Hannah Lutley

Last week when we talked about Wendy Rose's works we saw women begin exploited by their families and loved ones for having something "different" about them. This week we saw the same sort of thing happening in Venus Hottentot. Sara Baartman is found by the scientist Cuvier and put into a freak show. By doing this we see that women in the 19th century were looked down upon and for Sara her unusual appearance did not help to detract onlookers.

In The End of the Line we see Bender strange style of writing by using real world time but including aspects of fantasy. The Big Man can be seen as a manipulator and a man who envies people who have things in life. The Little Man is at first seen as a man who, even though small, has optimism and excitement towards life. When seeing the Big Man picking on the Little Man we naturally gravitate to feeling bad for the Little Man because he seems so helpless and powerless over the Big Man. In the end we see that the Little Man remains strong through the battle with the Big Man and the Big Man end up just wanting to be accepted into a "group" and he thinks that the little people's world would be good. We can look at this and saw that for the Little Man, even when things get rough, if we remain strong and optimistic we most likely will be able to return to happiness.

Molly Rutter, Post #6

By putting objects in a different context, or placing them in an abnormal environment, it increases their value and are more appreciated. This is demonstrated in Aimee Bender’s “Fruit and Words.”

In “Fruit and Words,” it was interesting how popular the shop owner’s business was, and how intrigued the woman was when she came across it. While she was so eager to purchase the word NUT, she probably wouldn’t have had the same enthusiasm with purchasing an everyday bag of them. By shaping objects of the environment into their specific word, it forces a person to view the object out of context, and they value it more as a result. But why can’t someone just appreciate the grass they walk on everyday instead of purchasing the word made up of the same exact material? If the woman would have applied this line of thinking, she may have prevented herself from making a regretful decision. It is obvious the woman was struggling to find contentment in her life, but if she would have just sat back and looked at her life and the decision she was making, she may have realized her choice in marriage was not a suitable one.

Maggie DeMarco Post 6

In the poem, "The Venus Hottentot," Sara Baavatman is taken advantage of and exploited by a scientist, Cuvier, for money and fame. Similar to this in, "End of the Line," the little man is exploited as well in order to boost Big Man's confidence. In both the stories, the men who are exploiting their victims share the same idea that if a person looks different then themselves, then it is okay to treat them badly. Its clear that in both stories, the men try to make their victims feel insignificant and inferior.

In Alexanders poem, Cuvier tricked Venus into coming with him and becoming part of his show. He used her looks to provide people entertainment, and after her death, he preserved her body and put it on display. It seemed that he needed her to make him feel better in life, and to earn money. In comparison to this, Big man used Little man to make himself feel better. He put him down and abused him in order to feel more powerful. He drugged him, froze him, and sexually abused him. He did anything he could to see Little man hurt, which helped him feel like he had control and was in power of something less than him.

Post 5- Nasya Watson

Rose's statement that everything she writes is fundamentally autobiographical no matter the topic or style is an all encompassing statement. By making this statement I feel everything she writes is true and is a piece of her. For Julia and Truganinny she could have used make-believe characters but instead she did not she used real women. The women she chose were cast out and displayed because of their physical appearance. Their appearance was seen as exotic/unusual and to me negatively (in Julia's case). This was the same case for Rose she was shunned by both sides of her family because of her appearance. She like the other women were taken advantage of. Rose was beaten by her father while Julia was exploited by her husband and Truganinny's wish to have a burial was overlooked because of a "need" for her display.

I also feel that the death of Julia and Truganinny can be compared to Rose's distant relationship which represents the death of the relationship between Rose and her family. By choosing to write in the voices of Julia and Truganinny it puts Rose's voice into the story making it autobiographical as she said. It reminds me of the quote "all for one, one for all." The struggle many may have can be explained by one and the struggles one may have can be expressed by many as well.

Leah Villari Post 5

Wendy Rose's Neon Scars reflects the author's actual literal scars. The title of her story makes the reader immediately think of bright, noticable colors. But when you take the time to think about it, I get the notion that she uses this color because she knows all the pain she endured will always stare back in the face at her. The "neon scares" represent herself as an outcast in her family. She always felt as if she wasn't accepted into her family and that she was the reason for her parent's unhappiness. Rose was never happy with herself and now writes about the pain she still goes through.

The style of her writing is very interesting. She uses paragraphs where she lists the straight facts of her life, but then goes back to the story behind the facts. I enjoyed this because I felt like I knew exactly what the author wants you know. I felt that I didn't have to search for the author's point. I also liked that the Rose didn't sugarcoat anything. I feel that anyone who was abused could relate to having "neon scars" and the guilt that Rose portrayes in the story.

In "Neon Scars" Wendy Rose really tells about her life story, everything about that story shows struggles she went through. Right down to the way it was written, like we discussed in class with the paragraphs shifting back and forth. Everything she writes can show something that she felt and that is why it is autobiographical in a way because she can relate to everything. Wendy Rose uses her life and her struggles to write good stories and make herself and her stories more open to the diversity of the readers.

All three women are viewed like outcasts, they all believe to be misunderstood. In some cases, they try to be understood but it doesn't work, and then in the poem "Julia" she seems to be very alone and have nobody to even try to relate too. The second poem confused me a little but she also seems to be alone. Just as "Neon Scars" Wendy Rose feels like she is going to through life alone with nobody to help or listen to her.

Cassidy Weeks. Post 5

Allison Shubert Post # 5

I found that Neon Scars was a very symbolic essay. Wendy Rose write this in a very metaphorical style that captivated my interest and put her story in a different perspective. Rose shows her pain in growing up in a family where she did not fit in and was not accepted due to something she could not help. She was shunned not because of the person she was, but because of her skin color. Rose talks about having invisible bruises because of being raised this way and treated like an outcast in her own family.

I think that Neon Scars was a very appropriate title for this story due to the emotional scars she had suffered. All Rose wanted was respect and for someone to understand the pain she had endured. I found it ironic that her family rejected her due to something she had inherited from them. All she wanted was a family but she slowly had to accept that she was alone and rejected from everything human. Rose having "neon scars" is metaphorical to me because she had been scarred because of her childhood, yet she was different and treated unfairly and wanted everyone to see that. She wanted people to look up to her because she was a survivor of an unfair circumstance. She wanted to be respected for surviving through all of her grief.