A Response to "Not All Monuments Men Were Men"

Not All Monuments Men Were Men (Don’t Forget About The Women)

The constitution states, "All men are created equal," Today's music shows dominance in men such as the song, "Blurred Lines," and even the latest movies are all about male power. However the New York Times article published by Tom Mashberg brings attention to the women involvement of getting back art pieces taken during World War II. The new movie, "The Monuments Men" shows the story of how the men recovered valuble work taken by the Nazi’s. But Tom Mashberg shows the historical impact of the less acclaimed, “contributions of women like Ms. Hall, who were pivotal in helping rescue Europe’s art during the war and long after the German surrender.”

While reading the article I think Tom Mashberg wanted us to appreciate the women who weren’t acknowledged. By focusing in on the women’s accomplishments he showed us just how important they were. He calls Ms.Hall “the dominant force” and even gives statistics of how much she helped. “Ms. Hall alone oversaw the return of 1,300 items, including a Monet that went back to the Rothschild family in Paris.” These numbers stress to the readers and myself how the Monuments wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without Ms.Hall and the many other women involved, and that is what I think Tom Mashberg set out to achieve.  

I also think that Tom Mashberg wanted the reader to feel proud of what these women did. They overcame sexual barriers that society had set during the time and hopefully showed readers (like myself), that we as women can set out and accomplish anything. Along with pride I think that the author also wanted us to feel a sense of rage. I was enraged that the new movie doesn’t represent the women with all the strength they had. But now thanks to the article I still know that they had an important part and they won’t remain unappreciated.

Lastly, I really enjoyed reading this article. It brought attention to something that would have otherwise gone unnoticed to me and for that I thank Tom Mashberg. I also connected to this due to the past experiences I have had with analyzing women and empowerment. I can use this knowledge in the outside world by learning to appreciate everyone for what they do or have done, and now have a stronger knowledge on women’s part in art throughout history.

Mashberg, Tom. "Not All Monuments Men Were Men." New York Times. N.p., 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/arts/design/not-all-monuments-men-were-men.html?src=me

Still I Rise

     "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou is a humbling and inspirational poem about overcoming what life throws at you. Throughout the poem, the stanzas switch from being about the issues the speaker faces and, how the speaker overcame it. Because of how Maya Angelou describes what the speaker faces and what it is that he or she is facing, I think the poem is about her.

      I think that, "Still I Rise" is a humbling poem because of what she compares herself to when rising. For example she says, "Like air, I'll rise," and, "Like dust, I'll rise." Saying that you are rising can often be something that shows a lot and, maybe even too much power. But by comparing herself to something that everyone knows, her power becomes relatable. It was also a wise word choice because, by comparing herself to dust or air which are everyday things, her power becomes something that everyone can have a bit of. 

     "Still I Rise" is also an inspirational poem. When Maya Angelou keeps saying how she rises and what she has rose over it gives people faith to rise too. While she was being shoot down with words, cut with eyes and, killed with hatefulness, she still rose. With this being said it shows that she was resilient to the thing inflicting power. By standing up with what she faced especially during the time period that the poem was published in, 1978 it gave faith. If Maya Angelou an African-American poet could overcome racial adversities and what not, so can everyone else. And that is what I think her metaphor, "I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, welling and swelling I bear the tide." represents. 

     I enjoyed "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou. When reading it as a person, I was inspired to rise and was given strength by Maya Angelou's ability to rise. When analyzing it as a deep thinker I noticed the specific word choice, power vs. resistance and other artistic choices. I think that anyone can take something away from this poem, whether it be hope or new writing skills, and that is an accomplishment as a writer. 

-Aleyna Ndaw

Writing Challange #3!

PC: atlantae.tumblr

With this cold weather makes me want to cuddle up in bed and read!

I just want to live in my books and forget the cold weather outside. 

Drink some tea, appreciate all kinds of books and most importantly relax in my bed.

Ever since break has been over I can't seem to get out of bed the same way.

5 more minutes I moan time after time.

But I wish one day we could all wake up when we want to, make some tea and read.

Read now, read later, read all day! 

But as the weeks go by I wait till I can read by the beach but for now on, I read where I can. 

Power, Resilience and Somewhere in Between

 
     "The Stolen Party" by Liliana Heker is a story about power, resistance and a balance somewhere in between. In the short story we see Roasura, a young girl struggling to accept her position in the social system. Roasura's mother a maid, has difficulty teaching her resilient daughter the valuable lesson. In a brave and quite harsh manner, Roasura's mother opts to let her figure it out on her own during Luciana's party. Roasura learns her lesson the hard way, but that doesn't mean she comes to accept it.
     Throughout Roaura's journey in "The Stolen Party" we see her resilience to the truth. When Roasura's mother says that she will be viewed as, "the maids daughter" Rosaura lashes out. She tries to prove her mothers statement incorrect by showing resilience but is left with nothing. In my opinion, deep down Roasura knew that she wasn't viewed as equal to the other "higher" peers. Her fear is what is creating her resilience and she wasn't ready to accept it. Because of this, during the party she takes any power she can get to show her power over the other kids. Whether it be giving some a big piece and others a small one, or being the chosen one, she'll take any form of dominance. What i'm really trying to say is that Rosaura knows that she is viewed as less so she tries to make up for it in any way that she can.
     Finally by the end of the story, Rosuara's fear is handed directly to her. She is not accepted as a guest but instead has been viewed as a worker. As Señora Ines goes to pay Rosaura and her mother the balance is broken. Rosaura's resilience is so strong as well as Señora Ines' to show power. Both forces push so hard against "the glass" it shatters. I think the shattering was a symbol of Rosaura's heart as she realizes the truth. Now mending back the pieces will be her final act of resilience in strength as she comes to terms on how she is viewed in society.

- Aleyna Ndaw :)
   

Writing Challange Post #2

Winter vs. Summer

Cold vs. Warmth

As winter pushes forward and the winds push me back, I can only wish for summer. Those long nights and bright days call me, but their cries go unanswered. I would love to be in Australia or even California where the water is warm and bulky clothes could be packed away. But then I wouldn't appreciate would I appreciate the warmth, or would it be granted.

If it the sun was constantly beaming and I wasn't layered then would I still appreciate it. I have this feeling often. If we as humans didn't face the storm would we still love calm? So for now, I guess we have to face the dark so we can look forward to the light. So I write, cozy in my bed, heat blasting and jackets layered on, waiting for the warmth to return but respecting the cold for what it is.

- Aleyna

Looking Back at My 2013 Reading Journey

     

     Overall, 2013 has been a great reading year for me. I was able to further my reading life and skills, making each book meaningful. My two favorite books out of the near 53 were definitely, "Native Son" by Richard Wright and, "Every Day" by David Levithan. "Native Son" definitely struck me and provided lessons as well as knowledge I was unknowing of before. "Every Day" also showed me the different things that people face, as well as life in different perspectives. Because both showed me different views of life and taught me valuable lessons, they are my favorite books of 2013. 

     

     One of the valuable lessons I was taught by Richard Wright and David Levithan was to never judge a person before you walk a mile in their shoes. Sometimes I take the life that I have for granted. I often forget that people struggled and that has gotten me where I am. Bigger Thomas the main character from "Native Son" faces segregation, prejudice, and harsh judgement. Being the 1930's, a time where African Americans faced very many hardships Bigger does. Also comparable for the same lesson being taught but in a different way, "Every Day" had the same effect on me. "A" lives as different people everyday, seeing how difficult life is for some and how easy it is for others. Days like the one that "A" experienced in Leslie's life are wake up calls in mine. Both books and authors make me look back at my life, compare them to what characters lives are like and  appreciate what I have or in some cases don't. 

     Yet another reason why "Native Son" and "Every Day" are my favorite books of 2013 are because of the different perspective each book shows. Richard Wright's approach on life was to make the best of what you have. All though Bigger has a lot of challenges he never gives up, striving to make his life better. This is a strong approach and view of life in my opinion. I took it away as showing personal grit through hardship and a different way of living. "A" in "Every Day" takes living day by day to a whole nother level. It is also a different way of looking at life. Because "A" doesn't necessarily have his own perspective he is able to live through others views and create his own thanks to that. Both of these perspectives on life have made mine grow and I have slowly crafted some of my own thoughts after theirs. 

     The lessons, thoughts and ideas I was able to take away from Richard Wright's "Native Son" and David Levithan's "Every Day"  is what made them my favorite books of 2013. Over all in 2013 I was able to open up my reading horizon, try new things and have fun while doing it. While reflecting and looking back I can specifically remember the experiences I had with each book. 2013 was a great reading year, and hopefully 2014 can go above and beyond. 

                                                                                                                - Aleyna Ndaw :)

My Inquiry Blogpost

     "It's a good start to write documents and stuff, but it's time to stop theorising and start doing work to end this." -I. What the unknown 13 year old I is saying is that, although we can be aware of the issues around us we need to fix them. After looking through the books that I read and the world around me, I have come up with a couple of large issues with small solutions.

     After looking at how men and women are shown differently in books and the world I have come up with ideas to help create a world with more equality. In "Children at War" women are usually behind the battle field and serve as nurses or chefs. Men are usually soldiers, fighting rebels in hand to hand combat or with guns. Even now, as our own accomplishment, women serve in our military on the battlefield. This has been an issue of who is superior, showing that men are powerful and more dominant to women because they are stronger. This has been an ongoing issue from when labor unions protest for equal pay to equal rights. A simple solution to that, that was not shown in the books that I read was to make the idea of women having different powers more common. Also in the news, men in Saudi Arabia don't want women to know how to drive. Although America has been pushing for this right for a long time it is a new topic to many places, such as Pakistan, where Malala Yousafzai was shot for supporting women rights. By including these "new" ideas in our books that are read on a global scale, perhaps people will become more familiar and open to the concept.

     This is just one example of how we can stop thinking of our ideas and instead, take actions. If picture books starting from a young age show women and men as equals the generations to come will know of equality and not be shocked by indifference. With this mindset and need for change, we can, "end this."

-Aleyna Ndaw