TOW #13: "Donald Trump is Gaslighting America"

Teen Vogue has been typically thought of as a magazine with little substance other than fashion tips and superficial beauty regimens advertised toward young girls. This isn't surprising -- typically, any publication targeting teenage girls is written off as lacking depth or being unimportant, correlating with how the world as a whole tends to view this age group. However, Teen Vogue has consistently proven their merit in the past few years, with intelligent, well-written articles with topics ranging from social to political to cultural issues. Through articles like these, the magazine is taking the wide platform and influence they have with young girls and using it for good, to create a more educated and well-versed generation of girls.

One of the recent articles that has received a lot of attention from mainstream media is an Op-Ed piece entitled "Donald Trump is Gaslighting America", written by editor Lauren Duca. It is articles like this one that is what the magazine has come to be known for in recent years, much to mainstream media's surprise. With such a racially and socially diverse reader group, it makes sense that the kinds of articles the magazine publishes align with the more liberal-leaning views of the younger generation. 

This article in particular describes the effects of Donald Trump's manipulative tactics by laying out the term "gas lighting" for its readers, describing the origin and meaning of the term. "Gas lighting", the article says, "is to psychologically manipulate a person to the point where they question their own sanity, and that's exactly what Donald Trump is doing to this country". The extensive list of evidence and fact-checks following help drive the point home -- Donald Trump is manipulative, and frequently goes back on his word. 

The article closes with a call to action for readers, telling them what they can do to ensure their freedom and access to correct and true information isn't being taken away by mainstream media. It's incredibly empowering to read, and almost uplifting, as they describe how to rally together to defend against harmful political ideals, like the ones Trump and his supporters are spouting currently. The article closes with a heavy line, aimed again at empowering and calling young girls to action -- "It is imperative to remember, across identities and across the aisle, as a country and as individuals, we have nothing without the truth." 

Teen Vogue editor Elaine Welteroth

TOW #12: "The Roots of Implicit Bias"

"Implicit bias" is a subject that has been hotly debated over the past year, due to an increase in police brutality targeting the black community. The 2016 election, however, gave rise to a new discussion of race issues, as Hillary Clinton argued that "implicit bias is a problem for everyone, not just police" in the first presidential debate. For decades, scientists have been studying the issue that even well-meaning people have hidden prejudices against members of other racial groups. These prejudices can result in discrimination in various settings with devastating consequences. In this article, published in the Opinion section of the New York Times, psychologists Daniel A. Yudkin and Jay Van Bavel take a look at the validity of "implicit bias" from both a scientific and sociocultural perspective. The use of both perspectives helps audiences connect with and be more compliant to accepting the findings.

The issues discussed in this article tend to be controversial for some people, and Yudkin and Bavel take that into account by providing counterarguments for some of the stronger perspectives out there. They discuss the fact that "implicit bias is not about bigotry per se... [and] is grounded in a basic human tendency to divide the social world into groups" (3). By doing this early on in their piece, they try not to alienate readers coming in with extremely radical views. Additionally, they describe how this type of bias can be "overcome with rational deliberation" (4), providing hope to pessimistic readers.

The extensive experiment described in the article is incredibly influential and adds a layer of logical reasoning to the argument presented. Not only does this help solidify the basis behind readers who already believe in a sort of implicit bias, it adds a new layer of scientific and statistical evidence to help sway readers who may not be as willing to believe these ideas. The fact that much of the article relies on this experiment alone, combined with some anecdotal evidence, shows how effective this logical/statistical approach can be when attempting to persuade or convince an audience of something.

The conclusion of the article adds a layer of hope, saying that the research "suggests that people have the capacity to override their worst instincts - if they are able to reflect on their decision making as opposed to acting on their first impulse". The conclusion also furthers the argument, suggesting that these findings be used to help creating training programs for prosecutors and law enforcement officers in an attempt to remove any racial bias. In our current political atmosphere full of racially-charged threats, it is important that articles like these are being written to help show the flaws in our current way of thinking and help promote solutions to ultimately better our society.

TOW #11: "Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death"

On March 23, 1775, the Second Virginia Convention met at Richmond, Virginia, to discuss the growing revolution and the appropriate response to British actions toward the colonies. It was then that Patrick Henry delivered his famous speech urging for the colonies to form militias to defend themselves against the British, ending with the oft-quoted words "Give me liberty, or give me death!" The effects of this speech lasted not only through the American Revolution but spanned several centuries, with Henry's words still reverberating and being felt in today's modern world.

Henry begins his speech with a Rogerian appeal to the other side of the argument, by saying "Different men often see the same subject in different lights" (1). This appeal to his opponents is notable, as it improves the effectiveness of his argument by immediately opening the doors of conversation and debate between both parties. Furthermore, Henry defends his right of free speech by saying "I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve" (1). By adding this line shortly after, he makes his audience aware that he may say things they do not agree with, but he has a right to do so.

Patrick Henry uses questions (and sometimes answers) to engage his audience and point out again the logical fallacies which often come about when people think about solutions or diplomatic ways to deal with problems. As he asks "And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument?... Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing" (3), he suggests that all of the older proposed solutions are inadequate, subtly making his own argument seem more effective, as a sort of last resort or needed proposition. This method of questioning and answering puts the audience into a position where they are able to see the logic and reasoning behind the decisions made by Henry, and this proves to be an effective method in this speech.

By writing the last paragraph as a call to action and a rallying cry, Henry creates an effective conclusion, one which leaves his audience desiring to do something to help. Lines like "There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come!" (4) add to the urgency of the situation, demanding that action be taken to support Henry's cause. After long deliberation, it becomes clear that there is only one way to effectively solve the inevitable conflict, at least in Henry's mind.

TOW #10: "Protect the Sacred: Defend Standing Rock"

The Dakota Access Pipeline has been controversial regarding its necessity and impacts, not only on the environment but on the lives of people living in Native American reservations in North and South Dakota. Protests at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation have been occurring for several months, with brutal attacks from law enforcement officials which include everything from tear gas to freezing water cannons launched on the protesters. With the inauguration of Donald Trump looming ahead, members of the reservation fear for their livelihoods and the protection of their sacred way of life being taken away from them through the completion of the pipeline.

Political cartoons and various other methods of activism have only increased in the past few months as the issue of clean water and preservation of these lands grows more and more concerning. This illustration by Jackie Fawn argues for the protection and defense of Standing Rock through pushing for clean water and access to sacred grounds for those that live there and fighting back against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The artwork uses color, symbolism, and metaphor to show their standpoint and set up an argument against the DAPL.

One of the most prominent metaphors in the image is the comparison of the hair of the figure to water. Historically, water has represented life and rebirth, and water as life is what many protesters advocate for as they challenge the DAPL. If the pipeline was put in place, members of the reservation would be denied basic access to clean water, which makes it not only an issue of environmental preservation but also a humanitarian issue that needs to be resolved. The water in the image is filled with fish, showing a healthy river flowing with life and growth. It is brightly colored, which adds to the overall depiction of life and vitality.

The snake, an outgrowth of the horse's mane, appears to be hissing and biting at the figure, who is attempting to control it. It is clearly shaped like a pipe and meant to represent the pipeline itself. While historically snakes have represented immortality and continual renewal of life, the dark color of this snake indicates that it may have a darker meaning - the negative consequences that stem from the building of the pipeline, ultimately resulting in death. The arrows stuck into the snake are the defense of protesters fighting for their lifeforce.

The color choice made in the artwork is very selective. The use of bright colors to represent all of the things that are full of life and ultimately, positive - like the sun, the water, the figure and the horse - helps cast a positive light on the people of the Standing Rock reservation. The dark colors condemning the pipeline (or snake) also help cast a negative light on the DAPL and corporations who are permitting it. The use of red helps show not only the rage of the people being affected, but also provides a sense of urgency for the issues regarding the pipeline. Time is running out.

IRB Intro Post #2: Bad Feminist

I chose to read Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay as my next IRB because I feel as though it is a good transition between 20th-century ideas of The Feminine Mystique and the issues going on currently related to feminism and women's rights in our political climate. The book is a 2014 collection of essays that were written by feminist writer, professor, and activist Roxane Gay, who uses her experiences as a Haitian-American growing up in the late 20th-century to shape her essay. I am very excited to begin reading this book and see how the philosophies it calls into question differ from or are similar to my own.

TOW #9: Hillary Clinton's Concession Speech

This week has been incredibly difficult for me, and at times seemingly insurmountable, after I heard the results of the presidential election. However, some small things have comforted me (the latest Saturday Night Live episode being one) and helped me realize that the world truly is not as harsh and terrible as it sometimes appears. Reading and watching Hillary Clinton deliver her concession speech has also been comforting, although it left me incredibly emotional.

Clinton is incredibly clear and direct while addressing her audience, which is incredibly wide-reaching and varied. She devotes different parts of her speech to different audiences, addressing leaders like Barack and Michelle Obama and her running mate Tim Kaine directly. Clinton talks to other groups in a broad sense, as she addresses "young people", "all the women", or "all the little girls". Her intentions are clear through this broad and diverse audience: she wants to unite the American people, Democrats and Republicans both, and move forward as gracefully into the future as possible.

Her use of collective pronouns in her speech is indicative and supportive of her main purpose, which is to unite the American people after the incredibly divisive and hateful election season. By including viewers through saying things like "we are stronger together and we will go forward together", Clinton not only engages her audience, but attempts to show them that she is on their side. It is incredibly powerful, and the use of collective pronouns is a tool used by nearly every politician to create a bond with their supporters and even those who do not support them.

I think her purpose is incredibly admirable. Not only is Clinton admitting her defeat with honor and grace, she is encouraging her supporters and other upset Americans to do the same, no matter the circumstances. She describes her "successes and setbacks" to young voters, encouraging them to "never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it". This line struck a chord with me -- even while Clinton vies for a peaceful and democratic society, she encourages people to fight back if the society they live in is not fair or just. It is incredibly humbling to think that the first female presidential candidate has had an incredible number of setbacks in her life, and yet has not given up for fighting for what she believes is right. Hillary Rodham Clinton is not giving up, and neither should we.

TOW #8: "The Feminine Mystique" (IRB)

What I find most interesting about the way Betty Friedan structures her arguments is her ability to utilize a Rogerian-esque approach when citing controversial data or relaying stories of real women that may anger or upset male readers. Although her audience is primarily women, specifically mothers and housewives, Friedan recognizes that she will undoubtedly receive male readers as well. She prepares for the inevitable cultural backlash by softening the blows of her argument. She does not sugarcoat anything; however she appeals to her hypothetical opponents by revealing extensive research and statistics to help support her argument.

In the chapter "Progressive Dehumanization", Friedan discusses how unrealistic ideals are pushed onto girls at an early age by not only quoting several anecdotes from real women, but also including definitions and components of important terms. She draws from psychology, saying, "The term 'acting out' is used in psychotherapy to describe the behavior of a patient which is not in accord with the reality of a given situation" (346). By combining concrete definitions with more editorial-style writing, Friedan is able to appeal to both pathos and logos to justify her argument to her audience.

Additionally, Friedan's use of metaphors like that of a pendulum which "has begun to swing in the opposite direction" (337), according to some, connects abstract concepts like gender, social roles, and expectations, to concrete and more 'solid' ideas like a pendulum. Such metaphors are recurrent throughout the novel, and highlight her ability to take what some might believe to be imaginary or fictional and place it within very real parameters. Her metaphors highlight the intricacies of our society, and reveal just how much within our culture is fabricated. Friedan is able to show audiences how the feminine mystique pervades all aspects of society, and the harsh realities women encounter when dealing with these perpetuated beliefs.

TOW #7: "It's a Woman's World'

Eavan Boland, born in 1944, is a Irish poet and writer whose work deals with Irish culture, politics, and religion, as well as relationships between the sexes and women. She has been active as a writer since the 1960s, a time where many people began acknowledging the merits of women's rights movements. Second-wave feminism, as it is now called, got its start in the early 1960s in the United States and much of the Western world.

Boland's argument in her poem "It's a Woman's World", written in 1982, connects to how feminism is perceived and interpreted in society. It takes traditional roles of women and juxtaposes them with those of men in an attempt to show readers the disparity between the two. Through lines like "So when the king's head / gored its basket-- / grim harvest-- / we were gristing bread", Boland contrasts the two expected roles in history. It is clear she feels as though women are not, and have not been, treated equally in their 'assigned' roles and expectations.

However, through her use of harsh, almost violent diction in this stanza, it could also be interpreted differently. "Gristing" is a very harsh word used to describe the action of grinding meal or flour for bread. Her use of alliteration highlights these similarities, in the use of words like "gored", "grim" and "gristing" in succession to compare each of the actions' violent nature.

Boland also makes the argument that women's important roles have typically been overlooked in society, in her lines "who milestone / our lives / with oversights-- / living by the lights / of the loaf left / by the cash register". These lines stood out to me, because it highlights how oftentimes the work women do goes unnoticed by others until they do something wrong (like forgetting a loaf of bread or leaving the wash wet). I believe Boland makes the argument in these lines that domestic work is just as important, and not valued as much as it should be by society.

Overall, Boland's arguments leave much to be discussed about the way women are perceived and have historically been perceived. The differences in the viewpoint she is coming from in the 1980s and perhaps the viewpoint of 2016, when we have a woman running for president, are also an important point to note. Perhaps it is becoming a woman's world after all.

TOW #6: Starbucks' Visual Rhetoric

The idea for this TOW came to me a few weeks ago, while I was at Starbucks after school with Hannah. We were heading out, and as I went to throw my coffee cup away, I realized the words on the trash can: "Landfill" and "Recycle". I bemoaned putting my cup in the landfill side of the bin, feeling incredibly upset by the idea of my piece of trash going to a landfill where it would stay there for an eternity, so I put it in the recycling side. Hannah and I joked about how the diction used on the Starbucks trash can was effective in making people want to recycle, and how I should "do my next TOW on it." I realized that a lot of Starbucks' successful marketing strategies can actually be connected back to their use of rhetoric, and decided to actually follow through on that promise. Here I am.

Starbucks is an incredibly profitable business built off of a common American interest: coffee. Established in 1971, the company at first had humble beginnings in Seattle, Washington. However, it grew rapidly over the next 50 years, becoming one of the world's biggest billion-dollar corporations to date. The various aspects involved in Starbucks' success include its in-store aesthetic, its word choice in advertisements, and imagery used in store displays to entice customers to purchase their coffee.

The visual aesthetics of Starbucks stores around the country help make it a welcoming and enticing environment for customers. The colors used stick to a neutral palette, with warm browns and bright coppers adorning the interior of the store. The use of these colors create a calming atmosphere for patrons - I know when I enter Starbucks, I immediately feel at home, between the color palette to the scent of coffee to the soft acoustic music playing throughout the store. Starbucks has set up specific playlists to be played in its stores, and the music within these playlists are calming and welcoming, helping keep old customers coming back and attracting new customers all at the same time.

Starbucks Coffee - Portland, Oregon

The use of rhetoric in the various advertisements used for different Starbucks products is incredibly effective at attracting new customers to the stores. The imagery selected is is of a high-quality beverage, appealing to the senses. This is the sole image on the advertisement, which serves its purpose: to display a product and make customers enticed to buy it. The words are simple: "Here's to the best part of your day", showing the crowd appeal of the cappuccinos. The word choice on this advertisement is similar to that of the trash cans in Starbucks - simple, straightforward, and to the point. The main words on the trash cans are "Someday everything will be recyclable. Until then, let's sort it out together. Thanks." The use of collective words like "let's" and "together" let customers know that Starbucks is with them: they are not a heartless, faceless corporation. The strong negative diction on the trash side, using "Landfill", encourage customers to rethink their decisions and tendencies to automatically throw everything in the trash. These words prove very effective, as Starbucks prides itself on its environmental conservation policies.

TOW #5: "can your selfie really change the world?"

can your selfie really change the world? is an article that was published in i-D magazine, a British magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art, and youth culture, which holds a major presence both online and offline. The article serves as a kind of counterargument to the modern feminist notion that selfies can be used as radical acts of self-love on social media, displaying body positivity and encouraging women to uplift others online. Bertie Brandes plays devil's advocate as she takes a very different stance on the issue - one that is not necessarily negative, but shows the flaws in this way of thinking.

Brandes begins her piece by describing a common struggle faced by any social-media addict: a "Storage Almost Full" message that occurs at the most inopportune times. By describing her own obsession with social media, Brandes appeals to ethos in an attempt to show audiences her familiarity with the subject. She is a millennial, just like her audience, and is not immune to the addictions of the internet. Her experiences with social media are important to helping her achieve her purpose. She takes quite an antagonistic view of selfie culture, but her credibility and established reputation aid her article, preventing it from becoming a competition of pointing fingers and blaming others.

Brandes cites Laura Mulvey's 1975 essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" to help her define the male gaze, a topic which she goes into a lot of detail about in her exploration of selfies. Citing such a cornerstone of second-wave feminism helps Brandes appeal to ethos. The reference gives her argument more weight as she turns the male gaze around, creating the "female gaze", one of self-reflection and admiration rather than dominance.

Brandes achieves her purpose effectively through her appeals to ethos and logos and through personal experience, which helps tremendously when you are taking a stance that may be unpopular or ill-received. Her point is clear and unchanging: as important as it is to normalize self-love, the movement started on social media may be as exclusive and damaging as the stereotypes it sets out to defeat.

TOW #4: "The Feminine Mystique" (IRB)

Reading The Feminine Mystique in 2016 is particularly interesting. Betty Friedan revolutionized feminism in the 20th century with this book, gaining attention from critics and fans alike. But I find the statistics she cites shocking, and it was difficult to grapple with as I began reading. Friedan begins by describing 'the problem that has no name' by quoting statistics from the end of the 1950s - "Fourteen million girls were engaged by 17. The proportion of women attending college in comparison with men dropped from 47 percent in 1920 to 35 percent in 1958" (2). When I look at the historical narrative that commonly accompanies a discussion about women's rights, it's often shown that women had more freedoms and enjoyed more pursuits of things like education as time went on. The reality of feminism is that it has not, and never will be, a linear pursuit. As society changes, feminism changes with it, and things like education and marriage fluctuate. It does, however, set up the circumstances within which Friedan is writing: early 1960s America.

What I had to consider going into this book was the fact that this data might be shocking to me because of my privilege living in 2016. I have grown up in a world where it is common for women to pursue higher education, and many women have put off marriage until their late twenties in order to devote time to their careers and social lives. However, the world Friedan writes for is much different. Those who have grown up in the culture often accept these standards as truth without calling them into question, which is why The Feminine Mystique was so radical. Women were living increasingly domestic lives, with larger families and more responsibilities that kept them inside the home. Post-WWII, many of the women previously in the workforce resigned as their husbands returned from war.

Friedan acknowledges these societal pressures in her accounts of women across America. The testimonies of women from every social class and background are what make this book really enjoyable to read. It is interesting to see from the perspective of a woman during this time, and helps add weight to the ideas Friedan cites from experts. Friedan's appeal to logos combines with her appeal to pathos as she includes these accounts from women. However, it's clear that she seems to hold the opinions of real women higher than those of any proclaimed "expert", as she says. "According to the experts they are, but listen to these four women" (56). Sometimes the things women say are completely contrary to the beliefs of a male psychologist.

Overall, reading The Feminine Mystique has been an eye-opening experience for me. The ways Friedan weaves myth with fact, expert ideas with testimonial accounts, and past with present combine to create an engaging and thought-provoking work that expands on the growing topic that is feminism. Reading this book in the 21st century has proven to be no small feat, but it certainly is an enjoyable one.

TOW #3: "There is No Unmarked Woman"

Deborah Tannen is a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University and best-selling author of more than fifteen books. Her works tend to focus on how linguistics play a role in interpersonal communication, especially that between men and women.  "There Is No Unmarked Woman" is an essay that is part of a longer piece written for the New York Times, entitled "Wears Jump Suit. Sensible Shoes. Uses Husband's Last Name." In it, she analyzes the impact that clothing and appearance have on perceptions people, contrasting the ideals set for men and women.

There Is No Unmarked Woman begins by utilizing direct evidence from a recent conference Tannen attended, in which she described looking at the three other women and analyzing the unique style of each. While doing so, she realized that while each woman had her own distinct way of presenting herself, the men remain 'unmarked.' Her audience appears to be mostly female, as she uses collective pronouns to refer to them, in quotes such as "we women didn't have the freedom to be unmarked" (556).

Tannen uses her background in linguistics extremely effectively, as she begins to develop the basis of her argument by an analysis of the word 'marked' in linguistic theory. She describes, "the unmarked form of a word carries the meaning that goes without saying" (553) and continues by explaining how endings like ess and ette are diminutive and mark words as female. In addition to gendering the root word, they also "mark [it] for frivolousness...gender markers pick up extra meanings that reflect common associations with the female gender: not quite serious, often sexual" (553). She builds on this statement by asking readers, "Would you feel safe entrusting your life to a doctorette?".

In addition, Tannen uses biological explanations of gender differences as explained by Ralph Fasold in his book The Sociolinguistics of Language. Biologically, Tannen explains, it is the male that is marked, with the Y chromosome replacing one of the two X chromosomes that make a female. So why, then, does language defer to maleness as the default option? "If language reflected biology, grammar books would direct us to use 'she' to include males and females and 'he' only for specifically male referents", Tannen argues (555).

Her anecdotal evidence and reasons grounded in linguistics and biology make a convincing argument for readers, even those who do not consider themselves feminists. Through ties to concrete science, Tannen asks her audience to consider what it truly means to be 'marked' in the eyes of society, and whether or not the standards we set out for women are even attainable.

TOW #2: Petra Collins' "Selfie"

Petra Collins' "Selfie"

Petra Collins, a 23-year-old Canadian artist and photographer, is well-known by those immersed in "teen art girl" culture. Her work has been featured in online magazines like Rookie and i-D, both of which cater primarily to teenage and college-aged girls. Collins is the founder and curator of The Ardorous, an online photographic collection of work by female artists. In her collection "Selfie", she displays the ways in which social media has altered one's sense of self and ultimate perception of reality. Her description of this collection on her online portfolio states that the series is "examining selfie culture in teenage girlhood and the power for young women to create, curate, and distribute their own imagery." Her photography is a form of social commentary, and her portfolios often start powerful conversations about topics relevant to today's world.

"Selfie" is a project that started in 2013 and is ongoing. Collins updates the collection occasionally with new photos as one of her many ongoing photography portfolios. Over the years, she has amassed a gigantic following of teenage girls and female artists, many of whom follow her across several websites and media sources. Her work pervades nearly every aspect of feminist publications online. "Selfie" is a collection started at the peak of the world's most prevalent form of self-expression: the selfie.

Collins does not demonize the selfie in her work, like so many contemporary social photographers. Instead, she makes it into something saintly: an act of self-love and reflection. By making the girls' physical form the subject, rather than the selfie itself, Collins turns the focus away from the ways a selfie may manifest itself on the internet and instead focuses on its creator. The colored lighting used in the images in this collection makes the photos appear hazy and dreamlike. Collins pays reverence to the selfie in her use of lighting and form which sets up a dialogue between the viewer and the girls in the photographs. The backgrounds are often messy bedrooms, or everyday locations like a bathroom mirror or closet. She shows viewers that teenage girls are not ethereal, untouchable models - they are human.

Viewers may feel intrusive or uncomfortable looking at these images. They show a very intimate act of everyday life in the 21st century, and display the realities of what it means to put on a persona online. Collins ensures her viewers realize the importance of the selfie, and the ways in which it is very much an act of devotion and self-love, in her careful selection of images of real teenage girls in genuine environments.

TOW #1: "All Mixed Up: What Do We Call People Of Multiple Backgrounds?"

How do we describe people of multiple races? Why are some terms considered offensive and others not? Who gets to decide which words work and which don't? These are the questions that Leah Donnella attempts to uncover the answers to in her article All Mixed Up. The article was written for NPR's Code Switch, a team of NPR journalists who cover various aspects of race, ethnicity, and culture. Donnella has a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies, and works as a news assistant on the Code Switch team. All Mixed Up attempts to weed through the misconceptions of 'multiculturalism' and provide answers for a country who has found itself unprepared for the amount of diversity present today.

Donnella starts off with an anecdote that is all too familiar for people of mixed race - the dreaded "What are you?" conversation with a stranger. She describes her mother's ferocity in answering such questions, saying "You're not some chocolate-vanilla swirl cone... you're human children" (5). Donnella lives most of her life believing that calling someone 'mixed' is intrusive and dehumanizing. However, as she enters college, she realizes the prevalence of the word being used by biracial people to describe themselves. She describes the sense of confusion she felt upon the realization that the term 'mixed' is becoming more and more popular in social circles. For audiences that have dealt with this same issue of identity as Donnella has, these anecdotes are relatable. For audiences of a single race, they feel the same sense of confusion regarding the 'correct' or 'proper' terms to refer to someone of multiple races.

Donnella's search for a word to define her race begins by studying semantics, and the various connotations that words have had over the years. She describes the use of words like "amalgamation" and "miscegenation", relating their history to the present-day connotations we have associated with such words. Donnella writes, "miscegenation's' scientific connotation — and the fact that it has the same prefix as 'mistake' or 'misbegotten' — planted the notion that races represented different species that should be separated" (30). Her powerful knowledge of semantics allows readers to see how race issues in America have evolved over time, and the various factors that have gone into making present-day America.

Leah Donnella crafts a powerful essay, leaving readers with something to think about long after they have read the last word. Donnella accomplishes this purpose effectively through her use of anecdotes and her studies of semantics and linguistic connotations. In questioning her own race and the role that labels have to play in her life, she opens the door for communication and discussion about how to define ourselves and others in a changing world.

IRB Intro Post #1 - The Feminine Mystique

My passion for third-wave and intersectional feminism has led me to read a number of essays, short speeches, and books written recently by up-and-coming leaders in the subject, like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Malala Yousafzai, and Janet Mock. All of these writers share some similar qualities and beliefs in one way or another, and all have contributed significantly to the rise and growth of modern day third-wave feminism. However, I would love to look further back in history to see how feminism has grown and evolved from the 1960s and 70s all the way to the year 2016. Betty Friedan's The Feminist Mystique is regarded as one of the most influential books to spark second-wave feminism in the United States. Its views on feminism are powerful, if outdated, but ultimately they have changed the game for women in America. I'm very excited to investigate more into the history of women's rights in the United States through this book.

Adrienne Rich - "Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying"

In Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying, Adrienne Rich analyzes women's tendencies to lie, not only to men, but also to each other. She holds an important discussion with the reader about the ways in which women are considered honorable, and the rewards society heaps upon women for lying. Her essay points out how even small aspects of femininity, like painted nails or dyed hair, are ways women "lie with [their] bodies" (4). It also discusses relationships between women and why women lie to each other even when there is no power imbalance, like gender, playing a role in the relationship.

As a US poet and scholar dedicated to the feminist movements occurring in the 1960s and 1970s, Rich's work frequently took on lesbian and feminist undertones, and this essay is no exception. Before graduating from Radcliffe College, her poetry was selected by W.H. Auden for publication in the Yale Younger Poets Series in 1951. Rich openly acknowledged her attraction to women after being married to a man for seventeen years, and later began a relationship with writer Michelle Cliff which lasted until Rich's death.

Women and Honor was published in 1977, a time where feminist movements converged with LGBT movements to create second-wave feminism. This new movement drew attention to issues like sexuality, reproductive rights, and domestic violence, ones which were rarely talked about in feminist spaces of the past. Rich's essay exemplifies this brand of feminism in its approach by openly discussing the dominance of lies in both straight and lesbian relationships. She discusses issues that a lesbian woman has in society, such as being forced to lie about her sexuality or risk being labeled a criminal or a pervert.

Rich reaches out to her female audience by the use of collective pronouns like "we" and "us", which serve to unify her audience. Additionally, she utilizes rhetorical questions such as "As we cease to lie with our bodies, as we cease to take on faith what men have said about us, is a truly womanly idea of honor in the making?" and "Women have been forced to lie, for survival, to men. How to unlearn this among other women?" (4) to engage her readers, asking women the difficult and sometimes unanswerable questions that are often at the center of many feminist debates. Through masterfully crafted depictions of lies and difficult questions aimed at her female audience, Rich accomplishes her purpose truly and accurately and sets up a discussion aimed at women around the world.

Hayley Kiyoko, a prominent icon for LGBT girls, is known for her songs "Girls Like Girls" and "Gravel to Tempo", which discuss the hardships and internalized struggles that come with a relationship between two women.

source: Spotify

Zora Neale Hurston - "How It Feels to Be Colored Me"

In How It Feels to Be Colored Me, Zora Neale Hurston describes her experiences with race growing up in a black town in Eatonville, Florida. Her pride in her blackness is heavily emphasized, despite the challenges and prejudices Hurston realizes she faces because of it. The essay was published in 1928, at the height of the Harlem Renaissance, a time where black visionaries freely expressed their talents and received tremendous recognition within their communities. The movement reinforced black pride and strengthened black communities. Hurston was friends with black literary icon Langston Hughes and spent several years collaborating with him on written works. 

Hurston's literary career spanned over thirty years, in which she published four novels, an autobiography, and numerous essays, short stories, and plays. The roots of her racial pride began as a child, growing up in a town where black men governed themselves and black women taught children in the local schoolhouses. She never felt inferior. This sense of self is very prominent in How It Feels to Be Colored Me, as Hurston recounts the day where she "became colored" (1). She reveals to her audience her own pride in her race, describing herself as "not tragically colored" (2). Hurston writes not only to other black people, hoping to instill this sense of pride in them, but also to white people, showing them that she is thriving and happy in her own skin despite the racial barriers they have constructed. 

Hurston alludes to historical events that white people often bring up in discussions of race, such as slavery. She brushes off these comments by saying "I am the granddaughter of slaves. It fails to register depression with me... I am off to a flying start and I must not halt in the stretch to look behind and weep" (2). These allusions contribute to her argument of black power by relating her life to historical issues most people know a great deal about. 

Additionally, Hurston's use of images like the ocean and the jungle connect to her feelings of loving her natural self despite what white society leads her to believe. In calling herself "a dark rock surged upon, overswept by a creamy sea...I remain myself" (3) she is able to show her comfort in knowing that she is sturdy, weathered, and put on the earth for a reason. In contrast, she uses the imagery of her "primitive fury...living in the jungle way" (3) to show her unadulterated pride in being black. These devices blend seamlessly together to help Hurston achieve her purpose. Through historical allusions and vivid imagery, Hurston paints a portrait of what it means to be proud of your race.

17-year-old Amandla Stenberg has given rise to a new generation of young black artists. She is outspoken about the Black Lives Matter movement and writes poetry uplifting and celebrating the achievements of young black girls around the world. Her work shows her pride in her blackness and sense of self.

"Amandla" by Peyton June Leatherman (2015)

Maya Angelou - "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an excerpt from Maya Angelou's 1969 autobiography of the same name. It is a vivid portrayal of growing up as a young black girl in the United States at a time when racial prejudices and discrimination were rampant. Her essay highlights her struggles and triumphs in these early years through a series of short anecdotes and vignettes from life in Stamps, Arkansas. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings made literary history as the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman, putting Angelou in the spotlight as an up-and-coming activist and writer. Her work for civil rights helped to liberate black Americans during an era where freedom and basic human rights did not come easily.

Angelou wrote many of her works to reveal the racial discrimination that pervades nearly every aspect of American society, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is no exception. Although some may argue that Angelou's works are geared toward an African-American audience, the themes included within them are universal and applicable to every member of society.

Angelou uses several rhetorical devices throughout the essay which add to her argument and help her achieve her purpose. Dreams are one of the most notable motifs, used to contrast race and describe one's self-image.  Angelou's use of dreams when describing "the sweet little white girls...everybody's dream" (1) and again when yearning to wake up from her "black ugly dream" (2) describe two very different dreams and images of oneself. As a child, she longed to be admired but found herself continually trapped within the internalized stigmas and preconceived notions of her race.

Angelou's essay is extremely effective in accomplishing her purpose. The stories she describes of growing up in the South are vivid and poignant, serving to place the reader in the setting Angelou grew up in herself. For readers who have not experienced this kind of racism firsthand, Angelou sets up a narrative where discrimination becomes the reality.

We have come a long way from where we were during the Civil Rights Movement, but we have not yet come far enough. The battles we are still fighting today have their roots in the systemic oppression that black people faced with segregation over 60 years ago.

"Emory Douglas's 1976 poster from the Black Panther, remixed for Black Lives Matter" - http://www.walkerart.org/magazine/2015/emory-douglas-black-lives-matter