World Building - "The Book of the Dead"

Topic: What are the precise strategies that are used by its creator to convey the world to us and us to the world?

Edwidge Danticat adds subtle background information to the conflicts occurring in "The Book of the Dead".

On the first page, our inciting incident is Ka, a Haitian-American art teacher and our hero, is waiting in an office at the hotel she and her missing father are staying at. There, Ka gives bits and pieces of what she hears and sees: the hotel manager has a Spanish lilt to his voice and that the police officer is Floridian. Within the first page, the readers already know that we are in a Spanish-section of Florida.

Later in the story, we figure out who Ka is giving selling her statue to: a famous Haitian-American named Gabrielle Fonteneau. Here, we now know the time period. If a Haitian-American is successful and wealthy, our timeline is passed the Civil Rights Movement. I'd say around the 70's to the 80's.'

The Yellow Wall-Paper - Writing Assignment

Set in the early 1900's, The Yellow Wall-Paper is about a woman assumed to have a false disorder called hysteria and is entrapped in an airy, cringe-worthy room prescribed by her physicist husband. Throughout the story, our protagonist slowly goes insane, seeing a woman trapped behind the piss-yellow wall-paper. The subtext of this story implies that this woman is trying to save herself.

The question for discussion: How are relationships between men and women are portrayed in this story?

The physicist, John, is the true antagonist from the first page. He decides who goes where and what happens, even with his sister who assumes her "natural female job" as a house-maid. John has convinced our hero she is insane when, from reading the first couple pages, seems quite normal. Because of John's forceful nature and entitlement to being right and more intelligent, the woman becomes insane due to the situation she is put in.

What I'm trying to get at here is that woman in this era are taught to be submissive towards men and not to question the expectations of what a woman can and cannot do or feel. They are in a constant cage of limited activity, which was contextualized to the T with our hero gaining intrigue in assisting a helpless woman behind the wall-paper. It's really her, trapped in a male-driven world.

A Female Heroin Design

Today I will be designing a female heroin in a world that is a quite dramatic version from our own.

I would like to create a heroin that fights for women's rights and inspires the young generation to break the stereotypical profiles that are brought upon them. Being skinny, submissive and a caretaker are only some prejudices that must be eradicated for women of the world to truly branch out and be whoever they want to be.

Imagine a country where women are enslaved to men. As the caveat for this repulsive life style, a rebellion was formed called "Unity" made up of women and men with common sense. It informally seceded from that nation, Divicious, and constantly attempts to take down that government, but has been having issues doing so. Divicious has the numbers and the technological strength, but their flaws aren't something one can see, it's in their human right standards and life style (clearly). Women who are enslaved to caretake and reproduce only need the inspiration to break from the prejudice they have of themselves and fight back against the oppressors.

Our female lead, Jeffra, was a brainwashed Divicious native that was a trusted secretary and spy for the Vice President. At first, she believed in the oppression, thinking it's where she belonged. After having to "teach a lesson" to a reproductive workforce on strike and then being sexually assaulted by the VP as a "thank you", Jeffra realized how terrible her actions have been for her own gender. She needs to make up for it and make a difference.

This world doesn't have superpowers, but Jeffra's skills are the closest thing to it. In her old days, she would spy on the women workforce's leaders and act accordingly. With this experience, she knows exactly how to blend in a crowd, even a crowd of men.

Jeffra has found herself personally at Unity and quickly skyrockets through the ranks. She's quick, diligent and innovative, but has suppressed aggression that usually always gets her into some trouble during the missions in Divicious. Though, her charisma and kindness trumps her flaw at the last second, therefore being able to give anyone a second chance, because she was given one as well.

Jeffra has never been interested in anything sexual and doesn't identify with a sexuality. This makes her crossdressing very useful when she infiltrates Divicious's governmental meetings. Physically, she is not skinny nor overweight, but that doesn't matter. Her muscles are helpful but not prominent. Jeffra has a business-like fold in her hair on the left side and it only goes passed her ears.

In this story, Jeffra's goal is to redeem her past by being the strongest force to take out Divicious and help create a new, equal community for all: gay, straight, male, female, black, white, and so on.

- Daniel G. Gorham (2/12/17)