國立中央大學英美語文學系系友會

國立中央大學英文系系友會公告

 中華民國一百零七年十一月五日

主旨：公佈本系系友會獎學金一零七學年度得獎名單。

說明：

一、得獎同學如後(依年級、學號順序排列)：

親愛的系友們您好，

系友會將在06/09(六)中午12:00-14:30於C2-102舉辦英文系系友會聯誼暨會員大會(系友回娘家)，屆時將準備buffet提供各位享用，歡迎各位系友們踴躍參加~

此外，如有參加的意願，請先來信告知(alumnian@gmail.com) 也可私訊facebook粉專 https://www.facebook.com/NCUENGAlumni/

系友會將統計參與人數以便訂購適量的食物，謝謝您的配合~
中央大學英文系系友會 助理Vivienne

Gender and Racial Discrimination in Hidden Figures

“They let women do some things at NASA, and it’s not because we wear skirts. It’s because we wear glasses”.

— Taraji P. Henson as Katherine G. Johnson

        The women’s empowerment of the three characters Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Johnson (Janelle Monae) in the movie Hidden Figures, released in 2016 and directed by Theodore Melfi, over sexist and misogynist men leads their path toward combatting discrimination in the public but also private sphere. This essay will examine the film as a way to understand the perception of femininity in the sexist and racist scientific world of the fifties and sixties. Regarding the election of Donald Trump the same year as the release date of the movie, I would like to demonstrate the representation of the double battle of recognition of rights as a black woman in the sixties and the impact on the bipolar American society torn up by the increasing of migrant rights and feminist empowerment on one hand and the resurgent racist actions on the other. Sexism and racism are intimately linked in this movie and as a young female student and a feminist I couldn’t just let it pass and not study it more to understand the mechanism of racism and sexism. Hidden Figures is based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s novel Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race and tells the story of three very intelligent African-American women who served as the brains at NASA during the Cold War. The movie is set in the early sixties during the space race between the USA and the USSR. At that moment our three protagonists helped in the preparation of one of the greatest operations in history: The launch of the astronaut John Glenn into orbit. In doing so, they were forced to encounter racism, discrimination, and sexism from their colleagues, superiors and compatriots. 

The sixties were not only a moment of war against another ideology but also a battle of races and genders. The post-World War II period was a moment of struggle for women who had, and still have to today (if we take into consideration the recent controversy over sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement), to face the glass ceiling reality and gender inequality concerning social status and housework. They have had to fight for their credit to occupy a social position equal to men, and to strengthen women’s empowerment movements and actions around the world.  The situation seemed to be less hard for white western women compared to women of color even if it was on the very same territory. The segregated period of the sixties not only placed black women in the difficult position of being women against men but also, and most importantly as shown in Hidden Figures, the everyday battle for being a black woman working in a white men’s world. The hegemonic masculinity of both white and non-white men seemed to be threatened by the work evolution and career aspirations of the three main characters. Sexism and racism are intimately linked in this movie. The three protagonist not only encounter racism vis-à-vis the white population of the NASA and in the city of Virginia but also sexism produced by men working en masse in the basement. Sexism in the context of the Cold War is not only put into practice by the white scientists working at NASA or the white policeman at the beginning of the movie, it also appears within the intimacy of the black community as we will see with the bold Mary Johnson who will not hesitate to go against her husband’s approval to take night class, or Katherine Johnson who will not let the well regarded Jim Johnson (Mahershala Ali) disregard the role of women in the space race.

國立中央大學英美語文學系系友會組織章程

民國87年06月07日會員大會通過
民國88年06月06日會員大會修正

民國93年06月05日會員大會修正

英文系系友會因近幾年學校經費緊縮及響應環保，故調查系友會會訊收發方式，請系友填寫表單，此表單資料僅於系友會資料庫使用。

(因近年來有需多系友會會訊遭退件，郵資及印刷費用等難免造成浪費，希望系友們踴躍填寫表單及轉發表單連結至各班群組)
https://goo.gl/forms/Gk8JrdV9neivD8Vm1

主旨：公佈本會106學年度第十屆英文寫作比賽結果。

說明：

一、 此次比賽經本會聘請專人評審，得獎同學如下

        第一名     Celia Jacque

        第二名     施為騫

國立中央大學英文系系友會公告                       中華民國一百零七年五月八日

主旨：公佈一百零六學年度本系系友魏淑慧紀念獎學金得獎名單。

說明：

一、得獎同學如下(依年級&姓氏筆劃順序排列)：

    英文四 王姵璇 同學

Little Tiger

On the balcony of my apartment sit pots planted with kumquats, one of which is where Little Tiger, the first cat I reared, lies buried.

Little Tiger got her name not because she was as fierce as an actual tiger but because she had the exact coat patterns like a tiger. She was a mixed-breed cat abandoned in front of the pet store which I worked for while in college. My boss, Lisa, was a kind woman with a heart of gold, so it was no wonder that she decided to take Little Tiger inside and provided her with great care when noticing a kitten meowing from a cartoon as she was about to open the store one morning.

Three distinctive differences between an adult cat and a kitten are, firstly, the latter has a round, bulged belly since its anal sphincter cannot function properly until it grows up for about three months old; secondly, the pupils of an infant cat look all black without any white of the eyes, and the last would be the interval between its two ears is wider until it gets physically mature.

So every day I had to tap her on her private part with wet tissue, helping her discharge (A mother cat would lick on the anal and consume whatever comes out. In no way would I do it), and feed her by a plastic syringe filled with easily digestible canned food. I would hold her steadily with my left hand forming a bowl-like gesture, ejecting the food gradually into her mouth with my right hand. At this time, she would be suckled, intoxicated, and purring loudly. I could feel the comfort in her and a sense of security when she was in my arms. As a matter of fact, what entertained me most in the workday was the time with Little Tiger; somehow the very same comfort and the sense of security grew inside of me as well.

The Unnamed Monster in Frankenstein

    When it comes to Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein, we are inclined to associate the title with the monster in the novel. In fact, “Frankenstein” is the surname of the protagonist Victor Frankenstein, who created the horrible creature. The monster itself has never had a name.

        A name is of great significance for someone or something because it is related to one’s identity. Additionally, since everything in the world lives and depends on one another, a relationship comes to exist. The interaction of different relations thus form the society. That is, when a human is given a name, he receives an identity, then has family and belonging group. He begins to form relationships with others and a society forms. Thus, names are with regard to the society. In the novel, Frankenstein’s monster has never been given a name ever since his creation. The creator, Victor Frankenstein, doesn’t seem to think of naming the monster he creates, either. He even calls him “monster” and “ugly wretch”. As a result, the monster has no identity, he doesn’t belong to any group, and he isn’t with respect to any social relation. He cannot be seen as a member of the society even though he is alive and actually exists on earth. This is so-called “social death”.

Although Frankenstein’s monster is of no harm to anyone, he is isolated. Rather than his dreadful appearance, it is being not born with a name that keeps him away from others. To enter the human society, he has to build his own identity, which means he must have a name. That’s why he tangles with Victor Frankenstein, not solely for revenge, but also in pursuit of his name.

The turning point takes place after he learns the name “Frankenstein” in the encounter with William, the little brother of Victor. Upon seeing the monster, William is so frightened that he invasively calls him “monster” and “ugly wretch” as his brother once does. He even calls “Frankenstein”, trying to terrify the horrible monster to protect himself. In this scene, the significance and power of a name is apparently seen. William calls the name of his family in danger because he believes the name can prevent him from threats. Moreover, it is showed that his name “Frankenstein” must be of reputation and very influential at that time. Yet, for Frankenstein’s monster, he has no name to defend him. He only has himself. Hence, strongly threatened not only by the little boy but also by the name “Frankenstein”, he makes the resolution to take revenge for himself.

Affections behind the Disillusion in James Joyce’s Araby

     Araby, a short story in James Joyce’s early work Dubliners, depicts a bitter story – the narrator, a boy, who falls in love with his friend’s sister, promises to bring her something from the bazaar Araby. Yet he fails, only to find all he has done is proved in vain. “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger” thought the boy in the end. (Joyce 1)

     The story begins with the abandoned, isolated house situated on the blind street, which once belonged to a devout priest that had been dead, leaving the empty house and the Eden-like garden deserted. The dusk arrives before dinner time, and all these scenes portrays a bleak winter’s coming, which also presages the proceeding storyline that might not end in happiness. The protagonist has a strong affection for the sister of his friend Mangan; however, he dares not to approach her, not to mention talking to her. All he could do is just watch her secretly and meanwhile prevent himself from her sight.

     Not only is she enchanting and mysterious, but she also distracts him from his own, haunting upon his mind. As a teenager being confused of such complicated, heart-throbbing feelings, his eyes are frequently filled with tears, and the flood of his affection is nowhere to drain away but could only pour itself out inside his mind. Despite the fact that her beautiful figure and shadow irresistibly arouse his desire, he restrains his overflowing feelings and mutters a few pieces of words only to himself.

     Eventually, he has an opportunity to speak to her, and their short conversation revolves around Araby, the bazaar as well as the title of the story. She says she couldn’t go to Araby, and consequently he promises to bring something back. From that moment on, his dreams and his thoughts are occupied all over by this commitment and he can’t chase both her and Araby out of his mind. Even he is in class, on which a good student ought to focus himself, rather than pay attention to the teacher, he thinks of her, Araby and their promise, and his soul wanders. Simultaneously, he finds himself exhausted of the standard school life. All he wants is to leave the school and to head for Araby. He regards school as a children’s play, and above all, he has to complete the commitment between him and her; thus he begins to recognize himself as an adult.

Confession of a Woman

Red, green, yellow, and black…… I was born in colors. I sit markedly upright with my arms folded. Only my gaze was fixed on the observer and seemed to welcome them to this silent communication. Since the brightly lit face was practically framed with various much darker elements, the observer's attraction to my face was brought to even greater extent. My folded hands formed the front corner of the pyramid. My breast, neck and face glowed in the same light that models my hands. The light gave the variety of living surfaces an underlying geometry of spheres and circles. I owned black and deep eyes, and I was smiling.

The moment I was able to see the world, I can not move my eyes from the man who created me. There was only concentration on his face. Sometimes, I saw a glance of affectionateness flashing through his eyes. I felt delighted that I was born with both passion and love. It was my honor that I was created with a sincere heart. The day when I was finished, hope and expectation for future filled with my heart. I could not wait to travel around this lovely world. However, thing did not always come out as planned.

After traveling with the artist for several years, due to his financial difficulties, he sold me to a king of France. I was depressed to learn of this news, for I never thought of leaving the man who painted me my life. Even though my heart was broken, I still had no choice to make over his decision. After all, I was merely a painting. Handing on the wall of hall in palace, I was admired by king’s guests. They admired that I had retained some of my old elegance, yet I never regarded myself as what they thought. Not until 1805 was I sent to Louvre by Napoleon. Louvre was a museum which was not only large but also magnificent. I had never seen such a glorious building before. It was even better than France king’s palace. After being placed at a noticeable location, I was visited by people all over the world everyday. In daytime, there was no moment when I could be alone. And it seemed that I was a super celebrity of painting which should be visited at least once during a person’s lifetime, even though I had never realized the reason why I was so famous. I thought that I was going to start a totally steady-going life in this museum ever after. Unfortunately, my adventures did not end actually.

It was an obscure night, and there was no moon that day. An employee who worked in museum sneaked into the room and stood before me. I was afraid because I felt that there was something unfortunate going to happen. He took a piece of cloth to cover me and then quietly moved me from where I was hung. At the moment, I knew he was trying to steal me out of Louvre. I neither wanted to leave nor had any preparation. My face went white, and I shouted and screamed. However, no matter how I resisted, every effort was in vein. Again, I was only a painting, and I could not decide my fate. After that, I could not remember how many vagrant years I had, it was a nightmare for me to recall. At least, I did come back to where I was in Louvre. They made me a personal small glass room for fear that the same tragedy would repeat. Finally, the peaceful and steady life I had waited seemed to come, although the injury to my heart and hope were completely out of recovery.

Lost

CHARACTER

John Hert, the second child in the Hert family, brought to Taiwan at 20. Never leaves since.

Mom & Dad, the parents, both of them are over 60; Dad is in early stage of Alzheimer's disease Judge

Mr. Lin, the defendant lawyer.