Enslers Words

2)For Ensler, language is important? Why? What does it matter what we call body parts? What is the importance of language in defining sexuality, bodies, etc.? Why do you think she asks those questions about what vaginas would wear, etc? What is she trying to do with that?

Throughout this book, Ensler utilizes the vagina as more than just a body part. She embraces what it means to  be a woman, but not only that, she makes women become proud of who they are. She had various clever techniques into finding the true meaning of being a woman. She interviewed a variety of women from the ages of 5 to almost 70. She traveled all around the world to find out how different women of different ethnicities thought about their woman hood. She uses vivid language to express how each woman of each age and race views the value of her womanhood. Some women were lost and didn’t want to know anything about their sexuality. Others embraced their vaginas with pride and others were just confused as to what it meant to be a woman.

Ensler interviews an older woman in “the flood”. She never found interest in her woman hood or vagina. She states in the very first paragraph, “No, no, it’s a cellar down there. It’s very damp, clammy. You don’t want to go down there. Trust me.” This use of language is metaphoric. She uses a cellar to describe her vagina as useless and unwanted. She is ashamed and seems as though she’s never been proud or confident about being a woman.

On the other hand, there are those women who embrace their vagina, such as mothers. They look at their vaginas as a gift –for life, love and happiness. In “I was there in the room”, the mothers vagina after giving birth was described “The heart is capable of sacrifice. So is the vagina. The heart is able to forgive and repair.” She is so elated that a new baby has come into this world and expresses that the vagina is the one that is responsible for its delivery. It takes so much effort to bear a baby that it’s almost a blessing when that baby finally arrives.

Even those that are a little confused as how to identify their vagina as. In the “Vulva Club” the woman in the monologue felt as though because she didn’t have a name for her vagina, that she wasn’t fully connected with her sexuality and womanhood. However, she came to find that as time went on, she didn’t need a name for it right away. It ended up coming to her out of her experiences. She joins this club that explores woman’s sex organs and sexuality. She used to call her vagina her “itsy bitsy” but realized that she never really enjoyed that name… it never quite fit. She felt confused in her woman identity until a simpler word came to her attention. “Vulva. Vulva. I could feel something unlock. Itsy Bitsy was wrong. I knew this all along. I could not see Itsy Bitsy. I never knew who or what she was, and she did not sound like an opening or a lip.”

Whether its embarrassment, excitement or confusion, every woman views her vagina or her womanhood in a different way. Ensler uses wonderful language to help the reader to understand that it’s okay to love not only your vagina… but YOURSELF.

comfort zone

5)Audience reaction is crucial to Ensler’s overall project. Why? Why won’t she allow us to simply read without having a reaction, whether positive or negative? Why do you think she wants to push us out of our comfort zones? Which monologues resonate most strongly (positively or negatively) with you and why?

I believe that the whole point of this book was to catch peoples eyes. The word "vagina" is almost discomforting, awkward and bold wrapped into one. It's discomforting because it's used as a dirty word for sex. Its awkward because no one is ever willing to talk about it; that elephant in the room. It's bold because of the way it sounds and the way it is used in this title. The sound of "vagina" is almost like a punch. The hard vowels and the way its pronounced. Ensler actually excentuates the word in the title which makes people that much more curious about the book, is it a pornographic book? Is it a womans rights book? Or does it have nothing to actually do with the vagina??
In the monologue "because he liked to look at it", even the man becomes comforatable with the womans sexuality, which makes both parties gain confidence in them selves. "He wasn't grossed out. I began to swell, began to feel proud. Began to love my vagina. And Bob lost himself there and I was there with him, in my vagina, and we were gone." This can be interpreted in so many ways. It doesn't necessarily have to be about accepting your vagina but about accepting YOURSELF, male or female. Feeling comforatable with yourself has no price and can be discovered when ever you want.
I believe Ensler used the word "vagina" as a positive attribute to selling her book.... Let's face it.....It's hard not to stop and stare at the word because it's rarely spoken of, it's almost a mystery. I believe Enslers goal was to make people feel uncomforatable so that they will find and interest in the word. Not to mention, the book wasn't just about the word "vagina". The book consisted of that lack of confidence that both women AND men can feel. Most men would think that this book was a "penis basher" when in reality, it makes them realize how truely similar we are. Like women, men have their embarassing moments, their proud moments and their unsure moments. I believe this discomfort oddly brings along a sense of comfort, the fact that everyone is human and to be imperfect well...THAT"S LIFE! 

The vagina: in all its forms

Throughout this book, each speaker relates the vagina as not only a body part but a part of them. A story to tell, good or bad. The whole reason this book was written was to view what women really thought. The vagina is rarely spoken of and when it is it feels almost... well... awkward. This book was meant to make people more understanding of the word. The author even clearly states on the first page of the book, "I bet you're worried. I was worried. That's why I began this piece. I was worried about vaginas. I was worried about what we think about vaginas and even more worried that we don't think about them. I was worried about my own vagina. It needed a context of other vaginas- a community, a culture of vaginas. There's so much darkness and secrecy surrounding them- like the Bermuda Triangle. Nobody ever reports back from there". Each person views the vagina as a different stage or learning experience. It could be when you're just starting menstruation or when you are 70 years old talking about the "good ol' days", the vagina, whether you like it or not, will be there with you FOREVER. It's up to each individual woman of what kind of relationship she wants with hers.

I enjoyed views of the vagina at different ages. The first age that you become most aware of your vagina is obviously, menstruation. In the monologue, I was twelve. My mother slapped me, the author interviewed many women about how it was like to first get their period. Some were scared, some elated and some plain dumb founded; they refused to admit they had it. Menstruation happens so differently for every woman. It happens at different times, different ages, and different circumstances. It’s a rewarding and shameful feeling at the same time. In some voices of the monologue, parents praised their daughters and encouraged them to embrace their womanhood. "My father brought me a card: "To my little girl who isn't so little anymore." It's great to have someone supporting you with even the most embarrassing of moments. However there were those little girls who wanted to hide the fact that they were becoming women. "I was so afraid. I started putting the used pad in brown paper bags in the dark storage places under the roof". I believe this stage of life is just a preview of to how comfortable they can be with their woman self in the future.

Not only can menstruation be a big step in having a vagina, but giving birth is another stage in a woman’s life that can either make her or break her. In the monologue "I was there in the room" the speaker relates her vagina to another important part of the body; the heart. "I stood, and as I stared, her vagina suddenly became a wide red pulsing heart. The heart is capable of sacrifice. So is the vagina. The heart is able to forgive and repair." She sees that the vagina is the greatest gift of all; it's the part of the body that helped her bring new life to this world.

In the monologue “The Flood”, the author interviews an older lady relates her vagina to an old cellar. She hasn’t been in touch with her femininity since 1953 when she “flooded” or “got wet”. She tells a story of being in a boy’s car when she was young and getting turned on. She got his seat wet and he thought she was gross and drove her home never to speak to her again. This is obviously a big discouragement. It just goes to show that in that era, it was perfectly fine for young men to become aroused, but it was unheard that a woman could be sexually amused. From then on, she kept to herself, holding off on all desires. Since that moment, she hasn’t even dared to even talk about her vagina. She thanks the author for interviewing her saying, “You know, actually, you’re the first person I ever talked to about this, and I feel a little better”.

It's amazing to see different perspectives of each age group about their vaginas. The younger generations, more shy, timid and unsure of how to handle this new responsibility. The generations bringing in the new generations see new life and opportunity. The older generations of women see their vaginas in a different light (or lack thereof) because the topic was never discussed in their day, but it's their chance to truly understand what they hadn't all these years about how precious their womanhood is. Now although through each stage of life, there is a different moral to be taught or life lesson to learn, it's inevitable that the vagina is the most important part of a woman’s life; period.

cover to cover

I was astonished to find that I couldn't put this book down the minute I opened it. It took me all of three hours to finish it but for some reason or another my butt was glued to my couch this morning. I refilled my coffee cup until there wasn't any left in the pot. Astonishment, the reason being, I've never in my life voluntarily read a book from cover to cover. I think it gives everything away. But this book was totally different. I was almost devoured by the book. I found myself laughing out loud... literally. I think because I can relate to so many of these interviews and stories is why this book was so fun, emotional and intriguing. My roommate probably thought I was crazy! 

Once I finished the book, I felt wonderful. I felt new. I felt like I wasn't alone. After reading every story, I couldn't possibly choose just two to blog about. The little voice in my head said, "What the Hell?”... There shouldn't have to be a limit to my expression. So right then and there I decided to blog about every story that captured my heart, made me laugh and made me comfortable. So here goes nothing...

In "My Vagina was my Village", the speaker relates her vagina to nature. She opens with "My vagina was green, water soft pink fields..." At first, as the reader, I was getting the impression that she held her "area" in high regards. Unfortunately, I later found that this grass wasn't very green on the other side. This monologue was about being raped by soldiers in Yugoslavia. She describes her vagina as "chatty" and ready for the world. But once she had been brutally raped by these soldiers, she looses all hope in what was once her womanhood. "....there's a dead animal sewn in down there with thick black fishing line. And the bad dead animal smell cannot be removed...." She expresses that after such a traumatic thing to have happened to her, she realizes that it can't be taken back, the memory is too hard for her to let go. It's hard to even put yourself in her position as the reader. I could never immagine myself being rapped by multiple men, with not only their penis, but with bottles and sticks and even the end of a broom? How degrating and unforgetable that must be. This monolouge took me away for a moment, into her shoes, while reading this I couldn't help but to cringe and feel as though I too had been raped of my womanhood.

On a more comical note, I found the sections of the book "if your vagina could...." to be hillarious. Not only because I could relate to some of them, but because it was fun seeing what other women had said about their vaginas. "If your vagina could talk, what would it say, in two words?" Before reading this I thought of two words. "let go" I chose these words because I've made mistakes that I can't take back. However as I grow older, I realize things aren't as bad as they seem. So I can just, "let go" while reading into what other women said, I noticed none of them were similar. Some were sexual, some romantic, some playful and some just like mine, like "stay home", " not yet" , "Think again". This made me realize that every woman has a different perspective about her phisicality, sexuality and more obviously, her vagina.

Another story that caught my attention was about the lesbian who loved to give women pleasure. "the woman who loved to make vaginas happy". She talks a lot about moaning and different types of it. I love how she describes what a moan really means. You can't fake it, it comes out of pleasure."I realized right then that moans are connected with not getting what you want right away, with pushing things off. I realized moans were best when they caught you by surprise; they came out of this hidden mysterious part of you that was speaking its own language" This book really took me by surprise and I appreciate every single word written in it. To be quite honest, I'll probably read the whole thing over tomorrow morning to get a laugh, a cry, or maybe even a wierd look from my roommate.

finally "getting it"

When you're a child, and your parents tell you not to do something, it's more likely that you do what they tell you not to do out of curiosity or sheer rebellion. However, sometimes it takes personal experience to truly understand why they didn't want you to do that something in the first place.

A child won't always understand why they have restrictions, but all their parents want is the best for their child. This goes for tradition, family values and stories as well. Parents can tell stories about their childhood over and over again, yet it won't clearly register with the child until they have experienced a story similar to theirs. It really is great to grow up and finally comprehend why your parents have been lecturing to you all these years. I've realized once I moved away to college, why my parents were always on my back for certain things. Once you live alone, you understand more about society and how the world works. Parents can hound you about the electric bill until their face is blue. It's not until the bill is in your name that you finally understand why they went all "psycho" on you for forgetting to turn your bathroom light off.

As for the jokes that Graces father tells in "Caroline’s wedding", she finally starts to understand the humor and family values of his jokes. He probably wants to make sure that his children hold this tradition and really embrace it the way he did. Grace states, "These were our bedtime stories. Tales that haunted our parents and made them laugh at the same time. We never understood them until we were fully grown and they became our sole inheritance". She finally realized once she was grown, through experience and constant reminders from her father, that the stories and jokes she once thought were embarrassing and frivolous were actually inspiring, funny and meaningful.
           The jokes her father tells captures hope for the Haitian people and I think she admires how he presents the struggles Haitian people must face with a sense of humor. Everyone appreciates some comedy when times get rough. For example, it was unheard of to joke about 9/11 right after it happened because it was such a traumatic event. However, once comedians started to incorporate humor into it all, people started to relax and feel more at ease. I think it was very special that her father was almost protecting his children in a sense by telling jokes about the hardships the Haitians faces, rather than portraying the world to be cruel and violent, because not all places are like that.

When you grow older, you begin to realize that this world isn't perfect and also begin to understand why your parents were so persistent about certain things. Parents lecture and embarrass their children for all the right reasons, weather the child likes it or not.

Hope

      

Hope. Everyone has felt it either enter or leave their body. It's an anxious, happy, joyous, fearful and sad emotion wrapped up into one. People become anxious with the fear that they will either be elated to find out that their hope came true or that they'll be utterly devastated that it was all for nothing. It's a natural human emotion that no one can escape. It makes you on edge constantly or it might just be faith in something good to come. Whether you are hoping that there will one day be peace in this world or you hope that you got an A on your assignment, hope is inescapable. Some say it is useless, and others use it in their everyday life just to get by, just to imagine how things could be.

In "Children of the Sea", the female narrators mother, Manman states, "People are just too hopeful, and sometimes hope is the biggest weapon of all to use against us. People will believe anything." You can tell right away that she is jaded by giving into hope herself. She is so opposed to hoping because she has been let down one too many times. Haiti, at the time this was written, was still in shambles. The female narrator describes how the mother had heard a rumor that the old president of Haiti was coming back. She was so excited to hear that her home would be saved from this terror. However, she soon found out that when other Haitian people who had also heard that the president was returning, had quickly fled to the airport to greet him at his arrival. Sadly, the macoutes arrested and/or killed all of the people that had hoped because in Haiti, that was considered rebellion.

From this event, we can now see why her mother is so aggravated with hope and believes its all lies. Every time she believes something good will happen, something awful happens in return. The people of Haiti are in despair and most people have simply "given up".

 It really goes to show you that where we live (America), we are so privileged and don't need to worry about living in such conditions. But it makes you wonder; what do we have hope in? Our next big project? Love? Hope in a better tomorrow? If the president didn't have hope in his election, where would he be today? If our parents didn't have hope in us, how did we get so far? Whatever your hope may be, it will always be what drives you as a human being and it's initially what makes our world go round.

silly fig tree

       Everyone has a passion. Weather you'd rather keep it to your selves or shout it from the roof tops, you can't deny your self of what you love. In Naomi's fathers eyes, passion is where you come from and who you are. Through out the poem "My Father and the Fig Tree", her father speaks about his home land with the utmost respect and interest. He is so passionate about it that he wants his daughter to become just as excited as he is.
        In the poem, You could tell by her smirks and monotone writing that Naomi could care less about the fig tree. However, she wouldn't have wirtten so vividly about how excited her father was about it if she didn't know there was some sort of meaning attatched to the fig. She describes her father as almost crazy that he would get so uplifted at the thought of a fig. Everyone has had a memory that is associated with something tangible. Weather its a sea shell at the beach that reminds you of your summer vacation with your family or an apple tree that was in your old back yard. When you see another apple tree, the first thing that comes to mind is your old house and all the memories that were made there.
       People make connections to the funniest things. It's crazy to think that someone would get so excited about something so ordinary, but you've got to admit....everyone has a connection with their own silly fig tree.

What a pot of coffee can create

       In the text 19 Varieties of Gazelle, the poem "Arabic Coffee" really caught my attention. I found my self discovering about what a simple pot of coffee can stir up. Coffee, like many other beverages or foods, can bring people closer. We experience these interactions every day, weather it be during dinner with your family or meeting an old friend  at the local cafe for a coffee. Where ever you go, family and friends gather around the table for  food, drink and of course, good conversation.
       In the poem, there were many metaphors and hidden meanings. There were two metaphors in particular that seemed to keep repeating themsleves creating a "theme" for the poem. The first metaphor I caught on to right away was the sharing of cominalities between people you never thought you'd associate with. Everyone at times can feel annoyed and irritated with family or friends but once you sit down and take the time to get to know someone, you realize how similar they are to you and afterall, they are just people and you realize no one is perfect. This coffe symbolizes a bond between people, almost something they can use to "break the ice" (Were all here for the coffe, so we might as well make the best of it). Another metaphor used in this poem is religion. Having faith in something and believing in man kind. It's extremely easy to give up and loose hope, but it makes someone that much stronger when they believe in something bigger than themselves. There is a line in the poem that demonstrates the power of faith. In the second stanza, the author is describing the clothes on a line and how they will always be there when they are  needed. The line reads, "You will live long enough to wear me". (38)
       Not only are there several metaphors in this poem, but there are many ways that the reader can interpret them. In the second stanza, it becomes confusing to read because there is so much substance in thoes few lines. The first section discusses worries and dissapointments people may experience in life. However the stanza also suggests that because this family is all sitting down for a cup of coffee, life becomes more comforting because drinking coffee is a familar tradition. There are sentence structure patterns that also occur through out this stanza. In the begining, the sentences were short and stagnant. However once the ideas of the stanza started becomming more understandable, it started to flow. It was similar to a conversation; at first, ideas are scattered and vague, but as you start feeling more comforatable, the conversation gets deeper and more meaningful; it starts flowing.
       Arabic Coffe helped me to realize that poems aren't just a bunch of meaningless words put together to sound pretty, but they are up to the reader to interpret. This poem in particular was very intriguing to me because I could relate to it and I know for a fact that every other person in the world could as well. Just like a cup of coffee, this poem too became comforting.