I enjoyed the story Recitatif this week. I actually read ahead (or listened to the audio version) so I was unprepared when I saw the instructions to have pre-conceptions noted. I also did not read the article prior to reading the short story (because stories are always more fun than research!), so my perspective may be different from other students.
Like any good story, Recitatif leaves many questions for the reader to fill in given imagination or prior experience. I immediately felt sorry for Twyla and Roberta, but I didn't get a sense of why either of them was where they were until the end. As I listened to their escapades as young girls, I had the rosy picture in my mind that they would grow up to be lifelong friends after their bonding experiences. I was disappointed when Roberta ended up treating Twyla rudely in the restaurant, and I was disturbed that Roberta would march in a racial display in front of the school later. To be honest, I didn't want Roberta to be successful or wealthy after the way she acted. I also found it frustrating that Twyla and Roberta couldn't agree on what happened to the poor lady that the older girls were beating up in the story. The conclusion of the story, although maybe a little more satisfying than what I had thought it might be, helped draw the reader to the fact that Twyla and Roberta were not so different as they had thought after all. Both of them had personal struggles and "skeletons in the closet" that they needed to deal with, and they both had personal hurts that helped shape their responses.
The way the author wrote the story helps draw the reader into the personal struggles of these two girls/women and gives readers a glimpse into what life must have been like from two perspectives. We end up feeling sorry for both women, despite their shortcomings. This type of story fits into the construct of the research article for this week. Szecsi et al., (2010) point out that multicultural literature helps us understand the humanity of other cultures and find out that we have more to learn. As teachers who may have students from a variety of cultures, multicultural literature can help us become a closer community as we learn more about what makes other cultures unique. It doesn't mean that we will adopt everything about the other cultures, but it does create a bridge of understanding, just like the bridge that Twyla and Roberta ended up building at the conclusion of their story.
Szecsi, T., Spillman, C., Vazquez-Montilla, E., & Mayberry, S. C. (2010b). Transforming teacher cultural landscapes by reflecting on multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 17(4), 44–48. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ915271.pdf
Ben, I was very interested to read your post. I did not get the same thing out of the story you did. That being said, when I read your post I could see are reflect how you came to your feelings and reactions to the story. The reactions each girl had when they met up were bothersome to me, I did not like how cold they felt. I am wondering if that coldness is because they met at an unfortunate time in each others lives and they would rather forget that time. Especially since they have moved on and are becoming successful and happy. Do you forget or want to forget unfortunate times in your life? I don't mind the crappy parts in my life because helps me appreciate the good in my life.
ReplyDeleteRegina, I feel like they were cold to each other when they met up at the restaurant because they were both struggling with inner demons and wanting to forget where they had been many years ago. I could understand the way they both acted. Neither one knew what the other was going through. I am like you and I do not mind the rough times in my life because it did help me become who I am today but I also never had to go through anything that those two young girls did so I may have a different perspective if I did.
DeleteThat's so interesting! I'm definitely the person who wants to forget all the negative things in my life. Yes, I agree that their meeting was awkward and uncomfortable, and I am guessing it's because they both wanted to move on and forget the past. And yet, they still had a connection that was forged in that painful part of their lives and they couldn't let that go without exploring it. I'm still learning things about myself today by occasionally reflecting on my childhood and talking about it with my siblings or parents. I only wish she had finished the story after they had resolved everything rather than leaving us feeling conflicted! :)
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