First off i have a lot of respcet for orlan and her work. In teh society we live in today it is imortant to most to folow teh standard of beauty that "they" tell us to follow. To show complet disreguard for societys stereotypes is honorable.
Orlan bean her sugical process as an already beautyful woman. With every surgery you were able to see little differnces btu teh most shocking was the choice of teh mona lisa's forehead. the exagerated look too teh beatuty out of orlan's face. BUt this puzzles me because so many are puzzled with teh mona lisa and find her oddly beautiful. her choice to pick her face from the timelessly famouse was risky and unique. her choice to stay awake during all her procedures shows her strength of character. the clothing the sugons wear is evenly rediculous.
I think in our society it is important to break down teh barriers of beauty and test the limits. Everyone looks different and not everyone can be a size 4, have perfect skin, and amazing hair. we are now left to determine our own definition of beauty. despite the generic definition of beauty society also accepts the rebelion against the norm. Orlan in simply a steping stone towards the rebelion.
1/31/07
1/24/07
The Birthmark: Response
The Birthmark is a short story of a man named aylmer and his wife Georgina. Gerogina is the pesonification of beauty. She is very young and has many men who would love to claim her as their own. However geogina falls for Aylmer. Aylmer is not young and not handsome, but he is a passion driven scientist. Georgina is intrigued by Aylmer. Georgina, despite having spent time together before thir marrige, know little of eachother. Georgina covers her intelligence whith a coat if inocence and youthful comments and Aylmer does whatever it takes to cover his obsessions and his failed career.
As the story progresses Georgina investigates the real Aylmer and he discovers her intelligence. Georgina's only flaw is a small hand shaped birthmark on her cheek. Aylmer's scientific interests and sort of quest for perfection is what leads him to convincing Georgina to remove teh birthmark. She, wishing to please her husband agrees to teh proceedure. It is then it is revealed the true insanity of her husband. Fore shadowing throughout the story leads us to the ending of the ending of the story and Geogina's death.
It is in Georgina's death that we see the true relation of the text to technnology vs. nature. Aylmer sucessfuly removes teh mark, but despite his victory of sorts her problems still remaine. Being teh scientist he is Aylmer can not be happy with what her has. He strives to make absoloutly everything better. Even his beautiful, young and perfect wife is not what he desires. The last line of the text states, " ; he failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of time, and, living once of all eternity, to find the perfect future in the present." Some times it is the "imperfections" in nature that make nature perfect. It is not perfection that is perfect, but your perception of perfection that matters.
As the story progresses Georgina investigates the real Aylmer and he discovers her intelligence. Georgina's only flaw is a small hand shaped birthmark on her cheek. Aylmer's scientific interests and sort of quest for perfection is what leads him to convincing Georgina to remove teh birthmark. She, wishing to please her husband agrees to teh proceedure. It is then it is revealed the true insanity of her husband. Fore shadowing throughout the story leads us to the ending of the ending of the story and Geogina's death.
It is in Georgina's death that we see the true relation of the text to technnology vs. nature. Aylmer sucessfuly removes teh mark, but despite his victory of sorts her problems still remaine. Being teh scientist he is Aylmer can not be happy with what her has. He strives to make absoloutly everything better. Even his beautiful, young and perfect wife is not what he desires. The last line of the text states, " ; he failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of time, and, living once of all eternity, to find the perfect future in the present." Some times it is the "imperfections" in nature that make nature perfect. It is not perfection that is perfect, but your perception of perfection that matters.
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