Thursday, February 24, 2011
Lady in Red
The story of the lady in red on page 33 was for sure my favorite; I read it over and over again, and forced all my friends to do the same. Not only does it speak to the masked vulerbility of many women, but also of the men who enforce it. It was a trip to think of what would and/or has happened to me or my guy friends when put in a similar situation and to think how we have or would act in the context of a "one night stand." I liked this book so much because it shows how women of color (in this case black women) have a different relationship with men than would white women due to socioeconomic background, culture and history. We see various types of oppression in these poems that deal with with things like class and gender, but it is important to recognize (which this book does so well), the different experience of "colored girls." As a man of color, I feel it's important to understand (historically, culturally, politically) the very specific relationship I have with women of color and the power structures that go along with it. By reading this book I feel I have a better understanding of the experiences of women of color (though obviously still very limited) and my role I play in these experiences.
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Haha, I agree. I love the lady in red, especially because of her poem. It made me laugh how she told the guy to water the damn plant himself. I like how you say it speaks of the masked vulnerability of women and the men who enforce it. That is deep and I totally see that in the reading. I did not see it that way before.
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ReplyDeleteFor Colored Girls....
I enjoyed reading the play, the piece that i enjoyed the most was no assistance. I felt as if it was a self-affirming poem because lady in red has been watering and pouring time and effort into this relationship, but he is not reciprocating the feelings or the work. she says "you call at 3am on weekdays so i can drive across the bay to see you, charmin charmin'. he is selfish throughout the entire relationship and she puts up with it for 8 months. She decides to end the affair with no further assistance, just how she loved him with no assistance...the last line reads "ive been watering this plant since the day i met you, you may water it yr damn self"....the monologue in the movie, is done really well with a lot of emotion, so it really grabs the listener/reader. Types of oppression that i see in the book deal with sexism and oppression of colored women. The ladies feel and are devalued, debased, and treated with disrespect. I feel the ladies are on a journey, each one searching for love, and for healing; love from a man, and healing from wounds left by a man. Another piece that stuck out to me was latent rapists. In this piece, a rapist is first described as someone we didn't know, never saw, a complete stranger, but as the piece goes on, we are presented with a new fact, that is very true today; a rapist, can sometimes be a friend, someone we may know...." we could have them over for dinner, and get raped in our own house, by invitation, by a friend...this piece stuck out to me, because i think it is difficult to trust anyone, because when you let people in your life, and allow them to be close and inside your feelings, we are often left hurt, bleeding, by a friend, that we thought we knew, but they acted as a total stranger...BUT ending on a light note! Colored Girls is a great book! totally recommend it, and further more i recommend the movie, because hearing the pieces, the monologues, a loud, will satisfy your ear's taste buds! :)
Rae Rae
I agree with you and Steven, I really liked the fact that she told him to water the plant himself.I also agree with how women of color have different relationships with men than white women with men. Good job pointing it out.
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