Teen Pregnancy and Educational Attainment - Antonio Mihail

Teen Pregnancy and Educational Attainment

                Teen pregnancy has been one of the largest national conflicts in the United States, in recent decades. Its significance as an issue lies within its positive correlation with the low educational attainment of teenage mothers. Even though the rate of teen pregnancy has significantly been reduced within the nation in the last forty years, the United States still maintains the record for the highest rate of teen pregnancy among developed countries (Kearney, Levine 141). Post World War II economic theories correlated teen pregnancy with poverty, and labeled it as a feature of Third-World Countries. However, the United States has established itself as the most dominant economy in the world, since the turn of the twentieth century. How can the most dominant economic power have the highest rate of a characteristic of poverty, such as teen pregnancy, among other world powers? My research explains the reasons the United States still maintains a high rate of teen pregnancy today, how pregnancy and childbearing impact the educational attainment of teenagers, and how the educational attainment of teenagers from different social, racial, and economic backgrounds is affected by teen pregnancy.

            I began my research by keeping in mind the question "why does the U.S. have such a high rate of teen pregnancy compared to other developed countries?" America does a good job explaining to high school students the health risks of sexual activity, the negative impact of teen pregnancy on the lives on young parents, and the benefits of contraceptives. Every student is required to take a health class during high school, in order to graduate. Health classes are usually taken early on, usually during freshman year (Coyne, D'Onofrio 1). It seems like the U.S. is following correct procedures towards eliminating teen pregnancy, however, it still maintains a high rate and remains an issue. How could this be? All the scholarly articles I found on the internet led me in the same direction: teen pregnancy is an outcome of poverty, rather than a direct cause of it (Landsburg 1). Therefore, the United States has a high rate of teen pregnancy because it also has poverty, or an income inequality issue. The majority of teens keep getting pregnant not because they lack information about its risks and negative effects, but because they live in poverty and lack motivation to pursue their goals (Singh, Darroch, Frost 1).

            The reason a high rate of teen pregnancy is considered a problem is because of its negative effect on the educational attainment of those teens. There is a negative correlation between teen pregnancy and educational attainment (Marteleto, Lam, Ranchhod 1). Teens who get pregnant during high school are less likely to graduate than those who delay pregnancy until their late twenties (Dopkins Broecker, Hillard, DOI 10.3843/GLOWM.10414). Also, they are even less likely to attend college right after high school. I interviewed a high school mate of mine, Marilyn, who was pregnant during sophomore year, and gave birth in the beginning of junior year. She stated that she was currently not attending college because she does not have enough time to dedicate to her studies. Education requires a lot of time and effort. Evidently, teenage mothers do not have enough time to dedicate to their education, because they have to devote time to household duties and to provide for their children.

            After concluding that teen pregnancy correlates negatively with educational attainment, I examined how teen pregnancy affects students from different social, racial, and economic backgrounds. My research suggests that socio-economic status of a teenage girl determines the effect teen pregnancy will have on her educational attainment. Within the framework of the household production theory it can be argued that disadvantaged youth will not have received as much education as more advantaged youth due to resource constraints. The opportunity cost of having a baby in terms of foregone education will probably be quite low for the disadvantaged youth. In contrast, teenage mothers from a more upscale background may end up sacrificing more years of schooling (Seeborg, Kumazawa 102). Therefore, the impact that teen pregnancy has on educational attainment depends on the person’s background.

Births per 1,000 Females Aged 15–19 Years, by Race and Hispanic Ethnicity, 2007-2015

https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/young-teen-pregnancy/index.html

            Overall, the United States maintains the highest rate of teen pregnancy among developed countries. The U.S. tries to reduce teen pregnancy just like other nations, however, the methods used have proven to be ineffective. Implementing health classes in schools and informing students about contraceptives is not enough to prevent adolescents from getting pregnant. These current methods of reducing teen pregnancy have a significant positive effect on the educational attainment of those with the most favorable background characteristics but very little effect on those with the least favorable characteristics. It is important to understand that teen pregnancy is a result of poverty, rather than a direct cause of it. Hence, teen pregnancy is more common in underprivileged areas of the country. Since the most disadvantaged teen mothers would have dropped out of school at about the same time even if they had not gotten pregnant, preventing the pregnancy would have little effect on their educational attainment. To decrease the rate of teen pregnancy, poverty needs to be eliminated first. If the U.S. aims to encourage the educational attainment of economically disadvantaged teenage mothers, discouraging them from having babies will not help much. What may help, however, is to create programs to help them to increase their academic ability and to make educational resources available within the home. 

           I spent a lot of time researching teen pregnancy in the United States and its effect on the educational attainment of teenage girls. For that reason, I wanted to find the best way for this information to reach as many people as possible. Being only weeks away from receiving my teaching certification in Adolescent Education in Social Studies, I have realized that I can put my research into good use by sharing it with my future students. Thus, I created a lesson plan that will share the results of my research with my students. Also, students will be expected to design their own social programs that will make educational resources available within the home for disadvantaged students. It is not only important for everyone to understand this issue that is affecting American communities, but to also help come up with a solution. I have made the lesson plan public. Anyone can access it. I encourage all teachers out there to teach it to as many students as possible. I have also uploaded the lesson on a lesson-plan sharing website to increase its availability. 

Works Cited

Coyne, Claire A., and Brian M. D'onofrio. "Some (But Not Much) Progress Toward                                    Understanding Teenage Childbearing." Advances in Child Development and Behavior 43                     (2012):   113-52. Print.

DelRosario, Marilyn. "Teen Pregnancy, Educational Attainment, and Future Goals." Online                         interview. 1 Dec. 2015.

Dopkins Broecker, J, Hillard, P, Glob. libr. women's med., (ISSN: 1756-2228) 2009; DOI                              10.3843/GLOWM.10414

Kearney, Melissa, and Phillip Levine. "Why Is the Teen Birth Rate in the United States So High                   and Why Does It Matter?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 26.2 (2012): 141-66. Print.

Kumazawa, Risa, and Michael Seeborg. "Teen Mothers and Their Educational Attainment: Some                 Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth." The Journal Of Economics                       22.1 (1996): 95-104. Print.

Landsburg, Steve. "The Economics of Teenage Pregnancy." Http://www.thebigquestions.com.                       Empirical Puzzle, 14 May 2012. Web.

Marteleto, Leticia, David Lam, and Vimal Ranchhod. "Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, and Schooling                among Young People in Urban South Africa." Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Stud Fam  Plann, 

          1 Dec. 2008. Web. 14 Dec. 2015. <http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.26.2.141>.

Singh, Susheela, Jacqueline E. Darroch, and Jennifer J. Frost. "Socioeconomic Disadvantage and                   Adolescent Women's Sexual and Reproductive Behavior: The Case of Five Developed                         Countries." Family Planning Perspectives 33.6 (2001). Print. 

Final Project

My final assignment was inspired by two documentary films we watched in class, A Girl Like Me by Kiri Davis and Miss Representation by Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

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I decided to create a man-on-the-street style video piece addressing the misrepresentation of people of color. I interviewed several students at Hunter College(who are people of color), to hear their unfiltered opinion about this topic.

Upon creating this project, I discovered that a lot of students feel underrepresented when it comes to representation in the media. Students also felt strongly about wanting to be viewed by society beyond stereotypical images that are created to further suppress them.

In the current political climate where racism is still running rampant, I believe that the voices of these college students, will show how hatred can directly impact the people around you. My hope, as a media maker, is for my viewers to be inspired my these voices to ignite change within their sphere of influence, whether on a local level or a worldwide level.

Video:

 

Works Cited

 

Kiri Davis: A Girl like Me. (2007, April 16). Retrieved December 05, 2017, from https://youtu.be/z0BxFRu_SOw

 

About the Film. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05, 2017, from http://therepresentationproject.org/film/miss-representation/about-the-film/

 

“Miss Representation.” Documentary Lovers, documentarylovers.com/film/miss-representation/.

 

MALCOLM X THE MOST DISRESPECTED PERSON IN AMERICA IS THE BLACK WOMAN. (2016, May 09). Retrieved December 05, 2017, from https://youtu.be/z_q_Z9A0RuQ

 

 

Final Project

My semester project is a book called Brown Skin Girl. The story is a generational family collection of stories and poems about the women in my family. The themes of the story focus around immigration and women’s issues. I wrote poems revolving around four generations of my family: myself, my mother, my grandmother, and my great grandmother.  I wrote a story accompanying each poem to explain it on a deeper level. I interviewed my mother and grandmother to get a story and a perspective from their lives. My great grandmother passed away a couple years ago, so I took her perspective based on stories from my other family members. The stories were difficult to write, because the women in my family find it difficult to share their hardships. I wrote the stories in third person omniscient and hoped I brought justice to the stories of my family.  The women in my family are people that I look up to and they inspire me everyday so I hope their stories inspire all those who read it.

Final Project: Being Muslim In America; The Women's Perspective

The American film director, writer, and producer Wes Craven once said, “Stories and narratives are one of the most powerful things in humanity. They are devices for dealing with

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the chaotic danger of existence.” The most important thing I learned this semester was the power one holds in creating their own narrative and story. I have also learned if one does not share their own story, someone else will share it and the possibility of further perpetuating stereotypes and misunderstanding is much greater. Therefore I decided to create a magazine that gives voice to the community of Muslim Women in America in order to challenge the stereotype of the oppressed muslim women.

When creating the magazine there was a lot at stake because I was not only doing this to

Qaherathesuperhero.com

share my understanding but the collective perspective of a community. A community that is tired of hearing the narrative that they are oppressed, that they need saving, and that their religion or culture is the cause of all evil. This narrative is the main understanding of all Muslim women even those that live in America who clearly have different experiences than those living in Muslim-Majority countries. My hope for the magazine is that it can give insight into the perspectives and stories of a few individuals that are part of greater community to show that not only are our voices present but there's more to us than what the media says. The magazine consists of articles, poems, photographs, an interview, and a section on motherhood. The articles highlight the different perspectives within the community. The poems show the lived experiences of individuals. The photographs are a visual element that allow the reader to see the young women through her own lense. I interviewed an Adjunct Lecturer at Hunter College, so we could see a Muslim woman thriving in an environment where they are usually not recognized. Lastly, the section on motherhood came about by accident. I was asking my friends who their role models were and the majority of them said that it was their moms, because they play such a vital role in their development to womanhood. So. I asked a few individuals to share what their mothers mean to them or anything they’ve learned from them. The result are the last few pages in the magazine.

Overall, it has been an amazing experience to create such a magazine. When I was talking about this project to the women in my community I noticed that there was a great interest and excitement around the success of the magazine. Although I was expecting support from my friends and family it was only after finishing the magazine was I able to fully understand what this meant to the community. The magazine allows for these women to recognize themselves in media and to be able to see someone like themselves leading that way. I don’t say this out narcissism but rather through a feeling of great humbleness, it is an honor to share the stories, perspective, and experiences of the women in my community.

Final Project: Being Muslim In America; The Women's Perspective

Sources

“How The Depiction Of Muslim Women In Media Dehumanizes Them.” The Odyssey Online, 4 Sept. 2017,www.theodysseyonline.com/how-the-binary-depiction-of-muslim-women-in-media-can-dehumanize-them

Lorde, Audre. The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action. 1977, p. 43.

Mastro, Megan A. “The Mainstream Misrepresentation of Muslim Women in the Media.” Gettysburg College, 2016.

“Qahera - The hijabi superheroine (Kicking misogyny's butt since 2013).” Young Feminist Wire, 14 Feb. 2014, yfa.awid.org/2014/02/qahera-the-hijabi-superheroine-kicking-misogynys-butt-since-2013/.

Final Project

My final project is a blog called A Woman Speaks. It's inspired by Humans of New York but focuses solely on women and their stories. I interviewed various women about their experiences, their struggles, their opinions, and have created a media platform to bring their voices to the forefront.

This has been quite the experience, unexpected in many ways. I learned things about women I know that I never new, struggles I never even guessed at. This project also helped me be more open and outgoing with strangers. I had to put myself out there but also make them feel comfortable enough to want to share things with me. Two of these women cried while speaking to me and it made me feel even more appreciative that they were willing to relieve moments for me.

I have also created an instagram page for the blog, where i've been very happy to see that it's been gaining followers and all the stories have likes. This means people are reading and appreciating what these women have to say. That is and will continue to be my main goal as I continue on with this project.


Resources:
HONY: Techniques on how to interview people 

Final Project- Yolanda Mackey

Since our first blog post in this class “Who do you think you are?” and throughout the entire course, I’ve been encouraged to reflect on my past media contributions. I was forced to revisit a decision I made, why I stopped posting on my blog Women’s Empowerment. On my old blog, I focused on encouraging, strengthening and uplifting women. But it was without sharing my unique perspective. I realized what I was contributing was important to me but not my whole truth. I was limiting what I would and would not discuss on my blog in an effort to appeal to all. Today, I am encouraged by strong female leaders such as Linda Sarsour,  and Issa Rae both women have stayed true to who they are, and the world has found a way to appreciate their truth. My presentation will focus on my new blog, that will launch officially in January 2018. I have taken this opportunity to rebrand my blog, and most importantly, tell my truth.

I included the link to my old blog. Please check it out and try not to LOL too hard. J (This project is also a testament to academic growth in a relatively short amount of time.) On my old blog, I posted one final post, a farewell. Check it out here!

This is the new will be improved blog. It is currently under construction but this is where the magic will happen.

Presentation Link

Sources:

Crenshaw, Kimberle (1989) "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics," University of Chicago Legal Forum: Vol. 1989 , Article 8.

Final Project

For my final project, I made a book composed of illustrations and short stories. The book is loosely based on my boyfriend’s life, it encompasses three ‘chapters’ of his life. The themes revolve around the main character’s life showing how he begins to learn more about himself, his place in the world, and what being a man means for him. These revelations are aided by his father, who gives advice and helps him along his journey of self-discovery. The story deals with several topics such as discrimination, sexual assault, and gentrification.

The outcome of my project differs from my proposal because in my initial idea, I wanted to simply focus on the recent sexual harassment and sexual assault accusations in the media, and how it can affect a young boy. As I thought more about this idea, I thought it was too limiting of a scope on a person. After all, a person is not defined by their ideas/opinions on one issue; instead they are defined by several characteristics and unique identities. As a result of this revelation, I decided to scrape my original idea, in favor of making a book that shows the story of a young boy and how he is affected by several unique circumstances, how he deals with the consequences of his actions, and how he grows as both a person and a man.

Another factor that was concerning to me while writing the story was that they were not my lived experiences, so I was a bit hesitant in transforming them into a story. I was fearful that they would not be authentic stories since I, myself, had not experienced them. However, I realized that just as a person is not defined by a singular experience they are also not defined by a single story. This book that I created does not stand in place of all Latino boys’ experiences, but simply the experience of one individual.

Here is the link: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/59602749/the-struggles-of-a-boy

Final Project - Re: Silence

via Re: Silence

What I find most common is getting unpleasant stares or comments directed my way. When I told one of my guy friends: “those men in the deli have been staring at me and my friend for the past five minutes that we were standing here,” the reply I received was “but aren’t you used to that?” Used to that? That’s exactly the issue. Why do I feel like I am getting undressed in their mind and I can do nothing about it but feel uncomfortable? “Yeah, I can’t relate, so I don’t know how that feels like,” says my male friend. Most men don’t. This is why I put together this book explaining different scenarios of sexual harassment, uncomfortableness, or unfairness women face.

My ideal message is to show other women and young girls that they are not alone and be able to give them a voice to speak up about their experiences. I intend on a male audience to read this in hopes that they could understand how their actions may affect us. I am not speaking for all women, nor am I directing this at all men. I am also not purposely excluding other genders or sexualities in this work; I will only include the perspective(s) that I have background in. The purpose of the book is to spread awareness of the issues by discussing mine and others’ personal experiences; thus, I am also not attempting to claim that my experiences are more important or worse by any means than another person.

via Instagram user @iamlenaheadey

Therefore, this is why I decided to write Re: Silence! The concept came from the subject line in an email. This book was written in regards to silence and how I want to break it using my stories. I think poems are a fun form of self expression and leave things open for debate for their readers. My goal was for my poems and my stories to capture some instances of a women's day that are hidden away in our mainstream media and that may not feel serious to people that are strangers to sexual harassment.

Works Cited

“How Black Women's Bodies Are Violated as Soon as They Enter School.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 Aug. 2017, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/16/black-women-violated-us-policing-racial-profiling.

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books, 2008.

Bornstein, Kate, et al. “Identity, Schmidentity.” Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation, Seal Press, 2010, p. 55.

Doyle, Sady. “Why Do We Still Treat Even the Most Powerful Women's Bodies Like Public Property?” ELLE, ELLE, 11 Oct. 2017, www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a44172/public-womens-bodies/.

Headey, Lena. “Instagram Post by Lena Headey • Oct 12, 2017 at 1:20pm UTC.” Instagram, www.instagram.com/p/BaJkEKYBKtH/.

Headey, Lena. “Instagram Post by Lena Headey • Oct 18, 2017 at 1:06pm UTC.” Instagram, www.instagram.com/p/BaY_QAxhOR6/.

Kirkham, About Alli. “How Society Polices Women's Clothing (No Matter What We Wear).” Everyday Feminism, 18 Apr. 2016, everydayfeminism.com/2015/04/policing-womens-clothing/.

Lorde, Audre. “Poetry Is Not a Luxury.” Women Confronting and Creating Culture.

Lorde, Audre. “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action.” Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, Crossing Press, 1996.

Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. Eds. Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen. New York: Oxford UP, 1999: 833-44

Stack, Liam. “After Barring Girls for Leggings, United Airlines Defends Decision.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Mar. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/03/26/us/united-airlines-leggings.html.

Final Project Summary

This film showcases the career of director Lois Weber, considered by many film historians to be the first true auteur director.  Her films were not only ahead of their time in terms of technical achievements, but they also set a standard that not many filmmakers were able to meet.  She challenged how women were viewed by society while struggling with her own Victorian Era upbringing.  This video also features insight from Margaret Seleznev, a Women and Media student who shares her own take on Lois Weber's impact on feminism and the potential of women in media as a whole.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cnTUBZWvYI

Dargis, Manohla. “Lois Weber, Eloquent Filmmaker of the Silent Screen.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Dec. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/12/15/movies/lois-weber-eloquent-filmmaker-of-the-silent-screen.html.

Slide, Anthony. Lois Weber: the director who lost her way in history. Greenwood Press, 1996.

Luper, A. Janeice. Lois Weber: a loud voice among the silents. 2004.

Beauchamp, Cari. “Remembering Lois Weber, Early Hollywood’s Most Successful Woman Director.” IndieWire, 15 May 2015, www.indiewire.com/2015/05/remembering-lois-weber-early-hollywoods-most-successful-woman-director-203681/.

“Lois Weber, Early Hollywood's Forgotten Pioneer.” Dangerous Women Project, 9 Jan. 2017, dangerouswomenproject.org/2017/01/10/lois-weber-early-hollywoods-forgotten-pioneer/.

Post 5

One of the best examples I've seen from an actress putting out a feminist work is from Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame.

At the United Nations, Watson gave a very powerful speech as the UN Women's Goodwill Ambassador.  She shot down the stereotype that feminism equates to 'man-hating' and was quoted as saying, "I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me.  But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word. Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men, and unattractive."  It successfully called out those who have the double standard between strong women and men.  For example, if a man were to hold the same views as Watson in an open forum, more than likely that man would be praised.  However, Watson's speech showcased a society who seems to be afraid of strong women.

In addition to dispelling the feminist stereotype, Emma Watson comes to the defense of men who go through mental illness by pointing out their unwillingness to reveal such issues as society as a whole would deem it as them not being 'macho.'  It's important to note this as critics of her speech are often those who did not take the time to see the full video.  In no way, shape or form does Emma Watson come across as hating on all men.  She shows a clear understanding of the problem as a whole.  This is best represented in another quote that reads, "I was encouraged not to use the word feminism because people felt that it was alienating and separating and the whole idea of the speech was to include as many people as possible. "But I thought long and hard and ultimately felt that it was just the right thing to do."

As stated before, many of her critics are those who have not seen the video of her speech at the United Nations.  Most comments are from people who shame her for supposedly being out of touch with society, telling her to stick to acting and not politics or even calling her ungrateful for her success.  These comments among others only serve to show the ignorance of society.  Most commentators come from those who are from the right wing in terms of politics.  Their hypocrisy is clear as they have praised other women who are as vocal as Watson but share their views instead of being opposed to them. 

What I find to be particularly enlightening is the fact that Emma Watson is so young yet has an enormously powerful voice.  She is a graduate of Oxford University which shows in how well spoken she is.  Her time in the limelight has allowed to meet many different types of people with differing views.  This allowed her to formulate her own opinions and understand her personal views better.  Since feminism and improving society as a whole is important to her, one can only wonder when her next big speech will be.

Butler, Judith. Gender trouble: feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2015.

Hooks, Bell. The will to change: men, masculinity, and love. Atria Books, 2004.

Post 5: Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros is a poet, short story writer, novelist, and essayist. She was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1954. She is the third out of seven children and the only surviving daughter. During her childhood, her family was constantly moving between Chicago and Mexico City. This was clearly difficult for her but it was only heightened by the fact that she felt increasingly isolated as the only girl in the family. According to her biographer Robin Ganz Cisneros was inspired by her mother Elvira, “who was a voracious reader and more enlightened than her father” and she ensured that her daughter would be able to reach her full potential, regardless of her gender. When Cisneros was years old her family settled in Humboldt Park, a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago, unbeknownst to Cisneros this neighborhood and its characters would be the inspiration for her novel The House on Mango Street.

The House on Mango Street  is a coming of age novel that  tells the story of Esperanza Cordero as she grows and discovers the importance of her power. The House on Mango Street was the second book Cisneros independently published, after being published in many journals. It has been acclaimed by critics, loved by children, parents, and grandparents alike, and is taught in grade schools as well as universities. One of my favorite parts in the book is when Esperanza compares herself with her great-grandmother (they share the same name and were both born in the Chinese year of the horse). She says that it is bad luck to be born in the year of the horse “if you’re born female - but I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don’t like their women strong” (Cisneros 10). She continues by saying “ I would’ve liked to have known her, a wild horse of a woman, so wild she wouldn’t marry. Until my great-grandfather throw a sack over her head and carried her off. … And the story goes she never forgave him. She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow” (Cisneros 11). The part I find most striking comes at the end: “Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window” (Cisneros 11). I remember reading it and having to read it again because I just couldn’t believe it. I don’t know how old Esperanza is but it is just wild to read it from the perspective of a young adult. In my mind, it shows how much power she has because she is learning from the mistakes of her ancestors and vows to never make the mistakes, she is forging her own identity and its amazing to see her grow throughout the novel. It also is so sad to hear that her great-grandmother’s strong willed nature was tamed and defeated by the men in her life. This brings to mind what Naomi Wolf stated in Culture “Women are mere “beauties in men’s culture so that culture can be kept male. (Wolf 59)”. This quote shows that the reasoning behind Esperanza’s great-grandfather’s actions, it is because society does not accept a strong willed woman and he could not accept her the way she was as his wife.

Because of Cisneros unique background, her work shows a different experience as compared to more ‘traditional’ American writers. This is because she relies on her lived experiences to drive her writing. When she was in a writers’ workshop group she realized that her identity gave her writing a unique potential. She said “It wasn't as if I didn't know who I was. I knew I was a Mexican woman. But I didn't think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, whereas it had everything to do with it! My race, my gender, and my class! And it didn't make sense until that moment, sitting in that seminar. That's when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn't write about." (Doyle 6). Therefore, in her work she tries to negotiate a cross-cultural identity but this is complicated because both Mexican and American cultures have deep rooted patriarchal values. She noted that it is difficult to embrace Anglo views on feminism because it is seen as denying her culture, but she has learned that she had to define her views for herself and not be tied down by her culture. “Chicana feminism has arisen largely from this need to contest the feminine stereotypes that define machismo, while at the same time identifying and working against the shared class and racial oppression that all Chicanos/as—men, women and children—experience” (Madsen).  Chicana feminism is clearly found and present throughout The House on Mango Street from the interactions Esperanza has with her mother and other women in her life as well as through the stories she tells. Cisneros’ passion for hearing personal stories and expressing the voices of marginalized people through her work is what makes The House on Mango Street such a striking and compelling work of art. It embodies what Audre Lorde said in Poetry is Not a Luxury: “poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought” (Lorde 372). By giving the nameless names’, Cisneros is highlighting and validating their struggles and proving that they are not alone.

Works Cited

Doyle, Jacqueline (Winter 1994), "More Room of Her Own: Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street", MELUS, The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS)

Cisneros, Sandra. “The House on Mango Street.” The House on Mango Street, Arte Público, 1984, pp. 10–11.

Lorde, Audre. “Poetry is Not a Luxury” “Sister Outsider: essays and speeches” page 36. Published by Crossing Press, 1985.

Madsen, Deborah L. “Sandra Cisneros: General Commentary.” HighBeam Research , Feminism in Literature: A Gale Critical Companion, 2000, www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3441600383.html.

Wolf, Naomi. “Culture.” The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women.

Post 5: Warsan Shire

c: Afripopmag

Warsan Shire is a 29 year old poet and writer who was catapulted to international fame when Beyonce recited her poetry on her album Lemonade. Soon Warsan's books were selling out everywhere as people began to delve into the powerful words Warsan put into pen.

Warsan was born in Kenya to Somali parents but spent most of her life in London, where she never felt she completely fit in. She carried with her a constant feeling of being an outsider stuck between two dual identities. Much of her poetry evokes this feeling, often speaking from the marginalized perspective of refugees, immigrants, and black women. Warsan has made it clear her focus lies in giving a voice to those who are often silenced or wrongly depicted. "Inaccurate recognition is painful not only to the psyche but also to the political self, the citizen self." (Harris 38).

Her writings are certainly influenced by her own experiences and that of her family, resulting in a powerful intimacy that goes beyond touching us skin deep. It reaches us emotionally in places that are deep and private. It's courageous. As Audre Lorde wrote, "...the transformation of silence into language and action is an act of self-revelation, and that always seems fraught with danger." (42).

Give your daughters difficult names
give your daughters names that command the full use of tongue
my name makes you want to tell me the truth
my name doesn't allow me to trust anyone that cannot pronounce it right

C: beautyisinside

In 2011 at the age of 23 Warsan was already a published author, her collection of poems titled "Teaching my Mother How to Give Birth" are full of writings that are seductive, compelling, and mournful. Raw image of women's bodies displaced by war and violence. This was followed by "Our Men do not Belong to Us" (2014), and "Her Blue Body" (2015). Her storytelling is powerful, authentic, and elicits a strong emotion from her readers. Of this she says her aim is to, "preserve the names of the women who came before me. To connect, honor, to confront."

One of her most well known poems, "For Women Who areDifficult to Love", pertains to a topic Warsan often speaks on; love. She highlights female/male relationships from the female point of view, many times depicting men as being filled with a violent masculinity and lust that can be threatening to women. Yet the way these narratives are told are anything but simplistic. 

Warsan also tackles gender and womanhood intertwined with identity as shown in her poem "Things We had Lost in the Summer": 

One of my cousins pushes my open knees closed.

Sit like a girl. I finger the holes in my shorts, shame warming my skin

In the car my mother stares at me through the rear view

the leather sticks to the back of my thighs

I open my legs like a well-oiled door, daring her to look at me

and give me what i had not lost: a name 

It conveys images of forced femininity and questions of what it means to be a girl, a woman, a person who does not fit a particular gender role. And doesn't necessarily want to. She does so by creating a scenario many of us can relate to, a girl simply being herself without restrictions being told to act a certain way. Sit a certain way. Think a certain way. For women the script has already been written, but it is the courageous rebels like Warsan Shire who write their own story on their own terms. 

Works Cited

Harris Perry, Melissa. "Crooked Room". Sister Citizen: Shames, Stereotypes, and Black Women in 
     America. Yale University Press, 2013.

Lorde, Audre. The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action. n.p. 1977.