Wing Young Huie, 2007-2010, http://photos.wingyounghuie.com/p929219206/h653276ad#h6b00ac63
When I first saw this image, the first thing that I noticed was the black chalkboard with the statement, "Race is an unfair tool by which to measure a person's character" (Young Huie). Next, I noticed that the man holding the chalkboard is black, and that the image is black and white. The store in the background is locked, maybe it's not open for business, and it looks like the store might be a thrift shop. As I thought about this image, the statement on the chalkboard stood out to me. Depending on someone's race, when people first meet or see someone, they are usually stereotyped, and most of the time these stereotypes are negative and do not reflect a person's true personality. It is very possible that the man in the image has been unfairly treated due to his race, and people have misjudged his character because of their faulty stereotypes.
Margaret Atwood and Wing Young Huie both present the concept of "othering" through the use of language. In The Handmaid's Tale, the group of people that are presented as different from the Handmaid's are the Unwomen. The Unwomen in the novel are infertile women that have been banished to the Colonies, while the Handmaid's are fertile women that live in Gilead and are used for reproduction purposes (Atwood 61). To create a separation from the Handmaid's and the Unwomen, Atwood uses "infertile" in order to describe the Unwomen. Wing Young Huie, however, uses language in order to present the concept of stereotyping. The statement on the chalkboard states that "race is an unfair tool by which to measure a person's character" (Young Huie). The words "race" and "tool" represent symbols that differentiate one person from the other; because of someone's race, they are seen differently than others, thus creating stereotypes. Both author's incorporate language in order to represent "othering," however Atwood uses language to describe a group of people while Young Huie uses language to present a concept of stereotyping.
Atwood, Margaret. The
Handmaid's Tale. Boston: Houghton, 1986. Print.
#1 I love the aesthetic of your blog and your header picture :)
ReplyDelete#2 I really like how you compared different bases of stereotyping regarding race and gender and even fertility. It really compares well because the persons character is measured by their race (as the chalk board says) or their ability to reproduce in THT. It also is interesting to look at the specific parts of THT that really do apply to our current society in 2015 and how we can make our society a better place with less "othering" or judgements based on one part of a person. Great job :)
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ReplyDeleteOverall, this post was pretty great, however, there was one thing that our opinions differ on. While I agree with what you took note of in regards to Wing Young Huie's photograph and Atwood's novel using language to portray othering, I would argue that the Unwomen are not the only group who are "othered" from/by the Handmaid's in THT. In the novel, each separate group of women appears to be victim to "othering" by the different groups. I see this in Rita and Serena Joy's negative attitudes in regards to Offred, that are based on their predisposed ideas due to her belonging to a different "better" caste. So, while I agree that the Unwomen are "othered" from Offred, I believe that each group of women (Martha's, Wives, Handmaid's, Aunts, etc...) sees only those who are in their own caste as equals, thus the Unwomen cannot be the only group that is portrayed as being different from Offred.
ReplyDeleteKirami-
ReplyDeleteGreat first post; however, I do wish you had spent more time on the denotative examination of the photograph, reflecting on Huie's decisions as far as format, structure, etc. and how those lead in to the connotative analysis. I appreciate that you looked at his intentions with the work and how that contributed to your understanding of othering.
I really like your choice of photo and your commentary about racial stereotyping as a form of othering. I also like how you compared the handmaids to the Unwomen, but I agree with Abby in that there are more groups that are othered in the novel. The Commanders' Wives are othered, as seen by the name of their social class and their inability to have sexual relationships. Finally, I think you made a great point about both Huie's and Atwood's use of language to portray othering.
ReplyDeleteFirst, OMG your blog looks so professional. Secondly, I really loved this blog post and the notion that race is an unfair tool. I've never looked at race in this manor before but I genuinely agree with it. Using race to determine the way in which someone is to behave is completely outlandish. Furthermore, while I loved your examination of the picture on the surface, I think going into more depth about the implicit messages would have created a more well rounded analysis. However, I loved your analysis for the THT.
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