Rebecca Ilham's Blog, page 21
October 5, 2011
Ulasan Dr Siti Hajar Che Man Terhadap Gadis dari Grozny Daripada Aspek Feminisme
Katija Anwarova dari kumpulan pemisah dan Profesor (Alexandra) Fetkovich dari Rusia. Bagaimana dua watak yang ada pendirian masing-masing tenang pergolakan negara ini dipertemukan denga satu titik kedamaian? Sudah tentulah Afifi yang menjadi orang tengahnya!
Inilah keistimewaan kisah yang dipaparkan oleh Rebecca Ilham yang telah memecahkan suara wanita terpinggir yang berada dalam dominasi lelaki, dalam masa yang sama tidak meminggirkan lelaki. Katija Anwarova ada pendapat dan pendiriannya yang tersendiri tentang politik negaranya. Judul cerpen "Gadis dari Grozny" seolah-olah membayangkan Katija Anwarova sedang mewakili suara wanita lain tentang untung nasib negara mereka.
Namun, elok jika diketengahkan lebih padat hujah, pendapat dan suara lantang dalam hemah dan sopan yang diluahkan oleh Katija Anwarova supaya suara-suara terpinggir itu dapat menjelaskan bahawa sudah sampai masanya lelaki tidak lagi menganggap, "man is superior to woman, that a woman should be controlled by man, and is a part of man's property" (Khamla Bhasin & Nighat Said Khan, 1989:9).
October 3, 2011
Pemikiran Kreatif dan Minda Anak Muda di TV Alhijrah
Gambar ihsan rakan penulis, Pena AlamSabtu, 1 Oktober yang lalu, kami, rakan penulis Lutfi Ishak, Aidil Khalid dan saya ke Kompleks Penyiaran TV Alhijrah sekali lagi untuk salah satu slot rancangan Assalamualaikum. Minggu sebelumnya kami diundang untuk segmen Kreatif dan Kritis, sementara minggu ini pula khusus untuk memperkenalkan acara Dialog Orang Muda (DOM) yang diadakan di Rumah PENA pada setiap hari Ahad minggu ketiga.
Saya gugup ketika ditanya tentang bagaimana orang muda harus berani melontar pendapat. Jawapannya sudah ada - iaitu berlandaskan ilmu. Namun saya belum fasih menghurainya dengan mudah. Ya, proses. Inshaallah pembaikan akan dilakukan.
Saya tidak banyak bercakap tentang DOM - melainkan hal-hal teknikal, termasuklah tentang DOM bulan Oktober yang kebetulan sempat kami bincangkan selepas mesyuarat tentang PPMN hari Khamis lalu. Masih banyak yang perlu saya dalami. Tetapi Abang Lutfi merupakan orang yang tepat untuk ditanya tentang "selepas DOM - apa, dan ke mana?"
Sebetulnya, soalan itu pernah saya tanya lama dulu, ketika saya baru belajar bergaul dengan penulis-penulis di Rumah PENA dengan cara hadir ke DOM setiap bulan. Jawapan Abang Lutfi - "kesannya bukan sekarang." Ya, bahkan kota Melaka pun tertegak bukan dalam masa sehari!
Amna kemudian bertanya lagi soalan sukar - tentang bagaimana untuk menarik khalayak ke DOM. Perbincangan di DOM seringkali intens dan menjurus ke perkara-perkara berat; ini bukan selera kebanyakan orang. Namun Abang Lutfi memanipulasi peranan dan ruang yang diberikan media sebagai wadah untuk mewar-warkan tentang kewujudan DOM sebagai saluran untuk anak muda meluahkan pendapat dalam pelbagai isu (tanpa dilarutkan emosi).
DOM lahir dan berkembang sejak hampir 2 tahun lalu bukan kerana kami bertiga. Masih ramai tenaga kerja DOM yang lebih selesa di belakang tabir, namun bekerja dan teguh menyokong. Kami hanyalah wakil, yang mengajak agar lebih ramai anak-anak muda ikut berwacana di Rumah PENA. Di DOM, tiada kasta, tiada kotak-kotak dan tiada larangan untuk menyuarakan pendapat. Kita boleh bersetuju, dan bisa saja bersetuju untuk tidak bersetuju. Asal tidak emosional!
Terima kasih dan penghargaan untuk Tuan Zainal Rashid Ahmad, Pengurus Besar Bahagian Penerbitan TV Alhijrah yang memberikan orang-orang muda peluang dan ruang di media.
Dan orang-orang muda, ayuh, jemput ke DOM bulan Oktober pada 16 haribulan dengan tajuk "Penulis Luar Sastera: Penyelamat Sastera Kebangsaan?"
September 24, 2011
The Kind of Feminist That I Was
At the time, I felt that Chopin reached out to me, and liberated me from succumbing to the typical life that awaits a woman. Chopin told me that it is okay for mothers not to feel 100% affection and devotion to their children, that wives can have careers, that having desires that can only be fulfilled by breaking away from the roles of a mother and a wife is a part of human rights. I wrote my end of term research paper by exploring a theme from The Awakening and felt, upon completion of the essay, truly awakened.
Three years down the road, I still feel that The Awakening is one of the best novels on feminism that I have ever read (the others being Their Eyes Were Watching God [Zora Neale Hurston], The Color Purple [Alice Walker] and Woman At Point Zero [Nawal el Sadaawi]). However, my view on feminism has changed. Ahh. Life is indeed a process.
Meanwhile, my research paper with its grammatical errors and all.
Locations and Its Influence on One's Mindset
Location is a part of the settings in a novel. A novel can be set in a real place, a fictional one, or even a general location where not much details about the place are described in the story [1]. Location is an important part of a novel because it serves as the background of the story, and not merely as a space where characters interact with each other or have their profound moments on their own. To be exact, locations are not only plot devices, but they should be able to assist characters transformation over the course of the story. Every single description must be relevant to either the character development or the plot [2]. Therefore, it is essential that locations in a creative work is examined in details and not be discarded lightly as they hold background information about the characters' pasts, their present lives and their possible future undertakings. Besides that, locations, or the environments where the story takes place, can be particularly important if the writer is a naturalist. Naturalists believe that characters are not moral agents; they are in fact amoral and should not be blamed for the actions over the course of the story. Instead, how they behave and react is absolutely determined by the environment they inhabit. Therefore, a careful analysis regarding the setting of the story should not be ignored in this case.
In her novel The Awakening, Kate Chopin has chosen several locations in order to tell the life story of Edna Pontellier. The novel opens at Grand Terre, an island in the Gulf of Mexico where Edna and her family, which includes her husband Leonce and her sons Raoul and Etienne, are vacationing for the summer. Grand Isle is described to be isolated and can only be reached by "a steamer at the wharf" (14). The fact that the island is surrounded by the wide blue sea has given Edna some sense of freedom and carefreeness, because by being away from her home in New Orleans, Edna is able to literally let her hair down and just enjoy life. She has no social obligations to be fulfilled when she is vacationing, and there is also no social status to be upheld so she is able to spend most of her time doing things that she likes, instead of what she has to do. These include bathing in the sea with Robert Lebrun as described by Chopin early on in the novel: "The gulf looked far away, melting hazily into the blue of the horizon. The sunshade continued to approach slowly. Beneath its pink-lined shelter were Mrs Pontellier, and young Robert Lebrun" (7).
It is important to note that the existence of Robert Lebrun on the island is essential in the novel because he is a part of the environment that would spark changes in Edna's life. Robert is the son of Mrs. Lebrun, who runs the cottage where Edna stays at. He gives a lot of attention to Edna and dotes on her. For instance, "during his oblivious attention, he once quietly rested his head against Mrs. Pontellier's arm" (20). Edna is flattered, and finds herself infatuated with Robert, especially when her own husband does not appear to give much attention to her. Edna claims that she "could not have told why, wishing to go to the beach with Robert" (25).
At first, Edna's close relationship with Robert might mislead readers into thinking that Edna's awakening is purely sexual. After all, Edna does not love Leonce and the fact that she is viewed as his property and has to oblige to his every wishes while he rewards her with material goods does not help his case either. However, as much as she is fond of Robert, Edna is also fond of the beach and the sea. She thinks that "the voice of the sea speaks to the soul" and by being close to the sea she "was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and around her" (25). Besides from playing an important role in awakening Edna's passion, the environment on the island also awakens Edna from her seemingly perfect life with Leonce. One night after his return from the Klein's hotel after a game of billiards, Leonce went into the bedroom in "an excellent humor, in high spirits, and very talkative" (12). He wakes Edna up, and Edna upon hearing "no sound abroad except the hooting of an old owl in the top of a water-oak, and the everlasting voice of the sea that was not uplifted at that soft hour, and a mournful lullaby broke upon the night" (13), broke down and cried due to some unconscious disappointments and irritations on her side toward the way her husband has been acting. This scene is another proof of how influential the environment of Grand Isle is in evocating Edna's passion for what her life could be and also her frustration of how her life has been.
Edna's awakening might sound "sexual" at first because it takes a man for Edna to realize how deprive of excitement her life has been, but the awakening takes a whole different spin upon Edna's return to New Orleans. Now that she is back in the society and the urban environment that prohibit her from being in close, direct contact with nature, Edna has to oblige to the norms that she has been used to before her awakening. One of the customs that she has never failed to do is receiving callers on Tuesday afternoon as described in details by Chopin: "Tuesday being Mrs. Pontellier's reception day – there was a constant stream of callers" (83). Edna has been doing this for a while, "This had been the programme which Mrs.Pontellier had religiously followed since her marriage, six years before" (84). However now that she is more aware of herself as a human being, Edna begins to resent the life that she used to lead. She feels trapped in her "very charming home on Esplanade Street in New Orleans" (83). Even though "it was a large double cottage, with a broad front veranda, whose round, fluted columns supported the sloping roof," (83), it is a prison to Edna because she is no longer able to immerse herself in her passion and desire as she is able to on Grand Isle. Therefore, Edna starts to rebel by refusing to meet her callers. This angers her husband who "had been a rather courteous husband so long as he met a certain tacit submissiveness in his wife" (95). Besides from expecting absolute obedience from his wife, Leonce also has his own ideals about women, and wives. He believes that "the utmost folly for a woman at the head of a household, and the mother of children, to spend in atelier days which would be better employed contriving for the comfort of her family" (95). However, Edna post-awakening does not share the same ideals, at least not anymore, causing frictions between them.
Even though Edna finds the house in New Orleans to be a prison at first, the silence in the house after Leonce has left for work has initiated her to take arts seriously again. Chopin writes "Edna spent an hour or two looking over some of her old sketches" (90) and after some time begins to paint again. She "was working with great energy and interest" and although she does not accomplish a lot, Edna gets a sense of achievement out of it, "even in the smallest degree" (96). Now that she is painting again, it has become a mental escapade for her from the house that oppresses her thoughts and desire. She is brought back to the beach in Grand Isle where "she could hear again the ripple of the water, the flapping sail" (96). This pseudo-contact with nature has reawakened her passion and she finds living in the big house bearable. Conversely, as much as Edna enjoys the expansion of her newfound freedom, she also realizes the social limitations that could and would oppress her. Thus, even though "she was happy to be alive and breathing," Edna was also "unhappy" (96).
It is actually a good thing for Edna to be able to recognize the limitations around her. This is actually a part of her awakening into a woman who is not only aware of her self worth, but also as someone who is aware of the environment she lives in. Edna's awareness has prompted her to try to change her living conditions. At first, she tries to get away from the physical and mental prison of a home she lives in by visiting Adele Ragtinolle. The Ragtinolles "lived in commodious apartments over the store, having an entrance on the side within the porte cochere" and it has a "large and pleasant salon which extended across the width of the house" (91). However, the visit instead of comforting her has made "Edna felt more depressed" (93). This is because when she was at the Ragtinolles,' Edna has witnessed the "domestic harmony" (93) between Adele and her husband. Instead of making her jealous or envious with the couple's marital bliss of which she herself is deprived, Edna feels pity for Adele for possessing "blind contentment" (93) with her life as a wife and mother. Adele's contentment is exactly how Edna feels before she is awakened, and I believe it scares her to see her past self through her own eyes, even if it is no longer applied to her chosen path of life.
After that Edna tries to escape the routine of her life as Mrs. Pontellier by seeking for Mademoiselle Reisz's companionship. Edna gets along well with the elderly lady, who is also an excellent pianist because they share some similar outlook on life, especially when it comes to issues concerning women liberation. Mademoiselle Reisz lives in a humble establishment in which in one "room she slept and in the third and last she harbored a gasoline stove on which she cooked her meals when disinclined to descend to the neighboring restaurant. It was there also that she ate, keeping her belonging in the rare old buffet, dingy and battered from a hundred years of use" (103). However, being a musician, she still manages to squeeze in "a magnificent piano" even though it "crowded the apartment" (103). Edna's first visit to Mademoiselle Reisz's apartment is significant in the novel because Mademoiselle Reisz has "had a letter" from Robert who wrote to her "from the City of Mexico" (105). The news about Robert's letter, which contents "was nothing but Mrs. Pontellier from beginning to end" (105), rekindles Edna's feelings towards the young man.
However, when she is allowed to read it by Mademoiselle Reisz, Edna is again transported to "one midnight at Grand Isle when strange, new voices awoke in her" (107). This is some sort of a reminder to Edna that her infatuation to Robert is only superficial because the man is only the door that opens Edna's heart, mind and soul to the life and person she can potentially be and have if she is not "trapped" in her current situations. Therefore, even though she is not really in love with Robert, Edna likes to entertain the idea of being in love with him because he makes her feel special.
The reawakening of her attraction towards Robert, combined with a few other things that have taken place including Leonce's attempts to have her diagnosed for a disease so that she could be cured, Edna decides to permanently leave the house on Esplanade Street. The house has become her prison and by living there, Edna does not feel that she could express herself fully, be it through her paintings or through interactions with other men. Thus, Edna plans to buy a new house that is "tiny with little or nothing, with one servant" (132) where she would be not only physically away from Leonce's properties, but also financially free from her husband because Edna plans to pay for it using her own money. The money would come from several sources including money from "her mother's estate, which her father sends by driblets" (132). Edna has also "won a large sum this winter on the races" and "is beginning to sell her sketches" (132). She decides to do it this way because she "likes the feeling of freedom and independence" (133). Edna also does not inform Leonce, who is away on business, about her intention to quit the house so that he would not be able to stop her before she settles down in her new establishment. However, before she moves out, Edna has thrown a very lavish party for her friends. The party actually is Edna's way of bidding her old life (which is symbolized by the big house) goodbye and celebrating her newly chosen path in life (the new house). Even better, she makes Leonce pays for all the expenses for the luxurious party.
At the end of the novel, Chopin once again takes Edna back to Grand Isle. This time around, Edna goes there by herself. Besides that, the island also does not appeal to her in the same way as it did when she was vacationing. This is mainly due to the fact that Robert has finally left Edna for good. Thus, Grand Isle without Robert does not mean anything to Edna. Instead of awakening Edna in the same way during the past summer, "the voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude" (189) and Edna is instantly soothed. Chopin writes "the touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace" (189). However, as Edna starts and then continues to swim in the sea, she becomes more and more exhausted. She could not, or refuses, to stop and go back to the beach because the exhaustion is in truth a metaphor to her own life. Edna has been awaken and enlightened on the island but when she goes back to the city, she comes to realize that they are so many limitations that forbid her from exercising her newfound desires. Thus, she goes back to the island not to re-awaken her dying passion but to let it go instead, even if it means letting go of her own life in the process.
Kate Chopin has done a good job at choosing different locations in order to showcase Edna's states of mind and feelings. Even though the geographical locations are mainly revolved around the island of Grand Isle and the city of New Orleans, Chopin has also used the domestic spaces of her characters such as the Pontellier's house, the Ragtinolles', Mademoiselle Reisz's and Edna's small new house, to describe the progression of Edna's liberation. The differences between the locations are articulated perfectly and it helps in order to understand Edna better, especially with the decision that she takes at the end of the novel.
References
[1] Landow, George P., "How to read a Novel – Some Places to Begin," http://www.victorianweb.org/technique... Accessed November 15, 2008
[2] Ball, Magdalena, "The 3 Most Important Elements of Fiction Writing," http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/3... Accessed November 15, 2008
September 15, 2011
Penggila dan Pencandu Buku di Guernsey, Selepas Perang Dunia Kedua
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society oleh Mary Ann ShafferRating saya: 5 of 5 stars
Mudah sekali membeli perhatian seorang penggila buku - apa-apa sahaja buku berkaitan buku pasti akan dilahap dengan nikmat sekali.
Saya sebetulnya mengangkat letak buku ini banyak kali, tetapi belum terpanggil untuk membeli dan membacanya. Apabila sahabat penggila buku, Kak Najibah dalam ulasannya meneybut buku ini mengingatkannya terhadap 84, Charing Cross Street, saya semakin tidak yakin untuk membacanya. Bukan apa, koleksi surat-menyurat antara Helene Hanff dengan para staf kedai buku di London pada tahun 1940-an itu mempunyai kedudukan tersendiri dalam korpus kecil pembacaan saya. Saya khuatir The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ini tidak cukup mengesankan.
Namun Nisah Haron meminjamkan saya buku ini, dengan rekomendasi yang cukup untuk saya cuba membacanya. Dan seperti Juliet, saya jatuh cinta.
Saya gemarkan suara-suara individu yang distinctive meski pun dicipta oleh dua orang pengarang sahaja. Ini menunjukkan para pengarangnya teliti, dan mempunyai kemahiran teknikal. Gaya bahasa mudah tetapi puitis juga memikat, sehingga saya mencatat beberapa frasa tentang matahari, bulan dan senja sebagai rujukan dan rakaman visual untuk membayangkan sendiri keindahan alam di Guernsey. Saya juga tergelak sendirian di dalam gerabak kereta api apabila rahsia besar Sidney didedahkan.Mulut saya melopong dan saya terpaksa berhenti membaca seketika apabila mendapat tahu tentang Elizabeth. Saya sebak tatkala Kit mengongsi isi kotak harta karunnya dengan Juliet.
Buku ini bukan tentang penggila buku yang sering diberi imej anti sosial dan tidak mempunyai personaliti, tetapi tentang manusia-manusia biasa yang cuba hidup selepas Perang Dunia Kedua dan bagaimana buku telah menemukan mereka.
September 12, 2011
Rebecca Ilham dalam Majalah Wanita Okt 2011
Ruangan Kenali Penulis, majalah Wanita Oktober 2011Alhamdulillah, atas ruang ini. Inshaallah, ini akan menjadi motivasi untuk terus berkarya. Sesungguhnya tugas hakiki seorang penulis adalah menulis; semoga saya tidak akan lupa akan tugas berat ini.
September 11, 2011
Sesuatu Yang Segar Akan Tiba!
S.O.S (Suara Orang Seni) Edisi 01fokus Suara Baru Sasteraakan tibaOKTOBER 2011Jemput mengikuti perkembangan S.O.S di Facebook
September 5, 2011
The Kind of Essay That I Miss Writing
During consultation, my professor mentioned that she was disappointed with the conclusion. Yes, me too. I was suffering from the lack of creativity, not to mention was pressed by the dateline (excuses). But one thing for sure, after struggling with the first assignment (an essay on Edgar Huntly, or Memoir of A Sleep-walker by Charles Brockden Brown), I immensely enjoyed the process of drafting and writing this one, probably over a weekend.
I am forever indebted to my professor and classmates, for the stimulating discussions and inductions into the cultural and historical contexts of the novel. I could have not written this essay without them. Heck, I could have not fully appreciated my short American experience without the class.
I do not remember the exact grade I'd gotten, but I earned a B for the class. I had to convince myself that it was okay, and it was. The world did not end. Yet :)
Enjoy. May it be beneficial.
The Search: One Man's Quest for His Identity
When my grandmother passed away thirteen years ago, there was a huge debate among her surviving children, namely my mother and her four siblings about the family history. My grandmother was adopted, back in the days when people sell their children; primarily for money, but more importantly for the child's better future. The core issue of the argument was about her racial identity. Even though she was brought up in a Malay family, assumed a Malay name, lived in Malay culture, spoke fluent Malay with the impossibly difficult to comprehend East Coast accent, married a Malay man (who followed her to the afterlife less than a month after her passing) and bore Malay children who repeat the cycle. But physically, she was everything but a Malay. From her white porcelain complexion, a pair of slanted almond-shaped brown eyes and petite, delicate physique; she could be easily mistaken to be Chinese, or Thai. The family argument ensued and its conclusion has now escaped me. It is of no importance as the outcome is not the issue that I want to raise. Rather, I was quite shocked when my mother eventually admitted my suspicion all along; that she is a product of mixed parentage. For the first time in my life, I actually come to term with my apparent Chinese features, which are inherited from my grandmother and have drawn taunts and teases in the countless pre-dominantly Malay schools I have attended over the years.
Reading The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson, I feel a strong sense of déjà vu for the child The Ex-Colored Man was when he was first forced to confront the reality of his parentage. This revelation is only a beginning to a deeper search for identity, especially concerning his to attempt to remediate the clash between blood and upbringing, and which one of those is the ultimate definition of one's self. Literally, self could be loosely defined to be "the type of person one is, especially the way one behaves, looks or feel" [1, p.1376]. This definition is quite straight forward; but to my understanding, it considers both one's blood (which is depicted by looks if taken literally to be one's physical features) and upbringing (which is depicted as the way one behaves) in defining what is self. To discuss this further, the perfect example would be The Ex-Colored Man himself. Biologically he is of mixed parentage; African-American (black) and Caucasian (white). But socially, he is brought up in a household that is similar to that of a typical middle class white family, sans father. The Ex-Colored Man describes himself as "…a little aristocrat" [2, p.7] and his mother "…dressed me very well and I developed that pride which well dressed boys generally have" [2, p.7]. He also mentions that his mother has no financial difficulties, which is a very common problem among uneducated black people at the time because "…she must have derived a fair income from her work (sewing)" [2, p.7] and periodically would receive letters and "…they contained money" [2, p.7]. Besides that, The Ex-Colored Man receives classical music education which is unheard of among underprivileged black children as he would later find out from his landlady in Jacksonville: "…the colored people were poor, and the general price for music lesson is only twenty-five cents" [2, p.69]. His mother might have been throwing hints around the house about his black heritage. The Ex-Colored Man remembers that "…she opened the little square piano and picked out hymns. I can recall now that whenever she played hymns from the book her tempo was decidedly largo. Sometimes on the other evenings, when she was not sewing, she would play simple accompaniments to some old Southern songs which she sang. In these songs she was freer, because she played them by the ear" [2, p.7-8]. Therefore, with such a strong 'white' upbringing and no clear contradiction from his mother except for occasional singings of hymns and slave songs which identifies strongly with the black community, it is inevitable for The Ex-Colored Man to grow up thinking he is white.
However, what amazes me the most is how The Ex-Colored Man embraces the blackness that he has been so ignorant of, even if the way it is revealed to him is could be hurtful, especially for such a young child. In his own words, he reminiscences the day of the revelation: "One day near the end of my second term at school the principal came into our room and, after talking to the teacher, for some reason said: 'I wish all the white scholars to stand for a moment.' I rose with the others. The teacher looked at me and, calling my name, said: 'You sit down for the present, and rise with the others'" [2. p16]. For the first time in his sheltered life, The Ex-Colored Man is forced to acknowledge the other part of his identity. He says "I noticed the ivory whiteness of my skin, the beauty of my mouth, the size and liquid darkness of my eyes, and how the long, black lashes that fringed and shaded them produced an effect that was strangely fascinating even to me. I noticed the softness and glossiness of my dark hair that fell in waves over my temples, making my forehead appears whiter than it really was" [2, p.17]. The Ex-Colored Man's lack of resistance to this newfound identity, I believe, could be attributed to his innocence and naivety. But, while he easily accepts it, his mother thinks otherwise. This is described in the dialogue between mother and son, when she is asked "'Mother, mother, tell me, am I a nigger?'" [2, p.17], the mother replies through teary eyes "'No, my darling, you're not a nigger"' [2, p.18] but when pressed again "'Well, mother, am I white?" [2, p.18], she offers very little confirmation about his identity by answering "'…your father is one of the greatest men in the country – the best blood of the South is in you - '" [2, p.18]. In my opinion, it is very interesting how a child could overcome the stigma of being a part of what is perceived to be the 'lesser' race, embraces it and is not at the very least ashamed of it; yet an adult could not. Yes, I agree that his acceptance is due to his ignorance towards the social norms and status that young children are usually shut out from. However, the novel takes a fascinating path when The Ex-Colored Man retains this sense of belongingness even after he has passed his adolescent years.
His decision to attend Atlanta University is an indicator of how much he identifies himself as a black man. He could have attended one of the more prestigious institutions in the North because his mother tells him "…that my father wanted me to go to Harvard or Yale…" [2, p. 47]. Even with some financial strains, I believe it is still possible, especially with the help of the community he grows up in. They have "…patronize(d) a benefit concert" [2, p.50] in order to help him go to college. However, he forgoes the initial plan because after his mother's death, he feels that there is no more need for him to continue his attachment to the little town in Connecticut where he grows up in. This is both weird and intriguing at the same time because even though he is a part of the community, somehow he does not feel that he truly belongs there. The Ex-Colored Man finds no difficulties at all to "…(bid) farewell to the friends and the scenes of my boyhood and boarded a train for the South" [2, p.51] in order to fulfill his mother life-long wish, which she has told him long before her passing that "…she herself had a half desire for me to go Atlanta University, and even had me write for a catalogue of that school" [2, p.47]. But that decision is not merely about a son fulfilling his dead mother's wish; instead it would have a deeper implication. Atlanta University, which is founded in 1865…was the country's oldest graduate institution serving a predominantly African-American student body [3]. Therefore, he would not only be able to dig deep into his Southern roots, but it would also lithify his black identity.
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, life takes a detour. The Ex-Colored Man is left penniless after his money is stolen in a boarding house in Atlanta, preventing him from furthering his studies. He drifts to Jacksonville, where he assumes his black identity without hesitation. Upon arriving in Jacksonville, he says "I walked along listlessly until I met a colored man who had the appearance of a preacher. I asked him if he could direct me to a respectable boarding house for colored people" [2, p.66]. To support himself, The Ex-Colored Man works as a 'stripper' in a cigar-making factory. He describes his job as "…pull(ing) the long stems from the tobacco leaves" [2, p.71]. During this period of his life, he fits or slips into the poor living synonymous to the black community with ease. Even if it looks unfortunate, or pathetic for him to fall down so low from his former living conditions, this is a crucial part of The Ex-Colored Man life because it has provided him with the opportunities to immerse himself into the very heart of the black community in the South. By blending in with his kinsmen, The Ex-Colored Man would gain the experience of being black and is able to understand the issues concerning his race. If he were to attend Atlanta University, this chance would be lost on him because by graduating from an academic institution, he would be labeled as the middle class black man. The middle class black community "…is composed of the independent workmen and tradesmen, and of the well-to-do and educated colored people…" [2, p.78]. They are not only removed from the white community because "…the white people somehow feel that the colored people who have education and money, who wear good clothes and live in comfortable houses, are 'putting on airs,' that they do these things for the sole purpose of 'spiting the white folks,' or are, at best, going through sort of monkey-like imitation" [2, p.80], but they are also removed from their underprivileged kinsmen as "These people live in the world of their own…" [2, p.78-79]. This twist of fate, instead of robbing him from education, has in return educated him about his racial identity through a more practical means; that is by experience. Thus, he is able to 'feel' what it is like to be African-American.
I would to quote the definition of self at the beginning of this essay once again. Self is the type of person one is, especially the way one behaves, looks or feels [1, p.1376]. By following The Ex-Colored Man's life story, I believe that the three elements lay out are all inclusive in defining who a person really is.
Bibliography
[1] Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
[2] Johnson, James Weldon, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. New York: Hill and Wang, 1960.
[3] "Clark Atlanta University History," http://www.cau.edu/ Accessed April 3, 2008.
August 31, 2011
Buah Tangan Akhir Pak Arena
Pada Sayap Burung Helang by Arena WatiMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Dalam antara buah tangan terakhir yang dikerjakan dalam keuzuran ini, Pak Arena membawa kita menelusri empayar dagang berasaskan maritim sebuah keluarga besar dari Nusantara di Malaya-Maksar-Amerika. Benarlah, untuk menguasai dunia, kita harus menguasai laut.
Pak Arena turut menjentik hal-hal politik sekitar tahun 1950-an di KL dan Selangor, pergolakan Jakarta (Jawa) dan Makassar (Sulawesi). Trademark beliau - perkahwinan campur dan perkahwinan politik di samping peranan adat turut kental dalam novel ini.
Argh, saya mahu ke Pantai Losari!
View all my reviews
August 13, 2011
Cerpen "Gadis dari Grozny" dalam Tunas Cipta Ogos 2011
Namun alhamdulillah, syukur ke hadrat Ilahi kerana bulan Ogos ini, sebuah cerpen terbit di media; Gadis dari Grozny dalam majalah Tunas Cipta. Daripada tajuknya, barangkali pembaca dapat mengagak cerpen ini berkisar tentang konflik wilayah Islam Chechnya di Rusia.
Sebagai latar, idea asal cerpen ini tercetus lebih setahun yang lalu, iaitu pada bulan Mac 2010 ketika Rusia digegarkan dengan insiden letupan bom oleh pengebom berani mati di stesen keretapi dalam bandar di Moskow. Berita-berita tentang insiden itu mengingatkan saya kepada episod tebusan di sebuah panggung teater di Moskow dan di sebuah sekolah di Beslan beberapa tahun lalu. Saya terkenang, tentang konflik wilayah-wilayah Islam di Rusia yang berlanjutan sejak sekian lama, tetapi tidak terlalu saya pedulikan sebelum ini.
Keputusan untuk menulis sesuatu tentang konflik ini sebetulnya merupakan 'alasan' bagi saya sendiri menyelami dan lebih memahami tentang akar umbi pertelagahan antara Grozny (ibu kota Chechnya) dengan pentadbiran Rusia di Kremlin. Saya ingin lebih cakna, mengapa puak pemisah Islam dari Kaukasus Utara sanggup mencetus keganasan demi keganasan sehingga mengambing-hitamkan imej mereka di mata dunia.
Saya bertemu dengan fakta kekejaman Stalin menghalau penduduk Islam dari Chechnya dan sekitarnya ke Siberia pada musim sejuk yang beku, juga keengganan Moskow 'melepaskan' negeri-negeri Islam di wilayah Kaukasus Utara menjadi wilayah berautonomi kendiri. Saya juga menjumpai bahawa di Rusia, sejarah telah dipesongkan sehingga tiada tempat untuk warganegara Islam dalam tawarikhnya. Ya, sejarah itu ditulis oleh pihak yang menang...
Saya menulis cerpen ini tidak sampai separuh pun pada tahun 2010. Draf perenggan pengenalannya sebetulnya tercetus ketika mengikut Bengkel Asas Penulisan Cerpen bersama Nisah Haron kelolaan Astaka Villa Aksara. Namun cerpen itu kemudiannya tersangkak penulisannya. Saya hanya menyambungnya semula pada bulan Mac 2011. Ya, selepas setahun!
Selamat membaca, dan semoga bermanfaat!
August 11, 2011
Kemi: Cinta Kebebasan Yang Tersesat
Kemi: Cinta Kebebasan yang Tersesat by Adian HusainiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Buku ini tidak cukup syarat sebagai sebuah novel sastera yang baik, tetapi adalah sebuah manual wacana balas terhadap faham liberalisme dan pluralisme agama dalam bentuk yang mudah. Ada teman mengatakan buku ini menepati "teori" Gagasan Persuratan Baru. Saya sangat menikmati wacana dalamnya, sehingga "terlupa" akan aspek-aspek sesebuah novel yang lain, maka secara peribadi, saya memberikannya 5 bintang.
Buku ini juga sedikit sebanyak mengingatkan saya kepada novel Tuhan Manusia (Faisal Tehrani).
View all my reviews
