¶ … Gloria Watkins (using the pseudonym of "bell hooks"), Watkins presented the readers a detailed narrative of what it feels like to have writer's block and the reasons why she keeps on having it whenever she feels the urge to write about somebody or something else, and most especially when she wants to write something about herself, her inner feelings. She gave the readers some possible reasons why this happens, that is, why do writer's block happen during most important times, whenever memory recall of all important events in our lives are needed. Watkins solved her dilemma through contemplative thinking, wherein she traced her childhood experiences and significant events in her life to truly understand the origin of her recurring problem. The first reason that she gives the readers is that "[t]here was clearly something blocking my ability to tell my story. Perhaps it was remembered scoldings and punishments when mama heard me saying something to a friend or stranger that she did not think should be said." Watkins, through this statement, starts her journey to her childhood life, and gives us an idea how this could be a plausible reason to understand and possibly solve her recurring problem. Another reason that Watkins presents is that her childhood memories also resulted to inhibitions in her being a writer; she could not truly write what she was feeling or thinking because "I did not want to be a traitor... And yet I wanted to be writer." Her inhibitions...
Her need for release is also tackled in the essay, with Watkins remarking that "[t] he longing to tell one's story and the process of telling is symbolically a gesture of longing to recover the past in such a way that one experiences both a sense of reunion... And release." In this statement, Watkins is rejoined, after being torn apart between her family and ambition, and has come to understand her problem that telling one's story is essential because it gives an individual a sense of 'longing and release.' The audience can see that in this part of the article, Watkins was able to reconcile her dilemma, which stems from her childhood experiences and inhibitions as a result of her family's conservative behavior. She also was able to appreciate her writing by saying that she "felt as though I had an overview not so much of my childhood but of those experiences that were deeply imprinted in my consciousness." Finally, Watkins came to realize that despite the dilemma that she had encountered, the product of her long contemplation was well worth it- a product that deeply reflects her personality and what she is, that is, the reflection of what she has been through the years, the combination of…
Bell hooks' "Seeing and Making Culture" bell hooks successfully challenges stereotypes specific to poverty by writing to two separate audiences using ethos, pathos and vocabulary common enough for most people, yet elegant enough for academics. In her essay, "Seeing and Making Culture," hooks uses an ethos way of writing when she uses quotes throughout the text. In addition, hooks also uses pathos by appealing to our emotions with the interactions between
Bell Hooks In "The Oppositional Gaze," Bell Hooks frames gender in terms of power. Gender is one aspect of social hierarchy, and represents the social construction of power. The act of gazing, looking someone in the eye, or staring, likewise carries important connotations of power. Culturally specific, the norms regarding gazing determine norms related to relational power. Looking intently at someone is construed as brash, confident, and assertive. Therefore, persons with
(pp.45-58) Hooks also recognized that when integration occurred these change agents were alienated from black children and alienation and discrimination ensued, associated with being taught white history and democratic ideals, rather than reformation of education, which was the intention. (p. 3) Both perspective childhood stories imply implicit as well as environmental (explicit) characteristics of wisdom, as Hooks acknowledges that she may have been singled out, as a child of a
Another provocative element of hooks' text is the way that she renders whiteness problematic and alien, while the dominant culture has always done this with blackness. The quest to know what is not 'us' and to know the 'other' she implies, is endemic to all societies (hooks 32). Yet the academy has shown scant interest in how blacks perceive whiteness, only how whites perceive blackness. This renders white people and
Bell Hooks Argues There Must be no Split Between Theory and Practice Hooks also argues quite compellingly about not splitting theory and practice when it comes to feminism. In other words, practice what you preach. The best theory in the world cannot help anyone if it is not put into common practice. As Hooks notes, "I have come to see that silence is an act of complicity, one that helps
bell hooks, the celebrated Black feminist writer and thinker, recently penned a book called Feminism is for Everybody. It is a provocative title to be sure, but hooks is not the first writer to tackle the subject of how so-called "women's issues" can often have profound consequences on men. Literary works of fiction have long struggled with this central theme. In particular, Jean Toomer's Cane includes some powerful vignettes
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