Author Archives: aga2544

Gloria Anzaldúa poses an interesting question in her essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” she states, “How do you tame a wild tongue…How do you make it lie down?” In other words, how are people’s voices and their identities being suppressed and made silenced? Throughout the essay, Anzaldúa states that people’s voices are a part of their identity. Language and the style of speaking are interconnected in one’s identity. It is a means of expression and self-identification. However, through oppression and by force, people’s voices can be taken away from them. Their means of identification and individuality can be silenced by an oppressor. At times, this can last for generations until the people it affects lose their identification. Anzaldúa makes this evident in her essay by discussing the history of Spanish and English colonization and the effects it had on the Native American population. The colonizers forced the Native Americans to assimilate to Western ideals and culture. They stripped them of their identity and forced them into new ones. The colonizers “tamed” the Natives’ “wild tongue” by force. They taught them that their beliefs were wrong and that the language they spoke was uncivilized. To tame a “wild tongue” the oppressor targets children because they are easy to influence. For example, in the United States, American Indian boarding schools were places that “tamed” the “wild tongue” of the Native population. In these schools, they were forced to learn English and assimilate to American values and ideas. If they were caught speaking in their native tongue, they were punished. As a consequence, the Native American populations lost language, culture, and ultimately their identities. Overall, the taming of “wild tongue” is the action of silencing one’s voice and taking away their means of self-expression and identity.

-Anna Allen

• Wild Woman: Labelled by society as a “wild woman,” she lived happily knowing that she lived life by her own rules.
• Wild Man: He used to live a life in loafers, but now the people in town know him as the “wild man” with feet hardened by the earth.
• Wild Animal: After escaping the world of domesticity, the housecat now roamed the empty streets as a “wild animal.”
• Wild Beast: “Capture that ‘wild beast,’” they said, but little did they know, that beast was someone’s pet. 
• Wild Thing: Greg was a seemingly normal person, but the “wild thing” about him was that he poured milk in before cereal.

-Anna Allen

Irish writer and poet Oscar Wilde was born in 1854. He was notable for his ornate lifestyle and writings and was labeled as a dandy-writer during the Decadent movement in literature. His pieces of work often contained parallels to his “wild” lifestyle. Criticized for the “wild” lifestyle he lived, he was known for being contrary to the ideals of Victorian-era England. Undoubtedly, these criticisms were present during his public trials for “gross indecency.” Wilde was accused of practicing homosexuality, which was a criminal act in late 19th century England. Subsequently, Wilde was found guilty, and some of his writings were used as evidence against him.

A piece of evidence used against Wilde during his trial was his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. This novel exemplifies Wilde’s dandy style because the main character, Dorian Gray, was exuberant and was devoted to maintaining a polished appearance. While the novel exemplifies Wilde’s style, it also parallels his queerness. This queerness is portrayed in some of the characters. For example, Wilde queer-codes the character Basil Howard. In the novel, Dorian Gray was Howard’s muse and the subject of the portrait that plagued Dorian throughout the story. Howard’s obsession with Dorian was heavily queer coded by Wilde, which was apparent in their interactions. An example of queer coding is present in this interaction, “I worshipped you. I grew jealous of every one to whom you spoke. I wanted to have you all to myself. I was only happy when I was with you” (Wilde). In this quote, Howard essentially professes his love to Dorian, which was unconventional during the Victorian era. With these interactions between the two characters, Wilde challenged the societal norms concerning male relationships. Because homosexuality was prohibited, the relationship between Basil and Dorian was a source of controversy for this novel. Ultimately, Wilde demonstrates “wildness” by provoking societal standards centered on homosexuality.

Ironically, I think Wilde’s surname suits his character well. In all senses of the word, Wilde is “wild.” In the literary sense, his writings challenged societal norms in Victorian-era England. In his personal life, Wilde challenged those norms as well. Ultimately, I think that Wilde is “wild because he broke societal ideals of the Victorian era by including queerness in his work.

-Anna Allen

Ernest Hemingway’s The Good Lion and Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are both entail their own idea of the “wild.” Hemingway’s story utilizes the “wild” to describe his ideals of civilized versus uncivilized individuals. His comparisons between the lions metaphorically demonstrate Hemingway’s underlying racist ideology through the fictitious lions to compare European and African culture. Sendak’s work uses the “wild” to illustrate the protagonist’s desire to escape reality. He uses wildness to express the desire to be liberated rather than be contained. These works differ because Hemingway uses the “wild” to illustrate the racial disparity between Europeans and Africans. Sendak uses the “wild” to illustrate the desire to be free.

Hemingway’s short story uses “wildness” to differentiate savagery and civility. The good lion is characterized as a civilized and cultivated individual. Rather than kill other animals and humans to eat, the good lion only eats pasta and other Italian food. In contrast, the “bad” lions are described as savages and wicked creatures. They differ from the “good” lion because they make fun of the way he looks, and their violent nature demonstrates their barbarity. In the story, Hemingway describes the disparity between the “good” and “bad.” He writes, “Adios,” he said, for he spoke beautiful Spanish, being a lion of culture. ‘Au revoir,’ he called to them in his exemplary French. They all roared and growled in African lion dialect.” By making this distinction of different dialects used by the lions, Hemingway demonstrates which languages he deemed “civilized.” This only perpetuates the idea that some cultures are uncivilized compared to others, in this case, African versus European culture. By doing this Hemingway indirectly states that certain cultural groups are seen as “wild” in comparison to others. 

Sendak incorporates “wildness” as means of escape. The protagonist, Max, is sent to his room by his mother. To retaliate, Max creates an imaginary world where there are creatures “wild” like him. However, Max soon realizes that he wants stability and structure rather than freedom. Sendak writes, “And Max the king of all wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.” This demonstrates the dilemma of craving freedom while also needing support and stability. Sendak uses “wildness” to create the dilemma of Max wanting to live by his own rules while also desiring structure and love from his mother.

-Anna Allen

The novel The Wizard of Oz was written by L. Frank Baum and was published in 1900. Baum is the communicator of the story, and he attempted to communicate a social commentary in the form of a children’s story. The main demographic of the novel’s audience is children, however, the novel contains messages directed towards an older audience. I consider this book a children’s story because it reads like a fairy tale. Dorothy takes the role of the hero who defeats evil with the help of her companions, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion. Glinda, the Good Witch, is similar to the fairy godmother from Cinderella. The Wicked Witch of the West and her minions are prime examples of fairy tale villains. However, the role of the wizard is a character I have trouble placing. The role and symbolism behind the Wizard’s character are why I think it would be incorrect to say that Baum did not consider an adult audience. Ultimately, I think there are aspects of this novel that are directed towards children and adult audiences. 

In chapter six of the novel, the word “wild” is addressed in the context of describing creatures that live in the realm of nature. Chapter six begins by describing Dorothy and her companions in the forest where they are separated from the rest of civilization, and there they meet the Cowardly Lion. The lion is introduced as a “wild” creature, and later on, in the chapter, “wild” beasts are mentioned. The word “wild” is rhetorically used to appeal to the reader’s pathos. In the chapter, Dorothy states, “..for you will help to keep away the other wild beasts.” The mention of “wild” animals living in the forest is meant to be terrifying because they exhibit uncontrollableness. This usage of “wild” exemplifies an appeal to pathos because Baum wanted to invoke the feeling of fear to emphasize the unknown of nature and the creatures that dwell in it.

-Anna Allen

“She Wolf” by Shakira was released in 2009 on her album She Wolf. There are two versions of this song, Spanish and English. I will be focusing on the English version in my post. This is a pop song that incorporates various sounds such as electronic beats, violins, and howling. In the song, Shakira sings about a woman who is “domesticated” during the day, but at night becomes a she-wolf. This song narrates the feelings of a woman who feels trapped but is freed through the she-wolf persona. The line “Not getting enough retribution or decent incentives to keep me at it” displays her discontentedness within her relationship. She then sings about being on the prowl to find single men to have a good time with. 

This song is “wild” because it is about a woman exploring her “wild” side and feeding into temptation. Women embracing their sexuality and desires is taboo. Under the patriarchy, women are expected to keep their sexual desires to themselves. A woman would be looked down upon by her peers if she openly embraces her sexual cravings. Shakira is reclaiming her sexuality through this she-wolf character. In the first verse, she describes her hunger and sexual desire. She sings, “The moon’s awake now, with eyes wide open my body’s craving, so feed the hungry.” These lyrics openly express the innermost desires of the subject through the she-wolf persona. She also describes sexual liberation through the lyrics from the chorus. She sings, “Open up and set it free (Ah-ooh) there’s a she wolf in your closet. Let it out so it can breathe.” These lyrics are about letting go and releasing one’s inhibitions. The closet is a metaphor for being trapped and being closed-in. The she-wolf character is the personification of the subject being liberated sexually. Overall, I think this song is “wild” because it describes a woman freely embracing her sexuality and willingness to break societal standards.

-Anna Allen

Wrestling is defined as a combative sport that utilizes techniques for overpowering an opponent. There are two wrestlers on the mat and a referee who makes calls of judgment. Typically, wrestling is seen as a masculine sport, so most of the audience demographic is men. However, in recent years, more women have been attracted to this sport. But, this does not mean that women wrestlers have the same prominence as their male counterparts. In this sport, the rules are to pin the other player down using legal techniques for a certain amount of time to score points. The rules emphasize using techniques rather than using strength alone. With proper technique, someone could overpower their opponent who has more strength. This is why I believe that wrestling does not have to be considered a ‘manly’ sport. Strength is seen as a masculine trait to have, which is why people perceive wrestling to be masculine. But women wrestlers show that strength is not the only aspect needed in wrestling. In the video clip I selected, Tamyra Mensah-Stock wrestles in the 2020 Olympic gold medal match. Not only does she demonstrates her strength, but her technique is what helps her win the match. She has to move at a fast pace, and if she hesitates it could result in her being pinned down. Her quickness and strength allowed her to score and overpower her opponent. 

This sport can be considered “wild” because of its aggressive nature and the violence that occurs. However, I would say that this is not a “wild” sport even though there is aggressiveness shown. There are rules that the players must follow and a referee that enforces those rules. If it were to be “wild” then there wouldn’t be any rules and the players would have full autonomy to fight each other. Rather, the sport is just showmanship of technique. This is a very civilized sport because the players need to be respectful of the rules and their opponent. 

https://youtu.be/GEhEIy_YHx8

Anna Allen

A film I consider to be “wild” is Mother! (2017), directed by Darren Aronofsky, in which Jennifer Lawrence (Mother) and Javier Bardem (Him) star. It follows the story of a pregnant woman and her husband living alone in the countryside. One night, a stranger appears at the door, and the husband allows him to stay. Eventually, the man’s wife and two sons also become guests in the home. The husband is protective over a crystal that the new couple ends up breaking. As the days go by, more people unexpectedly arrive at the house. The baby is due at any moment, and Mother wants everyone to leave, but her husband refuses. Eventually, Mother gives birth, and the people want to see it. She refuses, but her husband gives the baby to the crowd against her wishes. In the process of passing the baby around, the baby is accidentally killed, and the people begin to eat its corpse. Mother is angry at the crowd, and they begin to beat her until Him stops them. Determined to make them pay, she goes to the basement and causes the house to explode. Everyone but Him dies, and he goes to pull a crystal out of Mother, and the story begins again. The themes of this movie are violence, loss of humanity, and destruction. I consider this film “wild” because it showcases total human savagery and loss of inhibition. Throughout the movie, the guests destroy the home and become more uncivilized. Despite Mother’s pleas, the strangers in the house disregard her and cannot be tamed.

In one scene, the police enter the home which sends the mass of people into further disarray. I believe this scene best reflects the movie’s wildness through its sheer intensity. The director creates a sense of wildness and chaos through the quick-paced shots and sounds of screaming people. The scene intentionally overwhelms the viewer to emphasize the barbarity of the guests. This scene is impactful because it begins to show the true nature of the guests that have begun to take over the house. 

Anna Allen

It is assumed the term “wild” has a negative connotation when it describes something or someone. Within the Cambridge Dictionary, the word’s various definitions have a consensus of it meaning a deviation from societal norms and something conventional. The multiple definitions perpetuate the notion that the “wild” is undesirable because it deviates from the “norm.” The definition as an adjective implies the “wild” is uncontrollable and uncivilized. As a noun, the “wild” is untamed and does not reside within the realm of domesticity. As a verb, it implies the refusal of settling down. The standard way of thinking about the word “wild” has it that it’s assumed to be antithetical to a tame and behaved demeanor. Overall, the definitions of the term “wild” imply that the term means being unconventional and astray from control.
I agree that “wild” means uncontrollable and deviating from convention. However, I have a problem with the negative connotation that is usually behind the word. The use of the term to describe someone means there is something undesirable or unnatural. I would dispute that the term is not inherently negative but can be positive. While it is true that “wild” is untamed, it does not necessarily follow that it is unpleasant. Because it does not adhere to society’s convention of normalcy, the term could mean living uninhibited and free. Being “wild” means liberation because there is a lack of restraints that can hold something back. Ultimately, I believe that the term “wild” is capable of being seen as something positive because it can also mean freedom.

-Anna Allen