Jiahan's blog post

Dissecting Misogyny, A Live Demo:

In this short article, everything is so sensual. Conceptional misogyny weirdly gains a material form, composed of flesh, bones, and blood. And a “mad” female (I guess) surgeon is dissecting the very “misogyny” on a demo stage, with other women watching it attentively. The dissection of misogyny is a dirty task that requires professional experience. And the process is a horror, such that everything inside “misogyny” stinks. It is all dark and putrid. Yet meanwhile, the dissection of misogyny is quite doable and the finished remains can be easily thrown away and deposed. This article is obviously both symbolic and practical. And I want to say that it is quite ironic, too. For it appears to me that the very surgeon who dissects misogyny is misogynistic and contradictory because in one hand, she is prideful to dissect misogyny in front of other female audiences, but on the other hand, she views woman stereotypically by saying that “I appreciate that you ladies all have a lot to do today, too: shopping for groceries, returning home and preparing dinner...” and that “I should tell you that these knives with their astounding cutting potential are just $99 plus tax for a set of two”. So it makes me think that whether Matsuda is critical about both the “so-called” misogynistic professionals and the conception of misogyny itself.

 

Sea Horse: Sexual abuse, sexual slave, domestic violence, maternity, woman objectification, and imprisonment. There are so many negative themes mingled in this short but hopeful story. Our protagonist is a creature from the ocean, “a seahorse” as she self-exclaims. She was boundless and free once, yet being lured by the aroma of a man, she left the ocean and landed on earth, from upon which, her misery began. She is not allowed to return to the sea and is abused and handed over and over to many husbands. By whom all, she was once objectified as a miraculous collection and was easily abandoned as years passed. Her maternity brings her further human identification and holds her from returning to the ocean She almost forgot her real name, which is apparently a loss of self-identity. She becomes numb and insentient. She’s no longer her. Yet encouraged by the depart of her daughter, she once again pined for the sea. Her heart returned. She followed her daughter and was free again. This is really a hopeful ending and, to my opinion, serves as a great empowerment to woman, who might currently be in an unwanted marriage or difficult status. In other words, this story tells other miserable woman that they are still free, not bonded by their past or environment, and that they can make choice on their own autonomy.

Picnic: A picnic between a husband and a wife. Peaceful yet sad. The couple seems to be happy, but they could not communicate well. It seems like that they do love each other, but their love languages differ. They could not get what they want from their partner, such as a wanted response and such. The story is eccentric by leaving us to ponder questions like “why Kyoko cannot see well indoors”, and “is the account imaginary/ is the narrator reliable”, and so on. I am so looking forward to discussing this in class. Maybe it is about sexual indifference?

Tomo-chan’s Happiness: This is one of the most beautiful stories that I have ever read. Childhood trauma, adultery, absence of the father, and the sudden death of mother. A lot of tears and emotions. And yes, there are so many hard trials in life and often we need to fight them off on our own. Tomo-chan is really a tough girl, and her high-sensitivity is a gift from heaven. After all, we are all children of the universe, and we are watched over and taken care of by it as we try hard to feel. We are never alone.