Native American Barbie

Of all the poems, I thought this was one of the stronger poems in Kinky. Yes, it is only one line long, but the underlying implications of this poem are worth taking a closer look at it. By saying that there is only one of them left, Duhamel might be making the point as to how Native Americans are nearing extinction. However, one can also look at the other side. Is there only one of such barbies because it/she is so popular? I think this is what Duhamel is trying to get across. Individuals want to live out their fantasy of what it would have been like to live in the past when there were many Native Americans around.

Although I don't agree with all of the connections that Duhamel makes in Kinky, I do see how they are connected. The one connection I don't quite see as fitting in the picture is Barbie and religion. Morman Barbie and Sister Barbie kind of get the religion ball rolling. I don't know if my lack of seeing the connection is due to my love of Barbies, but I was wondering if anyone else had any insight on the theme of Religion in Kinky?

I Love Lucy in Manifest Destiny

I found it particularly interesting that Duhamel used an 'I Love Lucy' reference in the poem Manifest Destiny. I think it's especially important for highlighting the serious issues and situations that women have to deal with--sterilization, big business, etc, because I Love Lucy is the polar opposite of this situation. The show was an idealization of society and and showed the simple and 'normal' life of Ricky and Lucy. By contrasting these factory workers with Lucy, Duhamel further symbolizes the hardships that less fortunate women have to face. On a related note, in the show, Lucy always wanted to become a famous person, a star. She, in a way, was striving to be an icon--one like Barbie has become and one like the women workers manufacture.

Slicing up the consumption pie

I know we haven't talked about this in lecture yet. But as i turned from manifest destiny to all the other poems about racial identities, i find an obvious link between the former and the latter. By introducing all these racial elements into the barbie dolls e.g. orientalism, changing their skin colors, Mattel is in fact colonizing and hearts and minds of little children across different psychographics - the point Duhamel makes in the last four lines of Manifest Destiny.

A desirable workforce

In reference to the idea of sterilization in lecture on Monday, it made me think of the invention of the 'baby barbie' - Kelly (if I remember correctly). Though such baby barbies exist, a pregnant adult barbie was never produced - probably because its often associated with negative images such as weight gain, vomiting etc. Pregnancy is thus portrayed as something undesirable. In sterilizing the Philippine workers, the manufacturers are creating a desirable working force for themselves.

Pecola and Her Baby

In lecture professor Zimmerman suggested that Pecola's baby was a a product of all madness, history, racism, etc. My question is why did the baby die? It is supposed to represent something? In my mind, when Morrison has the baby die she is sending out a message to the readers. Morrison is trying to say that no one is able to exsist happily/normally when all of this maddness, racism, and hatred exsists in society. People cannot live in a society like this. I wonder, had Pecola not endured so much pain and had someone reversed her maddness would her baby have lived? Would her baby then represent the hope and the future of society when people disregard difference and eliminate racism?

Junior vs. Ricky

I couldn't help but notice the parallels between 'Night Mother and The Bluest Eye. One such example is the relationship between a mother and her child, specifically, the relationship between Geraldine and Junior and Jessie and Ricky. Geraldine is not only a mother to Junior, but she is also a teacher, who shapes Junior's views on the world and people around him. She teaches Junior what is right and what is wrong. Geraldine, in a sense, controlled Junior, which he disliked and funneled his anger on to the cat, which Geraldine adored. In 'Night Mother, Norman shows a mother-child relationship that is opposite to that of Geraldine and Junior. Jessie is frustrated by Ricky's actions. She blames herself for how Ricky turned out. Jessie can't control Ricky. Even thought these two relationships are on two opposite sides of the spectrum, they share a common underlying notion that Geraldine and Jessie still loved Junior and Ricky respectively even if they committed actions that did not match with their mothers' expectations.