interconnections between class and gender in society.

(Pro-, hypo and diazeugma)

Life Expectancy

Squeezing Balls

When I think of nerds, I mostly think of glassy-eyed computer geeks with a severe lack of Vitamin D in their system. I met a different nerd the other day, one that squeezes stress balls extensively, squeezing them and counting while doing so and keeping record of the whole affair. All said and done, your average stress ball can be squeezed roughly 3000 times before failure.

I have never before, as I can recall, been more impressed, surprised, delighted, all at the same time by something someone has done, said, or thought. The whole affair gains even more inherent contrast, comedic potential due to the fact that the nerd in question usually does not share many of his observations, thoughts, dwellings. He is one of the rather silent, introvert kind.

Higher education in the UK

To become a higher education student you must fulfill various demands like having already achieved  entrance qualifications, like A-levels or equivalent qualifications from the UK or another country (“Higher Education - Introduction”). The system of higher education is split into two levels: On the one hand there are undergraduate programs that include bachelor degrees or higher national diplomas (HNDs) and on the other hand there are postgraduate programs that include masters degrees or doctorates. Normally, you need an undergraduate qualification to join the postgraduate program (“Higher Education - Introduction”). Great Britain is well known for its high quality and well-respected higher education worldwide. 

In Hamburg, there are no tuition fees anymore so  access to the universities is possible for everyone. In the UK studying can cost an undergraduate student up to £9,000 per year (“Costs and Fees”). Additionally, the costs of living can be very high. On account of the tuition fees and the expensive living costs in the UK, students usually borrow money from the Student Loans Company. Here, they have to pay it back after graduation and “the employer will automatically take repayments from the salary if the income, before tax, is over the UK threshold. The current thresholds for repayment are £21,000 a year, £1750 a month or £404 a week. So this is 9% of the income over the threshold.” (“How much do I repay?”).

Cited Works

“Costs and Fees” British Council, 

http://www.educationuk.org/global/articles/costs-and-tuition-fees-for-international-students/. Accessed 21 January 2017

“How much do I repay?” Student Loans Company,
http://media.slc.co.uk/repayment/qsg/how-much-do-i-repay.html. Accessed 21 January               2017.

“Higher Education - Introduction” British Council, 

http://www.educationuk.org/global/articles/higher-education-introduction/. Accessed 20 January 2017

Poetry – Bread as Cake or Cake as Bread?

During my time abroad, one of my lectures opened with the following recount: The professor recalled how he proudly told his Dad about having earned a doctor’s degree in poetry, but his Dad responded as he usually did when the discussion revolved around his son’s chosen path, ‘When will you stop reading poetry and make something of your life?’ Most people will have read a huge amount of poems by now, but the majority of these people might regard sonnets, elegies, shape poems, ballads, haikus and the like as only some form of art – like a cake. Far less will have considered the important role poetry takes on. In contrast to the common perception, poetry plays a fundamental role in society – like bread.
To illustrate the truth of this, Philip Sidney’s ‘An Apology for Poetry’ can be taken into account. In his work of literary criticism, Sidney states that poetry, if done well, has the ability to offer morality and hence has a function in society.
Furthermore, Tony Harrison includes Cornish in his 16-lined Meredithian sonnet ‘National Trust’, and subsequently, poetry is presented as a place where different languages and dialects exist. This image is further extended in his sonnet ‘Them and [uz]’ where he presents himself once more as a poet with different dialects. By including the Yorkshire accent, Harrison encourages and inspires the reader to confront and thus have an open mind about diversity.
On top of that, the free verse poem ‘That the Science of Carthography is Limited’ by Irish poet Eavan Boland deals with the Irish Poato Famine in Connacht. The poem takes a closer look at famine roads that do not appear on any maps, hence Boland prevents that anyone might forget about them. Consequently, poetry assists in keeping history alive.
To sum up, poetry does not only present a form of art, it also has a moral responsibility, supports society to keep in mind certain aspects of history and teaches people to accept diversity. Therefore, poetry is not only cake, poetry is bread, too.