Chelsea Dunn

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Kristin Goehri 07/01/10

I looked at the Dove commercials. These tackle beauty and the ways in which media has contorted our perceptions. It asks women to become role models for young girls and help them feel beautiful in their own skin. I also looked at the seventeen project. It contains blog posts from readers who are tired of the one track focus of beauty magazines. Their posts ask magazine companies to expand their product to meet more women's needs.

July 1

While thinking of a piece with images of and narratives about women, I first thing of songs and movies that have women overcoming some sort of abuse or something very intense. After thinking longer about it however, I thought of the movie Hairspray. Hairspray is about a young girl, high-school age, that is considered overweight. She wants more than anything in the world to be on this dance show called The Corny Collins show. However, everyone in society, school, and even in her family tell her that there is no way that she will ever be on the show. Her own mother does not even think she has a chance because of her weight. Her father is the only one that tells her to go for it and try out. I think this movie stuck out to me because of the image of an ideal woman. The perfect slender body, long legs, pale, and long blonde hair- one which was brought up from the very beginning of class. This calls for action by not only the young girl in doing what she wants no matter what others say about her, but also for people in her family and the rest of society to accept her for who she is. She is a spunky, creative, fun girl and should be accepted for the kind of person she is.

I have attached the link to the trailer:

BreAnna Brock

The piece I chose was "Whats Love Got to do With It", this story is about the life of the well reknowned R & B artists Tina Turner and her life with her abusive husband Ike Turner. She endured many years of mental, emotional, and physical abuse including rape at the hand of her husband. All the while she being the bread winner for the family. And even when she worked he abused her to the point of exhausten and collapse causing her to have a nervous and physical breakdown. Finally when she couldn't take it anymore it lead to her literally having to fight her way out of a moving limosene to escape his abuse for one final time.



In the first scene, it begans right before she is released from the hospital from having her nervous and physical breakdown. the limo scene in this clip shows the strength and the point when Tina a become fed up. I love the fact that after she fought him, she gets out of the car gathers herelf as well she can and walks into the hotel with her head held high like a strong woman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm6z1I6lNqc



Second Scene I have is a continuation of the first scene, but in this scene Tina finally leaves Ike. I love how during the court scene Tina says he can have it all. She just wants her name although Ike wanted her to change it so that he could capitalize the Tina Turner name. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kwFAGKXdjE

July 1

The piece I chose that is a call for action is the movie The Women. This is a movie that is a women-only cast, however, most of the plotline is about men. The cast revolves around four best friends in their upper 30's and mid 40's. One of the women, Mary, discovers that her husband is having an affair with a much younger gal who works the perfume counter at SAKS. With the help of her friends and family, Mary is able to work her way through this rough patch with the support of her friends and other family members. Also, Mary begins to realize what she wants out of life instead of living the role that she felt was assigned to her.

This movie holds several narratives, however the most prominent one is Marys. She has been living life not as she would have liked, but as she felt she was supposed to live her life. This movie grapples with the ideas we have discussed in class such as societal influence on womens roles, relationships between women, etc. This is a great movie, especially for this class! It calls out to women and encourages them not to live by the books. Instead, live life the way you want and accomplish the goals you've always dreamed of.