When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez

Author:Cindy L. Rodriguez
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2015-03-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Letter #2

Dear Ms. Diaz,

I’m sorry about what happened in class on Friday. I know you didn’t like the drawing, but you didn’t give us a chance to explain. Anyway, better late than never. Here goes: Society tied the girl to the chair. “They” covered her eyes, so she doesn’t experience the world completely. She’s a blinded, caged animal screaming in frustration. Haven’t you ever felt that way? Like you’re being held down and you want to break free?

The picture is black and white because the gender issue was black and white then: Men were superior. Women were inferior. Period. The blindfold is pink. Get the symbolism? I assumed you’d like that. It’s actually a reference to a No Doubt song called “Just a Girl.” Do you know it? It was out in the ’90s. That’s when you were young, right? Well, at least younger. The song reminded us of Dickinson and how women were held back by society. That picture is based on the background information you gave us. The other two are based on the poem. The girl is small in size because she’s unimportant in her male-dominated world. She’s so unimportant, she dies and no one notices.

Come on, it totally works. If you had let us explain, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten ugly. You might not like the drawing, but it’s a slam-dunk A+. Didn’t you tell us once in class we might not like everything we read or do in class, but we should be open-minded?

Ms. Diaz made a copy for herself and another for Ms. Gilbert. This time the note read, Suzanne, another letter from Elizabeth. She’s begging for a reaction, so she’s going to get it. I’ll keep you posted.

Dear Elizabeth,

This might be awkward, having me write to you, but I need to explain a few things after what happened in class. I liked your drawing, and yes, it does fit the poem. I get it: the girl tied down by society yearning to break free. The pink ribbon, while the rest is black and white—very clever. Really. Great interpretation. It’s not because I disliked your picture that I wanted to talk to you—I’m concerned that you see yourself as the girl in the chair, being tied down and frustrated, or worse, as the girl in the corner.

Can I help in any way? If I can, I will.

Sincerely,

Ms. Diaz

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.