Cigarette Blues

In “The Weary Blues,” the piano player ends the poem by exercising power (even if it is questionable as to whether or not he actually possesses this power) in using the blues to take all the definition that enabled his suffering and deeply identifying with and comprehending this definition, rather than rejecting it.  In doing so, he becomes like a consuming black hole for this definition.  In being a black hole for this definition, he also becomes a bit of a black hole for the makers of this definition. 

It’s a bit like a man who smoked for years and finds himself on his deathbed because of the consequences of doing so.  If he accepts the definition the cigarette company has given him, he continues to be a bit of a “black hole” for the cigarette company – he’s allowing them to define his standard of living by buying their cigarettes – but the more cigarettes he smokes, the more the cigarette company depends on his connection to them for its livelihood.

Now, he could quit smoking.  But then he has a diminished connection to the cigarette company, which makes its existence depend a bit less on his own.  So what if, instead, he’s so incensed that he begins smoking cigarettes nonstop.  He harps and harps on the suffering of smoking, and he smokes drag after drag (kinda like the guy on Fast Food Nation, if you’ve seen that movie) to make his point.  He buys out the cigarette company.  He has the greatest connection to the cigarette company that he can manage, and the smoking kills him.  In his will, he states that he would like to be cremated – along with all of the cigarette company’s assets.  He wants his death to be as defined as possible by the cigarette company so that the cigarette company will increasingly depend on him for its own existence – and he went so far in that definition that he is able to equate his own death with that of the cigarette company.

Here’s the question:  Is this guy powerful?

Yeah, he’s dead.  But his death was powerful enough to destroy the defining powers of cigarette companies in a major way.  That event can become a “black hole” that absorbs the defining powers of not only the cigarette company he brought out, but also of cigarette companies on the periphery – especially for those who read newspaper headlines.

If anything can possess power, this man did.  But if power is a concept that is never really part of the individual, the least we can say is that this man exercised power – especially when he died.   And if we say that the man is not powerful because the cigarette company he destroys is not powerful, we are making a comment, not only about the man, but about the present power of anything or anyone whose defining forces can be torn down in a similar fashion.  In a sense, if such a man isn’t powerful, and a man, using the method cigarman used, could destroy almost any institution or defining power – then we are saying that these institutions  and defining powers themselves are not powerful.  This thought, however, is contrary to the way most of us think.

In looking at “The Weary Blues,” the blues become a way for the piano player to accept the definition that is making him suffer – to the point where he “can’t be satisfied.”  He takes all the definition and absorbs it into himself.  By comprehending his suffering he becomes the master of the sources of definition that enforce this suffering – similar to the way that, in comprehending his smoking habit, the smoker becomes the master of the cigarette company that is also the agent of his suffering. 

In the end of the poem, the agents who might have defined him before don’t have power to define his makeup as a person any more than they have the power to define a rock or a dead man.  He is dead to their definitions because he has resigned himself to them – similar to the way that cigarman dies to the definition of the cigarette company he intimately connected himself with.  But the difference is that the blues man is still alive.  His retreat into suffering causes the sources of definition that enforce this suffering to increasingly connect to and thus depend on him.  This dependence gives him more influence over the power of these sources, and this position of influence allows him to experience peace in comprehending his suffering instead of trying so hard to reject it.   The result is a peaceful sleep.  

If it helps you, the concept can be seen in the Bible:

Matthew 5:3-4  --  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Matthew 20:16 -- “The last shall be first, and the first shall be last.”   

Matthew 23:11 – “He that is greatest among you will be your servant.”

Luke 9:24 – “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

If you happen to be a Toaist, this is how the concept is put in Toa te Ching chapter 22:

“If you want to become full, let yourself be empty.
If you want to be reborn, let yourself die.
If you want to be given everything, give everything up.”

Now, the blues is usually discussed as an alternative to Christianity.  It’s basically Christianity without the last step.  It’s generally stated that instead of realizing your low state and repenting from it, the blues advocates realizing your low state and embracing it. 

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to write them!

For further reading:

Anderson, Paul Allen. Deep River: Music and Memory in Harlem Renaissance Thought. Durham, NC: Duke UP, 2001.

Butler, Judith.  The Psychic Life of Power: Theories in Subjection. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1997.

Hogue, W. Lawrence.  The African American Male, Writing, and Difference. New York:  State U of New York , 2003.

Minh-Ha, Trinh.  When the Moon Waxes Red: Representation, Gender and Cultural Politics. New York, Routledge, 1991.

Whitted, Quiana J.  A God of Justice?: The Problem of Evil in Twentieth-Century Black Literature. Charlottesville: U of Virginia P, 2009.

Clarification on "The Ethics of Living Jim Crow" discussion

I'm sorry -- I felt like I was being heinously unclear at the end of class, and part of the struggle was to respond in the short amount of time I had left -- things were said I wasn't anticipating that complicated what I intended to state a bit.

Here is what I was saying:

1.  There was a vested interest in keeping whites superior to blacks.
2.  There was the common thought that men were superior or more authoritative than women.
3.  When a man had sexual connection to a woman, it was seen as underlining the power of the man.
4.  When a white man had sexual contact with a black woman, the act could be seen as reasserting his authority over the black race by association, because he was white (and thus superior to blacks) as well as a man (and thus superior to women).  The superiority of masculinity reinforced the superiority of whiteness, and the superiority of his whiteness reinforced the superiority of his masculinity (read that a couple times if it is tough for you to get).  Thus, often black women got raped (as you see when the man was surprised the woman beat up by store ownwers wasn't raped) and it was no big deal -- it was whiteness and masculinity reinforcing their power over the inferiority of femininity/blackness. Interestingly, there is a lot of scholarship about attempts to "feminize" males that is related to this desire (ever seen the movie "White Chicks"?  Believe it or not, that's been part of the discussion).
5.  When a black man had sexual contact with a white woman, as the discussion of him looking at the white prostitute as well as numorous lynchings show, things were mixed up.  He was black (and was thus supposed to be inferior to the woman's whiteness) and a man (and thus supposed to be superior to the woman's womanhood -- I realize this small addition is just a bit contrary to what was said in class -- this is what I was trying to clarify).  The result, then, of such contact was frustration for many Southern whites.  This frustration occured because this contact got in the way of attempts to simultaneously uplift belief in the superiority of manhood and support belief in the inferiority of blackness.  Thus, Southern whites often went to great lengths to seperate black men and white women and harshly punished black men who did not seperate themselves  from white women (often, the women were punished less severely or not at all -- they were, after all, much weaker than the black man).  Often, to admit the man's superior power but make it OK to seperate him from the woman or kill him, the black man was seen as powerful but not fully human, or as a beastlike "monster."
7.  Although this practice of keeping black men away from white women might seem to make a white woman superior, the reality is that this seperation was only necessary to keep the illusion of superior masculinity and inferior femininity, as well as the illusion of superior whiteness and inferior blackness, intact.  White women were kept from black men because many thought their femininity was an inferior quality, not because they thought it was a superior quality (you can read that twice if you don't get it).
8.  Because masculinity depends on the definition of femininity, this divide was also there to keep in place the illusion that black masculinity was inferior to white masculinity.  This is important because, oftentimes, we seperate issues of race and gender, just as they tried to do then by trying to ensure that sexual acts between men and women didn't violate raced or gendered lines that would confuse the hierarchies.
9.  This is also important because it shows gender played into issues of race, and vice versa -- it isn't always healthy to seperate the two.
10.  It may be partially true that white women could use this position as a position of power in some circumstances, but it is also true that this power only existed because of the fear connected to the conviction that women, in general, were weaker, less authoritative, and more vulnerable than men.  So by asserting that power they would, paradoxically, be reinforcing that stereotype of inferiority and weakness.

It was difficult trying to cram all that clearly into 2-3 minutes, but hopefully that's clear. Feel free to comment.

Details of Sherwood Anderson Class (February 21st)

http://www.bartleby.com/156/ <-----------(Winesburg, Ohio Readings) The Book of the Grotesque

What is “the grotesque” in this piece?  Difficulty Rating (Based on length and clarity of the piece and its meaning(s)) 3.5

Clues:

You should first look up the word “Grotesque” to get a clear dictionary definition.

Observations we have made to previous pieces can be applied here:

“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost – how might the roads be “truths”?  At the end, is the traveler a grotesque or not?

“Soldier’s Home” Ernest Hemingway – how  might you argue that holding on to truths make some of the characters grotesques?

Possible Tough One, but if you manage to wrestle with it, you can come up with some striking insights:

Is J. Alfred Prufrock a grotesque?  Read the poem carefully to figure out why or why not.

Hands

How is the Modern Man like Wing Biddlebaum? Difficulty Rating 3.5

Clues:

How is Wing Biddlebaum’s dilemma like the one J. Alfred Prufrock is in?

What correlations can you make between this story and Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall”?

What correlations can you make between this story and the Emily Dickinson poem, “I am nobody, who are you?”

How might the relationship between George Willard and Wing Biddlebaum be like the relationship between the narrator of “The Fall of the House of Usher” and Roderick Usher?

Nobody Knows

Why does George Willard want so badly “to talk to some man” at the end of “Nobody Knows,” and yet is afraid that Louise Trunnion will talk about what happened? Difficulty Rating 3.5

Clues:

How is the relationship George Willard has with Louise Trunnion similar to relationships Krebs had with women in “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway?

How might Louise Trunnion’s grudging acceptance of George Willard’s lead be similar to that of Sarah Penn’s acceptance of Adoniram Penn’s lead?  How might the way George Willard treats Louise be similar to the way Adoniram treats Sarah Penn?

How might George Willard’s desire to keep Louise silenced be similar to John’s desire to keep the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” silenced or Roderick Usher’s desire to keep his sister Madeline Usher silenced in “The Fall of the House of Usher”?

Adventure

Why does Alice Hindman struggle so much? Difficulty Rating 5.0

Clues:

How might this story be a development of Shirley’s dilemma in Dreiser’s “The Second Choice”?

How might Emily Dickinson’s poem “Wild Nights!  Wild Nights!” shed light on the yearning in this poem?

How do you think this story reacts to Emily Dickinson’s claim that “Success is Counted Sweetest – by those who ne’er Succeed”

How is Alice’s situation similar to the narrator’s situation in the poem by Robert Frost entitled “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”?

The Strength of God

Why did Curtis Hartman feel liberated when he saw Kate Swift crying, naked, on her bed? Difficulty Rating 5.0

Clues:

How might Curtis Hartman’s conduct at the church be similar to J. Alfred Prufrock’s conduct at parties in Eliot’s “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock”?  (This next one may be tough)  How is the end of the story, in a sense, the reverse of Prufrock’s despair at the end of the poem?

What would Emerson think of the barriers Hartman puts between himself and Kate Swift early in the novel, thanks to Hartman’s view of the proper limits of spirituality?

How might the reasons Jack Potter decided to get a wife in the east in “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” have something in common with Hartman’s desire for a woman outside the realm of a church?

Voting Sheet (At the End of Class, You Will Fill This Out.  I will make copies and give them to groups at the beginning of the next class – or when I get through them all, whichever comes first).

These feedback sheets will be graded and included in your After-Class quiz grade.

You will NOT be graded based on:

·         Who you voted for (unless you vote for yourself, which will invalidate your entire After-Class quiz grade)

·         How well your feedback matches up with my own preferences

You WILL be graded on

·         The detail and thought that goes into your feedback

·         Specific references that show you were listening to each groups presentation

Suggested Criteria:

How well did the group connect their answer to works we have discussed previously?

How convincing was their answer to the question?

How engaging was the team in giving their answer?

Team 1 Name. ________________________________________________________________

Positive Feedback

Constructive Criticism

Team 2 Name. ________________________________________________________________

Positive Feedback

Constructive Criticism

Team 3 Name. ________________________________________________________________

Positive Feedback

Constructive Criticism

Team 4 Name. ________________________________________________________________

Positive Feedback

Constructive Criticism

Team 5 Name. ________________________________________________________________

Positive Feedback

Constructive Criticism

The Best Team (besides yours, of course)______________________________________________

Additional Comments:

Questions over "The Yellow Wallpaper"

Questions:

Section 1:

Why do you think Gilman wants the family to live in an ancestral house as opposed to a new one?

Go through this section and keep an eye on the marriage here.  Does she seem to have complaints about it?  How does she deal with the complaints?

Go through this section and look for a divide between the way the narrator feels and the way she wants to be seen by the world around her.

Why does the narrator seem so careful not to say her views are any more than “personal”?

Why does she look at the garden?

What does the narrator REALLY seem to think of John?  How does she seem to think she SHOULD think of John?

Why do you think John doesn’t want her to write?  Why do you think she writes anyway?

Section 2:

What do you think about the room argument?  Do you think John should renovate the room?  Why or why not?

Do you think that the narrator really wants to get well?  Why or why not?

Why do you think the room starts to come to life?

The wallpaper has a subpattern at this point.  Does the viewpoint of the narrator – the “pattern” she thinks she is supposed to live according to – have a subpattern also, at this point?  If so, what does it look like and how can you tell?

What is the significance of Jenny being a housekeeper?  What might the narrator’s attempt to hide from Jenny be symbolic of?

Section 3:

In the beginning of this section, she is afraid of being sent away if she doesn’t get well.  What correlation might this have to what we do to people who don’t get mentally well?  Keeping your answer to this question in mind, what is the significance of the psychiatrist she might be being sent to being “just like John and my brother, only more so!”?

Why do you think she likes the fact that the wallpaper has a “pointless patter” and lacks a firm design?

What is the significance of the way the wallpaper images seem to scatter and become “distracted” in the face of light?  How might this dynamic have a correlation to the narrator’s own mood?

Section 4:

John says that no one but the narrator’s self can help her out of her madness.  Do you think he really believes this?  Why or why not?

Why is it so hard for her to “think straight” (clue – when is it hard for you to “think straight”?)?  Is it good to “think straight”?  Who decides what “thinking straight” is?

What do you think of the quote “There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will.”  Can you relate to it?

How much do you think John needs the narrator, looking at this section?  How can you tell?

Why is the woman “creeping” behind the pattern?  Why the sneaking around?

Section 5:

Why does the moon “creep” (like the woman behind the wallpaper)?  Or is there a reason?

What’s up with John calling the narrator a “little girl”?  What do you think he thinks of her by using this phrase?

Why does her appetite fluctuate according to whether John is there or not?

Who wins the argument in this section, as best as you can tell from reading this section?

She’s quiet and submissive on the outside at the end, but what is she feeling on the inside?  Have you ever felt a similar way?  If so, why did you act this way, and what might that have to do with why she is acting this way?

Section 6:

What do you think of the quote “You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well underway in following, it turns a back somersault and there you are.  It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you” as an observation on understanding life in general?  Do you relate to it?

Why does she choose to compare the pattern to fungus?   And why does the fungus become bars when light shines on it?  (Clue – when, in life, do you feel most natural, organic, and connected to the world?  When do you feel most “caged” in?  How might your own life experiences help you answer this question?)

Why did it take her until now to realize that the pattern behind the wallpaper is a woman?  Why is she sure it is a woman?

Why does she start thinking that other people are thinking the same way she is thinking?  (Clue – do you/have you ever put yourself in someone else’s shoes and ascribed motives to what they did that they didn’t actually have?  Do people that think they are insane think that everyone else thinks the same way they do?  Or do they think their way of thinking is not normal?)

How does the fact that the wallpaper is staining everything around it blur the lines between the wallpaper as symbol and the rest of the room as reality?  Is the story the real “Yellow Wallpaper” that seeks to stain our own realities?

Why do you think the narrator wishes to keep knowledge of the yellow wallpaper to herself?

Section 7

Why, as best as you can tell, is she starting to improve?  How is she able to appear well to John when, if he looked at her mind, he would conclude that she was not?  Is appearance reality?

Why do you think she suddenly wants to stay here?

Section 8

Why is she so obsessed with this wallpaper – which symbolizes “old, foul, bad yellow things”?

How does she seem to have difficulty comprehending the wallpaper in this section?  How might this difficulty correlate to her comprehending her own life?  (Search the section for specific examples for this one).

What’s up with the smell?  Why did she dislike it before, and then slowly become “used to it”?

Section 9

What do you think the yellow wallpaper represents?  Why would “a great many women” be behind it?

Why does the woman keep still in the bright spots and shakes the bars of the wallpaper in the dark spots?  (Clue – when do you most rebel against restrictions – in the light or in the dark?  Why?)

Is it possible to escape from the yellow wallpaper?  What happens to those that get close?  Why? (Clue – is it possible to escape from society’s definition of your place?  What happens to those who try?  Why?)

Section 10

What is the significance of this woman creeping in the daylight, which “most women” do not do?

Who do you think this woman behind the wallpaper represents, from looking at this section?  What is the significance of the different places she creeps at?

Section 11

Do you think John is really “loving and kind”?  Why or why not?

At the beginning, she wanted to wallpaper down.  Now, she wants the top patter down.  Does her desire at the beginning have a connection to her desire at the end of the story?

Why is she so untrusting and suspicious concerning her thoughts in this section?

Section 12

What is the significance of Jenny wanting to sleep with her?  What is the significance of her not wanting to sleep with Jenny?

Why does the narrator emphasize the way the woman in the yellow wallpaper helps her pull it down – is camaraderie necessary for pulling down barriers and trashing definitions?  (Clue – what might the dynamic here have to do with the Emily Dickinson poem “I am nobody – who are you?”)

Why do you think she wants to astonish John so badly?  Have you ever wished to “astonish” an authority figure in a similar way?  What was your motivation?

At the bottom of 1608, she is worried about being “misconstrued.”  Is she right for holding herself back?  Why or why not?

Why does she want to stay in the room?

Finally…why does John faint?  Have you ever reacted a similar way when someone acted a way that didn’t fit into the way you defined them or wanted them to be?  What was your reaction?