When instructed in class to find a picture that was both relevant to myself and The Invention of Wings, I initially struggled, not sure how my life and the novel intertwined. After going through a lot of useless ideas, I settled on the struggle in Sarah and Handful's relationship, it's connection to history, and my personal beliefs. A large part of their relationship is the slavery that keeps them from being equals and Sarah's feminist agenda. Sarah, initially, is against slavery but after Handful uses her copper tub she says, "in the concrete, intimate flesh of the girl beside [her], [she'd] lost the ability to be repulsed by [slavery]" (115). In this scene, Handful claims she doesn't "see any harm with [her] being in the tub, same as [Sarah]" (115). This shows conflict in their relationship because one, Handful, views them as equals and wants freedom while the other, Sarah, struggles with her abstract opposition to slavery. Sarah was more interested in gender equality and gaining the same respect that her brothers had. For example, when speaking with Mr. Morris, Sarah used her family as an excuse for putting up with slavery and was offended when Mr. Morris criticized her for it, but when he spoke about female ministers, something her family would also disagree with, she "asked so many questions about this oddity [that] he became amused" (195). She was willing to overlook her family's objection when it referred to gender equality but not slavery.
To represent Handful's anti-slavery sentiments, I chose the Pan-African flag, also known as the Black Liberation flag. It is the red, black and green flag shown above. The Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) adopted the flag in 1920 to show pride and power within the Black community. The red represents blood that united Black people and the blood shed during the fight for liberation. Green represents the natural wealth and richness of Africa. Lastly, black represents the people who's pride and heritage, also not associated with a nation. Although the flag was created after the novel's setting, it represents Handful and her desire for equality and freedom.
To represent Handful's anti-slavery sentiments, I chose the Pan-African flag, also known as the Black Liberation flag. It is the red, black and green flag shown above. The Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) adopted the flag in 1920 to show pride and power within the Black community. The red represents blood that united Black people and the blood shed during the fight for liberation. Green represents the natural wealth and richness of Africa. Lastly, black represents the people who's pride and heritage, also not associated with a nation. Although the flag was created after the novel's setting, it represents Handful and her desire for equality and freedom.
To represent Sarah's feminist sentiments, I chose 19th Amendment Victory Flag. As each state ratified the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, Alice Paul and other women who fought for their right to vote sewed another star on the Suffragist flag. The purple, white, and gold represent loyalty, purity, and hope. I thought this flag accurately represents Sarah's initial goal in the novel.
I chose these pictures because they not only show my interpretation of the main characters, but they also represent myself and my personal beliefs. As a black young woman, civil rights are very important to me: including but not limited to racial and gender equality. Black rights and women's rights are just more relevant to my life personally and easier for me to connect to due to my life experiences. I merged the two flags together in the header because, in my life and in history, they are closely related and, in my opinion, equally important.
Sources:
http://www.feminist.com/askamy/feminism/fem57.html
Sources:
http://www.feminist.com/askamy/feminism/fem57.html