Wednesday, 25 March 2009
-
Currently
Orientalism
By Edward W. Said
see relatedNo, It wasn't your son.
To what extent is it ethical to fictionalize about a dilemma that you've never actually been in?
Not exactly your normal Xanga question, but one I feel is important. simbathe2nd recently posted "Killing my Son," a fictional account of a woman's emotions after a failed abortion.
Fictionally putting yourself in someone else's shoes is a tricky endeavor. Obviously, anyone who has ever written anything that is not 100% true has experimented in this. Its the joy and often the very purpose of fiction writing -- to understand life through someone else's eyes. But there is a difference between using fiction to try to understand someone else and using fiction as an excuse to judge someone else.
Lets take, for example, the depiction of native Americans in the poetry of Longfellow (particularly the long poems "The Courtship of Miles Standish" and "The Song of Hiawatha.") A glancing look at his poetry can lead one to believe that Longfellow is sympathetic toward Native Americans. They are seen as strong warriors who want to protect their way of life. A closer look, however, reveals that Longfellow liked to portray Native Americans as incredibly violent, unnecessarily cruel, and incapable of having the same range of emotion as Europeans. So while he romanticizes their struggles and their hunts, he always comes down to the idea that they are incomplete people. More importantly, he leaves no room for doubt in his portrayal: he is absolutely sure that he understands Native Americans.
That is the real danger in stepping into someone else's shoes: believing that you can reach reliable conclusions. It is a noble thing to reach for understanding, it is an arrogant thing to think you've ever reached it. It is especially troubling when your estimation of how someone else should feel leads that character to self-hatred -- because in doing so, you are revealing your hatred of them.
When you present a fictional portrayal of someone, but do so in a manner that seems to indicate that you understand what they are feeling, the conclusions you make come dangerously close to saying "this is what people who have actually been in that situation SHOULD feel." Its a dangerous move because you can't really get in their heads, and its not fair of you to define you are they are for them. If you’ve talked to them, just let them share their story as they want to. No sense making up your own. To me, it reeks of trying to control their heart.
-
recommend
- recs 0
-
share
-
email
- sent 0
Post a Comment
- Back to GoodbyeSickan's Xanga Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in GoodbyeSickan's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
Comments (5)
well i'm sorry you took my post that way. I'll have you know I have talked extensively with many woman who have had an abortion and have drawn my conclusions from very reliable sources. Also I left room for other feelings. I wasn't saying EVERY woman felt that way, but I'm sure their are a lot who do.
Yes and no.
abortion is a horrible thing - not something to be taken lightly - many women are traumatized by it, then there are those who think little of it. not a pleasant subject. peace, Al
You have a valid point. If the writer is using only their own view as a compass and saying that that is the only valid view then they are being arrogant. If on the other hand they've spent time talking to and getting to know the subject they are fictionalizing, then I think that they can provide at least an accurate viewpoint of some of the members of a group and their experiences.
Yeah t definitely can be tricky. It just depends on who/what the post is about, and who's reading it. Sometimes it hits the nail on the head, other times it misses the mark. Each individual will feel different about both the subject, and the way it is presented. No one could ever say something about a situation, even if they've been through it themselves, and have/say the exact feeling of everyone else that has been through it.