lit on fire

Whose voice is this, anyway?

2012-02-09T13:09:00.000-06:00

Read the poem below by American poet, Ai (1947-2010).Without looking up anything about the poet or the poem, what does the poemreveal about the identity of the author? About the speaker of the poem? About thechild in the poem?

Also, the poem is very powerful and disturbing—no one intheir right mind “likes” the subject matter of the poem. Explain whether or notit’s possible for YOU to dislike the subject of the poem and still like thepoem…

CHILD BEATER

by Ai

Outside, the rain, Pinafore of gray water, dresses the town

And I stroke the leather belt,

As she sits in the rocking chair,

Holding a crushed paper cup to her lips.

I yell at her, but she keeps rocking;

Back, her eyes open, forward, they close.

Her body, somehow fat, though I feed her only once a day,

Reminds me of my own just after she was born.

It’s been seven years, but I still can’t forget how I felt.

How heavy it feels to look at her.

I lay the belt on a chair

And get her dinner bowl.

I hit the spoon against it, set it down

And watch her crawl to it,

Pausing after each forward thrust of her legs

And when she takes her first bite,

I grab the belt and beat her across the back

Until her tears, beads of salt-filled glass, falling,

Shatter on the floor.

I move off. I let her eat,

While I get my dog’s chain leash from the closet.

I whirl it around my head.

O daughter, so far, you’ve only had a taste of icing,

And you ready now forsome cake?

Just an identity crisis?

2012-02-02T16:43:00.000-06:00

Gilman’s story, “The YellowWallpaper,” raises several interesting questions about identity. Take a fewminutes to share YOUR answers to these questions:

1. How does the protagonist, Jane,define her OWN identity as the story begins—apart from her expected socialroles, the expectations of her husband, etc.?

2. Is Jane’s mental decline theresult of losing her identity over the course of the story? Not knowing whather identity is to begin with? Being intentionally stripped of her identity?Adopting a new identity?

3. What does the brief meetingbetween Jane and Wallpaper Woman at the end of the story, and the very lastscene in the story, say about Jane’s identity?

Are We All Just Paranoid?

2012-01-28T08:12:00.000-06:00

In Kafka’s “TheMetamorphosis,” we get a glimpse into the mind of an unreliable narrator. Inone way, Gregor BECOMES what he’s seen as his identity for quite a while: anunimportant, unloved, crushable bug. Listen to this song, “Conversation with aParanoid,” by Rapid City songwriter Ryan Kickland (best with headphones):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UAap_G5DpU

The song presents the ideathat one’s identity can be shaped by what we THINK othersthink of us. In other words, our perceptions about what others think,say, or believe about us is much more influential on the development of ouridentity than what others actually think, say, believe (which we really can’tknow, can we?).

So perhaps our identitiesaren’t shaped or influenced by others at all. Perhaps we shape our ownidentities according to our own perceptions (which can often be wrong,mistaken, paranoid even). Perhaps, for better or worse, we are our OWNinfluence.

What do YOU think? Have youever been wrong about what you thought someone was thinking of you? Is the songcorrect—are we all just paranoid?

www.kickland.com

The Identity Factor

2012-01-22T10:04:00.000-06:00

Some experts believe that language is the most importantfactor in forming an identity—we don’t know who we are until we learn language thatcan describe who we are. Others believe society is the most important factor, andthat we learn to define ourselves according to the society—neighborhood,community, school, church, state, country—to which we belong. Still othersbelieve that ethnicity, family, or biology (genes) determines how we form ourown identities.

Most likely, you are still forming your identity. At thispoint in your life, what do you think has been the single most influentialfactor in forming the way you see yourself?

The Problem of Identity

2012-01-14T09:21:00.000-06:00

Watch this short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrHCvUjx4ao&feature=related

Beyond simply yourname, how would YOU answer this question?