Monday, March 12, 2007

Tenderness

The thing that really impresses me when reading any kind of literature is not the wit, or wordplay, or ingenuity, but the humanity that goes into it. For that reason "wishes for sons" was one of my favorite poems. What I interpret in the poem is not cruelty, which, one might get as a first impression, but the desire of a mother to give her sons strength as she understands it. I see a mother who loves her sons so much that she wishes she could have them experience the kind of cramps that make you double over, so that they understand a little better. The agony and humiliation of your period surprising you. The terror of a late period and the immensity of the relief when it finally comes. Those kindsof things are all things men miss in their life. They live in a kind of protective comfort of never having to worry in that way, and for a mother to wish that knowledge as a loving "understand me" gesture, is simply beautiful. Also, female gynos are evil to women...

I did however find quite a few of the cartoons to be horribly clever. The first one, "I'm wearing a corsage so you'll know me" the only black man in the room full of businessmen. It's funny, and yet tender in that he is the one who seems ignorant of his situation, though one would assume he should be the most aware. He is the "token" black male. I like the illustration of the firefighters because it speaks of discrimination by authority figures who should be there to protect everyone regardless. I was also pleased to see that they addressed discrimination against black women, even by black men, such as teh Black Panther cleaner, and the man who "brings his work home" despite his wife's "request." It is terrible how women are so overlooked in race talks.

No comments: