In Roland Barthes' essay "Toys" he discusses how children's toys stifle creativity by providing a miniaturized simulacrum of the adult world. He's not talking about the gendered tracking of toys that many feminists would later point to. While he does mention that a toy doll "is meant to prepare the little girl for the causality … Continue reading Today’s Toys
Category: Reading
Today’s Blind and Dumb Criticism
In his essay "Blind and Dumb Criticism," Roland Barthes calls to task critics who aren't certain of the material they are criticizing or how to discuss it. To make his points Barthes uses reviews from a play by Henri Lefebure about the philosophies of Kierkegaard. Barthes sees these critics and realizes that they don't really … Continue reading Today’s Blind and Dumb Criticism
Reading – “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
Recently I finished reading the novel The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. It is an absolutely beautiful novel and one of the best about racism that I've ever read. Within its brief 205 pages, the novel deals with themes of poverty, vision, and social definitions of beauty. It may be short, but it is certainly … Continue reading Reading – “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
Reading – Censorship and “To Kill a Mockingbird”
In recent news, a Mississippi school district announced that they would be pulling Harper Lee's classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird from shelves. According to the school board vice president, "There is some language in the book that makes people uncomfortable." Of course there is going to be things in a novel about racism that … Continue reading Reading – Censorship and “To Kill a Mockingbird”