Evie's Blog

  Blog Post #3 I really enjoyed learning about Ouanga , a voodoo-themed horror movie starring Fredi Washington. I had never heard of this movie before, so I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about its important themes and to see a few clips in class. From the very beginning, you can catch the intensity of the fear of blackness, black ritual, and the drum. Learning that the drum was used between enslaved people who were abducted and brought here from West Africa to communicate with one another, a language that Europeans could not understand, amplified its power and meaning for me. Although the movie was much later than slavery, I found it interesting that the fear of the drum still continued, representing Voodoo rituals, so to see it reframed as something threatening felt disturbing. I found it particularly interesting that there was the looming fear of Voodoo; a Haitian tradition. Something that is a practice and faith that gives people strength and sustenance, was ultimate...

I really enjoyed listening to the lecture on “The Rider” by Tananarive Due. I found myself captivated by it for its blend of historical fiction and horror, with Due’s late mom and aunt as the protagonists. Writing this piece allowed her to write a fictionalized version of her late mom while also creating a space to feel even more connected to her, in a cathartic way. This made the whole lecture more special to me. Whenever I read anything that relates to the author in some way, I always find myself more intrigued and analyzing it differently. Due mentioned how, although this did enable her to feel closer to her mom, it raised numerous questions while writing it, further showing the admiration and respect for her mom. This was something I was able to really understand because, if I were in Due’s position, I could not even begin to imagine the number of questions I would have about my late mom, such as: Would she approve of this? What was she like when she was younger? Am I including the...

  Blog Post #1 Get Out and the following conversation captivated my attention the most. I had never watched this movie before this class, so I was excited to have the opportunity to watch it and analyze it in depth. The cool thing about having a class like this is that you listen to the various opinions and interpretations of a film, book, show, etc. from students and professors, which enables me to look at things differently and understand specific topics and ideas better. Although I found all conversations about this movie to be riveting in their own way, when we began to talk about the Sunken Place, that was where I found myself really wanting to learn more, wanting to research it outside of class, and most importantly, wanting to talk about it with friends and family. I have never heard of this term before, but I am glad that I heard it for the first time within this context.  When I first heard about it, I tried to figure out for myself what it could mean and what it cou...