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:
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Imbalance: lack of balance, usually viewed as a negative
state.
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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.
-
Imbalanced woman: typically viewed as emotionally unhealthy.
Response 2:
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Imbalance: Not equal; screwed up
-
Imbalanced man: mentally unstable.
-
Imbalanced woman: Same as above.
Response 3:
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Imbalance: to one side/not centered/biased/judgmental.
-
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.
-
Imbalanced woman: the same as imbalanced man.
Response 4:
-
Imbalance: the state in which too much emphasis is placed
in one direction when presented with dichotomy.
-
Imbalanced man: not understanding, appreciating, or accepting
the feminine.
-
Imbalanced woman: not understanding, appreciating, or accepting
the masculine.
Response 5:
-
Imbalance: inequality.
-
Imbalanced man: irrational, not focused, erratic, mentally
or psychologically damaged.
-
Imbalanced woman: non-affectionate, withdrawn, hysterical.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.