Woman, Native, OtherTrinh Minh ha

Prepared by:Dr. Kay PicartAssociate Professor of EnglishCourtesy Associate Professor of Law

Guide Question

How does Minh-ha view story-telling?

Multiple Choice:

A. As a process that never begins and endsB. Built on SamenessC. Is Non-totalizableD. Is like an “Empty” GiftE. Can always be possessedF. Is Inexhaustible within its Own LimitsG. All of the AboveH. A and C onlyI. D-F OnlyJ. None of the options Named Fits Perfectly

Guide Question

What is the “triple bind” Minh-ha talks about?

Multiple Choice

A. Three conflicting Identities as a Writer of Color, A Woman Dancer and a A Woman of ColorB. Three conflicting Identities as a Thinker of Color, A Woman Artist and a Woman of ColorC. Three Conflicting Identities as a Writer of Color, A Woman Writer and a Woman of ColorD. Three Conflicting Identities as an Activitist of Color, A Feminist Writer and a Woman of Color

Discussion Questions

Why does Minh ha find that she is torn between these conflicting loyalties?How does Minh ha view authorship?

Guide Question

What is the “guilt” Minh ha talks about?

Multiple Choice

A. The guilt of indulging in “pure art for art’s sake”B. The guilt of writing for herself aloneC.The guilt of disavowing her gender and raceD. The guilt of wanting a “room of her own”E. The guilt of being privileged to writeF. A & B onlyG. C & D onlyH. D & E only

Guide Question

How does Minh ha view writing in relation to Sartre’s ideal of liberty?

Multiple Choice

A. She identifies with Sartre’s notions of an absolute choice of self and proud assertion of consciousnessB. She believes that it is in the name of My freedom that I stamp out othersC. She believes that “writing for the masses” requires “massification” of the otherD. A & B onlyE. A & C onlyF. B & C onlyG. None of the above fits perfectly

Discussion Question

What does Minh ha think of the opposition between “art for art’s sake” and “political art”?

Discussion Questions

How does Minh ha view “correct/well behaved” writing versus writing that “steals”?Do you agree with Minh ha’s characterization of these two types of writing?

Discussion Question

Why does Minh ha refer to (ideal) writing as an “infinite play of mirrors”?

Guide Question

What is the “Quiller-Couch Syndrome” or “Lady Painter” Syndrome as Margaret Atwood describes it?

Multiple Choice

A. States that “masculine writing” is “objective” and “feminine writing” is “subjective”B. States that “masculine writing” is “universal” and “feminine writing” is “confessional,” and “personal”C. States that “masculine writing” is “healthy/sane” while “feminine writing” verges on the “sick/neurotic”D. States that “When she is ‘good,’ she’s a painter; when she’s ‘bad,’ she’s called a “lady painter.”E. None of the above fits perfectlyF. All of the above

Guide Question:

What are the traits of “writing woman” according to Minh-ha?

Multiple Choice:

A. The “Priest God Scheme”B. “And I grow younger as I leave my me behind”C. “Writing/being written by my body”D. The body in theory as “fragmenting to decentralize rather than dividing to conquer”E. A & B onlyF. All of the above except AG. All of the above except B & DH. None of the above fits perfectly