Claudia Hite

Lovers and other Monsters

Prof. Julia Keefer, Fall 1997

#1. A Poem.
 

Half asleep bells
mark a butterfly’s birth
over the rubble
I crawl into dawn
corn woman bird girl sister
calls from the edge of a desert
where it is still night
to tell me her story
survival.
-Audre Lorde (1986)

#2. Questionnaire

The following are the responses I received from the class when I asked them to define imbalance, an imbalanced man and finally an imbalanced woman.

Response 1:

  1. Imbalance: lack of balance, usually viewed as a negative state.
  2. Imbalanced man: could be one who has priorities that are unacceptable; the idea of balance or imbalance in lie is totally relative to its society.
  3. Imbalanced woman: typically viewed as emotionally unhealthy.
Response 2:
  1. Imbalance: Not equal; screwed up
  2. Imbalanced man: mentally unstable.
  3. Imbalanced woman: Same as above.
Response 3:
  1. Imbalance: to one side/not centered/biased/judgmental.
  2. Imbalanced man: One that is too much one the right or the left of any spectrum. A man that is not centered - in the normal spectrum-too generous, too aggressive, too emotional, not generous, too mild mannered.
  3. Imbalanced woman: the same as imbalanced man.
Response 4:
  1. Imbalance: the state in which too much emphasis is placed in one direction when presented with dichotomy.
  2. Imbalanced man: not understanding, appreciating, or accepting the feminine.
  3. Imbalanced woman: not understanding, appreciating, or accepting the masculine.
Response 5:
  1. Imbalance: inequality.
  2. Imbalanced man: irrational, not focused, erratic, mentally or psychologically damaged.
  3. Imbalanced woman: non-affectionate, withdrawn, hysterical.
 
Humans create personal dilemmas in the form of  Lovers and Monsters in society by promoting dominance over nature.  In the name of science and survival humans have battled to seperate from nature instead of working in harmony with her.   This battle has led to imbalances in everyday  life. The imbalanced life is demonstrated by the state of humans emotional well being, such as depression, destructive relationships, high levels of stress at work and in the home. This satellite view of the earth humans inhabit shows a perspective of  the enormity of this endevor. 

A view of the earth from the sun.