In class, we practiced steps we can take to apply theoretical lenses to a text. We read Sharon Old’s poem titled “On the Subway” through a number of lenses in order to select the most relevant and thought-provoking details for analysis. For this post, I’d like to see you continue the discussion by analyzing a quote or two through one lens, and commenting on at least two students’ posts.
Quick-Review of the Steps for Applying Theoretical Lenses:
1) Select your lens and then write out the language of the lens
2) Re-read the poem and find words, phrases, lines that best match up with the lens language
3) Write about these lines to unlock a deeper meaning to the poem by connecting the lines to the lens language.
Remember—choose only one lens! (Lacan’s mirror stage theory, Freud’s memory theory, W.E.B. DuBois’s double-consciousness theory, Homi Bhabha’s hybridity theory, Judith Butler’s gender performativity theory).
If it’s helpful, you can select one of the following sentence starters to begin. There is no right or wrong way, and these are just a few of a million ways to do it! The only rule is to avoid simply summarizing the plot.
- Lacan would have much to say about Sharon Old’s narrator in the poem “On the Subway.”
- A post-colonial reading of Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” reveals ____________.
- An interesting way to read Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” is through Homi Bhabha’s hybridity theory.
- A close look at the poem “On the Subway” through Lacan’s mirror stage theory exposes ____________.
- Sharon Old’s train in “On the Subway” is a literal representation of ___________.
- Sharon Old’s poem titled “On the Subway” is about ____________.
BRING YOUR MEMOIR TO NEXT CLASS!
A close look at the poem "On the Subway" through Post-Colonial Theory exposes that the author can be both the colonizer, and the colonized. In relations to being the colonizer, this is revealed once the author admits that "he is in my power...as if I am taking the food out of his mouth. That quote is used by the author to reveal that she has rule over him, and because of her background and his appearance she assumes that she has the life he could never acquire. In terms of the author not being the colonized, she shows this when she says "I am in his power he could take my coat so easily, my briefcase, my life. This line from the poem asks as an contradicting statement to what she says next, because she feels that he has this power over her, maybe because he is a man so she assumes he is stronger than her. All of this relates to the Post-Colonial Theory, because it shows you that the colonized, and colonizer aren't much different from each other.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statement because Sarah Olds says one thing then another and in the process of her making all these statements she contradicts herself in so many ways. And yes the colonizer and the colonized are very much equal to each other because the colonized and later on become the colonizer and in that process those who were the colonizers can become the colonized. Everyone is the same.
DeleteAgain, this is the same concept as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Our opinions of people change depending on our relationship with the person. I agree with your explanation of this text. Great examples!
DeleteI think this is great, and it is so true what you say at the end that the colonizer is the colonized. Many times when you find yourself judging others in some way you are judging yourself.
DeleteI agree mainly looking through this lense we see how we judge others and eventually we place judgement on ourselves as well.
DeleteWhen reading the poem "On the Subway" by Sharon Olds readers put the view of the Post-Colonial Theory in mind and when doing that they tend to see things other readers wouldn't. The author exposes that a person may think their the colonizer but in fact they can also be the colonized. To prove this message Olds adds in the quote when she says "... I don't know if I am in his power ... or if he is in my power,", this helps to prove that the colonized can also be very well known as the colonizer because they are both different in the eyes of each other and in some ways they both can hold a certain amount of power over each other because she is a white woman and whites hold a lot of power and then he is a black man and men are known to be strong and tough. Later on she goes on to say some things that are really not right in many ways because in her mind she still feels as if she holds the key to a lot because of the fact that she continues to follow her history. Olds says "And he is black and I am white, and without meaning or trying to I must profit from our history," She is basically colonizing him because as she knows about her history whites dominated and blacks were left down low but she's going against what she previously said. Sharon Olds just contradicts herself, she's confused. The Post-Colonial Theory supports all of these aspects listed throughout the poem because it proves to readers that just because you think you're a colonizer doesn't mean you can't be the colonized and also just because the two words end differently doesn't mean the people in the two groups are different at all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you as well, about the white women and black men both playing roles as the colonized and colonizer, it gives perspective on identity. But it also reflects on their race and how much being a colonizer and colonized individual negatively affects them in a situation as such on a subway.
DeleteDivena, I believe your last statement is very accurate, because it relates to what I was talking about, the colonizer can also become the colonized, depending on the perspective you're reading from.
DeleteI think a lot of people are focusing on the idea that the colonizer can become the colonized because we can find various examples in the text that display this theme. This is the same concept as the saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
DeleteI really find this good and I really like the fact that you were able to state at the end that they are not different at all the colonizer and the colonized, because that is the truth.
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ReplyDeleteA postcolonial reading of Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” reveals that the majority of individuals “other” each other based on looks, and in the case of the poem, the author uses skin color to display this theme. The poem includes lines such as, “the rod of his soul that at birth was dark and fluid, rich as the heart of a seedling ready to thrust up into any available light.” The term rod could be seen as the foundation of the soul. Meaning, the rod is what keeps an individual's soul stable. The darkness she uses to describe his soul can easily be connected back to the individual's skin color. This line alone shows how race plays a great deal in who we choose to “other.” Another line that supports this idea says, “He has the casual cold look of a mugger.” In the previous line mentioned, we established that race was a catalyst in the decision making of “othering,” therefore we can infer that the author is labeling him as a criminal based solely on his looks.
ReplyDeleteI completely with agree how the author used post colonial theory to reveal its message through race and culture about the role an individual can play at any given circumstance. Consider that they both can be seen as the colonizer and colonized.
DeleteI agree Hazel because the author does use skin color to "other" the guy on the train, and I love the quote you picked because it doesn't directly say that he is Black, you kind of have to do some analyzing.
DeleteI agree with you on how race plays an important role in "othering" people. When you look different from their view on what's normal, then you are immediately assumed as "exotic" or "strange."
DeleteI agree with your statement of how people other each other based on your looks, she showcases this throughout her poem constantly of her othering him based on his physical appearance rather than what he has done.
DeleteI agree and because many times we judge by appearence and make very bias and false judgements about a person.
DeleteAn interesting way to read Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” is through Post Colonial theory. Throughout the poem race and culture are vividly shown " And he is black
ReplyDeleteand I am white, and without meaning or
trying to I must profit from our history", this line opens a deeper meaning within the poem between race and culture. This black man is looked at as inferior to the white women. The author wants the audience to see how both races play colonizer and colonized roles. Pinpointing the women as the colonizer will only reflect on who the colonized is and the colonized can turn on the colonizer and appear to be the new colonizer. Based on the African American man appearance, he is automatcially considered " not typical " looking, therefore he is targeted as an outcast, someone not " typical" in the eyes of the white women. The poem reveals how both colonizer and colonized can play both roles.
I like how you added the culture part instead of just race.
DeleteIt's ironic how society is structured in such as way so that the white race is meant to remain superior.. meanwhile in situations of fear or danger, a white man questions his power when approached by a man that is black or a different race that would be considered "exotic" or the "other".
DeleteI agree with you completely because many that claim to be the colonized don't realize that their also the colonizer which is ridiculous and it's bad that people are classified and placed and judged because of the color of their skin.
DeleteI agree with you because today whites and blacks still look at each other differently and classify themselves different too.
DeleteA close look at the poem “On the Subway” through Lacan’s mirror stage theory exposes that it is true that humans start to be affected by society as soon as they are able to interact with it. With this interaction the person has with society many prejudices ideas are placed upon the person. We see in the poem one line that states "We are stuck on the opposite sides of the car." This goes to show how this white women and black man can't come together because of all the different things they have been told about one another. Society has impacted each of these individuals and changed them from there purest form. We even see that the women is confused about who is in "power" going to show she has lost her true ways and is only being a imitator. This poem demonstrates the power society has over each individual.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you talked about the train car being society and how it keeps us segregated.
DeleteI definitely agree in the part that you mention how society puts ideas in our heads about a certain race. The ignorant comments people make about race are the reasons we view different people in certain ways.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this. Your focus on this lense is very clear.
DeleteI liked how you used metaphor to compare the opposite cars and society. Very well put.
DeleteI agree with this a lot because society gives us rules to follow and judge even though we haven't seen this in our own lives, but instead we have had those things shown to us.
DeleteA post-colonial reading of Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” reveals that he might look like the colonizer but in reality she is. First she says, "I look at his unknown face, he looks at my grandmother's coat, and I don't know if I a in his power," because she thinks that he is physically stronger than her. Later on she realizes that, "he is in my power, the way I am living off his life, eating the steak he may not be eating, as if I am taking the food from his mouth." She knew that he was more powerful physically but when she looked at the race and economic status she knew that she was the colonizer.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. In the beginning of the poem Sharon seems to feel inferior, but as she kept describing the scene, she realized that she was the one who was superior to him.
DeleteI agree with you she assumes because of the race and not fully understanding that he could have more power.
DeleteI agree with you because throughout the poem she others him and feels weak around him, but soon goes into depth about how she has more advantages, but still othering him, so she is the colonizer by doing so.
DeleteThat's what I was thinking about during class. So in the end, does she think that she is the colonizer or the guy?
DeleteA post-colonial reading of Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” reveals that as you "other" another person you may be "othering" yourself as well. Sharon Olds writes,"He is wearing red, like the inside of the body exposed. I am wearing old fur, the whole skin of an animal taken and used... And he is black and I am white..." In these lines we see that Sharon realizes how different the man is from her. He is wearing one thing and she is wearing another. She is a white woman and he is a black man. This means that although to her he may seem exotic/different, she may be seen the same way in his eyes. In her perspective, they are the complete opposite which shows how people view each other according to the post-colonial reading.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you with the post-colonial theory in the poem. Both the white woman and the black man are two different people, and both of them see each other as different, labeling one another as "exotic" or "strange." Neither of them know a single thing about one another, but they immediately assume things about one another, judging from the façade that they see.
DeleteI totally agree with you because sometimes we tend so much to "other" people who just look different from us but we don't realize that to them we might be consider the "other".
DeleteThe poem called "On the Subway" symbolizes the post-colonial theory and shows that the author can be the "colonizer" and the man she sees as the "colonized." Being a Caucasian woman, she sees an African American Man, and thinks that he, "has the cold look of the mugger," without even knowing who he is. She is assuming that he is this way because she is judging the façade. She also mentions about looking into his "unknown" face, implying that she doesn't know a single thing about him, but due to the way he "looks," he is already a criminal. Although the white woman sees the man as the "colonized," the man could see the same thing for the woman, since neither of them know who they are.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you wrote and that "othering" goes vise versa between two people that are different.
DeleteA post colonial reading of Sharon Old's "On the Subway" reveals that if you are consider the "other" you might be consider threatening. Sharon Olds says, "I don't know if I am in his power-he could take my coat so easily, my briefcase, my life". Throughout this quote we can see that she in someone way feels threaten by this man just before he seems to look different from her. Although she is consistently "othering" this man by making the assumption that he is powerful makes her like like the other as well. This means that even though she expresses he is powerful and could take all of her things she is identifying herself as weak and helpless.
ReplyDeleteI chose the same quote, and I completely agree, when labeling someone, we are labeling ourselves as well.
DeleteAn interesting way to read Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” is through Homi Bhabha’s hybridity theory. She states, "I don't know if I am in his power- he could take my coat so easily, my briefcase, my life-or if he is in my power the way I am living off his life..." In other words, Sharon Olds is in doubt of who is actually in power in this exact moment because her fear of the man makes her weak and him powerful. But then she is unsure if the man sees her as prey or predator.. Sharon Olds expands on the post colonial theory by claiming that the false binary will work reversely as well for the reason that she believes by othering one, you are othering yourself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that since if both are othering each other then they are actually the same
DeleteA post-colonial reading of Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” the author displays race and culture. One of the quote she uses is "he is black and I am White, and without meaning or trying to I must profit from history." She wants us to see that she plays the colonizer and the man is the colonize. Personally this is a problem we face today because whites and blacks still think of each other differently.
ReplyDeleteI think you should talk about whose theory you are talking about.
DeleteI agree, culture/race is a big part of how people "other" eachother
DeleteWhy is this a problem? How has this become a problem?
DeleteWhy is this a problem? How has this become a problem?
DeleteA post-colonial reading of Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” reveals that she others people very easily. She mentions in her poem that, "he has the look of a casual mugger." This points to the fact that she thinks this because he is different from her, so she others him. He is a black male, to her that means he is a mugger because she is a white female, this is a sign of her othering him. There is also the example that she put in that says, "he could take my coast so easily, my briefcase, my life." She is saying this because of how he appears, which points to her othering him yet again.
ReplyDeleteFreud would have much to say about Sharon Old’s narrator in the poem “On the Subway.” One line that he would find interesting would be "he has the casual cold look of a mugger." Freud would point out that this poem is based on memory which means that how she is remembering his look has probably been distorted. Looking through this lens we can see that this line seems not to be true.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, she uses Freud's theory throughout her poem.
DeleteA post-colonial reading of Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” reveals that she others people who are different than her. She says that "We are stuck on opposite sides of the car", one might think she is just describing a scene but in reality she is trying to say that they both are totally different from each other. She is "othering" him. And not only that, she also thinks that they both are different from each other because she is a female and he is a male with "cold look of a mugger".
ReplyDeleteA post-colonial reading of Sharon Old's "On the subway" reveals that everyones has different ways of "othering" people. It is mentioned "I don't know if I'm in his power- he could take my coat so easily, my briefcase, my life-". This is shown as othering because Olds is othering him since he is a male. She is looking through the gender lens. In this case, we see how Olds is the colonizer, but we also see how she can be colonized because the male could be othering her for being female.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting point you bring up!
DeleteFor some reason I always read that quote through post-colonial lenses. Nice different interpretation.
DeleteA post-colonial reading of Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” reveals that one person is being colonized and one person is doing the colonizing. "I don't know if I am in his power-he could take my coat so easily, my briefcase my life-or if he is in my power, the way I am living off of his life, eating the steak he may not be eating, as if I am taking the food from his mouth." She is othering in ways that both are the colonized and both are the colonizer. When the stranger can take thing from her he has power over her and is the colonizer and she is the colonized, but when she could be metaphorically taking food away from him and having a better life she has power over him and she becomes the colonizer and he becomes the colonized.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! That is how I interpretated it.
DeleteA post-colonial reading of Sharon Old’s “On the Subway” reveals that in some cases both the African male and the white woman hold power over each other. The white woman identifies that the male has some power over her and she feels weak because of it. The African man also feels this power the white female has over her. Therefore, it can be seen that both the female and male play both the colonizer and colonized roles.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading "On the Subway" through the post-colonial lenses, there is evidence of the writer "othering" the other man who she shares the subway cart with. "... he is blac and I am white, and without meaning or trying to I must profit from our history,". Here she acknowledges that he is indeed different and that people of his skin color also have been treated differently because they were "othered" by those who saw them differently. This represents that the idea of "othering" those of colors is still a habit that many people do. When reading this poem, if it is looked through Freud's memory lens, the question of whether or not her memory is 100% accurate is in doubt. When she says "He has, or my white eyes imagines he has the casual cold look of a mugger," she is reaching back into her memory to bring out these details. However, how can we know that her memory has done her the fairest of justice and gave her all of the memory? Perhaps she is only able to bring few details back to surface.
ReplyDeleteSharon Old’s poem titled “On the Subway” is about a woman who makes prejudice judgments in a train car when she sees a young black man, looking through the post-colonial lens, we can see how society tends to label people as the other through judgement and bias which leads to one group being labeled as the colonized and the other, the colonizer.
ReplyDelete