Hailey Conrad

M. Richard

Women Writing Worldwide

February 27, 2020

Event Attendance & Response

★ What event did you attend? Briefly describe it. 

            I attended a Kappa Delta Girl Scout event where we sold Girl Scout cookies with young girls from the area who are a part of the Girl Scouts of America Association. The Girl Scouts of the USA are one of Kappa Delta’s philanthropies that we support and every semester you must take part in at least one event. Tonight, we sold cookies with the young girls, but trust me, it is so much more than that. Kappa Delta’s platform is confidence… Confidence in ourselves, confidence in women, and overall spreading confidence to everyone and everywhere we go. When working with the girl scouts, it is import and impactful because they admire the older girls so much. It’s important we show they our best self’s as role models for the younger female generation. By interacting and talking with the girls, we build this bond and are able to teach them what it means to have confidence and reach their aspired goals. 

★ What particular moments / parts of the event caught your attention or interested you? Why? 

            During the Girl Scout event, a particular moment that stood out to me was how one of the girls, Anna, kept asking me all these questions about me. At just eight years old, she asked me, how I like it here at college? Why did I go to a school so far away from home? Was it sad to leave my pets at home? It was such an eye-opening moment where I realized that that she truly cared about what I was saying in reply. It proved how are conversations are meaningful to her as she is growing up and looking forward to these things. Another event that stood out to me was that as we conversed, Anna was telling me about her many badges and what she had to do to earn them all. It really made me ponder about the various skills they had to have learned while earning these badges. I thought about how the badges aided to making these young girls into well rounded ladies.

★ Did any aspect of the event prompt you to recall or think about what we’ve been learning in the course? How and why? 

            When I was speaking with girls and they were asking me questions about college, it made me recall how in some parts of the world, females are no allowed an education nor get to do what they want with their future. The Girl Scouts is a program to prepare girls for a lifetime of leadership, success, and adventure… in some places women’s only role in life is to become a mother, and other parts females are certainly not able to hold any leadership positions, especially in many male dominant societies. Unlike Bibi Haldar only seeks to get married to cook and tend to her husband, these girl scouts were seeking what college life was like. Furthermore, I related our course learnings to the concept of the Girl Scout badges. It stood out to me just how versatile these life skills would make these young females as they worked for their badges, in contrast, to all the reading and videos we have watched prohibiting females to do anything besides be a homemaker and mother. 

★ What is the big “takeaway” for you from the event? What will you remember about it? 

I love the concept of the Girl Scouts and absolutely adore the fact we get to work so closely with them. This organization is a great resource to help girls grow and learn life skills in order to reach their full potential. Whether it’s by exercising and staying healthy, developing strong relationships with family and peers, advocating on behalf of others, protecting our environment, or exploring careers that can truly change the world for the better, these girls gain the skills and the inspiration to accept challenges, overcome obstacles, and take the lead. I will remember is an honor to lead as a role model for these young women and that they are so lucky to have such an incredible organization such as the Girl Scouts of the USA that supports females prospering!

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?

Hailey Conrad

Women Writing Worldwide

Event Attendance & Response 

February 19, 2020

HPU Theater Presents: Borrowed Babies

★  What event did you attend? Briefly describe it. 

I was privileged with attending the first dress rehearsal of Borrowed Babies for my digital photography course because my professor Benita VanWinkle has previously been the photographer for the High Point University theater. Barrowed Babies is based around early feminism and women’s history. The lead Judy is coming upon the end of her teaching career as a home economics professor, when she comes in cross paths with one of her former practice babies. In this time period, infants were often plucked from orphanages and used as practice babies in college home economic departments because this was the prominent role of “women” and seen as there only possible role in life; being a homemaker and taking care of their family. Therefore, Judy’s stuck in the mindset where she must teach her students this role while her students have other aspiration for life, such as moving to New York City to follow their passions like fashion. In the end, Judy is defeated when she wants to adopt the child, they have been taking care of because she does not have a husband. This play overall explores the evolving role of women and mothers in American society. 

★  What particular moments / parts of the event caught your attention or interested you? 

            I was extremely shocked when Judy was trying to conceal Wendy’s past in the department. At first, I was wondering why she didn’t want to share the files with Wendy… But once I realized that Wendy had been one of the infants who were used in this home economic program in the past. I couldn’t believe that she had returned to ask about her birth parents after about thirty years and then found out that she was basically an “college experiment.” It also caught my attention at the fact that at the end, through all Judy’s struggles, she could not adopt the child because she was a single woman, with no husband. I think the idea behind this was that she would not have enough income to sustain proper living conditions for the child since she is a single parent. 

★  Did any aspect of the event prompt you to recall or think about what we’ve been learning in the course? How and why? 

            Honestly, I drew connections throughout the entire play to our course Women’s Writing Worldwide. The course is focused around the idea of the lack of women equality around the globe. First most, this production is a solely a female role play. Borrowed Babies plays on the aspect that women have one role in life; to be a home maker, cook, and take care of their family. This is depicted as Judy teaches her students how to care for an infant in their home economics class. Additionally, during the event Judy explains how she cannot make any change at the institution because she is only one of three female professors. This connects how women have been known to have less of influence and authority compared to males. To go along with this concept, at the end of the play Judy, being single women, wants to adopt the infant they have been practicing with and taking care of in the home economics course. Unfortunately, Judy is unable to adopt the child due to the fact that she does not have a husband. Again, this idea is emphasizing gender equality and gender norms. Due to the fact that Judy does not have a spouse, it is interpreted that she will not be able to take care of a family without structured income, highlighting the idea that women can’t succeed in both roles, as a wife and husband would. I defiantly also recall connecting Betty’s parents saying that if she moved to New York she would fail and be seen as a slut, just because she was not following the traditional path of becoming a homemaker. This just shows that girls had one path that was the social norm and everything else was viewed poorly. Lastly, I noted that when the senior girl got engaged, she explained how she wanted to work. The other girls then asked her if she had already asked her fiancé if he would allow her to work. This again proves the gender norms during the time, that women were meant to stay home and be a homemaker, while men worked and made the money. 

★  What is the big “takeaway” for you from the event? What will you remember about it? 

This is one of those productions that you think about days after viewing. I think one of the main takeaways for me is that women and men have become much more equal, especially in regard to careers and jobs. In today’s day and age, women can virtually do anything men can, whereas in older times, these gender roles had not been challenged. The over-arching idea of rising feminism has gotten the many parts of the world to weaken gender roles. I will remember just how drastic times have changed, from a time of when women were not allowed basic rights to today’s society. 

This empowering article connects to the course Women Writing Worldwide by showing how women can accomplish anything they set their minds too. Although it has never been done before, that didn’t stop Rachel Balkovec from going after her career dreams and goals. She has been named as the first female to be hired as a major league batting coach for such a famous team, the New York Yankees. Balkovec is a great example to all females that no gender stereotypes or boundaries can’t be broken!

This image connects to Women’s Writing Worldwide because while reading Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta’s one of the struggles that Ijeoma faces comes when she has to seek shelter from a homophobic mob. Taking into consideration that the Nigeria civil war had forced her away from her mom to seek better living conditions after the horrid scenes she had witnessed, Ijeoma now faces homophobic violence. This image shows a similar neglect Ijeoma felt from society. Although, in the end she learns acceptance, which is a big theme that should be applied in all aspects of life.

I think this quote connects to what we have learned, read, and watched in Women’s Worldwide Lit. Last class, we spent watching Adichie’s speech on “A Single Story”. I connected this quote with her ideas that no person or place has just a single story. A single story creates stereotypes and since that single idea/thought/phrase is repeated over and over, it can become the only thing we think. Nigeria was stereotyped as an uneducated, poverty ridden, tribal music area, when in reality, Adichie was very knowledgeable, educated, successful, spoke English and had a positive childhood as she grew up in Nigeria. She did not fall into the single story or “stereotypes” of Nigeria.

equity vs equality
byu/13-50isnotArgument inTheRightCantMeme

This image directly relates to our class discussion on equality vs equity. I found image very intreguing even for how graphic it was. Unlike most equality vs equity cartoons… It adds a new panel and view on this matter. Equity (in reality) showing how we tear others down and having the saw read ‘social justice’ which is defined as “justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.”

This images connects with Women’s Writing Worldwide because within this course we are hearing from and learning about different women who share their stories about how being female was seen as unequal to men. I feel as if we still move towards gaining that sex equality, even today. #feminism

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