Journals

Journal Entry 9: The Emmett Till Memory Project

When the state of Mississippi began putting up roadside markers to commemorate the memory of Emmett Till, no sooner would it be up than it would be stolen, shot at, or thrown in the river. As Dave Tell states, "that was combined with another problem, that the community organizers doing the work in the Delta didn't have the historical background to be able to tell the nuance of the story [of Emmett Till]." To combat the destruction of the signage and lack of nuance of the story of Emmett Till's murder, Tell launched the Emmett Till Memory Project app on CurateScape and website using the National Endowment for the Humanities which was funded by the CurateScape platform. Not only does it combat against the destruction of the signs, but it's curated for the viewer as well. As Tell states, "users standing near the courthouse would get the jury's version of the story, while users at the site where the black press stayed would get their version of the story. These are very different stories, and that is the point." What makes this project a good example of public humanities work, is that Tell creates a digital memorial that can be interactive, informative, and cannot be defaced. Furthermore, Tell's project correlates with Rule 6 of Steven Lubar's "Seven Rules for Public Humanists," which is to "think digital." To think digital doesn't just mean to open new opportunites for outreach through digital means, but to "take advantage of digital's promise of a new kind of opennes." that "opens up the opportunity for many voices, many ways of telling a story." Through the interactivness of the Emmett Till Memory Project app, viewers can be introduced to a myriad of voices and viewpoints like the black press and jury.

Journal Entry 8: Using Ngram

After reading "Data Mining and Analysis," I was really interested in the 2013 study on "mood words" in 20th century fiction by decade (page 114). As Drucker perfecly explains, "The results are fascinating, but not altogether surprising. The "sadness" score was greatets during the period of the Second World War but, oddly, "joy" was highest during the years of the First World War" (Drucker 114). Overall, I was very interested in the context behind the data mining and seeing how certain words ebb or flow as certain global events like the World Wars. Therefore, after reading both Algorithms of Oppression and "Data Mining and Analysis," I decided to plug in the words "racism,black,white,protest,freedom" into Ngram from the years 1960 to 2020 (Civil Rights Movement to the Black Lives Matter movement). Not surprinsgly, but nontheless fascinating, in the years 1963 to 1966 both words "black" and "freedom" were intersecting. Shockingly, to add, the word "racism" didn't rise till 1967 despite the Civil Rights Movement and protests against racism happening before 1967. Prominent books were being published during these three years. Books like Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King Jr. and The Fire Next Time by civil rights activist James Baldwin. Important events were happening during these three years too, like the August 28th, 1963 civil rights demonstration in Washington, D.C. The words "black" and "white" also intersected in about 2008 till 2020. However, these words fall into the "widely variant meanings" (117) in which both words can have multiple different conexts. Ngram allows us to see the rise and fall of certain words and connect them to global or historoical events. Furthermore, Ngram is a decent, even "cool" site to have to see word trends and "mood words." However, similar to the discussion on what gets to get archived- what about works that have been lost to time? If those works survived or were recorded, would the results of the Ngram change? In my opinion, I feel like Ngram is just a bouncing pad to conducting research or understanding certain time periods.

Sheet music written by a Sister.

Journal Entral 7: Reflection on HARC tour in connection with class reading.

The HARC (Heritage and Research Center) is one of four hubs (HARC, WRAC in Cleveland, Boston College, and Santa Clara University) that specializes on women religious archives (which is pretty cool). HARC itself holds archives from 10 different women Catholic congregations in which these Sisters, as mentioned during the tour, were accomplishing extrodinary things like making their own clothing, inventing new machines, and participating in historical events like The Civil War and the protest after MLK's assasination when in certain lifetimes the Sisters couldn't even vote!

Furthermore, to connect to class readings, HARC is a perfect example of making archives accessible. As Nina Simon states in The Art of Relevance, "The goal [of museums and archives] is not to open doors to everyone. You need to find a way to build new doors, based on their values, that fit their keys" (Simone 58). HARC, and the other archival centers, are building these new doors for people to better research and understand women religious archives as the practice of the Catholic religion is rapidly changing and congregations are downsizing. Although not everyone may interesting in this topic, HARC provides the open door and accessibility to those interested and who may be interested through research opportunities and (future) uploaded archival databases. This accessibility better allows for the "memory work" method introduced Annette Kuhn where we can better unearth memories and "making public untold stories" (Kuhn 9).

Journal Entry: What forces have shaped the "story" Shapiro tells of her own life, her selfhood? How have those changed?

The main force that shapes the "story" Shapiro tells of her life is her connection to her Jewish identity. Shapiro's Jewish identity is her selfhood and guidance throughout her life. Although never really feeling like she belonged, Shapiro still clung to her Jewish identity throughout her life. It is only until she finds out the truth on her biological father that she "confirms" the feeling that she never really belonged- feeling like she is no longer a full member of the family she grew up in. However, her Jewish identity underlines the journey of figuring out who she truly is. Throughout the story Shapiro grabbles with her identity and selfhood, but it is not till the end of her autobiography that she owns what happened to her. A quote that really stood out to me was what her father's sister, Shirley, said to Shapiro after she told her she wasn't "truly" her father's daughter on page 136. Shirley states, "I'm not giving you up. . . . I have fewer years ahead of me than behind me . . . And you are my brother's daughter."

Journal Entry 5: An Evening with Lauren Groff and Marion Turner.

I attended the lecture with my friends and had a great time (I even attended the book signing after and had a great conversation with Lauren Groff about Jane Austen). I expected the Q&A portion to be longer; however, the lecture was as expected. I really enjoyed Marion Turner’s portion of the lecture where she discussed what we think we know about medieval women (old prostitutes, damsels in distress, princess, etc. etc.) and how in reality, in some parts of England it was tradition for some women to leave home and work. And how in some records of women in the medieval period, these women had roles, for example, as blacksmiths. Furthermore, I liked seeing the connection between some of these women and women now. For example, the 15th century poem How the Good Wife Taught Her Daughter, in which the mother gives her daughter advice before she leaves for presumably work. What was so special to me was seeing how mothers never change, “Wherever thou come at ale or wyn, Take not to myche, and leve be tyme,”. Basically, don’t get drunk. Lastly, I not only enjoyed Lauren Groff’s opinion on best Jane Austen book, but also her viewpoint on historical fiction. From what I gathered from her portion of the lecture, historical fiction is a powerful tool that can be used to reconstruct empty spaces that certain marginalized, unrepresented groups occupy. Her book Matrix truly is an example as Groff takes what we may know about medieval nuns and generates a whole, complex work exploring female ambition, power and gender.

Journal Entry 4: "Teaching to Listen"

I was very struck by Norkuna's article because I had no idea listening could be a topic so vast and unique. From the different methods from small silences to large to structured to unstructured I was very interested to see how we can use different methods to conduct an oral history. When reading I also thought how I would react in these different listening methods. For example, on the section about the long silences method I wrote, "I'd be so bad at this. But I feel like it would be very powerful with my best friend, mom, or grandma's... A connection across generations and different girlhoods." Yes. If I did it with a peer I feel I would ruin the whole experience, but if I did it with my mom, like stated, I would have the powerful experience the participants in the article had. I also noted in my head while reading the section that talked about not butting in to talk about yourself and own stories during the interview how that would also be a challenge for me. I love to talk (although I'm often shy in classes) and relate with others through my own similar stories. Yes, I can listen but it would be very hard not to give my own story as advice or just relatibility. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Norkuna's article and seeing how others react to silence, listening, etc.

Journal Entry 3: The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art and Slow Looking Practice

I chose to practice slow looking at the Raclin with a religious piece. The work I chose called to me because I'm very used to mediveal works of religion. But this one was not. When I sat down I resisted the urge to look at the plaque next to it. I assessed the work. I knew the work depicted Mary and the angel Gabriel telling her she was pregnant (The Annunciation). I knew it was in Mary's private chambers. I analyzed the work next. It was different than other Annunciation works. The colors were very bright, Mary looked very youthful with rosy cheeks and light yellow hair swathed in purple, pink, and cyan. Even the angel Gabriel looked youthful. Based on the coloring of Gabriel and Mary, as well as the very lush bedding and works near the ceiling depicting naked figures I assumed the piece was Italian. I assumed because of my previous knowledge and perspectives and because of the settings. I however couldn't recall what the dove near the top of the bed symbolyzed and where the setting outside of the door depicted was. But using this "bias" or previous knowledge, I was correct in the second looking. It was an Italian work, which helped me better match the architecture with 16th centuey Italy. As well as the colors.

Journal Entry 2: The "Slow Looking" Method

To be completely honest, I was going to choose a Fragonard piece. Not just because his works have so much symbolism and hidden meaning, but because he's one of my favorite artists. However, through page 54 to 56 I took the title of the section "Seeing What We're Told to See" to heart. So instead of choosing a Fragonard piece I knew was going to be ridden with hidden meanings, I went to the MET's website and with my eyes closed, chose a random work and looked at it without reading the title first. Applying the first step ("Look First") to the method on page 56!! I noticed the huge vase filled with flowers of all different kinds. Although beautiful, the woman isn't looking at it. She's looking away, perplexed. Her hair is in a cap... so is she married? Is she mad at her spouse and therefore he bought her this huge vase of flowers that must of been very expensive to apologize? Although she looks perplexed, whether at her spouse or not, the flowers are still healthy. And clearly watered (the half filled water pitcher next to the flowers).Will she give in and accept his apology? With that being said, I checked on my laundry and thought more about the painting and my own opinions that might effect my viewpoint on it (aka my messy love life). Then I looked again. The flowers are fuller to the right (where the woman's sitting). It's as if the flowers are caressing her, maybe in a way trying to apologize (if the apologetic husband theory is true). The true image of the work is called, A Woman Seated besides a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpincon?) by Edgar Degas. According to the description of the work, the juxtaposition of the woman and the flowers is done to capture a slice of life moment. The woman being Dega's friend's wife. Although it wasn't stated if she was mad or not, my analysis on her being married was true!! I think my own outside opinions also impacted my analysis, which was interesting to see!

Journal Entry 1: A Fictional Women's Impact

Chaucer's Wife of Bath, known as Alice to the reader, has had a remarkable impact on storytelling!! When we think about storytelling or "basic" stories from the Middle Ages we may usually think of Robin Hood, or King Arthur's Roundtable. To put it frankly, mostly men. But what really impacted me was seeing how a fictional woman like Alice changed the game for women in literature so much so that she has connected, or made an impressionable impact, with so many historical figures from Thomas Cromwell to The Pope! Cromwell even joking that Geoffrey de la Pole's contradictions were so frequent he didn't know if it was Geoffrey's mother or Alice. True, she is a fictional woman not even written by a woman using her own experience's. But as Turner states, "No one before Chaucer had turned the antifeminists' words around and against them as Alison does". As we may say now, Chaucer was a real girl's girl. Although Alice herself is fictional, her story impacted women's history and how they were peceived from the Middle Ages to present day.

Page updated

Report abuse