Panel Discussions Assignment

Hailey Conrad

M. Richard

Women Writing Worldwide

February 26, 2020

Panel Discussions Assignment

            While studying Women’s Writing Worldwide, you are infused with knowledge from women’s’ experiences across the globe. This course provides individuals with insight on the true meaning of feminism, and the constant struggles worldwide, which women face. Although, feminism, the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes, is a huge overlying concept of all the global women’s writing pieces, being able to understand the theme benefits you into further understanding and connecting to the piece. Throughout “The Danger of a Single Story”, Under the Udala Trees, The Treatment of Bibi Haldar and The World Before Her Documentary, the female speakers, figures and authors are all communicating the theme of the struggle of acceptance with stereotypes overarching, and the battle of challenging traditional ways with the changing modern times.

            Chimamanda Adichie’s powerful speech on “The Danger of a Single Story”, emphasizes the role stereotypes and how they can lead to one viewpoint or mindset solely based off one single story. Adichie expresses how our lives and our cultures are composed of many overlapping stories and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding. During her Ted Talk, she explains how power holds the ability to advocate the one story that will be articulated. This concept of power allows one to portray the context of the story to the masses, in other words, whether it be the government, news channels, or textbooks, they get to control how the single story interpreted. This becomes problematic because the repetitiveness of one story then enhances stereotypes. However, Adichie preaches her voice on the single story of Nigeria, and how she was not an uneducated individual, who grew up in poverty, but she did what she set her mind to and accomplished great things for a female in Nigeria. Chimamanda is a walking self-example, as she pursued her passions so there is no single story of what a Nigeria woman can do. 

            Under the Udala Trees, written by Chinelo Okparanta was about a young girl, Ijeoma, who grows up during the Nigerian Civil War and is shipped off, away from her family, to safety. She ends up falling in love with another female, something that is highly looked down upon. Amongst the LGBTQ hatred, she learns the true beauty of love when she says, “Maybe love was some combination of friendship and infatuation. A deeply felt affection accompanied by a certain sort of awe. And by gratitude. And by a desire for a lifetime of togetherness” (Okparanta, 150). This is significant because Ijeoma realizes that she must battle the traditional mindsets, who are against same sex marriage, in order to achieve self-acceptance over stereotypes. Being able to accept yourself stems a whole new mindset for accepting others. Ijeoma truly acted as the change she wanted to see for herself and now can advocate against tradition and for modern transformation.

            Lahiri’s, The Treatment of Bibi Haldar, is a story that takes place in modern day India. Bibi has something mysteriously wrong with her that no treatments and tests can cure and is ultimately a burden to anyone who interacts with her. She wonders why she was cursed with this fate to be alone and is jealous of all the wives and mothers who surround her; she simply just wants a husband/ family to cook for and take care of. Finally, she is given a remedy, as it reads “Relations will calm her blood” (Lahiri, 162). The story goes on where Bibi is found by the women in her community and she is pregnant. This comes as a shock because she was always unwanted and called ugly and unintelligent. However, Bibi does not recall nor share any information on what had happened to her, although she is now finally happy and cured. The idea that a woman must get married and be a mother to live a fulfilled life is common among many cultures. Bibi plays into this idea since she was finally happy after she became a mother. Women are often looked at poorly when they choose to not have children, since it is viewed as there duty and only responsibility to stay at home and be a mother.

            I connected The Treatment of Bibi Haldar to The World Before Her Documentary. The documentary compares and contrasts the two types of Indian women, Modern and Traditional Indian women. The modern Indian women are depicted through their role in beauty pageants, always having to look your best, even if it means putting Botox in your face against your will. Within the documentary it shows pageant girls going through their beauty training and states, “it’s like a factory, you come out polished like a diamond,” showing that they aren’t able to look or be themselves. Contrastingly, the traditional Indian women are supposed to be just be married off and stay at home to take care of the family. Women are punished and beaten for simply being seen with a man, going into a bar, or even drinking alcohol. If you didn’t make it out to compete in pageants, your life is already set out for your as a female. One of the main characters, Prachi, is burned by her own father with an iron rod for lying about her homework and doesn’t think his wrong doings are immoral because she had done something wrong. Her father further emphasizes the traditional Indian women ideology by stating that “a women is complete, only after becoming a mother.” Just like Bibi only sought after being a mother/wife figure to take care of a family, Prachi’s father agrees that this is her one and only role in life as a female. At least, some families are able to accept their daughters who want to enter these beauty pageants, in hopes to be able to voice and share modern concepts as a spokesperson for India. I think these will be the advocated for change since they came from traditional backgrounds but have additionally accepted the shifting times.

            All in all, these readings, speeches, and videos are representative of the struggling opposition to find a balance between tradition and modern alterations. The component of labels certainly adds to the struggle of acceptance and open mindedness globally. How can we shift our mindset to act more like Adichie, to be open to more than one single story? How can we demolish stereotypes and overcome discrimination of all kinds? Do change and advancements really mean throwing tradition down the drain? Or is there a fine line we can walk to get the best of both worlds? Will a compromise ever happen? How does our country view modernizing? Is modernizing a good thing or can it be bad? What can we learn from these readings/ viewings?