Seminar #6 Summaries - ENGL 339, Spring 2003

		ENGLISH 339-E Prof. Cora Agatucci
Literary Genres

Seminar #6 Summaries: Chocolat & Nervous Conditions ~ 19 May 2003
Seminar #6 Leaders: A.K. & L.L. - Spring 2003
URL of this webpage: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng339/seminar6.htm
Seminar #6 Participants: C.A., T.C, C.D., C.D., T.E., A.K., A.L., L.L., L.S.
Seminar #6 Summaries: (a) A. L. | (b) C. A. |
Additional Contributions: J. V. | Ch.D. | T. C.

Seminar #6 Summary a by A. L.
Class summary for Chocolat and Nervous Conditions

I did not summarize the comments Jan offered [see.Contribution by J. V. below]

The name France is significant and can be a metaphor for larger ideas about interracial issues, for example, when France is described as being carried on the black man’s shoulders.

Why did Portee burn her [France's] hand? What does it symbolize? Could be that since both burned their hands it shows that colonizing harms both blacks and whites.

Portee can’t identify with one the other race because her heart is with both.

Quote from Jewel: “The biggest hoax of all is pretending there is no line.”

The coffee grower character is the extreme example of social and racial abuse and bigotry.

Why was movie named Chocolat? Ideas from class: Water color at beginning move. Or, from the idea of chocolate colored skin looks so much better than white skin. More generally, it’s meant to suggest racial/color messages.

To understand the significance of ants in the movie one must first understand that individual culture’s view on ants.

Nervous Conditions:

·        Hybrid identities often deny people the dignity of belonging to either of their “half-identities”.

·        Lucia seems the most balanced of the female characters.

·        Lots of man-woman issues present as well as those of race and culture.

·        Book is a historical fiction because it depicts how the colonial system effected thins in that place and time period.

·        Lucia and Tambu end up in the best positions in the end.

·        Remembering and Forgetting: Cultural Genocie.

·        Self-inflicted violent rebellion as last resort but what was she rebelling against?

·        In story, the rich and whites had power over the black men, who only had power over their women, who only had power over their children. In this chain of power anger and physical abuse often matriculated down to the women and children and poor, innocent dogs.

·        Father doesn’t want daughter to go to school until he sees it as a source of income-a meal ticket.

·        The general consensus of the class: Males are stinky oppressive bruits with swollen egos and thick skulls and almost always abuse their women, mistreat each other, fight, steal, lie and take advantage of innocent and defenseless women.

Contribution by J.V.

This movie is told through the eyes of a young girl who is French and white. She is now an adult and she knows that she witnessed racism when she was little. She knows it and she doesn't hide it. We sense that she feels sorry now (even though it wasn't her who was racist).
Protee - is a young man who symbolizes dignity of the native people. He is tested by his attraction toward Aimee and by racism of the white society around him. He ends up to be the strongest and the most honest of all the adults in the movie - stronger than the French (those who are supposed to maintain order in this colony). At the end of the movie, Protee decides to distance himself from the French. He burns himself in order to pull himself away from the family he works for. He causes little France to burn herself, but he knows that it is worth it. He stays free from suicidal relationship with Aimee Dalens. He burns the temptation.
I like the fact that this movie is realistic. It is not love story where love is stronger than two adults and where love always wins. I like absurdity of a situation where rich white woman (colonizator) falls in love with poor black man (colonized - he is supposed to be wild and uneducated), but he is stronger than her.
This film is a historical fiction but less than other material we have studied. It refers to a certain historical period (post-WWII French colony in West Africa). However, this story would be relevant in many other countries around the world. I like that the little girl (now and adult) who loved Protee is named France. It symbolizes how awkward the relationship between France and her colonies was.
I liked how delicate this movie is. Relationship between Protee and Aimee Dalens has potential to be very strong and sexual and the audience can sense it even thou the two people barely touched each other. I liked the music, which contains elements of native African music and Western music as well.
I didn't quite understand why did the rude white young man (who walked across Africa) wanted to walk across Africa when he hated the natives so much.
Over all, I enjoyed the film very much. Jan

Additional Contribution by Ch.D.
Seminar #6—Chocolat & Nervous Conditions:

            The symbolism in Chocolat was discussed. Ants came up once again in this movie (as they did in Rhapsody in August). In Chocolat, the ants and their colony were compared to colonization. The incident where France eats the ants was also brought up as possible evidence that there was a connection between the two.

            The novel Nervous Conditions revealed many polarities-- between black and white, male and female, and the Shona and British cultures.

It was noted that Babamukuru represents the British, yet speaks negatively about the British qualities he embodies. The anger between Babamukuru and Nyasha was discussed. Nyasha is confused about her place in the world—she is torn between her native Shona culture and the British culture she was educated in. Because of her confusion, she is guilt-ridden and destroying herself. The idea of hybrid identities was brought up. Hybrid identities are ways of destroying a person and their identity because they then do not belong to any on world or group.

            Each woman represents a different position in the society. Tambu’s mother has been beaten down by everything. In contrast, Maiguru is educated and becomes strong enough to leave her overbearing husband for awhile, in the end, she may be on the path to independence. Nyasha violently rebels and goes mad because she cannot reconcile her native Shona culture with the British culture she has become accustomed to. On the other hand, Lucia and Tambu end up in the best positions at the end. Lucia, notably, uses the system to get her way.

            Remembering and forgetting is an important theme in this novel. Remembering helps Tambu, while forgetting essentially destroys Nyasha. Tambu refuses to forget her Shona culture. In a significant self-formation event, Tambu refuses to get out of bed in protest against the Christian wedding Babamukuru has planned for her parents.

Additional Contribution by T.C.

Seminar #6

I would like to strongly disagree with the last comment made about the general consensus of the class being that men are stinky oppressive bruits with swollen egos and thick skulls etc... I believe the general thoughts of the class were that the men in the book Nervous Conditions were oppressive towards the females in the book. Tambu must fight her father for her to go to school. Her will not give her any money to go to school and when she finds a way for her to raise money to go to school, he is against it. He does not want her raising crops of her own when she could be helping him with the crops of the family. Once she is able to prove she can grow the crops, her brother starts taking them from her. He is taking her profits right from her own section of land so she will not be able to attend school.

The other women in the book were also oppressed in some way. Tambu’s mom has lead the worst life of them all. She lives on a dirty farm where her husband is lazy and refuses to fix anything that breaks until his brother comes along and offers money or help. She has lost her oldest son and is now living in constant fear that she will lose her oldest daughter.

Also no time in class was it said that women are thought of as innocent and defenseless. If all women were innocent and defenseless we would not have women’s prisons and women in power positions. Women have learned to speak their mind and have learned to fight for themselves. Perhaps women have tried to do this a bit to much and that is why many have adopted the name of being a witch. Besides, if all men were abusive oppressive bastards who abused their women, most women would probably choose to be lesbians and have artificial insemination to have children.

Seminar #6 Summary b by C. A.
to be posted
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See also: Cora's Online Reserve (password protected) for articles on Historical Fiction
URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci_articles/

ENGL 339 Spring 2003 Seminar Summaries completed thus far:
Seminar #1 ~ What Is Historical Fiction?
URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng339/Seminar1.htm
Seminar #2 ~ Jewel in the Crown, Parts One, Two & Three
URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng339/Seminar2.htm
Seminar #3 ~ Jewel in the Crown, Parts Five & Seven
URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng339/Seminar3.htm
Seminar #4 ~ To Live, with Prof. Patricia O'Neill
URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng339/Seminar4.htm
Seminar #5 ~ Chocolat & Nervous Conditions
URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/eng339/seminar6.htm

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