My Second Paper
From Another Perspective
Bamonde, Maricel
…since logo centric logic has been coded as “male” the “other” logics of spacing, ambiguity, figuration, and indirection are often coded as “female”, and that a critique of logocentricsm can enable a critique pf “phallocentricism” as well…
Johnson, B
Re-centring is one of the aspects analysed in Jacques Derrida´s theory on deconstruction. According to him, re-centring means giving attention to what has been marginal before. A text can be examined for ways in which it suggests a difference from itself, interpretations which undermine the apparently primary interpretation (Lye, 1984). In “A Dead Woman’s Secret” the centre is put in the death of the woman and her secret; that is, she seems to have an affair; which is considered as a serious fault in the Western culture. However, what may happen if the centre would be her husband? Perhaps he would not be as badly misjudged by his children as the woman is. In “The Fly” the centre is put in the mentally ill boss whose son has died and it is really difficult for him to overcome this situation. He is so angry with his son for having died that he kills the fly, as this insect can face adversity. Even so, what may happen if the centre were his wife? May be she would try to cope with it all the better she could for her husband and her girls, being the support for him and managing to go ahead with their lives. Moreover, they would look for another baby; although it would not replace their son.
Although the authors of each story have centred them in one character, each reader can re-centre the stories seeing beyond the text. Moreover, Derrida talks about it in his theory when he says that there are as many interpretations as readers by reverting structures that you have deconstructed (Lye, 1984).
In “A Dead Woman’s Secret”, it is clearly shown the main characteristics of the Western culture in which the women are seen like saint and pure people who must never break any of God’s rules. Women are seen like virgins, they are stereotyped as saint mothers and it has to do with the myth of the Mother Earth, a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting. She represents Nature and is worshiped and valued for her life giving and nurturing qualities. She is known as a good mother and is often honoured before gatherings and festivals.(http://www.pachamamasgrove.org/aboutpachamamasgrove/whoispachamama.html 13-10-09) Nevertheless; if the structures of the story are to be reverted; following Derridas´ theory, and her husband is the one who has had an affair, surely none of his siblings would misjudge their father because it is something established. If the dead person were the husband, he would not have received such condemnation neither from society nor from his siblings that the woman has. “He kneeled, crossed himself, prayed, arose and went out quietly, murmuring: "She was a saint!"” (Maupassant, 1995).
“They had hardly known their father, knowing only that he had made their mother most unhappy, without being told any other details.” (Maupassant, 1995) For thousands of years in the Western culture men have not only worked to support the family but also have had the right to entertainment, drinks, and affairs and so on. That is why they have been absent at home. On the other hand, women in Western culture must clean the house, cook and take care of children. What if this woman had been beaten by her husband? Would she be justified or would she remain guilty?
If the mentally ill person were the wife, how would she overcome this trauma?
It's whisky, ain't it?" he piped feebly. The boss turned the bottle and lovingly showed him the label. Whisky it was. "D'you know," said he, peering up at the boss wonderingly, "they won't let me touch it at home." And he looked as though he was going to cry. (Mansfield, 1922)
Following with Western culture traditions, alcohol for men is a way of escaping from problems and forgetting them. It is established and there is no objection for that. However, what if the drinker were the woman? She might be stigmatized as an alcoholic and her husband may legally appeal for his daughters.
The girls were in Belgium last week having a look at poor Reggie's grave, and they happened to come across your boy's. They're quite near each other, it seems… You've not been across, have yer?" "No, no!" For various reasons the boss had not been across. "There's miles of it," quavered old Woodifield. (Mansfield, 1922)
Men in Western culture rely on their wives to visit graves at the cemetery. They make many excuses not to go to these places. Despite being melancholic, men do not want to lose their masculinity and cry; they are like “macho”.
And that promise had been so near being fulfilled. The boy had been in the office learning the ropes for a year before the war. Every morning they had started off together; they had come back by the same train. And what congratulations he had received as the boy's father! No wonder; he had taken to it marvellously. (Mansfield, 1922)
On the one hand, men project their own expectations and frustrations on their siblings. They expect their siblings to follow what he has been doing for years. On the contrary, women are more comprehensive and sympathetic so they would understand and respect their children’s decisions. "Come on," said the boss. “Look sharp!" And he stirred it with his pen—in vain. Nothing happened or was likely to happen. The fly was dead. (Mansfield, 1922)
Although men in Western culture seem to be strong and overcome any inconvenience, they generally feel weak and can not go ahead without a woman next to them.
The claim is not that there is no meaning… the claim that what we take to be meaning is a shifting field of relations in which there is no stable point, in which dynamic opposing meanings may be present simultaneously, in which the meaning is textually modulated in an interweaving play of texts. (Lye, 1984).
Every time these stories or any story is read, many new meanings appear and other sides of them are discovered and re discovered at any time. Moreover, the same person may create different endings or interpret different meanings each time they read, just having creativity and imagination. Readers can think about different possibilities as regards the centre of the stories. If the marginal is put as the most important item, just as Derrida states, it may give another perspective to the whole meaning of the story. In the Western culture, differences between male and female behaviours and customs are bound to be thought of. However, members of society are free thinkers and are able to create and live through experiences which lead them to place the marginal as the centre or vice versa.
References
· (http://www.pachamamasgrove.org/aboutpachamamasgrove/whoispachamama.html 13-10-09)
· Mansfield, K, 1922 The Dove’s Nest and other stories, The Fly, Nation, London
· De Maupassant, G, 1995, Guy de Maupassant, A Dead Woman’s Secret
· Lye, J, 1984 , Psyche: Invention of the Other, Deconstruction: some assumptions
· Johnson, B, 1981, On writing, Chicago, pp 50-65
Bamonde, Maricel
…since logo centric logic has been coded as “male” the “other” logics of spacing, ambiguity, figuration, and indirection are often coded as “female”, and that a critique of logocentricsm can enable a critique pf “phallocentricism” as well…
Johnson, B
Re-centring is one of the aspects analysed in Jacques Derrida´s theory on deconstruction. According to him, re-centring means giving attention to what has been marginal before. A text can be examined for ways in which it suggests a difference from itself, interpretations which undermine the apparently primary interpretation (Lye, 1984). In “A Dead Woman’s Secret” the centre is put in the death of the woman and her secret; that is, she seems to have an affair; which is considered as a serious fault in the Western culture. However, what may happen if the centre would be her husband? Perhaps he would not be as badly misjudged by his children as the woman is. In “The Fly” the centre is put in the mentally ill boss whose son has died and it is really difficult for him to overcome this situation. He is so angry with his son for having died that he kills the fly, as this insect can face adversity. Even so, what may happen if the centre were his wife? May be she would try to cope with it all the better she could for her husband and her girls, being the support for him and managing to go ahead with their lives. Moreover, they would look for another baby; although it would not replace their son.
Although the authors of each story have centred them in one character, each reader can re-centre the stories seeing beyond the text. Moreover, Derrida talks about it in his theory when he says that there are as many interpretations as readers by reverting structures that you have deconstructed (Lye, 1984).
In “A Dead Woman’s Secret”, it is clearly shown the main characteristics of the Western culture in which the women are seen like saint and pure people who must never break any of God’s rules. Women are seen like virgins, they are stereotyped as saint mothers and it has to do with the myth of the Mother Earth, a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting. She represents Nature and is worshiped and valued for her life giving and nurturing qualities. She is known as a good mother and is often honoured before gatherings and festivals.(http://www.pachamamasgrove.org/aboutpachamamasgrove/whoispachamama.html 13-10-09) Nevertheless; if the structures of the story are to be reverted; following Derridas´ theory, and her husband is the one who has had an affair, surely none of his siblings would misjudge their father because it is something established. If the dead person were the husband, he would not have received such condemnation neither from society nor from his siblings that the woman has. “He kneeled, crossed himself, prayed, arose and went out quietly, murmuring: "She was a saint!"” (Maupassant, 1995).
“They had hardly known their father, knowing only that he had made their mother most unhappy, without being told any other details.” (Maupassant, 1995) For thousands of years in the Western culture men have not only worked to support the family but also have had the right to entertainment, drinks, and affairs and so on. That is why they have been absent at home. On the other hand, women in Western culture must clean the house, cook and take care of children. What if this woman had been beaten by her husband? Would she be justified or would she remain guilty?
If the mentally ill person were the wife, how would she overcome this trauma?
It's whisky, ain't it?" he piped feebly. The boss turned the bottle and lovingly showed him the label. Whisky it was. "D'you know," said he, peering up at the boss wonderingly, "they won't let me touch it at home." And he looked as though he was going to cry. (Mansfield, 1922)
Following with Western culture traditions, alcohol for men is a way of escaping from problems and forgetting them. It is established and there is no objection for that. However, what if the drinker were the woman? She might be stigmatized as an alcoholic and her husband may legally appeal for his daughters.
The girls were in Belgium last week having a look at poor Reggie's grave, and they happened to come across your boy's. They're quite near each other, it seems… You've not been across, have yer?" "No, no!" For various reasons the boss had not been across. "There's miles of it," quavered old Woodifield. (Mansfield, 1922)
Men in Western culture rely on their wives to visit graves at the cemetery. They make many excuses not to go to these places. Despite being melancholic, men do not want to lose their masculinity and cry; they are like “macho”.
And that promise had been so near being fulfilled. The boy had been in the office learning the ropes for a year before the war. Every morning they had started off together; they had come back by the same train. And what congratulations he had received as the boy's father! No wonder; he had taken to it marvellously. (Mansfield, 1922)
On the one hand, men project their own expectations and frustrations on their siblings. They expect their siblings to follow what he has been doing for years. On the contrary, women are more comprehensive and sympathetic so they would understand and respect their children’s decisions. "Come on," said the boss. “Look sharp!" And he stirred it with his pen—in vain. Nothing happened or was likely to happen. The fly was dead. (Mansfield, 1922)
Although men in Western culture seem to be strong and overcome any inconvenience, they generally feel weak and can not go ahead without a woman next to them.
The claim is not that there is no meaning… the claim that what we take to be meaning is a shifting field of relations in which there is no stable point, in which dynamic opposing meanings may be present simultaneously, in which the meaning is textually modulated in an interweaving play of texts. (Lye, 1984).
Every time these stories or any story is read, many new meanings appear and other sides of them are discovered and re discovered at any time. Moreover, the same person may create different endings or interpret different meanings each time they read, just having creativity and imagination. Readers can think about different possibilities as regards the centre of the stories. If the marginal is put as the most important item, just as Derrida states, it may give another perspective to the whole meaning of the story. In the Western culture, differences between male and female behaviours and customs are bound to be thought of. However, members of society are free thinkers and are able to create and live through experiences which lead them to place the marginal as the centre or vice versa.
References
· (http://www.pachamamasgrove.org/aboutpachamamasgrove/whoispachamama.html 13-10-09)
· Mansfield, K, 1922 The Dove’s Nest and other stories, The Fly, Nation, London
· De Maupassant, G, 1995, Guy de Maupassant, A Dead Woman’s Secret
· Lye, J, 1984 , Psyche: Invention of the Other, Deconstruction: some assumptions
· Johnson, B, 1981, On writing, Chicago, pp 50-65
