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Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
OTH e
RNESS
NO. 1 (SPRING, 2017)
WILLIAM BLAKE
PICABIA/ HUIDOBRO
LANGUAGE LEARNING
CULTURAL IDENTITY
POETRY
RIGOBERTA MENCHÚ
FEMINISM
SHORT STORIES
ISABEL ALLENDE
DOSSIER PHOTOGRAPHY
MAGAZINE
ELA STUDENTS
LaGuardia
Community College
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/1
OTH
e RNESS
Otherness. Magazine of the Students. ELA Department
LaGuardia Community College.
NO. 1,SPRING 2017
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ernesto Menéndez-Conde
PUBLISHER
ELA Department in Collaboration with the Humanities Department.
La Guardia Community College
COMMITTEE ADVISORY BOARD
Max Rodríguez
Habiba Boumlik
Michele De Goeas
Ana María Hernández
Hugo Fernandez
Maureen Drennan
Lidiya Kan
EDITOR (ENGLISH)
Annie Stutzman
EDITOR (SPANISH)
Ernesto Menéndez-Conde
EDITOR (ARABIC)
Lamees Fadl
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Ernesto Menéndez-Conde
FRONT COVER
Ni Ouyang. Untitled. Digital photography, 2017
Otherness. Magazine of the Students. ELA Department is published two times per year (June-December)
PUBLISHED BY
Education and Language Acquisition Department in Collaboration with the Humanities Department
LaGuardia Community College
Otherness. Magazine of the Students. ELA Department is not responsible for and does not necessarily share the opinions expressed
by its contributors. No portion of Otherness. Magazine of the Students. ELA Department may be used or reproduced in any form
without the express written permission of the publishers. All rights reserved.
2/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA Students
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
CONTENTS
Note from the editors.................................................................................................................................................................................................4
William Blake’s “Tyger”: The Symmetry Between God and Body......................................................................................................................6
By Hae Wan Kim
The Many Worlds of Francis Picabia and Vicente Huidobro............................................................................................................................10
By Mariajose Racedo
The Dichotomy Of Peace: The Formula For Acheivement................................................................................................................................14
by Nirmal Singh
Language Learning and The Epoche........................................................................................................................................................................16
By Annie Stutzman
DOSSIER PHOTOGRAPHY. ..................................................................................................................................................................................18
THE CITY
................................................................................................................................................................................................................30
By Ghattas Labib
El Indígena Moderno: ¿Sueño o Realidad?.............................................................................................................................................................29
By Paloma Ríos
The Changing Family and Levi-Strauss, or Whatever Happened to Fathers?...............................................................................................36
By Margi Morales
What Is Feminism? By Rosalind Delmar................................................................................................................................................................37
By Carrie-Anne Murphy
DOSSIER PHOTOGRAPHY. ..................................................................................................................................................................................38
PORTRAITS
El bolsillo (cuento).....................................................................................................................................................................................................52
By Denise Guadalupe Romero
......................................................................................................................................................................................................57
By Sumaya Hamid
DOSSIER PHOTOGRAPHY. ..................................................................................................................................................................................58
NATURE
La Hija de la Fortuna de Isabel Allende ¿Una novela epistolar?.........................................................................................................................64
By Annelle Beauchamp
DOSSIER PHOTOGRAPHY.....................................................................................................................................................................................68
CLOSE UP.
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/3
NOTE FROM THE EDITORS The Education and Language Acquisition Department is pleased to launch the magazine Otherness, in collaboration with the Humanities Department. The magazine features essays, poems and short stories written by students who are enrolled in our departmental programs. The magazine also includes photographs taken by students from the Humanities Department. Our goal is not only to present some of our students’ accomplishments during the academic year, but also to show the cultural diversity that prevails in our departments. The linguistic diversity in our campus is reflected on our first issue, which includes not only texts in English, Spanish, and Arabic, but also a plurality of viewpoints. Our students address issues related to feminism, migration, language learning, and aesthetics, which are crucial in our contemporary societies. We believe this magazine could give voice to their interests, concerns and quests. We want to express our gratitude to the Humanities Department, particularly to professors Hugo Fernández, Maureen Drennan and Lidiya Kan, who enthusiastically embraced the idea of a magazine made with students’ work. They collected pictures from their students and allowed us to publish them in our pages. The Editors May, 2017 4/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA Students
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
EXPLORE THE POWER
OF DIVERSITY!!! Possible Careers:
Government Jobs
Foreign Service
Consulting
Modern Languages
International
Business
Education and
Research
NGOs and other
To learn more, visit
our web page:
http://www.laguardia.e
http://www.laguardia.edu/
du/Academics/Majors/I
Academics/Majors/Interna-
nternational-Studies/
tional-Studies/
INTERNATIONAL
STUDIES
Is a unique hybrid of interdisciplinary courses that prepares students
Program Coordinator:
Maria Savva
msavva@lagcc.cuny.edu
Office: C734F
to become better informed world citizens. The major draws on some (718)730-7449
of the best LaGuardia resources to teach the students how to
investigate the factors behind some of the most complex global issues, Student Peer Advisor:
while developing their cross-cultural awareness, research and critical Sladjan Milenkovic
analysis skills. Smilenkovic@lagcc.cuny.edu
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions!!! Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/5
William Blake’s “Tyger”:
The Symmetry Between God and Body
By Hae Wan Kim
Hae Wan Kim is a writer from South Sometimes religion permeates life be- Christianity were conflicted and after-
Korea and student in LaGCC who loves yond the barrier of faith. My grand- ward pluralized. Growing secularization
to study Latin America Literature. mother copies the Christian Bible every in the contemporary urbanized English
morning while repeatedly grumbling society was practically the major event
about her life that is about to end with behind the scene of the Christian re-
her as a meaningless housewife. What vivalist movement (Corfield, 229). Many
she seeks through the ritual is not God, intellectuals abandoned the traditional
but the holy meaning of her trivial days. God-centered view of the world and ac-
And though I have no religion, her reli- cepted thinking of the orderly cosmos in
gious activity reflects even me. Insofar as a materialistic way, under the influence
we are human, the odd creature that rec- of Isaac Newton’s scientific discoveries.
ognizes its own finitude at every second, The church had no choice but to be spe-
it is more ordinary than it is religious to cialized into pure and powerless “faith
question why daily lives are so random organizations” (Corfield, 230-235). In
and so begrudging, and to therefore, seek short, the polarization between atheistic
significance in the meaning of being so materialism and purist Christianity was
limited. Religion preserves the oldest engulfing people’s psyche.
answer to that. The human relationship
with God is anchored in the logic of jus- Yet, Blake does not subscribe to either
tifying life.Yet if religion worked perfectly, belief. He neither supports the church’s
why then are there still those who are distorted spiritualism that humans are
miserable and mentally lost? Why doesn’t essentially sinners, nor does he agree
the God-promised redemption lull my with the cold materialism that humans
grandmother’s anxiety to rest? lack transcendental morality (Altizer, 33).
Rather, Blake pioneers a new theology.
The poem “The Tyger” (1794) by William He considers the human body the key to
Blake illuminates a radical solution for my redemption.According to his “total vision
old grandmother and to others as well. of Body itself,” the body’s flesh, blood,
This poem has often been misinterpreted and bones are imbued with potentiality
as depicting the harshness of a God who of God’s divine power (Altizer, 35). The
creates a satanic being, the tiger, in the death of Jesus is the great example of ac-
same world where other passive crea- tualizing that power. Jesus’ body demon-
tures live, such as the lamb. By no means strated the most extreme activeness
does Blake’s profound and provocative that a human being can have by enduring
theology accept such a naïve conclusion. excruciating pain because of his love of
Blake’s tiger aims at overturning not God, mankind. To Christians, his death means
but people’s absolute belief in their re- transferring “the absolute self-alienation
lationship to God. In “The Tyger,” Blake of God” to “Self-Annihilation of God”
breaks the old dichotomous scheme of (Altizer, 34-37), thereby leading them to
the ideally absolute creator and the phys- practice Christian values to revive his
ical creation, hence breaking any external “annihilated body.” The redemption that
excuse for life. Instead, it is nothing but Jesus once demonstrated is for Blake, a
the body that essentially creates the sa- truly revolutionary transformation of
cred meaning of life. the body. The body is the only trigger-
ing place where everything happens. At
To grasp Blake’s distinct solution, the every second, the body’s deeds and ac-
reader needs to first acknowledge the tions are affiliated with any possible qual-
historical background of “The Tyger.” In ity—evil or good, sinner or judge, hater
England, the 18th century was the transi- or lover. Each body, in other words, con-
tion era when people’s attitudes toward tains the potential of transforming itself
6/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA Students
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
from passive self-preservation to active
self-redemption.Therefore, heavenly soul
and earthly body are inseparable, as are
God and his creations. Every creature’s
body is the divine embodiment for both
qualities.
“The Tyger” is symbolic of the same idea.
Praising its physical majesty, Blake leads
the reader to see the divine embodiment
through the image of the tiger. The role
of the tiger’s body that intersects heaven
and earth is connoted through the word
“symmetry.” As Blake uses a strictly reg-
ular rhyme scheme of “a-a-b-b” in the all
stanzas, the word symmetry is excep-
tional, repeated in the first and the last
parenthetical stanzas: “What immortal
hand or eye, / Could frame thy fearful
symmetry?” (Blake, ll.3-4). The end word
“symmetry” rhymes incompletely with
“eye”, so as to suddenly turn the whole
poem irregular. This word is awkwardly
inserted to connote the significance of
its message. Historically, the concept of
symmetry is regarded as bridging the di-
vine and the physical worlds. Some reli-
gious scientists define the symmetry of
living things as the proof of God’s order,
implemented to the apparently arbitrary
world (Barr, 34). Of course, none of the
species has a perfectly symmetrical body.
Symmetry also points to inescapable
secularity despite its beauty. The tiger’s
“symmetrical body” is a clue of God in
the imperfect living world—not in the
perfect afterworld.
The body imagery in the poem more di-
rectly illustrates divine embodiment. The
body imagery in “The Tyger” functions as
the transparent mediation between God
and the creature. Blake’s way of depict-
ing the tiger’s body as almighty evokes a
sense of holiness rather than that of a
beast: “the fire of thine eyes” cannot be
buried in any distant sky or ocean (Blake
l.6); “the sinews of thy heart” cannot be Plate with ‘’The Tyger’’ poem by Wlliam Blake. Taken from:
twisted by any force (Blake, l.10); “thy https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tyger.jpg
brain” cannot be molded in anything but
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/7
the holy “furnace” (Blake l.14). On the natural world, though defying notions of of understanding the meaning of today’s
other hand, God’s omnipotence is also anthropocentrism, seems for humans to pain as tomorrow’s soulful salvation.
straightforwardly represented through lack “necessity.” Why should the tiger be The lamb’s dichotomist logic, which dis-
his body parts: “what immortal hand or stronger than humans? Why should the guises its weakness as “good,” cannot
eye,” “what dread hand,” “what dread tiger not be an herbivore? Why should help but seeing as satanic the tiger that
feet,” “and what shoulder and art” are the tiger not be afraid of the God that stays out of the lamb’s fence. Blake’s
able to create such a tiger, if not God? humans are afraid of? No one knows the voice in “The Tyger” breaks down this
(Blake, ll.3,9,12). Here, the greatness of answer, for there exists no intended rea- fence, however. The reader who is iden-
the creator and the creation both as- son. The tiger is just a tiger. The material tified with the lamb may ask God who is
sume bodily form. God’s body is directly universe is just the universe, guaranteeing the creator of this tiger:
incarnated in the tiger’s body, and the nothing for the self-conscious creature.
beast’s finite strength is an expression To some people, however, the bare face When the stars threw down their spears
of God’s infinite strength that enables of nature and life causes real fear. The And water’d heaven with their tears:
the tiger’s life to emerge and afterward God-and-Satan dichotomy from Chris- Did he smile his work to see?
wane. Unified body imagery merges the tianity has paradoxically been used to Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
abyss between the creator in heaven and diminish such fear. The dichotomy super- (Blake, ll.17-20)
the creation on earth. imposes the universe on the human-cen-
tric will—everything is intended either Pardoning those lambs, the answer is the
At this point, the reader may question by the good guy’s (God’s) reward or by only one: yes, he did. God that “made the
why the symmetry needs to be “fearful.” the bad guy’s (Satan’s) deceit. The logic Lamb” also made the tiger. This is the
The tiger neither threatens nor attacks; therefore, leads to another dichotomy of everlasting truth, so long as Christians
all that the tiger does is exhibit the sym- soul and body: while the satanic nature persist believing in one god. God would
metry of its body. Where does the tone leads bodies to pain and death, the god- not deserve the name of perfection if he
of fear throughout the poem come from, like afterlife consoles souls without pain. favored only afterlife, only lamb-like hu-
then? The word “fearful” projects not the At the end of this logic, the entirely op- man’s survival or only those who lose the
sense of insecurity, but the real character posite character of the tiger is born: the meaning of life. God should be embodied
of nature, the world given by God: lamb. This animal, referred to in another not only in what humans find good, but
poem titled “The Lamb” by Blake, is un- also in what humans cannot overcome.
Tyger Tyger, burning bright, threatening, submissive, and spiritual. The Anybody, whether enemy or heresy,
In the forests of the night; lamb’s blessing is nevertheless condition- should be a member of God’s absolute
What immortal hand or eye, al upon having a safeguard, for the lamb’s totality. Even Satan should be considered
Could frame thy fearful symmetry? true identity is a weak body. Weakness one of God’s characters, and even nature
means not the inferiority of power, but should be so perfect that another ide-
In what distant deeps or skies. the ignorance of power. The lamb rep- al of world, Heaven, is unnecessary. At
Burnt the fire of thine eyes? resents the type of body that never real- this point, the truly absolute oneness of
On what wings dare he aspire? monotheism emerges.
izes its own holiness and abilities. This is
What the hand, dare seize the fire? (Blake,
why the lamb always needs the external
ll.1-8) Therefore, the nature of God is diverse.
meaning of its body. Religion functions as
the lamb’s safeguard by giving the lamb All creatures’ bodies are naturally dif-
The word choices of “forests,” “night,” ferent. They are born to have different
a supernatural identity in the natural
“distant deeps or skies,” and “fire” that instincts, dispositions, strengths, and de-
world. The little lamb in “The Lamb” is
overlay the tiger’s stamina connote the sires. None of these innate features can
kindly told that Jesus is its creator and
human ambivalence to nature: admira- be judged as good or evil by God’s name.
shares the same name as the lamb. After
tion mingled with dread. The exact same If the world, the artwork of God, is di-
the stanza questions: “Little Lamb who
emotional reaction is shown in another verse, the way of pursuing God’s holiness
made thee” (Blake l.1), another stan-
book, A General History of Quadrupeds, should too be diverse. Physical individu-
za answers: “He is called by thy name”
written in 1790. This book describes a ality is the very key to illuminating the
(Blake, l.13). Not only the lamb and its
tiger as “fierce with provocation and most natural way for the soul to live in
creator, but also the narrator all share
cruel without necessity” (Rix, 223). The the world. Therefore, the tiger’s world
the same name: “I a child & thou a lamb, /
phrase “without necessity” penetrates represents not only the power of nature
We are called by his name” (Blake, ll.17-
to the core of the fear of nature. Na- but also that of individuals. (All individu-
18). “The Lamb” is the appellation of the
ture is the power which transcends hu- als are parts of nature.) This conclusion
congregation of those who root their
man rules. Nature’s might is able to take makes possible that to be idiosyncratic
faiths in the homogeneous identity. Their
away human life at any time, while also is to be religious. The tiger’s re-spelled
identity is the only creature chosen by
being apathetic to human destiny. The name is the hint.This tiger is not “a tiger”
God, which is engendered by the logic
8/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA Students
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
but “Tyger.” The name “Tyger,” which cursed life. By remembering this fact, no mirage to fully live and die.
sounds the same as “tiger” but marks a we may fully live our life, stretching the
differentiated identity, which if looked strength of our bodies. My grandmother may have to read “The
at carefully, demands the will of refusing Tyger” in place of the Bible. She may not
the normal status of a creation that is no Believe in the power of your body, live only be seeking God’s world, but God’s
more than the secondary echo of the fully through your body, and appreciate world is where an old housewife’s body
creator. “Tyger” is named as the creation, the finitude of your body. This is Blake’s is a divine embodiment as well. She may
not a creature. After all, one is the only solution for a meaningful life. Sadly, his be happy to realize that raising and lov-
one who brings redemption to oneself. hope seems hopeless still today. In the ing four children and nine grandchildren
Jesus, the son of God, was also the cre- 21st century, the body is alienated from with the full strength of her body is sa-
ation of human. His genuine teaching is the search for the meaning of life. Bodies, cred too. Ultimately, what saves her life is
therefore from his bodily life, not from the only substance that people possess her body, which remains dying everyday,
the church. (Blake thinks that the most from birth to death, are neglected unless just as all lives.
satanic is the church, which represses employed as preys of commercialism.
beings by guilt-tripping the body for Salary, addiction, mass media-produced “On it [the body] we sleep, live our wak-
the original sin and by over-issuing the fantasy, the nominal value of education, ing lives, fight—fight and are fought—
promise for redemption.) Today’s pain is death-prolonging medical technology— seek our place, experience untold hap-
never for yesterday’s sin or tomorrow’s these modern remits, which have sub- piness and fabulous defeats; on it we
salvation. It is just today’s opportunity to stituted for God, are merely commercial penetrate and are penetrated; on it we
practice to become more god-like. Jesus and existentially vain. The vanity remains love.” (Deleuze and Guatarri, 150)
also had a body. He underwent all pain, unchangingly but never becomes real so-
betrayals and delights in the same world lace. Only new imagination for one’s own
where people live today. His greatness body would break the abyss between
comes not from his immortality, but his unrealistic ideal and un-idealistic reality.
vitality despite such a death. He never The great body, like Blake’s tiger, needs
WORKS CITED
Altizer, Thomas J. J. “The Revolutionary Vision Of William Blake.” Journal of Religious Ethics 37.1 (2009): 33-38. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
Barr, Stephen M. “Fearful Symmetries.” First Things: A Monthly Journal Of Religion & Public Life 206 (2010): 33-37. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2016.
Blake, William. “The Lamb.” Poetry Foundation. n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.
_____________ “The Tyger.” Poetry Foundation. n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016
Corfield, Penelope J. “‘An Age of Infidelity’: Secularization in Eighteenth-century England.”
Social History 39.2 (2014): 229-47. Academic Search Complete. n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
Deleuze, Gilles and Felix Guattari. A TH.OUSAND PLATEAUS: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Minneapolis: University of Minne-
sota, 1983. Print.
Rix, Robert W. “William Blake’s ‘The Tyger’: Divine and Beastly Bodies in Eighteenth-Century
Children’s Poetry.” A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews 25.4 (2012): 222-27). Academic Search Complete.
n.d. Web. 31 Jan 2016
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/9
The Many Worlds of Francis Picabia and
Vicente Huidobro”
By Mariajose Racedo
Mariajose Racedo is currently a student Francis-Marie Martinez Picabia (1879- and in 1893, he began to paint landscapes.
at LaGuardia Community College where 1953), French-Cuban painter and pio- In 1895, he studied at the School of Dec-
she has attended Latin American Studies neer of the Dadaist movement, was an orative Arts in France. Around 1902, as
classes as part of core requirements for artist with a limitless capacity for inven- he was influenced by Impressionism, he
Bilingual Education. tion and originality. Most famous for his began to paint Spanish themes (women
avant-garde work, he has exerted a no- and toreadors), such as “Spanish Wom-
table influence on painters of the more an” that would fascinate him throughout
recent generations. Alongwith Picabia, his lifetime. Despite his success, Picabia
Chilean poet Vicente Huidobro (1893- was always struggling to express inner
1948), also rose to international renown emotion and external form, which led
as the promoter of the avant-garde po- him to shift from one avant-garde style
etic movement in Latin America and a to another (TheArtstory.org, 2017).
precursor of Creacionismo, (Creationism), Francis Picabia was one of the key fig-
a school of poetry wherein the poet is ures of the Dadaist movement in both
the ‘creator’ of a new reality through his Paris and New York. Alternatively, living
poetic vision. In their respective artis- through two World Wars also brought
tic fields, the tremendous creativity and Picabia moments that inspired his art,
original personality of Picabia and Huido- some which propelled him to introduce
bro distinguished them from traditional industrial objects to his works. He wrote,
artists. Using examples of their works, I “the machine has become more than a
will discuss how the Picabia and Huido- mere adjunct of life. It is really a part
bro appear as two of the most outstand- of human life [...] perhaps the very soul
ing and original avant-garde artists of the [...] I have enlisted the machinery of the
twentieth century and how they made modern world, and introduced it into my
worldwide influence. studio” (Rozaitis, 1994). His painting Very
Unlike no other occupation, the art- Rare Picture on the Earth (Très rare
ist, through different mediums: paint- tableau sur la terre) (1915) represents
ing, drawing, literature, dance, or music, a Picabia “mechanomorphic” piece and
has the power to express his emotions, his first recognized collage. It depicts a
feelings and thoughts. Francis Picabia, as symmetrical machine in two wooden
he is known in the art-world, was quite forms, with a frame standing integral to
versatile in his style, unequal to other the piece. Picabia sought to compare ma-
artists of the avant-garde movement. chines with human beings (TheArtStory.
His works range through the spectrum org, 2017)
of Avant-garde movements, from Dada- In 1913, Picabia traveled to New York
ism to Cubism, Surrealism, Impression- City, and during his long stay in Ameri-
ism, Fauvism, Abstract art, and collage ca, the painter became acquainted with
and even cross into alternative art me- the photographer Alfred Stieglitz and
diums such as acting and poetry (Lito- the American Dadaist group, Marcel Du-
ral, 1987). No style fulfilled him, as the champ, Man Ray, Max Ernst, among oth-
critic Jose Angel Gonzalez indicated. His ers, artists who had managed to move
personality was restless and volatile, and the center of the artistic world from
he worked many different styles with a Paris to New York (Rozaitis, 1994). Alfred
wildness. Picabia was one of those artists Stieglitz invited Picabia to participate in
who passed through the world like twist- an exhibition at the Armory Show, the
ers, breaking patterns. most progressive art event in the city,
Picabia belonged to an affluent family, a where Picabia presented large pieces
fact that helped him tremendously to incorporating cubist elements and ex-
navigate the art world as he pleased. He perimented with bright colors and the
discovered his talent during his childhood, movement of shapes. At the time of his
10/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA StudentsOtherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
stay in New York, Picabia made a trip to
Cuba and Panama. He apparently went
to Cuba as a French envoy to buy sugar
for the military (TheArtstory.org, 2017).
In 1916, Picabia traveled to Barcelona,
where he lived for two years, published
the first volume of poetry and the first
issue of his magazine Dada 291 in col-
laboration with Guillaume Apollinaire,
Marcel Duchamp, Tristan Tzara, Man Ray
and Jean Cocteau. He lived a long time in
the Riviera, during which he made Sur-
realist paintings. (Litoral, 1987). Later in
Paris, he moved from painting to writ-
ing and founded a new magazine, 391,
in collaboration with André Breton, as
well as three volumes of poetry, Poèmes
et dessins de la fille neé sans mère (1918),
L’athlète des pompes funèbres (1918), and
Rateliers platoniques (1918). In 1928, Pica-
bia exhibited his collection of transpar-
encies, paintings of superimposed images,
like Aello, 1930. Around the 1940s, Picabia
again changed his direction toward ab-
stract paintings. Subsequently, he settled Francis Picabia, 1919, inside Danse de Saint-Guy. Picture taken from:
in Switzerland, but by 1945 he returned https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Picabia
to France and connected with artists of
the next generation, whom he supported
(TheArtstory.org, 2017).
Picabia went through different styles, Parallel to the artistic development of erate its own syntax. Huidobro stated,
modifying the characteristics of his cre- Francis Picabia, we have the poetic trajec-
ations. He tried to discover a new av- tory of Vicente García Huidobro Fernán- “What was done in mechanics has also
enue for his philosophy of what defined dez (1893-1948), Chilean poet known been made in poetry. I’ll tell you what I
modern art. He called himself an “artist as Vicente Huidobro. He is considered mean by a created poem. It is a poem
of many genres.” As per the critics, Anne one of the most prominent poets and in which each constituent part, and the
Umland, Cathérine Hug, and others, he promoters of avant-garde poetry of the whole shows a new fact, independent
was “born in Paris to a Cuban, Span- twentieth century in Chile, Paris, Spain of the external world, detached from
ish, French, Italian, American family...and and other parts of Latin America. Similar any other reality other than itself, as it
[had] the clear impression of being all to Picabia, Huidobro was constantly shift- takes its place in the world as a singular
these nationalities at once.” (Francis Pi- phenomenon apart and different from
ing among different literary genres, such
cabia: MoMa, 2016). Many of his paintings other phenomena.” (University of Chile,
as drama, critical essays, film, literature
2017).
were on display at the Museum of Mod- and journalism, always with the goal of
ern Art (MoMA) in New York City until being original and of creating innovative
Huidobro was born into a Chilean aris-
last month. This exhibition was named literature. He was the founder of the lit-
tocratic family, which gave him the op-
Our Heads Are Round So Our Thoughts erary avant garde movement, Creacionis-
portunity to receive a fine education,
Can Change Direction, which was one of mo (Creationism), where he saw the role
travel frequently to Europe, and in ef-
his aphorisms. It describes his personal- of the poet as a demiurge, a creator, who
fect, expand his cultural horizons and
ity and work as it displays the variety of could undertake the creation of an imag-
refine his aesthetic tastes. In 1911, he
styles and techniques that made Picabia inary world with a new poetic style, able
studied Literature at the University of
unique throughout his artistic life. to defy all schemes of language and gen-
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/11in 1921, he wrote Saisons Choisies, poems
written in French. Until this year, it was a
period that critics called ‘the heroic van-
guard’ (Chang-Rodriguez, & Filer, 2013).
Later, in 1922, he held an exhibition of
14 poems, Poemas Pintados (Painted Po-
ems), incorporating color and forms, at
the Edouard VII Theatre in Paris. Yet this
exhibition was later closed, as his innova-
tive style (calligrams) was considered too
‘advanced’ (Anales de Literatura Chilena,
2011). Huidobro expressed his eagerness
for a pioneering work, with the use of
calligrams, a form of expression in which
words are put together to form images
that expand or complement the meaning
of the written word, creating a kind of
visual image (visual poetry). In 2001, his
desire for such an exhibition came true
at the Queen Sofia Museum in Madrid, as
Spain offered a tribute to him.
In 1923, Huidobro traveled to New York,
where he received an award from the
League for Better Motion Pictures for
his film script, Cagliostro. Subsequently,
in the 1930s, Huidobro developed a hu-
manist-creationist relationship between
literature and political commitment. In
1931 Huidobro published his master-
piece, Altazor (High-flying Hawk) or Viaje
en Paracaidas (Voyage in a Parachute) a
long poem divided into seven sections or
cantos as in epic poems. Altazor is a sym-
bol of flying high on a journey to search
for the origins of language and poetry.
It was his most accomplished creation-
ist expression. The poem undertakes a
radical break with the accepted codes of
language, and intends to reject the worn
metaphors used by universal poetry, but
Vicente Huidobro. Poemas Pintados/Salle XIV - Moulin, 1921-1922 (printed 2001), 29 x 21
in. 73 x 53 cm. at the same time, it proposes a new form
Photo Courtesy: Cecilia de Torres Gallery LTD. New York of poetic language based on unusual met-
aphors between apparently unrelated el-
ements. For Huidobro, creativity ought
Chile; however, his penchant for poetry on among others, who were the most to be the central world of the poet, with
was influenced by his mother, María Lui- important figures in French poetry at no limitations, using any ideas regardless
sa Fernández Bascuñán, also a poet, who the moment. He started to show his of their acceptance by the outside world.
supported him intellectually and finan- creationist character with his work El For example, in Canto V, Altazor or the
cially throughout his life. Around 1912, he Espejo de Agua (The Mirror of Water), in poetic voice creates a game of endless
published his first book of poems, Ecos which he expressed his concept that a words with variations of mill, such as
del Alma (DonQuijote.org, 2017). poet should be active and creative. The breath mill, livelihood mill, exaltation mill,
In 1916, Huidobro resided in Paris and poet should be “a little god”. In 1917, ventilation mill, et cetera (Smith, 2001). In
Madrid where he met cultural figures Huidobro published Horizon Carré and in spite of these lofty occupations, Huido-
such as Pablo Picasso, Francis Picabia, 1918, after moving to Madrid, Equatorial, bro actively participated in World War II,
Tristan Tzara, G. Apollinaire, André Bret- Arctic Poems, Hallali and Tour Eiffel. Then during the Spanish Civil War, and served
12/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA StudentsOtherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
as a war correspondent.
These experiences of multicultural en-
vironments, together with their innova-
tive and bold personalities contributed
to give these artists’ cosmopolitan and
complex perspectives, their unique way
of conveying unusual human experiences
through their art, as well as their con-
stantly evolving styles and the multifacet-
ed artistic creations themselves. Through
their work, they implied there is no lon-
ger a single point of view. There is more
than one way of seeing and interpreting
concepts, and creativity is innate in every
person.
Vicente Huidobro. “Fresco nipón”. Can-
ciones en la noche. Santiago de Chile: Im-
prenta y Encuadernación Chile, 1913 (55)
REFERENCES
Anales De Literatura Chilena. “La-traduccion-como-dispositivo-creacionista-en-la-poetica-de-Vicente-Huidobro-el-poema-pinta-
do-Moulin-y-sus-versiones.” N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
Chang-Rodriguez, R., & Filer, M. E. (2013). Continuidad y ruptura: Hacia una nueva expresión (1910-1960). In Voces de Hispano-
américa: Antología literaria (Cuarta ed., pp. 343-346). Boston: Cengage Learning.
Francis Picabia Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2017, from http://www.theartstory.org/artist-pi-
cabia-francis.htm
Latin-American Literary Avant-Garde.Vicente Huidobro. Don Quijote. (n.d.). Retrieved March 04, 2017, from http://www.don-
quijote.org/spanishlanguage/literature/history/latin-america/vicente-huidobro.
Museum of Modern Art | MoMA-Francis Picabia: Materials and Techniques. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2017, from https://www.
moma.org/
MOMA (Ed.). (n.d.). 5_picabia_intro.pdf. Retrieved March 06, 2017, from http://press.moma.org/wp-content/files_mf/5_pica-
bia_intro.pdf
Naves, M. (2017). Francis Picabia: Our Heads Are Round so Our Thoughts Can Change Direction. MUSEUM of Modern Art (New York,
N.Y.); PICABIA, Francis, 1879-1953 -- Exhibitions, 35(6), 51-52. Retrieved March 17, 2017, from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.rpa.
laguardia.edu:2048/ehost/
Smith,Verity. “Vicente Huidobro.” Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature. London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001. 428-29. Print.
Rozaitis, W. (1994). The Joke at the Heart of Things: Francis Picabia’s Machine Drawings and the Little Magazine 291. American
Art, 8(3/4), 43-59. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3109171
Quiroga, J. (1992). “Vicente Huidobro: The Poetics of the Invisible Texts.” Hispania, 75(3), 516-526. doi:10.2307/344097
Picabia, F. (1987). Francis Picabia. Litoral, (174/176), 507-510. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43405219
Universidad de Chile. (n.d.). Manifiestos, Principal. Retrieved March 09, 2017, from https://www.vicentehuidobro.uchile.cl/mani-
fiestos_principal.htm
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/13The Dichotomy Of Peace:The Formula For Acheivement
by Nirmal Singh
Nirmal Singh is a mixed heritage wom-
an (Indian, Mongolian, and European)
who has gone back to her roots and is
learning how to better the world. Her
great grandmother was Indian. She is a
film production major, and has a strong
background in art and literature. She en-
joys reading, writing, art, volunteer work,
learning, exploring the city, and helping to
improve society. She is a proud Sikh with
friends from many religions and cultures.
Sarah Abouelker. Untitled. Digital photography, 2017
Human life comes with an immense sions that we have worked in conjunc-
amount of responsibility—a fact which tion with others over generations to
many of us have taken for granted, and create. Many people claim they are open
in many cases, have completely ignored. minded and “worldly”—terms that have
However, the irony is that everything that become very cynical and sardonic, and
we hold sacred lies in this understanding. though with great intention have very
Once we can understand, appreciate, and misleading results. Many people pretend
most of all, learn the art of respect for to appreciate other cultures, while of-
these facts, we will achieve the ever so ten simultaneously resorting to various
elusive life goals of peace, enlightenment, forms of cultural appropriation. Some
beauty, and wealth. even force themselves on others and
At present, we live in a world of danger- create destruction for the sake of their
ous hypocrisies and self-formed delu- own desires, instead of celebrating the
14/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA StudentsOtherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
differences and gaining insight from oth-
er cultures.
It is increasingly rare to see someone
from one culture encourage a person
from another culture to educate others
about that culture, but to also respect
and strengthen said culture without
sacrificing anyone’s cultural identity. The
most common sight is that of a dominant
culture forcing its ways on another, espe-
cially when that other culture has enough
to offer the dominant one and is willing
to be controlled, resulting in increasingly
more complex forms of racism. Some-
times these forms are concealed with-
in the folds of hidden agendas, made to
seem sincere, yet secretly patronize, as
the former strips away the identity of
others until they are obliged to conform
or be dissolved.
We live in a world where technology is
easily at our fingertips, yet we use it seek
attention and immortalize ourselves. We
should be utilizing this technology to ed- Sarah Abouelker. Untitled. Digital photography, 2017
ucate and strengthen our understanding
of other cultures. We must become keen
to the differences in cultural behaviors, troversy, which has increased the amount follow suit.
accept these differences, and use this to of hatred and ignorance, as well as the Exchange truthful knowledge of all cul-
improve all cultures across the board. amount of manipulation by both sides tures and keep learning about other
of the conflict. How do we best combat cultures to share further knowledge.
We Are Who We Portray Ourselves these issues? Consider taking an Arabic Nevertheless, always refrain from forc-
To Be, So Let’s Put Our Best Foot class to challenge yourself. Don’t use it as ing yourself or your personal views upon
Forward an excuse to find dates; use it as an op- others; your goal is to better others, not
portunity to address the stereotypes, xe- serve your own self needs and cause fur-
Here’s the formula, the simple cure to di- nophobia, and prejudices with which you ther detriment. Improve your own behav-
minishing the self-induced socioeconom- are constantly presented. Watch an Ara- iors, and work to avoid resilience that is
ic and emotional ills we suffer from. Start bic movie such as ‘Asmaa’, and compare within your own culture. Encourage oth-
by learning as much as you can about it to your own culture. Ask constructive ers to strengthen, respect, and find solu-
other cultures—both good and bad as- questions to native Arabic people, simply tions to resolve the moral weaknesses
pects. Refrain from being biased toward to learn more about your differences within their cultures and others. We do
good things in order to avoid the nega- and similarities and to understand them not live alone in our own worlds, so our
tives, because whether we like it or not, better. Keep your mind impartial and behavior must reflect this fact. Whether
they also exist everywhere in the world. increase your tolerance. Appreciate, for we like it our not, our every action af-
Remain true to your own culture at the example, how much freedom women in fects others.We so badly want a wonder-
same time, and encourage others to do the West really have. Continue to im- ful world, but we need to overcome our
the same. Have fun in building knowledge prove this, but take note and inspiration self-imposed personal boundaries and
and tolerance. Take a class. Challenge from the modesty and simpler nature fears, to abolish the ‘head-in-the-sand’ at-
yourself. of the title character. Use this as an in- titude, and to take responsibility for our
For example, the Arabic world in our spiration to improve yourself and your actions.
current society is met with extreme con- culture. Encourage and inspire others to
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/15Language Learning and The Epoche
By Annie Stutzman
Annie Stutzman currently works in a About a month ago I found myself oddly experience when attempting to hold a
precollege reading and writing classroom placed in Mexico City, a bit surreally, in Spanish conversation. In fact it is more
at LaGuardia CC. She has a degree in the middle of a workshop on Existential often the case that my self-conscious-
Philosophy and Mathematics from Mar- Therapy. I was playing shadow to a friend ness, or any of my preconceptions, im-
quette University and hopes to someday that I was visiting who had enrolled pedes my ability to fluidly comprehend
soon return to school. In the meantime, weeks before my arrival. And I was about information or respond articulately. Most
she makes herself a student of life by a gaping canyon away from Spanish flu- usually I allow my “natural attitude”, as
traveling, learning spanish, and studying ency, but from what I could understand, Husserl terms it, to take its course. My
literature. we were discussing--or everyone but me cognizance becomes preoccupied with
rather, was discussing--Edmund Husserl’s my inelegant pronunciation or my dearth
phenomenological concept of the ep- of vocabulary. And having the rules of
oche: the state of consciousness in which grammar looming vaguely in my mind, I
a perceiver “brackets” or suspends his constantly check and second guess my
or her preconceived notions in order conjugation, my speech slows and stut-
that the pure phenomena of the expe- ters, and I spend time thinking of the lost
rience may be perceived unfiltered or time, in turn losing more time.
unadulterated. I was admittedly in over
my head but stubborn to stay present. I So I suppose I can’t exactly infer that
sat hyper-attuned to the discussion, chas- learning a new language induces brack-
ing into comprehension the words that eted consciousness. Indeed it is actually
fired rapidly and transmitted ephemeral- more likely that language systems in gen-
ly across the room, and at a certain point, eral radically truncate the phenomeno-
my mind began to ponder the process of logical experience by preemptively giving
learning a new language: is it itself an ex- names and categories to perceptual data.
ercise in phenomenology? I continued to think though: perhaps the
causal relationship between language and
There I was, so guilelessly and desperate- the phenomenological condition is sim-
ly fixed on apprehending the transmis- ply the reverse. Perhaps the epoche is
sion of information that nothing more what capacitates language learning.
could have slipped into my conscious-
ness. I was unwittingly, in order to stay It’s a fairly common belief that when it
afloat in the moment, “bracketing”, and if comes to learning languages, childhood
I were to keep up, I could afford no cargo. is the prime time. Indeed I’ve even been
No prior prejudices could have possibly told that the secret to learning languages
interfered to frame or qualify the in- is simply “to become child again.” Then,
bounding perceptual data. There was no some time after the workshop, I fell upon
assessing of truth values, no applying of a podcast paralleling the philosophy of
political bias, aesthetic critique, nor mor- David Hume with Buddhism and their
al judgment. Perhaps most significantly to shared concepts of the self as a construc-
me was the absence of self-doubt. Be- tion. Intrigued, I too began to consider
ing so totally thrown into procuring the the self as a construction, something im-
message of my immanent experience, I posed on us in our upbringing, reinforced
could not have stopped to worry about by the concept of private property and
my awkward faltering or social repute. the self-centric nature of mainstream
Self-consciousness had no place in my pedagogy. I reasoned that if the self is a
consciousness. learned concept, it follows that children
would have no solid sense of self, and
Yet, as pure as my moment was, I have this is very plausibly what permits suc-
to concede now that this freedom from cessful language learning at that age. Be-
self-critique is of course, not always my yond this point however, by the time the
16/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA StudentsOtherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
Mexico City. Image taken from:
http://notinerd.com/galeria-15-datos-curiosos-que-probablemente-no-sabias-acer-
ca-de-mexico/ Edmund Husserl c. 1900
Image taken from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Hus-
serl#/media/File:Edmund_Husserl_1900.
jpg
self has become rigidly ingrained in our ed, when learning a new language for is what prompts the epoche, and in turn
adult consciousness, what is the return instance, it seems the process is cata- effectuates language learning. The more
route to the unjudging mental state of a lyzed. One is thrown into sink or swim we give ourselves to the unfamiliar, the
self-lacking child? situations wherein either a) the pure more we engage with the pure phenom-
phenomena is lost to the prejudice of ena of our experiences, and the greater
The epoche. The greatest condition for the mind or b) one choses to stay pres- the space we create for learning.
learning a language is that created by the ent with the moment and the epoche is
epoche. I bear in mind what I learned necessitated.And thus, my initial thought
from the workshop, that the epoche is that learning a language is a phenome-
a life practice, requiring deliberate, med- nological activity isn’t quite it. The it is
itative attention and sustained discipline. what we’ve all been told time and again:
Nonetheless, when one orients oneself immersion. Immersion into the unfamil-
with something which one is unacquaint- iar is the phenomenological exercise; it
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/17DOSSIER PHOTOGRAPHY THE CITY Benjamin Pierre Gabet. Cityness: Tentacles, Digital photography, 2017 18/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA Students
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
Benjamin Pierre Gabet. Cityness: Zombies, Digital photography, 2017
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/19(On top)
Kelvin Chuchuca
Untitled.
Digital photography,
2017
(Below)
Benjamin Pierre Gabet.
Cityness: Ghost Filter,
Digital photography,
2017
20/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA StudentsOtherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
Zhao Chen. Untitled.
Digital photography, 2017
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/21Kelvin Chuchuca
Untitled.
Digital photography,
22/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA Students 2017Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
Kevin Gonzalez
Untitled.
Digital photography,
2017 Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/23Mayerlyn Giraldo. Untitled. Digital photography, 2017 24/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA Students
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
(On top) Kelvin Chuchuca
Untitled.
Digital photography, 2017
(Below) Kevin Gonzalez
Untitled.
Digital photography, 2017
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/25Benjamin Pierre Gabet
Cityness. Empty. Digital photography, 2017
26/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA StudentsOtherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
Zhao Chen. Untitled. Digital photography, 2017
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/27Kelvin Chuchuca
Untitled.
28/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA Students
Digital photography, 2017Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
Kelvin Chuchuca
Untitled.
Digital photography, 2017
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/29A poem by Ghattas Labib
Ghattas Labib was born in Egypt on December 30,1988. He also grew up in Egypt and came to the United States
in May 2013. His major is Human Services. He likes to write poetry and short stories.”
30/ Otherness/ Magazine of ELA StudentsOtherness. Magazine of ELA Students., No.1, Spring 2017
El Indígena Moderno: ¿Sueño o Realidad?
By Paloma Ríos
Paloma Rios was born in the city of San- Después de la independencia de España refugiado, amenazado en su propia casa.
ta Barbara California, of Mexican parents. hubo muchos movimientos que cele- Así también se puede describir a los in-
As a child she studied in part in Oaxaca, braron la cultura indígena americana, dios y dioses que vienen del pasado a
Mexico, and also in the US, and this expe- entre los que destacan el ‘indianismo de “hechizar” al hombre moderno. Para col-
rience led to her interest in culture and la década de 1880 y el de los años 30 marlo todo, en un cruel giro de eventos,
language. Now she studies translation del pasado siglo. Hasta la fecha se sigue los indígenas mayas del tiempo presente
and interpretation at Hunter College. haciendo arte en homenaje a ellos y están amenazados por aquellos que in-
sus costumbres. En cuanto a sus descu- vaden y se enriquecen del fruto de la
brimientos matemáticos, sus ciudades tierra y el sudor ajeno. Así los describió
con pirámides, y sus vestidos tradicio- Rigoberta Menchú, cuando dio su discur-
nales, parece que todo eso ha quedado so de aceptación del premio Nobel de la
en el pasado, para ser estudiado por ar- Paz, el 10 de diciembre de 1992. Igual que
queólogos y científicos. Muchas de las en la literatura, el indígena se encuentra
historias, como “El Axolotl”, y “La Noche atrapado, sin poder cruzar el umbral del
Boca Arriba” de Cortázar, y “Chac Mool” futuro. Está estancado -como el axolotl y
de Fuentes, presentan al indígena como el guerrero de Cortázar, y como el Chac
ser perteneciente pasado, y aunque inde- Mool de Fuentes- en el mito del pasado,
leble en el tejido de la historia, esta sigue o en el período de la esclavitud, ya sea en
siendo una imagen movediza. De acuer- un museo, en un sueño, en el trabajo o
do a estos cuentos, la gloria de ese pasa- servicio militar forzado.
do nunca se podrá volver a alcanzar. O se
vive en el presente, o se vuelve al pasa- Los mayas, como dice Menchú, “a lo lar-
do…para nunca regresar. La modernidad go de estos 500 años han sido divididos
y la globalización han creado una mezcla y fragmentados y han sufrido el genoci-
de ropas, comidas, y comercios, que más dio, la represión y la discriminación”. A
bien parece ser un fenómeno “sucio” o través del Premio Nobel, ella no busca
“inauténtico”. Dentro de los cuentos an- tanto un galardón a una persona como
teriormente mencionados, o el hombre “un punto de partida de arduas luchas
moderno se come al indio, o el indio se por el logro de esas reivindicaciones que
lo traga a él. Es como un monstruo noble están todavía por cumplirse”. Es decir,
que vive en un espejo mágico, y parecería que Menchú no solo busca la paz y la
que el pasado y el presente no se pueden igualdad para los indígenas, sino también
conciliar nunca. una retribución por todos los abusos
cometidos contra los mayas y todos los
Hasta el pobre axolotl del cuento de indígenas del continente. Y no es un ob-
Cortázar vive en un estanque en Fran- jetivo fácil de llevar a cabo. Ella confiesa
cia, y está casi completamente extinto en que la mayor objeción a la igualdad se en-
su hogar natal de Xochimilco, su único cuentra en su misma Guatemala. Menchú
hábitat natural en el mundo. En la vida cuenta que paradójicamente:
real se cría y se vende en mercados y
por el internet, porque para encontrar a Fue precisamente en mi país donde
uno en el río se tiene que pescar duran- encontré de parte de algunos las may-
te días y días entre las aguas podridas y ores objeciones, reservas e indiferencia
contaminadas, sólo para sacar un axolotl respecto al otorgamiento del Nobel
desnutrido y con mutaciones. Con más a esta india quiché. Tal vez porqué, en
facilidad es posible encontrar especies América, sea precisamente en Guate-
invasoras de pescados chinos que com- mala en donde la discriminación hacia
el indígena, hacia la mujer y la resisten-
piten por presa y oxígeno. El salamandro
cia hacia los anhelos de justicia y paz, se
“azteca”, como lo llama Cortázar, es un
encuentran más arraigadas en ciertos
Otherness. Magazine of ELA Students/31You can also read
