My UWCSEA Learning Journey

Write a detailed explanation of the ways in which Euripides presents Medea’s character and situation to the audience.

 

Euripides first introduces Medea’s character by giving context. Euripides uses the Nurses character to give context to the situation Medea finds herself in. Immediately in line 7, the nurse describes Medea as “heart battered by her love for Jason”, which immediately depicts to the audience that the play is revolved around a relationship, and a toxic one as such. The first time Medea speaks in line 96 she states “I hate my life. How can I put an end to it?”. Not only does this showcase the violent and suicidal thoughts of Medea’s character, immediately reflecting the extent of her grief, but it also highlights to the audience that the extent of Medea’s frustration and anger is immense. This contrasts with normal romantic plays where the woman is often grieving silently in sorrow – in this play, this sense of sorrow and grief is clearly translated into anger and violence. Euripides’s use of descriptive language in the words “wild animal glare” in the nurse’s description of Medea conveys violent and out of the ordinary behaviour of Medea, comparing Medea to the violent nature of an animal, almost suggesting that she can’t be tamed – this foreshadows the killing of her children in the sense that her violence can’t be tamed or controlled, leading to her killing her two children. Her wild and out of the ordinary anger is also emphasised further by the role of the chorus, which state in line 181 “Hurry before she hurts anyone inside”. The chorus, being the voice of the corinthian women, reflect uneasiness at this point episode one – it is evident that chorus is worried about Medea and how she may hurt someone as a result of her unprecedented anger.

How do we decide in our own lives who belongs and who doesn’t? How do cliques operate?

I think that deciding, in our own lives, who belongs and who doesn’t belong is entirely due to normalised societal views. Growing up in a society where there are normalised views, that are communal in a sense, we have subconscious viewpoints on who belongs, and who doesn’t belong in a particular group. For example, I know that many Singaporeans have the viewpoints that foreigners and expats, known locally as ‘Ang Mo’s’, don’t belong in Singapore – and as a result, some expats may experience first hand racism, in a sense, and may be treated differently because they don’t belong. This ultimately stems from the common societal viewpoint amongst Singaporeans, that AngMo’s don’t belong in Singapore, and therefore are treated slightly differently.

What potential violence is there in drawling lines between who belongs and who doesn’t?

Drawling lines between who belongs in groups and who doesn’t can create tension and potential conflict. Those classified into certain groups because they belong there (in the eyes of society) may not be satisfied with the group others see them belonging in. An example can be seen within the LGBTQ community, especially to do with the issue of gender. Some may perceive someone as belonging to the male gender because they, biologically, are male. But those who are being ‘placed’ into the group may think differently, and may very well feel like they belong to another group/category.

More broadly, who constitutes “we” especially when its so difficult to arrive at and locate a common voice, stance, or attitude on a given issue?

I think “we” constitutes the normalised viewpoint that society has. In all societies, there are viewpoints, or a way to look at things, which is normalised and deemed to be correct (or make the most sense). In Singapore, common voices may be easier to arrive at as generally, people have less freedom to speak their thoughts when compared to say, the United States, which emphasise on freedom of speech.

How does this relate to Home Fire or the poetry of Langston Hughes?

In Home Fire, Aneeka and Isma (who both identify as Muslims) are being judged as a result of their beliefs. Unfortunately, by being a muslims, the stereotypical view (which is sadly a norm in certain countries) is that muslims are terrorists, and that they ‘belong’ in the terrorist group, or can be classified as terrorists. A little irony here as we see Parvaiz ultimately become a terrorist and joining the ISIS terrorist group, yet we see first hand how being classified as a ‘terrorist’ by others can lead to distress for Aneeka and Isma themselves – having to navigate their way around dealing with these challenges.

Article 1 – Nesrine Malik: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/06/coronavirus-crisis-nhs-not-drained-migrants-sustained-died-frontline

Article 2 – Steve Doughty: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-185768/Sickly-immigrants-add-1bn-NHS-bill.html

 

The first article written by Nesrine Malik is largely focused on the positive roles that migrants play in the NHS in the UK. It highlights that migrants and immigrants of the UK make a large proportion of the NHS (specifically “44% of medical staff are BAME) and are vital to the control of the Coronavirus situation UK currently faces. The use of language is very emotive, expressing the stories of Amged El Hawrani and his death, risking his life for the good for the NHS, serving as a frontline doctor. Through the emotive language used by Malik, she purposely creates a sense of sympathy which is communicated throughout the article. Bias by omission is evidently used in the article as the article specifically focuses on the positive aspects of migrants, ignoring the negative costs of disease that migrants bring to the UK, which is explicitly stated in the other article by the daily mail. The second article written by Steve Doughty presents the migrant and refugee situation from a more negative standpoint. The use of statistical language is apparent throughout the text – Malik specifically states many shocking statistics of large values, for example “each years intake of asylum seekers and work permit holders could involve a potential cost to the NHS of £1290million”. The repetition and focus on these large statistics throughout the article makes the audience reflect on the large costs of these migrants for the NHS, rather than the benefits they bring to the UK and the NHS. Though both articles contrast heavily in their content, one focusing on the benefits of immigrants to the NHS and the other the costs, both articles are similar in the sense where they focus on one particular side of the story, and have apparent bias of omission. It is also important to evaluate the bias by source used in both article – both articles uses limited sources and have chosen sources specific to their view and perspective on the situation. When considering the authors, Nesrine Malik, though based in London, was born in Sudan and is an immigrant herself. She may have a vested interest in the topic, considering that her article solely reflects the advantages that migrants have brought to the UK.

Delving deeper into the cartoons of Huda Fahmy, it is clear that Fahmy challenges the stereotypical and traditional view of Muslim women. Muslim women are stereotypically perceived to be ‘accepting’ of their husbands wishes and wants and are seen typically to ‘not have a voice’. People often associate Muslim’s with Arabs and the Middle East – we know that Muslim women in the Middle East struggle for basic human rights, and sadly this may lead people to think that Muslim Women have less of a voice than others, and sole purpose in life is to serve their husbands. Through her cartoons, which often include humour, Fahmy challenges these stereotypes by expressing her thoughts and feelings on these stereotypes, being a Muslim women herself. Not only does humour serve as a connection in engaging the audience and building a larger audience, but it also provokes thought about the issue at the same time. Humour attracts the audience to her work, and serves as a great tool in keeping the audience interested in what she does, and the message she is trying to convey – ultimately that Muslim women do have their own identities and the falsehood in the common stereotypes associated with Muslim women. Fahmy has been able to reach a wide audience to create a global platform that serves as a connection for muslim women from all around the globe. This ‘connection’ that she has created amongst muslim women is a message of empowerment, in the sense that Muslim women now know that they are not alone in their fight for rights and combating those negative stereotypes associated with their identity, of which they are clearly affected by. In this sense, Fahmy’s artwork has clearly inspired muslim women to share their experiences, and to support one another in their fight equality and being treated equal to everyone else. Her artwork also inspires all women as gender inequality is a prevalent issue in our societies and most women, no matter the religion, can definitely relate to oppression or discrimination in one way, shape or form. Thus, it definitely engages all women no matter the race, culture or ethnicity. It also engages men, like myself, to reflect on these stereotypes that are clearly making women feel oppressed. It provokes us to think about issues like gender equality and racism, and how we can make our society more inclusive for minorities.

This passage reflects the identity of Isma from many aspects. At the start of the passage, Shamsie describes Isma thinking and reflecting about her interrogation at Heathrow airport. This highlights Isma’s subconscious and protective thinking when it comes to her identifying as a Muslim. Despite Isma being in the comfort of her studio apartment, she still reflects upon the interrogation she encountered at Heathrow airport. This highlights Isma’s subconscious thinking of protecting herself from the unwanted terror of Islamophobia, and suggests the idea that for Muslim women especially, safety is always a priority given the dangers of racial profiling and negative stereotypes. When Isma refers to the “commonality of human experience”, she may possibly be referring to the commonality of oppression and struggle that Muslims, especially Muslim women, are faced with on a day to day basis, especially in European countries like the UK. Later on in the passage in line 19, Shamsie describes Isma “waking for the dawn prayer”, which also reflects her religious faith in Islam and its moral values/beliefs. Regardless of where Isma is in the world and what she’s doing (whether it be studying or even when worrying about Aneeka or Parvaiz), Shamzie makes it clear that Isma is always able to confide and make time for God. It is clear that the 5 daily prayers (an essential part of being a Muslim) will always serve as an important part of her daily routine and life. These references ultimately display Isma’s faith in Islam and her devoutness to the religion as Shamzie makes it evident that her life revolves around being a Muslim, as such that being Muslim is an essential, and if not the most important part of her identity. It also gives the audience an insight into what it feels like to be or function as a Muslim women, in a society where Islamophobia and racial profiling is becoming increasingly prominent, and increasing detrimental to the wellbeing of these minorities.

 

Isma references to her studio apartment and how she “wouldn’t be able to afford anything nicer without the encumbrance of a roommate” depict the economic difficulties of her teenage/young adult years, having to car for Parvaiz and Aneeka like they were her own children. On a wider scale, Shamsie highlights how money doesn’t come easy to single parents, and alludes to the sacrifices single parents have to go through to raise and care for their children. The fact that Isma was forced into this this difficult task at such young age, as a result of her mothers and grandmothers death, enables the audience to connect and empathize with her struggles of bringing up her younger siblings.

 

 

 

 

 

Im a Muslim and I had lots of prior knowledge about Islamophobia before learning about it in english class. However, I learnt a lot from Samina Ali and her ted talk. I learnt some things about the Quran and the rulings on the hijab that I did not know of before. Something of interest to me was that the word ‘Hijab’ was never mentioned in the Quran, and some scholar’s typically say that the verses in the Quran were purposely vague. The vagueness around the idea of women covering up gives women the freedom to dress and wear as they want, given that times are constantly changing and that society has now become more developed when compared to that of Prophet Muhammad’s time. This clarify’s my understanding on the rulings of women covering their heads. Another idea that I took away from Ali’s ted talk is that translations of the Quran are sometimes interpreted by clerics and a lot of the times we are reading the translations that may have been interpreted in slightly extreme ways by the clerics themselves. Some clerics summarise or add brackets next to the verses which can sometimes alter the true message behind a verse, and can suggest something completely different. Ali mentioned that extreme interpretations of the Quran can sometimes be turned into rather excessive “fatwas”, like the idea of a women licking her husbands body until he is satisfied, which is something very extreme and fails the reflect the true meaning of the Quran verses. On a wider scale, considering that religious verses can sometimes be interpreted in extremist ways, it highlights a need for believers of a particular religion to be cautious when learning about religious beliefs. It highlights that believers should be cautious about the validity of the translation they are reading from their holy book, given it be the Torah, Bible or Quran. My perception on Islam as a religion has not changed as I believe that as a follower of the religion, I already knew a lot about Islam and the teachings of Islam. However, my perception about the rulings of head scarves and women covering their bodies have definitely changed. From the past lessons on Islam and Islamophobia, I was able to enrich my knowledge about the origins and meanings behind some rulings and certain parts of my religion.