Difference is Normal

 After reading the second half of Dear Ijeawele or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, I was heavily astounded and intrigued while reading Adichie's beginning statement  (of the fifteenth suggestion) to "Make Difference ordinary. Make difference normal. Teach her not to attach value to difference"(61).  The reason I was so astounded and intrigued by Adichie's  statement is because I had thought it as differences aren't a unique, amazing, and out of the norm thing that only happens once an while but rather it is one of the ordinary things out that is everywhere we look. Fundamentally, I felt that  beginning statement had made me rethink a lot about what I value in the differences I see between myself and others as something that is pretty ordinary at the heart of things because humans are all different from one another and those differences are simply one basic foundation of what humans' lives. 

To start off with the concept of why difference is normal and ordinary, we can draw our attention to Adichie's statement that "difference is the reality of our world" (61). By asserting that differences is the fundamental reality of our world, Adichie brings into light how differences make up a majority of what goes on in our world rather than the similarities and that is perfectly fine. The reason why readers should understand that difference is the reality of our world is because oftentimes when we hear of difference we may become instantly attached to it or maybe dislike it greatly. Adichie is advocating for readers to learn and teach their children that there is no reason to be worked up about these differences because they're simply apart of our world and not a foreign concept. Furthermore, Adichie's line of thinking about differences holds great value to readers because it guides readers on how "to survive in a diverse world" (61). 

Another important aspect about the fifteenth suggestion is Adichie's  pushing  on the fact that we should learn and teach that "people walk different paths" and "we cannot know everything about life" to our children and ourselves (61). By focusing on the fact that not everyone walks the same path nor do we know everything about people's lives, Adichie is guiding  readers towards the direction that society "must respect" those "valid paths" as long as they "do no harm to others"(61). In addition, I believe that the universal respect (that Adichie's advocates) for the different paths of life is part of Adichie's way of helping us survive in a  diverse world and "make peace" with world we live in (62).  The reason is that she talks of how learning that difference is normal is "equipping" children with the necessarily tools to make peace with people from all walks of life. 

Overall, Adichie's suggestion on how differences are ordinary and allow us with the necessary tools to survive in a diverse worlds is important to understand as readers because it allows us to become more open to the differences around us and realize that not attaching value to differences because they're the normal and ordinary is "to be human and practical" (61). Personally, reading the suggestion on differences made me expand my mind  to realizing that many of institutions should reflect the diverseness of the area around them because that is to reflect the reality of the diverse world that we live in. Furthermore, I have more determined to being "full of opinions" and that my opinions "will come from an informed, humane, and broad-minded place" (63).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hamilton's understanding of National Time

Lin-Manual Miranda’s masterful hip-hop musical, Hamilton , eloquently ties together time theories that show the impact time’s understanding has on the development of a character and the motivation behind their actions.  Miranda’s work could not avoid discussion of the implications of understanding time, as he draws on history with his own lens, exposing his personal beliefs in time.  Miranda draws on national time in consideration of the creation of the United States, developing an understanding of the U.S.’s construction with a more modern and diverse perspective. The understanding of national time within this musical is seen through the creation of the nation, and Miranda’s understanding of ‘double time’ that was not considered in America’s history.  The U.S. Constitution was not written with consideration for those who were not experiencing life the same way as those writing it.  It did not consider the humanity of slaves, Native Americans, or women, who all experienced (and continu
Read more

Stability of "Creative Solitude"

     Every member of the Bechdel family household lives in their own world.  Alison's father lives in a trapped world--living in the same town and hiding his true sexuality--though he seeks stability in restoring their Victorian home and expressing himself through literature.  For instance, on page 13, there is an image of her father recording his voice to describe the influences on the house's design: "This owner changed the roofs, the porches, the chimneys, the fireplaces, the walls, the woodwork, until it became a stylish town house suitable for a prosperous lawyer's family."  His focus obsessively draws his attention and focus to the past, as he attempts to piece together the home's story.  This also alludes to his obsession with literature, as he chooses to live in a world different from his own reality, in order to escape his trapped life.     In addition to Alison's father, her mother, too, has her own sense of "creative solitude" (p. 133)
Read more

Home in Others

      Woodson’s own concept of home, I feel, evolves throughout the story’s progression. In the beginning, she is very focused on places and the feelings they provoke. Her geographical position greatly impacts her and the other characters’ mood, feelings of belonging and coincidentally, their comfort levels, which, in turn, all impact behavior. It is true that Jackie and her family must behave differently depending on their location. For example, take their obvious demeanor and mannerism change as the children make those journeys from North to South.       However, I would submit that Jackie’s concept of home takes on a less tangible form later in the story. While she does notice the comforting, home-like vibrations radiated from her various family members, the two remained coincidental until the climax of the book, aligning with Jackie’s increased self-awareness. She finds feelings of “home” and belonging while thinking of people, while reading, and in some way while she’s projecting
Read more