Zainab's Blog

Author’s note: This blog post channels the ideology of a conspiracy theorist, as seen in Libra . When introduced to Kindred , the reader and narrator, Dana, must quickly come to terms with the teleportation through time Dana undergoes. Details such as when (Antebellum era), where (Maryland), the passage of Dana’s time (or rather, lack thereof), reasoning behind her arrivals (whenever Rufus needs his life saved), and reasoning behind her departures (whenever she genuinely believes her life is in danger) are rapidly thrown at Dana and the reader both. Additionally, Dana’s first return from her journey in time depicts that she disappeared for a few seconds, only to reappear in a different place in the room. Moreover, “The Fall” teaches us that Dana can facilitate the transportation of not only objects, such as her bag, but also people.  Assuming there is some consistency in this book (although that is a major expectation for postmodern works), Rufus should appear in the 20th century ...

Throughout Mumbo Jumbo , readers attempt to discover what exactly Jes Grew actually is. Even after finishing this confusing tale, the question of what Jes Grew represents remains. We are told in the first chapter that it is “a psychic epidemic” which “once we call it 1 thing it forms into something else” (4-5), yet the idea behind this anti-plague continues to accompany readers. Initially, we as readers begin to believe that Jes Grew is a surface level representation of the jazz movement that swept the nation during the time period. The Wallflower Order attempts to silence the violent dancing deemed inappropriate and that had resulted in women sexualizing themselves and going down the wrong path.  However, Jes Grew is not solely a musical revolution, but also a cultural awakening for Black Americans. The book mentions loas, spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou, which symbolize the revival of the suppressed spirit of Black Americans and no longer feeling as tho...

Racial discrimination and injustices are prevalent in today’s world as well as the world of the past. Acts of racial discrimination can include a person from a different racial group being treated more favorably in similar circumstances, a rule or policy set by an employer places people from certain racial groups at a disadvantage, or insulting remarks or behaviour due to one’s racial identity. Racial discrimination may also occur when someone is treated unfairly because they associate with people of another race.  Though our world today is not perfect and there exists several cases of racial discrimination, this phenomenon was far more common when Doctorow wrote Ragtime . The heavy presence and occurrence of racial injustice was an influential and invisible hand guiding the plot of this story, allowing Doctorow to incorporate narratives regarding these racial biases. On the second page alone, he writes, “There were no [N-word]. There were no immigrants,” depicting the family's d...

The American Dream. We’ve all heard of it. Though we typically imagine immigrants to the United States searching to accomplish the American Dream, U.S. citizens as well seek to achieve this goal. But what exactly is it? Defined by Merriam-Webster, the American Dream is “a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful.” Ragtime displays several characters attempting to reach this goal, with varying definitions of success. To Harry Houdini, success was making a living from magic shows. To Ford, it was profiting from an accessible car given to everyone rather than just a select few. To Tateh, it was ensuring a better life for his daughter, Little Girl.                 An immigrant from Hungary, Harry Houdini attempts to maintain the American lifestyle by “pulling himself up by the bootstraps,” or building himself up with no out...