The Female Voice in Latin American Media
Video Essay Reflection
My research’s two most influential ideas are how narrative structures can reflect and foil gender norms and how engaging with and telling someone else’s story can reveal aspects of that individual they are unable to by themselves. Especially in Latin American works of magical realism, the traditional linear narrative is how masculine history is recounted, with men dominating the public spheres of society. However, in my choice novel The House of the Spirits, the texts that typify the private female life — notebooks, love letters, and mental novels — become the source of narration, foiling the rigid, linear narrative structure with a circular, collective one. Not only does this prove that women can publicize their stories without sacrificing the femininity that characterizes their voice, but that their stories can counter the patriarchal narrative and its self-justifying principles.
Moreover, not only can the female voice deconstruct the machista paradigm, but reconstruct the reality that machismo suppresses. In The House of Spirits, the female Trueba family members interpret even the most explicitly political events in a more romantic, emotional, traditionally feminine light. In doing so, they shed light on the private desires held by men that may have been stifled before. After all, the patriarchy harms more than just women, as machista attitudes oppress most emotions besides aggression and pride. This leaves some men unable to express other sides to their lives even when they truly want to, which is where the female voice fills in the gaps. This marks the second half of my video essay as I explore the humanity of femininity.
Thus, what I want people to learn from my project is that the best storyteller may not always be the one who experienced the story firsthand — of course, this can lead to some messy discourse about who has the right to tell a story, and I don’t claim to know the answer to that question. But I do think it’s important to have space for minorities not just within their own issues, but within other matters that may be indirectly related to them. As long as someone takes the time to understand the perspective their story involves — in the case of The House of the Spirits, the narrator, Alba, is telling her own family history — they can offer nuance that the original perspective may not have been able to express.
Senior Reflection
The most important thing I learned from my time at NNHS is to not be afraid of making time for everything you want to do. As a freshman, I thought dedicating myself to just academics and extracurriculars would be the most effective way to spend my high school career, but now I recognize that more than anything else, that just led to me using my free time to procrastinate. Some of my favorite memories from high school come from when I made time for something I would usually skip or put off (thinking I could learn it in college): post-badminton meet outings with friends, finally exploring my (lack of) fashion sense, or even a simple shopping trip with my mom. And by becoming more involved in the once-neglected aspects of my life, I became more involved with other people. Before this year I sort of existed in a bubble of same-grade friends, but this year I adopted (or imprinted?) onto some underclassmen from my extracurriculars.
So that would be my advice to future seniors: if you’re anything like a procrastinator or time-waster like me, just fill up your time. Force yourself out of your comfort zone, out of your 2-hour nap, and make plans, explore and express yourself, and force yourself into other people’s conversations! After all, you’re a senior: you can do whatever you want 🙂
Hey Jennifer! I loved watching your video essay. You talk about such an important voice. It’s so interesting how your novel, The House of Spirits, inspired you to take on this voice. It really is important for women to be able to share their stories regardless of patriarchal orders and societal expectations. It was also super interesting hearing about the machista narrative. It’s so true that it prevents men from being in tune with their emotions. The gaps that women “have” to fill can almost be burdensome at some point. I’m so glad I got to watch your video though because the media representing this voice truly does provide hope for not only Latina women, but really anyone who is sharing a similar story. As a women myself, I love to see our voice being represented in media!!! Awesome job!
Hi Jennifer! I really liked your analysis of the House of Spirits, especially when you contrasted it with 100 Years of Solitude. The distinction between presenting women as passive and accepting of violence and representing women as forced into resignation after generations of sexual assault and trauma in a patriarchal system is incredibly important and I truly appreciate Allende’s emphasis on that. I also thought it was poignant in the ways that you examined the effects of patriarchy on men and classism. It shows that an imbalance of power between gender identities not only damages those who lack power, but everyone involved with the system. This could not be more true and we currently see the effects in our world with patterns of toxic masculinity in addition to the ongoing violence and discrmination against women. I think this made your video very dimensional (the music was also nice).
Hey Jennifer! Firstly, wow. Your argument, your portrayal, and your visuals were all beyond outstanding, and more than ever, I understand and completely agree with your argument. Previously, I had truly never thought about how machismo or masculinity is not just harmful to women (as portrayed by most media), but also to men. There is extreme power in femininity and truly embracing every part of you. Many parts of your argument as well, I feel are truly relatable to many people, yet there has not been enough attention drawn to the issue at hand. Thank you for addressing this serious issue and adding in your own take!
First of all, I loved the lo fi music you have in the background lol, it was very relaxing and fit the theme of the video very well. The transition between soundtracks were also very smooth, and I love the style of the images that you chose. In terms of your video content, I loved how you pronounced all the Spanish names and words authentically: are you taking ap spanish or something? 😉 As always, I loved the writing style in which you created this video and how you broke it down into different parts: it really tied the video together very well and offered a very organized approach and flow to it. I also love this theme of machismo throughout the essay, and the beautiful videos that you incorporate throughout the video as well.