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Kristy Tyson
3968 Parker’s Place
Eagle Mountain, Utah 84005
kristymodbe@gmail.com
801-427-0076
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Education
B.S. in English, Field of
Emphasis: Literary Studies. Minors: American Studies, Gender Studies
Utah Valley University, Orem, UT.
Expected graduation April 2013.
1995-1997 California State
University-San Bernardino, CA.
1989 High
School Diploma
Etiwanda High School, Etiwanda,
California.
Experience
Professional Development in Education
·
2008-2012: Assistant Secretary, Alpine School
District-Pony Express Elementary, Eagle
Mountain, Utah.
Responsibilities
·
2005-2008: Substitute
Teacher, Alpine School District-K-
12.Taught a variety of classes
including English, Mathematics, Music, Social Science, Electives.
·
2006-2011: Fashion Consultant, Modbe Clothing,Orem, Utah. Motivated and increased sales with 50+
Independent Fashion Consultants Team
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1994-1995: Instructional Assistant, Timpanogos Elementary
School-Provo School District,
Provo, Utah.
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1992-1994: Full-time Proselyting Missionary, The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
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1990-1992: Instructional Assistant, Timpanogos Elementary
School-Provo School District,
Provo, Utah.
Additional Skills/Abilities
·
Proficient with
Skyward Student Access Program.
·
Experience with
MS Excel, MS Word, Windows.
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Invited to
present strategies about team building and collaboration to 90+ faculty and
staff.
·
Coordinated and
executed eight school fundraising events that earned a combined total of
$150,000. Monies were used to support a variety of school programs and field
trips.
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Attended
professional development conferences for grades K-12 focusing on curriculum
building projects, reading strategies, bullying, team collaboration.
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CPR and First Aid
certified.
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Current food
handler’s permit.
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Trained to
administer daily medication to seven diabetic students. Assisted them with their meals as they relate to
their carbohydrate intake.
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Attended UVU
conference on Autism.
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Organized
school musical concessions, tickets, and back stage crews.
Honors/Awards
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2011-2012:
Received a higher education stipend for the academic school year.
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2010: Selected
as one of Alpine School District’s Employee of the Year.
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2009: Invited
to participate on the naming committee for Westlake High School in Saratoga
Springs, Utah.
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2008: Recipient
of Alpine School District’s Volunteer of the Year.
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2003: Selected
to represent Pony Express Elementary students and parents on the UBI committee
(Utah Behavior Initiative). Committee works to implement a positive reward
program and a plan of action for negative behaviors.
Service
·
Currently
serving on the School Community Council for Pony Express Elementary.
·
Currently
serving on the PTSA (Parent-Teacher-Student Association) Nominating
Committee. Responsible to select and contact people who may be willing to
serve on the board in the upcoming school year.
·
Helped
establish Pony Express Elementary’s Trading Post which is a monthly store
where students are rewarded for reading at home.
·
Served as
president of the local church service organization for women (The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
·
Helped initiate
and implement a sports program for the City of Eagle Mountain. Volunteered on
City Sports Board.
·
Served as a
missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Florida-Fort
Lauderdale Mission.
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Boy Scouts of
America Merit Badge Counselor. Provided guidance to local boy scouts on the
topics of reading, family life, citizenship, traffic safety, and scholarship.
·
Donated over
2,000 + hours to Pony Express Elementary, Vista Heights Middle School,
Willowcreek Middle School, Westlake High School to help build and sustain
programs.
·
Invited to
chaperone large group of middle-school students who travelled to Cedar City,
Utah to compete in the Shakespearean Festival.
·
Led a group of
20+ teens to provide lunches and after school snacks for children in Utah
County.
·
Organized and
carried out a food drive that collected more than 2,000 pounds of food.
Donations were delivered to Community Action in Provo, Utah.
References upon request
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Sunday, April 21, 2013
English Curriculum Vitae
English Writing Sample
Kristy
Tyson
Professor
Alisha Geary
English
4950
2 April
2013
The Power of the Imagination
The imagination is a powerful force. A Latin Proverb states, “The imagination
exercises a powerful influence over every act of sense, thought, reason, --over
every idea.” John Muir states that, “The power of imagination makes us
infinite.” This is the idea that one is invinsible who has an imagination. One
can go on forever with an imagination. One’s imagination is singular and is
owned and regulated by one person. It can be influenced by other’s ideas and by
one’s perceptions, but it remains the property of an individual. Imagination
can be restricted by reason and reality, Reality is concrete. Reality tells one
that there are limitations. Reality sets boundaries, has rules, and is governed
by societal rules. On the contrary, the imagination is free. The imagination
has the ability to transcend one from any state of mind to another. The
imagination, if not balanced by reason, can change one’s sense of reality.
Imagination can turn one’s inner thoughts into making it seem like reality. It helps one to escape the realities of life,
particularly traumatic experiences, making one’s life seem “normal”, rather
than dealing with what is actual. The power of the imagination can free one
from their circumstances.
Into the Lake of the Woods, by Tim
O’Brien, explores the imagination of John Wade. He has been affected by the
Vietnam War crimes he has been commanded to commit. The societal rules
constructed for military are aimed to protect their country even to the extent
of killing innocent people. This has been the case throughout the history of
war. Unfortunately, the act of killing does something to the human psyche.
An
online article on the effects of war on soldiers discuses the emotional trauma
that soldiers face;
“Many
times it so happens that the soldiers have to physically hurt or kill their
opponent soldiers. Circumstances force them to end someone's life. This act of theirs’
brings them deep sorrow. Witnessing deaths becomes an almost everyday incident
for soldiers at war. They have to bear the grief of the suffering and deaths of
their fellow mates as well. Such situations definitely have a depressing effect
on soldiers. Death is bound to disturb the soldiers and deprive them of peace
of mind. This constant emotional struggle results in severe mental stress. The
undulating emotions that the soldiers have to go through result in great mental
strain. Reportedly, many soldiers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Their
trauma brings them mental insecurity. The violence, the injuries and the heavy
destructions result in distress.”
In this novel, it is clear that John has
had to engage in killing other humans and it has left a debilitating effect on
him. John has experienced mental strain and distress. As a way of coping with
the memories of the massacre, John slips into another persona. The persona
exists because of John’s powerful imagination. John’s imagination takes him to
other extremes. One extreme is that he is obsessed with a desire to be an
elected official, at almost any cost. In his mind, the imagination of becoming
someone different overshadows his reasoning. He goes to the extreme of abortion
in his marriage.
I
believe he has imagined a life of social acceptance as a way of forgiveness of
his war crimes, and John’s idea of social acceptance includes following
political order. John’s inability to attach along with his imaginary idea of
reality causes him to coerce his wife into having an abortion.
John’s
imagination transports him from dealing with the war crimes, and takes him to a
place where his mind focuses on following Kathy, his wife. He hides from her
view and scurries after her like a private detective. John is not looking to
catch her doing anything wrong, he is following her more out of a need to fill
voids in his life. John desires to have
some control over the world which seems to be spinning out of control when he
says, “Kath, my Kath, the palm of his hand poised above her lips as if to
control the miracle of her breathing”(O’Brien 76).
John becomes the nicknamed Sorcerer in the
military. Through his imagination, he has transcended himself into some sort of
a made-up magician. His imagination is so powerful, that he is able to convince
others that he has some extraordinary abilities. John’s character can be
described; “John Wade encouraged the mystique. It was useful, he discovered, to
cultivate a reserved demeanor, to stay silent for long stretches of time. When
pressed, he’d put on a quick display of his powers, doing a trick or two, using
the everyday objects all around him. I’m the company witch doctor” (O’Brien 38).
One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, is another novel
that engages the power of the imagination. Big Nurse is controlling. She has
set up a mental ward that does not allow for any freedoms for the patients.
She
controls the food, the hygiene, the interactions, the movement and sleep of the
patients. The biggest threat to Big Nurse is the power of each of the patient’s
imaginations. Big Nurse cannot control the thoughts of the individuals, so if
patients exhibit any signs of using their imagination, she immediately steps in
to mandate medication or electro-shock therapies that will suppress the
imagination. Medication is used to control independent thinking.
The
Chief understands what Big Nurse expects and engages in a continual role-play
of being deaf. Because, he does not share his ideas or express any sense of
self, he is often overlooked. The role-play stems from the Chief’s imagination.
He is able to imagine others in the ward and fantasizes about their control and
abilities. Chief is able to deal with the life he has because of his
imagination. Evidence of Chief’s ability to use his imagination to free him
from his circumstances is found throughout the novel. One part is when Chief is
exposing his ‘me’ thoughts,
“
Ther’d be my face in the mirror, dark and hard with big, high cheekbones like
the cheek underneath them had been hacked out with a hatchet, eyes all black
and hard and mean looking, just like Papa’s eyes or the eyes of all those
tough, mean-looking Indians you see on TV, and I’d think, That ain’t me, that
ain’t my face. It wasn’t even me when I was trying to be that face. I wasn’t
even really me then; I was just being the way I looked, the way people wanted.
It don’ seem like I ever been me. How can McMurphy be what he is?” (Kesey 136)
The Chief also had emotional trauma
that came from being a soldier in the war. He suffered trauma from being part
of a tribe and watching his father’s sufferings. He share insight to how he
feels, “ I can see all that, and be hurt by it, the way I was hurt by seeing things
in the Army, in the war. The way I was hurt by seeing what happened to Papa and
the tribe. I thought I’d got over seeing those things and fretting over them.
There’s no sense in it. There’s nothing to be done” (Kesey 114).
The power of Chief’s imagination
helps to keep him ‘sane’ in the insane world he was placed in. He is forced to
be controlled by Big Nurse on the outside, but the Chief still maintains
control of his inner thoughts, which Big Nurse cannot. He appears deaf, though
he can hear. The power of his imagination has freed him from his circumstances.
In the novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, written by Jonathan Safran
Foer, a reader can find evidence of characters who also use their imagination
to cope with their trauma. In this novel, the power of the imagination allows a
young boy freedom from his current circumstances.
Oskar is a nine-year-old boy who has
lost his father in America’s 911 terrorist attack. Oskar’s father was killed when the
Twin Towers were destroyed. Similar to the two previous novels discussed, Oskar
is dealing with loss, and the effects of war.
Foer’s character has an interaction with his mother that shares these
feelings of loss; “The next morning I told Mom that I couldn’t go to school
again. She asked what was wrong. I told her, ‘The same thing that’s always
wrong.’ ‘You’re sick?’ ‘I’m sad.’ ‘About dad?’ ‘ About everything” (Foer 42).
Dealing with the traumatic
experience, Oskar frees himself from his reality, or circumstance and begins an
adventure to find the lock that goes with the key he found. This adventure takes him to several different
areas to meet everyone with the last name of Black. Oskar is very bright and
seems to pick up on peculiar details, such as everyone he comes in contact with
makes a reference to his name or something, that triggers the possibility that
they already know why he is there. While this is true, Oskar refuses to
acknowledge the peculiarities, but rather continue fostering his own
imagination. Oskar uses his imagination to protect his emotions. There is a
part when Oskar is explaining why he must meet the Blacks. He says, “That was
kind of how I felt when I decided that I would meet every person in New York
with the last name Black. Even if it was relatively insignificant, it was
something, and I needed to do something, like sharks, who die if they don’t
swim, which I know about” (Foer 87). Oskar needed to imagine a life, outside
the present one he was living, to cope.
One of Oskar’s critical revelations
to the reader is when Oskar is talking to his grandfather, though he doesn’t
know it. Oskar is sharing the last messages from his dad. Oskar’s imagination
is intertwining with his reasoning, and he is trying to come to terms with
which one allows him healing. In the following passage, Oskar and his
grandfather share insight to this. Because Oskar’s grandfather does not speak,
he writes; “He wrote, ‘He sounds calm in the last message.’ I told him, ‘I read
something in National Geographic about how, when an animal thinks it’s going to
die, it gets very, very, calm.’ ‘Maybe he didn’t want you to worry.’ ‘Maybe, maybe
he didn’t say he loved me because he loved me. But that wasn’t a good enough
explanation. I said, ‘I need to know how he died.” Oskar’s grandfather…”flipped
back and pointed at, Why?” Oskar says, “So I can stop inventing how he died.
I’m always inventing” (Foer 256).
The characters noted in Into the Lake of the Woods, One Flew Over
the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, all had
powerful imaginations. The imagination, as described in these three novels, has
the power to transport individuals to an emotionally safe place. Trauma,
including loss, seem to trigger the need to allow the imagination to take
flight. The use of one’s imagination allowed the characters to focus on other
things rather than have to face the harsh realities of the present.
The power of the imagination is
infinite. There are no boundaries to what one can do with their mind. For these
characters, reality would limit them and if forced, they each might have had a
different ending, good or bad. John Wade, in Into the Lake of the Woods, his uncontrolled imagination stemming
from war trauma, caused him to ultimately eliminate any attachments to life he
had. If he would have received the help he needed, his wife’s life might have
been spared. The Chief, in the novel One
Who Flew the Cuckoo’s Nest, first found solace in his deaf impersonation,
but later found that a voice was part of a life he had missed. He seemed to
challenge his imagination with reality. In Extremely
Loud and Incredibly Close, Oskar finally balances his imagination with
reality, which ultimately helps his healing process to begin.
The power of the imagination is
singular to a person. It is a solitary opportunity. I believe the imagination
helps humans to not only protect themselves emotionally when needed, but it also
is the source of creativity in the world as well. I believe that the
imagination helps individuals mask feelings and emotions, especially traumatic
experiences, until one is ready to deal with it in reality. While both
imagination and reason, even reality, are needed to create balance in
individuals, I believe that the power of one’s imagination is what sets us
apart as individuals. Without imagination, my experiences with the novels of
this course, specifically the three I have written about, would be universal
rather than individual to me.
English Synthesis
Kristy Tyson
Professor Geary
English 4950
16 January 2013
Synthesis
Utah
Valley University’s mission statement exerts
that it “is a teaching institution which provides opportunity, promotes student
success, and meets regional educational needs. UVU builds on a foundation of
substantive scholarly and creative work to foster engaged learning. The
university prepares professionally competent people of integrity who, as
lifelong learners and leaders, serve as stewards of a globally interdependent
community”(UVU). All disciplines must create courses of study that reflect the
mission statement. I believe the English Department has implemented the mission
objectives in a way that has impacted the way I read, the way I write, the way
I think, and especially in the way I engage with society.
According to UVU”S homepage, “UVU values the broad acquisition of
knowledge and recognizes the value of critical and creative thinking and
practical skills. We prepare students to contribute to society, adapt
creatively to new challenges, and thrive in an ever-changing world community”(UVU).
The English Department has adopted a mission
statement to focus their course to support the University mission statement. “The English & Literature Department offers a
wide variety of fascinating and challenging classes in writing, literature, and
critical theory. English students engage with texts in multiple ways and at
multiple levels—reading, analyzing, and discussing literature ranging from the
classical to the contemporary, but also producing their own critical and
creative work. English courses broaden students’ cultural awareness, deepen and
refine their critical thinking abilities, and enhance their skills in written
and verbal communication”(UVU).
English 2600 with Professor Albrecht-Crane
was my first introduction to critical theory. I had taken my lower division
courses over 20 years ago and had never been exposed to theoretical approaches
to literature. At that time, the focus was on finding meaning in literature
through themes and motifs. My courses focused on what the author’s intended meanings
were. We learned to look at characterization and how they affected the plot. We
learned to write about how we felt while we read and how the readings affected
us personally. English 2600 changed how I look at literature now. I was
introduced to the details of language. Language is made up of words.We don’t
have language to sufficiently describe or name everything. Professor Albrecht-
Crane used Metamorphosis by Franz
Kafka to teach theoretical approaches. One book was used all semester and yet I
learned to use nine critical theories in that single piece of literature.
Professor
Karin Anderson challenged me to attack the Theory Beast! English 3890 is one of
the most difficult courses I have taken at UVU. The pace, the readings, the
theoretical approaches and applications from text to text made me feel like I
was always hanging from a cliff. Though it was extremely challenging, this
paper has caused me to look at what I learned from the course. My favorite
reading from the course comes from Octavia E. Butler’s novel, Kindred. I studied that texts for a
whole semester first, because I was assigned the reading and the work to apply
the Critical Race Theory to the book, but second because through the study of
the different theories, I found myself becoming deeply affected by what
language does in this particular novel. I found the language to represent a
world unknown to me and as much as I tried to plug myself in to the possibility
of representing the “other”, a non-European white society, I kept falling back
into the white world I come from. I have a difficult time separating myself
from a white constructed world.
In the final pages of literary criticism of Butler’s
novel, there is a push to show the “white” world just how far we are from
representing “otherness”. The criticism is beautiful and somewhat haunting to
me. As a white American, it is extremely difficult to represent, through
language, other cultures and people. Butler
does not attempt to explain what she describes so graphically at the end of the
sixth chapter; “How could Dana’s arm, from the elbow down, be physically joined
to the plaster of her living room wall? The author is silent on the process by
which Dana’s arm is severed in the twilight zone between past and present. Kindred, one could say, is no more
rational, no more comfortably explicable than the history of slavery itself.
But that is a little too easy. The fiction has a ruthless logic to its design,
and in an interview Butler has stated that the meaning of the amputation is
clear enough: “I really couldn’t let her come all the way back whole and that,
I think, really symbolizes her not coming back whole. Antebellum slavery didn’t
leave people quite whole”(Butler 267).
“Time damages as well as heals, and genuine
historical understanding of human crimes is never easy and always achieved at
the price of suffering”(Butler 267). I love how this passage stands as a strong
justification of why literature is important. The language used to describe
human crimes and suffering of the signifying “other” challenges one’s ideas and
perceptions in a very personal way.
In
English 3670, Professor Brian Whaley expanded my understanding of both prose
and poetry. Whaley’s passion for literature and his thorough way he approached both
novels and poetry is extraordinary. In every discussion, I learned to read more
carefully. He encouraged us to embrace the beauty of words and the power of
language. Whaley’s insight and instruction with poetry helped me to better
grasp key skills needed to understand and appreciate it. I have always
struggled with poetry, specifically in the mechanics of knowing what rhyme
schemes are, how patterns work in poetry, and what one can deduct from use of
language. Whaley’s teaching added a measure of mathematical applications when
approaching poetry. Whaley asked that each student study
two poems and use the skills he taught us throughout the semester to annotate,
explicate and show evidence of understanding how language gives rise to
meaning. I chose two poems about women. As I applied the skills he taught, I
came to love poetry. I wrote about a poem by Christopher Reid, What the Uneducated Old Woman Told Me. Some of the skills I learned are
evidenced in my work on that particular poem. By using an anaphora with each
sentence beginning with That, it
shows repetition to a thought, familiarity to a place and time, and provides a
license for a narrative that could work in expressing both a first person and
third person voice.
Some
of the most striking uses of language include the author’s use of specific
words that when grouped together, create specific meanings. In this poem, word
families that describe age, modernization, death, war, family, superstitions,
companionship, and death work to express voice, mood, binaries and
commonalities in human life. Using these word families also helps a reader to
make assumptions about where the woman is sharing these thoughts. As a reader,
I made predictions that she may be on a front porch telling her story to a
young friend or family member. The ordinary, day to day word choices illustrate
someone who sees things simply or would like to explain her realities simply to
be clearly understood. I consider my poetry education to be one of the greatest
assets to my English Degree. Whaley helped me personally to become immersed in
the beauty found in poetry. Now, I wish I had had more opportunities with
poetry.
Professor
Grant Moss made Shakespeare’s work come alive! Professor Moss has an amazing
knowledge about Shakespeare and the time period, and yet he consistently led a
guided discussion that allowed students to make their own connections. He
introduced us to several plays and I learned about the categories of his work
which include tragedies, romantic comedies etc. Professor Moss gave students
the assignment to write about anything that interested us in Shakespeare’s work
but required several sources. I chose to write about women represented in
Shakespeare’s plays. First, I learned that the University Library really does
help students. Annie in the library not only helped focus my topic but she also
helped me with inter-library loans. She even followed up with me during the
process. Second, I read multiple books that were related to my topic and as I
read from so many sources, I also learned many other interesting facts and
trivia about the time period. This assignment not only increased my
understanding of William Shakespeare’s works, but it also solidified my belief
in his influence on society and the influence society had on his work.
English
3640, Restoration 18th Century British Literature taught by
Professor Nathan Gorelick, introduced me to Gulliver’s
Travels and many wonderful classics.
Together we explored the Age of Enlightenment focusing on great philosophers
such as Descartes, Locke, Rousseau, and Voltaire. These philosophers helped to
shape ideas and theories that have had influenced literature. Prior to this
course, I cannot remember being introduced to these philosophers and their
work. I really enjoyed Professor Gorelick’s teaching style as well. He offered
great feedback and careful critique of all my submissions. Gorelick’s feedback
has helped me to improve my writing.
English
3540, Contemporary American Literature, introduced me to current novels. The
novels included issues relevant to the 21st century. As a returning
student of several years, I believe this class was needed for me to be as
current as I can in the English field, especially if I do decide to eventually
go on to teach at a high school or college. Professor Charles Vogel has an
incredible knowledge of hundreds of novels. He would assign a novel and then
share several other novels that were either written by the same author, written
during the same time period, and/or share a common theme. This teaching method
is one that I have adopted both at home with my own family and hope to someday
be able to replicate in my own teaching.
Professor
Carney and Professor Davidson have imparted valuable literary skills and
knowledge. Each taught me to be thorough in examining a text and to be willing
to take risks in my approaches to literature. From them, I learned to think
outside the box, to not just regurgitate, but to find ways to express myself in
fresh new ways.
Choosing
English as my major has been an adventure. Through literature, I have travelled
through time, issues, cultures, and people from America to Britain. I have read
over one hundred works. I have critically thought about each piece. I have written
and written more about different aspects of each work using the variety of
skills I have learned.
I
believe that the selection of professors is a reflection of UVU’s Mission
Statement. I also believe that the course objectives, particularly English and
Literature Studies, have given me a wide variety of experiences, applications,
and critical thinking skills. I have been able to engage with texts in multiple
ways and on multiple levels through reading, analyzing, and discussing
literature. (English Department) It is by this training that I now have some desire
to further my education to become a teacher so that I too can help educate
others in the wonderful ways I have been taught!
English Justification
Kristy Tyson
Professor Alisha Geary
ENGL 4950
7 February 2013
What
Language Does
Sigmund Freud claims that the human mind
is a powerful thing. He was evolutionary in his claims that our dreams, our
symbols, and our literature reveal how we think, how we remember, and how we
associate. He claims that through language, layers of association, layers of
connection and memory are recalled. To me, Freud’s claims make the study of
language, even the study of literature, critical to one’s ability to process
and engage in the world.
Structuralism
was the first major theory shift from the traditional approach of Liberal
Humanism. Academics’ began to construct patterns in literary works through
analyzing language, specifically the arrangement of word choices that
ultimately create meaning in a text. This change opened up the possibilities
and acceptance of new ways in analyzing literature. One of the theories that
evolved from the theoretical shift was Post-Structuralism.
Ferdinand
de Saussure is a linguist, who is generally considered to be the Father of
Structuralism. Structuralism defends that the world “is something, it exists,
but in language we do not find it” (Barry 40). Meaning is not simply there;
language creates it. Structuralism seeks to find meaning through text and not
reality. Language is thought to be arbitrary arrangements of perception.
Saussure’s belief is that words are “purely arbitrary and that these meanings
are maintained by conventions only” (Barry 40).
Saussure
also emphasizes that “the meaning of words are relational” (Barry 41). As words
are arranged, meanings can be derived. If any words were removed from what
Saussure refers to as a paradigmatic chain, the meaning of any other words
could be affected. First, we create perceptions. Then, we pair opposites like
‘good’ and ‘bad’ which are examples of pairing relational words, which give
rise to meaning (Barry 41).
Saussure’s
work influences the very essence of Post- Structuralism, another theory that
seeks to describe language. According to Barry, “ The post-structuralist
believes that we enter a universe of radical uncertainty, since we can have no
access to any fixed landmark which is beyond linguistic processing, and hence
we have no certain standard by which to measure anything”(Barry 59). If
Saussure says this and we understand it to be true, then as we deconstruct language,
we will end up in a state of ambiguity, or at least limited to what is
identifiably real.
Let’s
dig deeper into how Post-Structural applications radically disrupt the way in
which the world we live in is viewed. Post-Structuralists’ are concerned with
how language is constructed. Post- Structuralism argues that language is not
natural. Language is constructed by the conventions of a culture and because of
this, there is no certainty that a receiver of information will ever completely
understand what the giver is portraying. This has been evidenced in every novel
I have read in college. A post-structuralist will argue that individuals or
cultures think in a way that comes from their own language, which shapes the
way individuals see the world. In addition, because every individual or culture
has different perceptions, ideas will never be viewed the same way.
Barry
states that, “Linguistic anxiety is a keynote of the post-structuralist
outlook”(Barry 62). Linguistic anxiety comes from individuals’ thoughts about
how they are conveying information or portraying themselves. Individuals desire
to be in control of the linguistic system. Individuals want others to
understand the world the same way they do.
Jacques
Derrida was a philosopher in the 1960’s who influenced post-structuralism in
claiming that nothing is absolute. Fundamentally, Derrida expressed concern
with conventional impacts on literature and the English language. Derrida
notes; “White Western norms of dress, behavior, architecture, intellectual
outlook, and so on, provided a firm centre against which deviations,
aberrations, variations could be detected and identified as “Other” and
marginal”(Barry 64).
The western ways of behavior in a conventional culture
marginalizes anyone who does not fit the white western norm. Instead, they are
pushed into a category known as the signifying “other”. An individual or group
must comply with conventional notions that have been constructed or one is
reduced to the status or class of an “other”. A post-structuralist identifies
social norms that restrict the individuals.
Post-Structuralism did much to influence other theories
that would evolve from the ideas and thoughts about what language does. All
theories aim to look at what language does through the use of different lenses.
I
had an epiphany when I learned and applied theory to literature. The Critical
Race Theory follows the same implications and traces what language does to
marginalize the “black” race pushing them to the outer “white” sphere known as
“Other”. While races are evident in American Literature, they are not
accurately represented. Again, theorists’ claim that this happens because every
individual or culture have different perceptions, so ideas will never be viewed
the same way.
Toni
Morrison’s Playing in the Dark, is a
set of lectures that explores the Critical Race Theory. Morrison says that
there is “exclusion- of assigning designation and value to blackness”
throughout American Literature. (Morrison 1007) She goes as far as to say that
the American constructed language does not follow the Constitution, which
demands equality. Morrison calls into question what the constructed language
does to create binaries and perpetuate racism. She argues that writers cannot
separate themselves and their writing from the socially constructed “white”
society made up of language and ideas. She says that literature reflects the
society the writer is infused in. Morrison notes that it is an act of
“becoming” that shows understanding of a racialized society. Morrison believes
that the United States does not have the fullness of literature without being able
to look beyond what the white society imagines. She says that the consequences
of this constructed “whiteness” comes from a culture not being able to analyze
their societal views and recognize it for what it is and what it does. To
“become” we must be able to access our symbolic culture and see it for what it
is and does.
In Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred, there is evidence intertwined throughout the novel that
supports Toni Morrison’s ideas, aligned with Critical Race Theory, that expose
“whiteness” in literature and the experiences of the signifying “other”, which
in this case is “blackness” and expressing the issue with what it is like to
have society in opposition to you, essentially to be the signifying other. Two characters, Dana and Kevin are watching
children play a game of slave trade. Dana says, “My God, why can’t we go home?
This place is diseased.” He took my hand. “The kids are just imitating what
they’ve seen adults doing,” he said. “They don’t understand…” Dana says, “They
don’t have to understand. Even the games they play are preparing them for their
future-and that future will come whether they understand it or not” (Butler
99). As they are quietly watching, they recognize the “whiteness” of the
society the children are in. Because of the “white” social construction and
their desire to project “blackness” as something outside their made up America,
“blackness” is excluded from accessing the same America.
Another key example of whites pushing Africanism to the
signifying other is evidenced in the dialogue when Rufus meets Kevin and is
trying to make sense of why a white man would be married to a black woman,
Dana, and not be ashamed to admit it. Dana quickly jumps in and tells Rufus
that where they come from, it is more acceptable to be racially mixed, even
though she knows that even Kevin’s sister in the 19th century is not
acknowledging their marriage. But for the sake of adhering to the white western
norms, Dana tells Rufus that as long as they are in the south, they have to
“play the roles you gave us” “You’ll say you belong to him?” “Yes. I want you
to say it too if anyone asks you” (Butler 65).
Later, Rufus wants to maintain order and control by
reducing Dana to the “other” when she is clearly crossing white boundaries. The
dialogue is between the two of them;
“I’ve
been too easy on you, he said. His voice was suddenly low and ugly. I treated
you like you were better than the ordinary niggers. I see I made a mistake.” ‘…
For several seconds, he stood frozen, towering over me, glaring down as though
he meant to hit me. Finally, though, he relaxed, leaned against his desk. You
think you’re white! He muttered. You don’t know your place any better than a
wild animal” (Butler 164).
The black slaves, owned by Tom Weylin, and Rufus, don’t
believe that Rufus can change. Although Dana speaks the words, she is saying
what the slaves were already thinking. She says, “He’s no good. He’s all grown
up now, and part of the system. He could feel for us a little when his father
was running things-when he wasn’t entirely free himself. But now, he’s in
charge. And I guess he had to do something right away, to prove it” (Butler 223).
At some parts, it
seems that Tom Weylin is aware that Dana is more than an object, but just that
haunting knowledge helps him to push her farther into the categorical “other”.
This is expressed when he describes her as somewhat supernatural. He says,
“Years ago, I would have sworn there couldn’t be anybody like you. You’re not
natural! But you can feel pain-and you can die. Remember that and do your job.
Take care of your master” (Butler 205). The intellectual uncertainty that
Weylin experiences causes him to once again reinforce his whiteness. He cannot
see Dana as a person because the society would not accept it. To consider Dana
a person rather than an object would mean equalization and the white world was
not constructed to look that way. Her abilities have to be considered
supernatural, as if there is no way she, herself, could do what she does. This
categorical place setting makes her abilities seem only possible by the help of
someone greater, maybe a white God.
There
are many passages in Kindred that
also show how language is used to create meaning for the “Others”. The black
“others” are carefully watching how they have limited access to the world. One
example comes when Alice is angrily speaking to Dana about how Dana is not
really one of them. She attacks Dana and
says, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, whining and crying after some poor
white trash of a man, black as you are. You always try to act so white. White
nigger, turning against your own people”(Butler 165). Alice wants Dana to know
that Dana is not one of them. Alice, though black, is putting Dana into a
category as well. Though this passage is meant to show the black world
conforming to the white constructed society, I wonder why white control cause
blacks to fight against each other. When I read that passage, I wondered what
Butler intended by showing the blacks at odds with each other but I think the
fight was inevitable to show the collision of two different periods in history.
The reality of Alice recognizing Dana as representing more of the white western
norms would make sense with what era Dana is living in. In the 19th
century, Dana has been infused in the ways of the white world though she can’t
access them fully.
Another
passage that displays Dana’s experience and infusion in a white western world
is when she is desperate to find Kevin. She hasn’t heard from him and she wants
to write another letter. Both the whites and blacks are watching her. She says,
“I went to the laundry yard to help Tess. I had come to almost welcome the hard
work. It kept me from thinking. White people thought I was industrious. Most
blacks thought I was either stupid or too intent on pleasing the whites. I
thought I was keeping my fears and doubts at bay as best I could, and managing
to stay relatively sane ”(Butler 163). Again when Dana is with Rufus, he is
explaining how her resistance to slavery scared his father. Rufus explains
that, “Daddy always thought you were dangerous because you knew too many white
ways, but you were black. Too black, he said. The kind of black that watches
and thinks and makes trouble. I told that to Alice and she laughed. She said
sometimes Daddy showed more sense than I did. She said he was right about you,
and that I’d find out someday”(Butler 255). Dana has lived with the western
white culture for so long and is part white, that she cannot separate herself
from it.
The
language used threatens the white order, the resistance is not expected and the
fact that Dana isn’t afraid to have a voice creates disorder for the whites.
Whites are forced to see things differently. As a reader, we deduct this by
careful study of language and what it does.
Butler
does a beautiful job of refocusing the reader back to the idea that this is not
a “white” novel. This exposes the “black” that is kept from white culture and
thought. “Blackness” is put off as the “other” as though if one does not know
it, they are not part of it and have no responsibility for it. I love the
interview with Butler as she describes Dana’s arm amputation. Butler says, “I
couldn’t let her come all the way back. I couldn’t let her return to what she
was, I couldn’t let her come back whole and that, I think, really symbolizes
her not coming back whole. Antebellum slavery didn’t leave people quite whole”
(Butler 267). This powerful statement pushes the “white” to contemplate what American
Literature does. It reminds us, through careful language, that “Africanism” has
been represented destructively in literature. “White” society has forced
African isolation by continually using language that represents anyone outside
of the white race as the “other”. Both
Butler and Morrison would argue that this forced isolation (expressed in
literature) keeps all of the signifying “others” excluded from accessing the
same America as the white society inhabits. The Critical Race Theory challenges
“white” America to look at what has been created as “blackness”, evaluate what
the implications of these constructed binaries are, and then to tell a more
representational story.
Reading
a variety of texts and literary works and then writing about them has helped me
understand language. Language is complex and beautiful. Through my study of
theoretical approaches, I now know what language does. I now know that words,
themselves, are relational and give rise to meaning. I know that language can
isolate people from accessing all of America by marginalizing people. But, I
also know that language has the ability to help readers and writers engage in a
more representational story.
The
power of the English language and the opportunities to read and write using
such language allows one to move past a simple layer of understanding. I think
Maya Angelou said it best when she said, “When you know better, you do better” (Angelou).
When one engages with literature or picks up a pen to write, a story unfolds. For
me, the study of language, my engagement
with literature, and my experiences with writing have helped me connect with
the world in new ways. I now know better and I can and will do better!
I
believe we live in a world where life is becoming digitalized. The desire for understanding
language and its implications are becoming part of a historical past, even an
outdated practice for younger generations. Many want something at their
finger-tips with little thought. As an
English Major, I believe part of what I take with me from my education is to
keep my passion for literature and writing alive. The study of language, even
the study of literature is critical to one’s ability to process and engage in
the world.
Works
Cited
Angelou,
Maya. "Interview: Maya Angelou." Interview. Interview: Maya
Angelou. N.p., 2004. Web. 5 February 2013.
Barry,
Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and
Cultural Theory.
New York: Manchester University Press, 1995. Print.
Butler, Octavia E. Kindred. Boston: Beacon Press, 1979. Print.
Freud, Sigmund. On Dreams. New
York: Norton, 1952. Print.
Morrison,
Tony. “Playing in the Dark.” Literary
Theory: An Anthology.2nd Edition. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Massachussetts: Blackwell
Publishing, 1998. 1007-1016. Print.
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