Prisons and Prisoners
My view of prisons and prisoners changed dramatically over the course of this semester. I think I was more closed-minded at the beginning and unwilling to see the other side of everything. By this I mean, I could not see prisoners as possibly being innocent or the death penalty as wrong. I used to believe prisons were these "free hotels" that housed horrible, vicious, guiltless, and violent people that deserved worse than what they were already enduring. With the help of various texts and watching The Farm, I have been able to expand my mind regarding prisons and prisoners.
After viewing The Farm my opinions on prisons and prisoners changed drastically. Ashanti Witherspoon gave a moving testimonial about how even if he broke out of Angola and technically was "free"; he wouldn't actually be free within himself because he would still be trapped and on the run. He had committed a crime early in his youth and had lived in Angola for several years. Those years actually rehabilitated him and made him appreciate his life. I genuinely admire the man. He does not represent the stereotypical prisoner I had imagined in my mind and talked about in my paper on prisons and prisoners. My paper said, "a typical day for a prisoner would be basically nothing...some busy work here and there...[nothing] productive." Ashanti accomplished many things while in Angola. He was very much involved with the church and he also traveled around with other inmates to teach CPR. Regarding the crime he committed long ago, Ashanti was very much sorry for what he did. In my essay, I wrote prisoners usually weren't sorry for what they did. I know this isn't true and Ashanti helped open my eyes.
The letters from prisoners also altered my thoughts. One prisoner asked a question to the girl he was corresponding with. It challenged my beliefs regarding the death penalty. He said if you're for the death penalty then you should be the one to pull the trigger and kill the accused. In my essay about prisons and prisoners, I was confused about where I stood on the death penalty. After reading that letter, I realized I could be all for the death penalty and sit back and watch people be shot, electrocuted, injected, or whatever; but I could never be able to be the one who actually administered it. So I guess I'm not for the death penalty. I could never kill another person no matter what they did.
My perception of prisons and prisoners has definitely been transformed. I believe this class has exposed me to the different sides of all arguments. I learned the pros and cons of the death penalty and was able to form my stance on it rather than being in the middle for so long. I also learned that not all prisoners are “bad”. I had formed this stereotypical animal-type person in my head. Not all prisoners are even guilty. My original understandings of prisons and prisoners were mostly negative, but with the aid of The Farm and the prisoners’ letters, this opinion has changed.
Masking and Invisibility
My definitions of masking and invisibility have changed somewhat since the beginning of this class. I think I was thinking the same way about it back then, but didn't know how to express it in words. I believe this is in part due to my poor writing skills. I have, however, improved in my writing and ability to say what I mean and be able to support my ideas. In my definitional paper, I said masking and invisibility "have more to do with concealing emotions and not behaving the same in different situations." Masking and invisibility can be used to conceal anything - not just our emotions and behavior. We can use them when we view other people and situations even. A few specific texts actually helped change my views of masking and invisibility.
Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" changed my perception on masking and invisibility. At first reading, I thought it was a strange poem about nature. In class, I learned I had to look beneath the surface of the words for the real meaning. The poem is actually about his expression of his homesexuality. An example of this masking is evident in this line: "…hay of head and beard and brawn…". He compares his ideal man to certain aspects of nature such as "winds whose soft-tickling genitals rub", "broad muscular fields", and "your milky stream". All these convey images of nature while masking his homesexuality which was not accepted in that time period.
"The Prologue" by Anne Bradstreet at first was difficult for me to comprehend. Again, I had to dig to find what she was trying to convey. Initially, I had no idea what she was talking about. She seemed to be comparing women and men and talking about Greeks being Greeks. However, her poem was a direct attack on the male society. She used subtle imagery and carefully chosen words to mask her displeasure with the arts. She argued that women also deserve recognition in the arts. However, in the Puritan society she was living, she could not come right out and say this. Bradstreet had to make her feelings invisible. Her contempt is evident when she remarks, "I am obnoxious to each carping tongue who says my hand a needle better fits." Bradstreet doesn't think women should only serve domestic duties. I feel like I can relate to this poem being a female myself. I think I'm lucky though being in a society where I don't have to mask my feelings.
My experience with masking and invisibility has allowed me to understand how and why people conceal things about themselves. It also made me aware that everyday we mask other people. Walt Whitman and Anne Bradstreet used writing to mask their true feelings and make it invisible to the average Joe who reads it. I never realized masking and invisibility could be used to do such things. My opinion of masking and invisibility has not only changed but has given me more knowledge.
