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Imaginary Homeelands: Literature as Freedom

Salman Rushdie’s “Imaginary Homelands” calls for freedom from a physical homeland and the restrictions that some impose on those physical space (e.g. that one must choose one, that one must adhere to the version and regulations dictated within that space by politicians for instance). Rushdie says essentially that (1) the homelands people imagine as static and pertaining to them are only imagined to be (which is limiting, but including diasporas and nation-states alike) and (2) that there is a higher status of imaginary which itself can become a freeing homeland, not attached to anything but the space in between identities and varied realities. He imagines that there is infinite possibilities that literature can provide, but often even many artists do not take advantage of the full spectrum of potential. The final image from a Bellow novel clearly puts forth this notion, with the concept of a barking dog often misinterpreted, but perhaps still clamoring in protest about the limit of h
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Lulu and Compulsion

In class, “Lulu” sparked discussions around violence, around dualism (between the twins, society, difference between countries, etc.), around the neutral use of technology, and around censorship (of both siblings). To further this discussion, this essay will focus on the common thread of compulsion among characters. The various compulsions include that of Lulu to post and to discover things, of her mother to keep the image of the family, of the brother to check on her sister and to play video games, or society as a whole to follow the instructions in the name of “safety” if not for others than to themselves. Narration comes from her twin brother’s perspective, who specifically explains the intensity of the bond between the two twins, but also invites readers to understand the moral choices the unnamed brother finds himself torn between. The brother is readers’ window into the story, told from the I, with no reference to his given name. Then, in the opening, the brother refers t
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Joukhadar on Representation, Crisis, and Solidarity

Both Joukhader and Alsutany tackle representation of Arab, Middle Eastern people, particularly with regard to collectivized stories in the US. While both make many points, often going hand in hand, or calling to another understanding of how to break down the stereotypes. Still, Joukhader’s short story is shocking and emotive. While Alsutany’s article helps to contextualize it, the story can reach those without extensive access to data, or varied stories. The horror, the internal conflict, the effort to fit in, and then the great lengths to try to regain control, as Sam endures, is palatable to those who may not identify with her particular struggle or fantastic, outward exacerbation of said struggle. I was left harrowing for her crisis. I took on her pain because the written words allowed for the mindless derailment to one singular phrase repeated as a mantra, a plea, a cry, or a traumatized note be etched into, now, my brain, too. It is an intense breakdown, she is left to continuousl
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Mukherjee’s Jasmine on Ownership

When I was abroad in Cape Town, I met a woman who meant a great deal to me. Still, there was one thing I could not stand: she kept calling me a “hoarder.” At first, I rejected the term adamantly, but when I went to her place, I could see most of the white on the floors and walls and noticed very little of her own things taking up space. In her wardrobe closet, she could easily still have fit us both inside, whereas mine would’ve had to remove clothing or suffocate between the varying types on hangers to do the same. I understood that I, even as a traveler, had many more things with me. I even saved broken things thinking that maybe I could fix them, or use the pieces for a project, or reference a note for a future paper, or maybe this odd item might just help save me some money someday. Someday. Indeed, she used to laugh and tell me that those exact thoughts were what constituted a mindset of a hoarder. I protested to say my mother was much worse. Still, that did not negate the facts
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Anzaldua

In her piece, "Towards a New Consciousness" Borderlands La Frontera Gloria Anzaldúa deconstructs our presumptions surrounding identity. She argues that identity should be “flexible,” it should “shift out of habitual formations” (Anzaldúa 101). She continually reaffirms that it is a fluid movement of ideas that cannot be restricted. Her “mestiza consciousness” (99) stands between two cultures, straddling the fault lines between them. It also stands outside of both cultures. Her multifaceted identity as a queer woman somwehere between Mexican, Indian and American culture places her at a crossroads of selfhood. Anzaldúa writes, “All countries are mine because I am every woman’s sister or potential lover. (As a lesbian I have no race, my own people disclaim me; but I am all races because there is the queer of me in all races.)” (102). Her identity not only stands at the border of two sets of people, but also between conflicting ideas. In effect, Anzaldúa’s reaffirmation of her
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Imaginary Homelands Class Questions

Imaginary Homelands By: Salman Rushdie 11/20/2019 Thomas DiMarco Salman Rushdie ·        Born June 19, 1947 ·        Critically Acclaimed British-Indian Novelist o    Responsible for writing Midnight’s Children in 1981, winner of the Booker Prize o    Combined elements of magical realism with historical fiction o    Deals with the connections and disruptions that arise from the migrations between Eastern and Western civilizations ·        In 1983 (the publishing year of this essay), Rushdie was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in June, 2007 ·        In 1988, he wrote The Satanic Verses , which had to deal with Muhammad and the creation of the Quran o    Sparked major controversy, receiving many death threats, even having a fatwa declared against him by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran o    Fatwa = nonbinding legal opinion on a point of Islamic law §   https://www.youtub
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Salman Rushdie and Sir David Hume

Nathan Galloway  EN376 11/20/19 Imaginary Homelands Salman Rushdie, an Indian writer living in England, examines the mixed outcomes of creating an imaginative homeland in his essay  Imaginary Homelands . He comes to the conclusion that these piecemeal ideas of home have great importance as a data point of home, but he warns about the use of a singular writer’s representation of home when it is applied to the general population. This conclusion is very important and is still needed almost forty years after Rushdie published his essay. However, one of the most essential building blocks of his argument is his understanding of the philosophical empiricism.  David Hume, one of the founders of western Empiricism, argues in his book  An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding , that all of our essential knowledge comes from our sensory experiences. I bring Hume’s argument up because Rushdie has elements of his argument that follow in close parallel to that of Hume. Rushdie’s image o
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