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Gayl Jones
(Harlem Moon)
As a writer, Gayl Jones is a canny recorder of verbal communication. All of the 12 stories which compose White Rat are told in the first person, and each character presents a different voice. Every bit of exposition is filtered through dialogue. As such, there’s very little attention paid in these stories to anything but people: the things they do, the things they think and the things they say to each other. To a large degree many elements of these stories, elements such as setting and even in certain instances the narrators’ identities, are left intentionally vague and unresolved. The reader is left no choice but to construct these stories themselves out of nothing but the raw materials provided by Jones, that of people’s utterly subjective narration. How the reader arranges these elements in their own mind can be a particularly revealing exercise, shining a light on unexamined prejudices, in particular in relation to the way speech is used to define—and obscure—identity.
Gayl Jones is a black woman, and this fact is an absolutely inescapable element of her work. Like Zora Neale Hurston (with whom she is inevitably compared), Jones is a connoisseur of dialect. Allowing her characters to reveal themselves almost exclusively through their speech, she unpacks a potent and surprisingly dense field of subtext through the varying degrees in which these voices present an accurate or inaccurate view of reality. A lot of it has to do with subverting readers’ expectations, and doing so in such a way as to cause them to question their own assumptions about how racial identity is defined through language.
From the very beginning, Jones telegraphs her preoccupation with the liminal spaces where racial identity is defined. The first story, “White Rat”, is told by a black man who, because of his pale skin, can easily pass for, and is often mistaken for white. The “white rat” defines his blackness very simply: his family is black, his parents are black, therefore he is black. Similarly, the narrators in “The Women” and “Jevata” are easily defined by their speech and their behavior—perhaps, the wary reader thinks, too easily. Jones’ mastery of black southern dialect brings the reader uncomfortably close to a tacit understanding of linguistic differences as shorthand for racial barriers. It’s such a simple metaphor that one can almost be forgiven for being lulled into a false sense of empathy based solely on the semiotic content of a person’s speech: racial identity solely identified as colorful language (“color” in this instance containing multiple meanings).
And then Jones muddies the water. Later stories in the volume are told with far less extravagant diction, in what might be considered a “normal”, almost entirely deracinated dialect. Already attuned to see Jones’ stories as pure reflections of racial identity, the reader is cast adrift when Jones eschews any overt racial signifiers in stories like “The Return: A Fantasy” and “A Quiet Place For The Summer”. Are the characters in these stories black or white? Why does it matter to the reader, why does this become such a compelling question? Because Jones has already created such a definitive image of black identity through dialect, she forces the reader to question the underlying assumptions behind the way language identifies us. When we read a grammatically-neutral first person dialogue with no mention of race, under what assumptions do we assume whether or not the speaker is black or white? If we’re attuned to see everything through a prism of race, how does that distort the readers’ perceptions?
Jones explicitly tackles this question in “Your Poems Have Very Little Color In Them”, an examination of the (tacit) expectations created by audiences—in this case, presumably white academic audiences—to tailor the linguistic identity of a speaker or writer. It is not a coincidence that, again, the word “color” can have two different meanings in this context. Color can, and often does, refer to vibrant, allusive language, but it also often means simply the color of a persons skin: identity reduced to cultural shorthand, a reduction that implies the dismissal and not entirely unintentional pidgeonholing of persons based on ethnic identification. In any case, linguistic definitions only serve to make it easier to regard subject persons as objects instead of sentient actors. An old definition of force holds that force is the action that results when one person defines another as merely an object; in this instance, the classifying of persons based on dialectic eccentricity (defined from grammatical “norms”, often resulting from educational deprivation and social ostracism) acts as an unconscious but irresistible force, warping and distorting the lives of those affected. If other people talk differently, they must therefore possess less of what makes us “human”, and should be treated accordingly.
Although race is undoubtedly her chief preoccupation, it would be a mistake to dismiss Jones as solely a “black writer” (whatever that means). The facility with which she cleaves through the basic assumptions that underlie our racial identities points to a far more nuanced, and disturbing, picture of humanity. The other main preoccupation of these stories is mental illness. Insanity recurs in “The Return: A Fantasy” and “Asylum”, and a mentally retarded boy narrates “The Coke Factory”. More than merely the way the perception of language frames racial identity, Jones is after the way in which people define their own lives through subjective experience. In regards to race, what effect does poverty and deprivation have on an otherwise rational mind? How exactly do forces of societal disapprobation—institutionalized and socialized racism—warp and distort the lives of those effected? To further confuse the matter, Jones links several of her stories together in such a way that events and persons in one story are revealed in a decidedly different manner elsewhere. Supposedly familiar people become strangers, leading the reader to reexamine almost everything taken for granted or assumed in the course of previous overlapping sections.
At its heart, there is something hard and distrustful in Jones’ work. It seeks to probe and question, intentionally overturning preconceived notions in favor of a larger, more quarrelsome but much more accurate understanding. Rather than simply portraying the miseries of poverty, racism, class division and insanity, Jones uproots traditional notions of narrative empathy in the hopes of breaking down a readers’ resistance to tragedy—obscuring the line between subject and object to achieve a greater degree of identification than that provided merely by observing suffering, a passive activity that can be seen as tacit dismissal. Like the best American literature, Jones desires nothing less than to disturb and displace a pacified readership, using the tools of a guerrilla insurgent to place harmful truths behind otherwise settled borders of authorial remove. White Rat isn’t very long but it’s the type of book to which you can look forward to returning many times, unpeeling new layers of meaning behind the facade of prickly hostility with each reading. It’s a violent book, but violence can sometime have a transformative effect.
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Home » TV » TV Review: The Walking Dead – “Pretty Much Dead Already”
AMC’s The Walking Dead ends its fall run with “Pretty Much Dead Already,” the seventh episode, with six more to begin in mid-February. In this week’s entry, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) confronts Hershel (Scott Wilson) about the Walkers in the barn, whom Hershel thinks of as people. Hershel considers letting the group stay, as Rick begs, if they will respect his opinions on the undead. But before Rick can appeal to his party, Shane (Jon Bernthal) takes matters into his own hands, leading a slaughter of every zombie in Hershel’s barn. The last Walker out (SPOILER ALERT!) is the little girl the whole group has been searching for: Sophia (Madison Lintz).
One interesting, nagging question: why do most zombies stay away from Hershel’s farm, and how is he able to protect it without keeping constant watch? How come only a couple of stragglers get stuck in his swamp? Where are the crowds that decimate surrounding lands? Is there more to this mystery, or is it happy coincidence that he is able to keep his family safe?
The Walking Dead spends this entire batch of episode searching for Sophia, only to learn she is a zombie in a barn on the property they are staying at the entire time in “Pretty Much Dead Already.” This isn’t exactly a shocker, since comic book readers already know that Walkers are in the structure, and the barn is within the vicinity that Sophia could be in. It might be assumed, even if not confirmed, that Sophia is one of the captives before this episode. Of course, the one person who would have been able to tip off the group as to Sophia’s whereabouts is killed by Shane before he even knows that they are looking for the lost girl, and Daryl (Norman Reedus) discovers enough clues to keep some off balance.
But whether Sophia’s sudden appearance in “Pretty Much Dead Already” is a shocker to you or not, there is much impact in the reveal. Hershel is watching the group kill his family, friends, and neighbors, as he still sees them as such, as Shane and the others shoot the Walkers in the head. These people mean nothing to them. But when Sophia emerges, they all stop shooting. Suddenly, both the main characters and the audience are really given a face to the tragedy of the epidemic. Sophia is not the first actress shown before and after turning zombie in the series, but it is done with such raw emotion, that one cannot help but be moved. Of course, she must die, too, and does. But now none can deny understanding Hershel’s stance on the Walkers, even if they don’t agree,
Will Hershel kick the group off of his farm now, since they murder his loved ones, or is he finally seeing the Walkers for what they are? This is a debatable point that will not be answered until February. He is still insisting it’s only a sickness in “Pretty Much Dead Already,” which may someday be cured, as the zombies are released. But he gets a first hand look at a hoard of hungry flesh eaters, and it must be very scary. Also, watching Rick take down one of his own has got to mean something, and maybe Hershel will take pity on the travelers, despite what they do.
The people who suffer the most over Sophia’s death are Rick, Carol (Melissa McBride), and Daryl. Carol’s grief is obvious, being Sophia’s mother. Rick takes the loss as a father himself, and the leader who cannot protect everyone. But Daryl’s connection is less obvious. He invests a lot of himself into the search for Sophia, and one cannot help but think that Daryl sees finding Sophia as a chance to really be an appreciated member of the group. Often an outsider, rescuing the missing girl would allow everyone to separate him from his also missing, good-for-nothing brother, as Carol begins to. It also gives him a chance to do something good and selfless, something his brother does not approve of. Sophia’s death is a set back for Daryl, and there is no telling how he will respond to it.
Shane is going down a very, very dark path in The Walking Dead. He thinks that he can make the tough choices that Rick can’t, and only be being completely logical and ruthless, does anyone stand a chance to survive. He applies this theory when he kills Otis, and continues to bellow it throughout. He is the one who gets the guns and opens up the barn, even when others try to convince him not to. Can he recover from such bad choices?
Yet, Rick is the one who must kill Sophia in “Pretty Much Dead Already.” Despite Shane’s insistence that he is a better protector, Rick saves the group from one of their own. Why doesn’t Shane act first? Might his theory falter when confronted with a living person that he cares about? If so, then maybe he isn’t too far gone to be saved.
No one will convince Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) that Shane is salvageable, though. Dale is the one who tries to hide the guns from Shane, and cautions Andrea (Laurie Holden), who shares sex with Shane, not to follow the former cop down his chosen path. Dale tries to act as father and conscience to everyone, but his biggest challenge is Shane. It isn’t likely that Dale is strong enough to help Shane, given the way that Dale backs down in “Pretty Much Dead Already.” But maybe he can help Andrea see the truth, even if she likes the way that Shane makes her feel, not being a victim anymore.
Is Lori’s (Sarah Wayne Callies) baby Shane or Rick’s? Does it matter? Can she ever know for sure? In the world of The Walking Dead, a DNA test to determine paternity will be nearly impossible to come by. Lori’s resolve to raise the baby as Rick’s, no matter what the truth is, also determines that Rick will be the dad, whether he is the biological father or not. Maybe someone can use a calculator after the baby is born to give a good guess. But given Lori’s decision to cut Shane out, as well as Rick’s forgiveness towards his wife for sleeping with Shane, given the circumstances, it probably doesn’t matter anyway which genes the baby has.
In the midst of all the darkness in “Pretty Much Dead Already,” love finds a way to bloom. Which is kind of a metaphor for the hope that springs in each character in The Walking Dead, no matter their conditions they endure. Of course, the couple referred to is Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Glenn (Steven Yeun). Despite Maggie’s insistence that their relationship only be physical, and her anger at Glenn for telling his friends about the barn, the two manage to forge a bond that seems strong. Especially after Glenn expresses some real care for her. Maggie may love Hershel, but she isn’t above questioning him. If the group is allowed to stay on the farm, Maggie will be a big influence in the decision. And she will be so because of how she feels about Glenn.
The Walking Dead will return in February to AMC.
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About JeromeWetzelTV
• Pedro
Each episode has way to little action. Getting bored of it.
• Randy
I find it interesting that Herschel calls the Walkers in the Barn by name, whilst insisting on referring to Glen as “That Asian Boy”.
• Boss
Pedro- that means you’re probably a kid or young teenager
Gingrich pledges $2.50 gas, Obama: 'it's easy to make phony promises'
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President Barack Obama waves from Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. on Friday, Feb. 24.
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Obama sought to deflect growing Republican attacks over rising prices at the pump, blaming recent increases on a mix of factors beyond his control, including tensions with Iran, hot demand from ChinaIndia and other emerging economies, and Wall Street speculators taking advantage of the uncertainty.
Recommended: World's cheapest gas: Top 10 countries
In a visit to the University of Miami less than nine months before the presidential election in which he will seek a second term, Obama offered a modest series of proposals aimed at diversifying fuel supplies and increasing energy efficiency.
Obama's speech was part of a broader White House strategy to try to regain the upper hand in the debate and deflect blame, but the president's arguments may fall on deaf ears if gas prices continue to rise and cause financial pain for voters.
Republicans have made rising gas prices one of their main attack lines against Obama, sensing an electoral vulnerability for the president. His re-election prospects depend in part on his ability to keep a fragile economic recovery afloat and to continue reducing high unemployment.
Republicans seeking to dislodge Obama from the White House are seeking to pin the higher prices on the president's tax and environmental policies they say have hindered domestic production and kept the United States at the mercy of imports.
They cite his decision to block the Keystone pipeline that would transport Canadian oil to refineries in Texas as proof he is beholden to environmentalists .
The Obama administration has delayed a final decision on Keystone until after the election, saying the proposed route could pose a danger to water supply in the nation's breadbasket.
Obama needs to win the war of words to gain an upper hand over Republicans in Western battleground states including Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, where people drive a lot and feel the sting of rising prices acutely.
Gasoline prices have climbed alongside crude futures, the major component in determining the price of gasoline, due to concerns about a potential disruption of supplies from Iran, which is locked in a standoff with the West overTehran's disputed nuclear program.
U.S. crude prices have jumped 9 percent this year, nearing $108 a barrel on Thursday, the highest level since May, 2011.
As gasoline prices become an increasingly important election issue, Republicans are scrambling to prove they can offer relief. On Wednesday, Republican candidate Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, promised gasoline prices of $2.50 a gallon if he won the White House.
While Obama said he had asked officials to look for opportunities to help consumers in the short term - in areas such as permitting and delivery bottlenecks - he repeated there would be no "silver bullet" for America's energy crunch, and said real change would come only in the long run.
The trio of proposals announced in Miami included a $30 million competition in natural gas technologies and a $14 million program to development algae-based fuel.
Obama highlighted steps already taken to expand domestic production and improve fuel efficiency.
He also repeated calls to roll back tax incentives for the oil industry and urged renewal of a clean energy tax credit in Congress, where lawmakers are deeply divided and little legislative action is expected this year.
His remarks were met with disdain from top Republicans.
"Facing an election, the President would like everyone to forget that gas prices have doubled over the past three years while he consistently blocked and slowed the production of American-made energy," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives.
While Republicans blame high oil prices on actions such as Obama's Keystone pipeline decision, an oil boom led by North Dakota is expected to push U.S. crude output this year to its highest level since 1999.
Lawmakers from Obama's own party are asking him to take steps to ease the price pressure in the short term. Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday urged the White House to signal it is ready to tap the country's strategic petroleum reserve, which contains about 696 million barrels of oil.
Obama made no mention of taking that step in his speech.
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Last Updated: Sunday, 25 March 2007, 09:34 GMT 10:34 UK
Welsh links to slavery abolition
Iolo Morganwg
Poet Iolo Morganwg was an anti-slavery campaigner
First Minister Rhodri Morgan has called for Wales to remember its contribution to the anti-slavery movement.
He said the abolitionist cause was taken up by working class people and eminent figures like poet Iolo Morganwg and preacher John Elias.
Mr Morgan also highlighted the links between the industrial revolution in Wales and profits from the slave trade.
Events are being held across Wales on Sunday to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Britain.
Mr Morgan warned against pointing the finger of blame for slavery at others.
"What we must guard against is smug self-satisfaction," he said.
"While the slave trade is mainly associated with the ports of Bristol, London and Liverpool, it must be remembered that the Welsh industrial revolution and profits from the slave trade went hand in hand."
It is an opportunity to demand to know why slavery still exists in some parts of the world today
Rhodri Morgan
Cyfarthfa Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales were founded by slave trader Anthony Bacon and historians believe its success was built on the profits of the slave trade.
The fortune gained from slave plantations in Jamaica by their owner Richard Pennant was crucial to his development of the slate industry and Penrhyn Castle in north Wales, it has also been claimed. He was also an anti-abolitionist MP.
"Welsh planters, agents and sea captains were directly involved, and ships used in the trade were built at Cardiff, Newport and Swansea," Mr Morgan added.
"Many ordinary working-class people were also indirectly connected - the seamen on the ships and the workers employed by the slave owners and industrialists."
But he also had praise for the people who took up the abolitionist cause in the last quarter of the 18th century, including preacher John Elias from Anglesey, who spoke out against slavery in Britain's biggest slave port, Liverpool.
And poet Iolo Morganwg, founder of the Gorsedd of Bards, who was an anti-slavery campaigner.
Moral conviction
Mr Morgan also highlighted the work of Robert Everett from Flintshire, north Wales, who encouraged the Welsh in America to join the abolition campaign.
The Abolition of Slave Trade Act, which made it illegal to trade slaves throughout the British Empire and banned British ships from involvement in the trade, was passed by British Parliament on 25 March 1807.
Mr Morgan said the bicentenary was an important opportunity to reflect on the struggles of the past and to pay tribute to the courage and moral conviction of all those - black and white - who campaigned for its abolition.
"It is an opportunity to demand to know why slavery still exists in some parts of the world today," he said.
An event in St David's Hall, Cardiff entitled 'Valuing Freedom', will be one of a number of bicentenary events in Wales and the rest of the UK.
Slavery: The Welsh Connections is on BBC Radio Wales, 25 March and 1 April at 1330 GMT and both are repeated the following Monday at 1800 GMT.
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